“I am committed to working with those interested in moving Guyana forward” – President Ramotar

President Donald Ramotar said that with political “will and trust”, Guyana can achieve its true potential. The president expressed the sentiment as he addressed hundreds of Guyanese at the National Park in commemoration of the country’s 46th anniversary as an independent nation.

Ramotar said cooperation is the key to ensuring that all dreams are realised. Pointing to the 2011 general and regional elections, and the new dispensation, he said the leaders of the country must display “maturity” by putting the interest of the country and people first, as opposed to self-interests.

“No matter what side of the political divide we are on, let us remember that 46 years ago we assumed the responsibility for our own development,” the president stated.

He said: “We can today look towards the future with great optimism, confident that the sacrifices of those who went before us laid the foundations for the bright and promising future that lies in front of us. As we focus on the task ahead, may we never lose sight of the economic and political lessons of the past 46 years.”

President Ramotar added that in advancing the development agenda of the country, it must be recognised that partnerships are essential. He said “we must be able to see the wisdom in protecting and furthering our national interests…” He noted that over the years, Guyana has “enjoyed unprecedented economic growth”, stating that the country has “become the object of attention within the region”.

Ramotar said despite the challenges faced following independence, the country’s traditional sectors have continued to bring benefits to the country and its people. Our traditional sectors have also served us well in the face of daunting exogenous shocks.

“These sectors remain pivotal to economic growth, but it is now necessary for them to become modernised and for the emergence of new sectors to lead economic diversification and growth.”

The president said too that it is necessary to improve the delivery of education here while configuring it to meet the growing demands of “the new economy that we are building in an ever growing and competitive world.”

He said nurturing “an open economy” while safeguarding political freedoms and civil liberties; retooling traditional sectors and improving the current education system “remain important to our future progress”.

In saluting the people of Guyana, President Ramotar stated that the “selfless sacrifices” of the people of Guyana would not be forgotten.

“Tonight, I salute the people of Guyana, especially the working people through whose toil and sacrifice this country was built. As we enter a new exciting phase of our development, I want to assure all of you, workers, entrepreneurs, farmers etc that you will be in an integral part of national development.”

The president assured citizens of a “better future for our children and grandchildren” through economic transformation. “Economic transformation involves investments in critical infrastructural projects, initiatives and policies capable to leapfrogging Guyana’s development to new heights.

This includes the search for oil and rare minerals; the development of hydroelectricity; building an all-weather road to Lethem; bridging the Corentyne River; and constructing a deep water harbour.

Through the stringing of fiber-optic cable from Brazil, we intend to revolutionise bandwidth and internet services throughout our country, make these services more affordable and accessible to the average consumers, and allow for the creation of data and call centres capable of providing employment for thousands of our young and old people.

The fiber-optic cable will also facilitate our e-governance programme, allowing government services to be more easily available to all our people, wherever they may be,” the president stated.

President Ramotar added that economic transformation entails the modernisation of traditional sectors such as bauxite, rice and sugar, while developing agro-processing and ecotourism, and cementing the country’s status as a global leader in the provision of environmental services under the Low Carbon Development Strategy.

“Economic transformation will entail greater diversification of the economy with emphasis on increased value-added activity.” President Ramotar urged that more people work the land as it will “pay great dividends”.

According to him, the administration’s transformative agenda involves “catapulting our economy to a higher stage of development by fostering industrialisation, reducing our carbon footprint, assuring us cheap, reliable and renewable sources of energy, keying our people into the exciting possibilities of the cyber world, and allowing for the emergence of new poles of economic growth while modernising the traditional sectors”.

The president believes that what is necessary is the creation of a balanced economy and mixed economy, where “various forms of ownership” will complement each other.

A place where investors will feel secured and encouraged to participate in the exciting task of nation building. That aside, the president said development must be centred on the people, and as such, the administration must reconfigure development models so that benefits would be spread across the board.

Ramotar said “every village, every nook and cranny” must have a “vibrant economy”. “We will work towards breathing new life into our village economies so as to increase economic activities; provide jobs within villages for residents; promote inter-village economic exchanges; and encourage the growth of businesses, large and small, including cottage industries.”

President Ramotar assured that he is committed to working with all those interested in moving Guyana forward. “We need to safeguard our freedoms, defend our democracy and allow the ingenuity and resourcefulness of our people to flourish. A great Guyana will not be measured only in terms of what we build and what we create, but also in our character as a nation, including our ability and willingness to set aside narrow interests for the greater good of all Guyana,” the president stated.