Gov’t says its intention is to ensure every family owns a home

By Michael Younge

Thousands of Guyanese converged at the National Stadium, Providence, last Friday afternoon to witness President Donald Ramotar officially open the 2012 International Building Exposition under the theme “Embracing Standards, Building the Future”.
The exposition’s opening ceremony saw a few cultural performances but the majority of the presentations were delivered by government and private sector officials.
Delivering the feature address at the event, President Donald Ramotar told thousands that his government remains unmoved in its commitment to empower Guyanese through the process of homeownership. He said that it was his desire to see more Guyanese achieving their goals, breaking the social barriers which have retarded their personal development and reaching new heights.
Ramotar lauded the work done in the housing and construction sectors explaining that it plays a critical role in fast tracking the growth of the economy and the well-being of the citizenry as a whole.
“Our intention is to try as hard as we possibly can to ensure that every family owns their own home,” he said as he gave multiple examples of the spin-off effect of homeownership on the family unit and by extension, their communities and Guyana.
Ramotar’s vision for the sector is one that will see stakeholders utilising a mixture of technologies which will result in newer forms of materials and products emerging on the market place which will further enhance competition as well as the growth of the building and construction sectors.

Callous Opposition

“Success attracts envy and jealousy,” Ramotar said as he decried the “callous” manner in which the opposition was behaving, especially with regards to new projects and sectors that have the potential to see Guyana achieving more growth.
“Workers who were trying their best and who are doing all they can to try to satisfy the needs and demands of the population out there… their labour is being disregarded and they are being abused by opposition political elements,” Ramotar said.
He condemned the attack on the ministry in the strongest possible terms, saying it was coming from those interested in sowing the seeds of discord and misinformation in the minds of the Guyanese people.  “…shame on them,” he said sternly. Ramotar added that the opposition was merely brainwashing themselves and seeking to do so to scores of Guyanese with their continued talk about corruption and mismanagement.
Meanwhile, Housing Minister Irfaan Ali lauded the gains of the expo over the past couple of years. He announced that this year, some Gy$15 billion would be collectively invested by the private sector and the government of Guyana.

Government will inject approximately Gy$6 billion in the sector while the private sector plans to invest a whopping Gy$9 billion in the areas of housing and construction. Apart from this, some seven proposals have been received for various ventures from investors who are part of the International Building Exposition.
A Chinese company wants to invest in a state-of-the art industrial site, a modern housing scheme, and an agro-processing plant which could see an additional US$500 million plugged into the economy.
“Let there be no mistake that Guyana is on the move,” the housing minister said.
“The building and construction sector is a prime example of another area in which Guyana is taking the lead in the Caribbean in advancing economic growth, development and the improvements in the lives of the country,” Minister Ali emphasised.
He said that within any developing country, infrastructural advancement, development and homeownership are important factors that cannot be ignored.

“The signature projects are critical for the advancement of Guyana and for the continuation of the building and construction sector,” Ali said. Those projects include the Marriott Hotel, the new hydropower plant and the expansion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.
“It does not take a scientist…an economist…financial expert to outline the many benefits these signature projects will bring to Guyana,” he said, noting that it was necessary for all stakeholders to come on board.
“I say tonight that Guyana requires a different culture… it requires a culture of people who think ‘Guyana first’ and understand the importance of development, as well as the implications of macroeconomic principles on the people.”
He believes the time for “naysaying, hating and badmouthing” the country has passed, and it was time for nation building to continue. “We need to change that culture to a culture of cooperation, togetherness and advancement… and that is what is important for the future of the building and construction sector.”
“Let us not allow narrow-minded thinking to retard the advancement of our country,” he advised.
Similarly, Private Sector Commission Vice President Clinton Urling believes Guyana still has a lot to gain from its continued investment in the building and construction sector, as he endorsed the 2012 expo.
“I think that no one would doubt that our building boom is continuing even in the face of shortage and high prices of building and construction materials. This sector contributes greatly to our gross domestic product,” he said. He envisaged that the expansion of the sector will continue for several years to come. “It can indeed be said that this exposition represents the best of the government and private sector collaboration”.