Dear Editor,
During the last twenty years including five under the PNC, Guyana became the poorest country in the Western hemisphere by 1992, accumulating an international debt of US $2.1 billion. Prior to the commencement of this twenty year period, in 1985, the PNC remained in office through the most massively rigged elections in its history, attributing to itself 75 % of the alleged votes cast.
They demitted office in 1992, after free and fair elections supervised by local and international observers which the PNC could no longer avoid.
From 1992 our international debt was reduced through payments, debt write-offs and debt forgiveness, not automatically but through prudent financial management, accountability and transparency.
94 % of our revenue dollars earned through exports were used to service our debts and this is now down to 7% even including what we have borrowed since and for which we can see evidence.
Our devastated physical and socio-economic infrastructure was rehabilitated and extended across the country.
Large budgetary allocations were made in the social sections to make health care and education more accessible. Thousands of school children, having been successful at Common Entrance exams could not go on to Secondary schools as there were not enough.
Over the last fifteen years, 21 new Secondary schools were built, some in areas which had none before so many more children are now able to access such schools and their attendance has more than doubled.
Several new hospitals have been built, so more people can access top health care in or near to the areas where they live.
The minimum public sector wage was $3,137 per month in 1992, and this minimum wage has now reached $ 28,000 per month. At the same time, the tax-free allowance was increased from $ 6,000 per month to $ 28,000 per month removing thousands from having to pay income taxes.
Thousands of citizens were able to acquire house lots and build their own homes. The Ministry of Housing was closed down under the PNC but re-opened under the PPP/C.
Two of the Millennium Development Goals due to be reached by 2015 have already been met – the reduction of extreme poverty, and the access to universal primary education.
Although meeting with exogenous shocks, the government has not thrown its hands up in the air, but is striving to meet and cope with them.
The Skeldon Sugar Factory is nearly completed which will also be able to supply power to the national grid. We have our state-of the-art National Stadium at Providence and successfully hosted our leg of the CWC 2007, the Rio Summit, and are about to host the Commonwealth Ministers’ Conference, and next year we will be hosting Carifesta X. We have built the Caricom Headquarters (long promised, by the PNC) and will be completing the Berbice River Bridge next year.
Our maritime boundary with Suriname has been settled by the United Nations Tribunal and we are optimistic about finding oil and gas. The bridge over the Takutu river with Brazil is being built leading to greater trade. Many new and additional investments are in the making following GuyExpo 2007, and our tourism industry is growing, and a new hotel is planned to be constructed in Kingston .
The report of a spectator survey of those attending the Cricket World Cup 2007 done by the University of Guyana, the DeSales University and Kutztown University of the USA has just been issued and some of the findings are – 76.9 % of the spectators have said that they would visit Guyana again, and 87.8% would recommend visiting Guyana to their friends or relatives.
Sure, there are a lot of serious problems still to deal with, either to solve or reduce them, but by working together this can be done.
Yours faithfully,
John Da Silva
