Guyana in ‘reverse’ mode

Dear Editor,
Various international organisations, such as the World Economic Forum, through a series of annual countries’ assessment, inadvertently espouse the axiom that “Guyana is in reverse mode”. In 2017, the Global Human Capital Index, a report that ranks countries according to their effectiveness and level of human capital development, demoted Guyana below its 2015 global position of 79 by 9 positions, surpassing frail economies such as Uganda, Zambia and Kenya. A closer look at some of the key indicators revealed that, within one year, 2015-2016, Guyana slipped by more than four positions in unemployment rate for age group 25-54, and seven positions for age group 55-64. Ironically, the Government boasts of job creation.
Furthermore, between 2015 and 2017, the country’s global ranking fell by another seven positions in relation to quality of primary education of children aged 0-15 years. Overall, Guyana has slipped by eight positions in global ranking in the quality of educational services provided to children aged 15 to 24.
Concomitantly, youth literacy rate also fell in global position by more than five. According to the report, unemployment rate for youths aged 15 to 24 has contracted by more than nine positions globally.
Similarly, in the Global Human Capital Index, Guyana has deteriorated globally by three positions when ranked by the Human Development Index for the year 2016. Countries such as Namibia and Morocco have all surpassed Guyana in global ranking. In the health sector, when compared to 2013, infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births has increased from 29 in 2013 to 32 in 2015. Similarly, infants under five months have seen an increase in mortality rate per 1,000 live births from 36 to 40 during similar period. Adults, on the other hand, have seen an increase in deaths due to tuberculosis from 15 for every 100,000 people in 2013 to 21 in 2015.
On the other hand, the latest Global Competitive Index Report for the period 2015-2016 saw Guyana fall in global ranking by more than nineteen positions to 121 when compared to 2014. Institutions, one of the fundamental pillars that command global ranking, deteriorated by thirteen positions to 102 in 2016 when compared to 2015. Property rights; bribes; favouritism; wasteful spending and organised crime have all seen massive deterioration in ranking, on average by 6 positions.
Similarly, macroeconomic environment, another critical pillar of equal weight, deteriorated by three positions. Government budget balance as a percentage of GDP fell by 19 positions, which presently is now worse than that of Haiti. Further confirming the abysmal and deteriorated trend, health and primary education system declined by another two positions: Guyana is now lagging behind countries such as Kenya and Ethiopia.
Finally, in doing business, the most problematic factors now orbit around inefficient Government bureaucracy, corruption, and poor access to financing.
The question that begs to be answered is: how could this Government speak of development, wealth generation, and the “good life”, when we are clearly, from all indications, in reverse mode?
Sincerely,
Mohamed Irfaan Ali