Putting aside partisan interests

In what was regarded as a spot-on 46th Independence address to the nation, considering the present challenges facing our democracy, President Donald Ramotar utilised the opportunity to throw out a challenge to the parliamentary opposition to show that they are really serious about working together to move Guyana forward. It is well accepted that the challenges confronting the work of Parliament and governance as a whole requires more than just political rhetoric from key stakeholders, in fact, it requires concrete action to match the talk.
The president has issued numerous other calls for political cooperation after he was sworn in as head of state, and has followed up with the required action to show that he meant business. We should state here that there is every reason to believe that the government’s stated commitment to working with all stakeholders to create a better life for every citizen is a genuine one and opposition political parties must capitalise on this opportunity. The tri-partite talks which had started a few months ago are seen as a positive step and should therefore continue with a well- established agenda in a manner that is results-driven.
Like Mr Ramotar, we believe that Guyana can achieve its true potential if there is really meaningful cooperation between government and opposition parties, working in collaboration with civil society and other like-minded groups in the country.
When there is an absence of political stability, the entire country is affected. Investors do not want to put their money into a country that is politically and socially unstable.
Notwithstanding that, over the past decade or so, Guyana has enjoyed unprecedented economic growth unlike some other countries in the region. During his Independence address, President Ramotar assured citizens of a better future for generations to come through an “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.
Additionally, 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.
There is a role for the opposition parties and civil society groups in this “transformative agenda” which, according to Mr Ramotar, 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.
Another important point which the president touched on too was the need for development efforts to be people-centred.
In his words, “every village, every nook and cranny must have a vibrant economy.” In essence, there must be meaningful efforts to 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. Only through these means would development mean something to the ordinary people as persons at the lower level of the economic scale would be able to see real changes in their communities.
The possibilities in Guyana are endless, and for this reason, we hope that the opposition would take this call seriously and show by their actions that they are more of a partner in development as against an opposition force working against development as the perception currently is. For emphasis sake, it would be worthwhile to repeat what the president said in relation to political parties working together for the common good: “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”.