President Donald Ramotar wants to create conditions to improve political trust, which he says is necessary to bridge differences and move the country nearer to its goals.
“…I appeal to our political leaders to join me in creating conditions of improved political trust that would allow us to work together, in spite of our differences, to build this country of ours and to make it truly great so that we can take a bigger part in resolving regional and global issues,” Ramotar said in his address to mark the country’s 47th independence anniversary today.
“I am ready to engage with all stakeholders in pursuit of these goals,” he added.
Ramotar, who said the country’s economy is showing strong signs and noted that sustaining growth is critical, sought to make a case for large and controversial government projects, such as the Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Project, the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri expansion project and the Marriott.
He also used his address to announce the possible reopening of the Del Conte trail via a road link between Parika and communities close to Bartica as well as government’s intention to ratify International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 189 to recognise the rights of domestic workers.
Notably absent from the president’s address was any mention of the failing sugar industry or plans for its turnaround.
“I believe that at this time when our economy is doing better, we are well positioned to move closer towards achieving this vision. We should not let this moment pass; we should not squander this opportunity. I implore all of our political leaders to join me in working to build a grand future for all of our people,” he said.
He acknowledged that there will be differences of opinions and approaches to various issues in any society, but added that these should not be used as a roadblock to stymie progress or jeopardise the country’s standing nationally, regionally or internationally—a reference to the administration’s failure to win opposition support for the swift passage of amendments to the anti-money laundering laws.
Ramotar spoke of his own unprecedented directed appeal to parliamentarians for fast-tracking of the anti-money laundering amendments, in the face of the country potentially being listed as a non-cooperating jurisdiction by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force.
Regrettably, he said, his gesture was rebuffed and the opposition refused to entertain any date for a meeting of the select committee reviewing the proposed legislation before June 12, in what he described as disregard for the negative consequences that could follow.
Government has faced criticism for trying to force through the amendments at the last minute, despite having been aware of the changes that it needed to implement up to a year ago.
Growth
The president spoke about the “stellar performance” of the economy, focusing on growth over the past seven years and the more recent International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasts of increases in the Gross Domestic Product for this year and the next. He also noted that IMF’s World Economic Outlook reported that Guyana is predicted to see the second highest economic growth for South America in 2014. Looking ahead, Ramotar emphasised the importance of sustaining growth, saying that at this stage of the country’s development, this requires investment in “transformative infrastructure,” like the Amaila Project. Added to that, he said there is also a focus on intensifying the diversification into new economic centres. He identified tourism as one such centre saying that it holds huge possibilities but also requires significant investments to take-off. To this end, he pointed to the importance of critical and supporting infrastructure such as an expanded and modernised airport and new hotels like the Marriot. “These will give our country world class facilities and move us higher up on the economic ladder,” he said.
The country’s tourism product is going to be supported in the next few years by a strong focus in its public sector investment programme on transportation infrastructure, Ramotar said, while noting that many projects are in the pipeline and others are being actively considered.
It was against this background that he announced that government is “keenly examining” the possibility of reopening the Del Conte trail via a road link between Parika and communities close to Bartica. “When constructed, this road has the possibility of opening up thousands of acres of new lands for agricultural cultivation thereby increasing food production and securing greater economic opportunities for farmers, while providing a much needed road link to areas formerly only accessible by river,” the president noted.
He added that the area is one of the two possible new agricultural frontiers that the government is looking at opening up along with Region Nine.
Other major infrastructural projects mentioned by the president included the proposed new bridge across the Demerara River, for which expressions of interest are currently being invited; the widening of the thoroughfare between Better Hope and Belfield, which is now in the design phase; the widening of the East Bank public road and plans for the construction of a major bypass road that will link the East Coast to Diamond with connecting feeder roads at various points, such as Eccles and Mocha. He also noted that major rehabilitation works are needed on the access road linking communities on the East Bank of the Berbice River. The deplorable state of the road has been the source of protests over the years. “We want to build a sturdy and durable surface which is needed to withstand the growing volume of heavy duty traffic in that area,” he said.
‘Not pretending’
Despite successes in housing and education and what he described as a quality of life better than it ever was, Ramotar said he was “not pretending that everything is rosy” in Guyana. “While it is true that we have done much to improve the lot of our people, I am aware of many problems that confront our citizens in the towns and in the NDCs across our land. Many village roads need to be repaired and rebuilt. Too many of our drains are clogged up with debris, silt and weeds. The need for increased rehabilitative works on these structures is clearly evident. This is also vital to prevent the flooding of communities during rainy seasons and at high tides. One of the factors that have contributed to the drainage issue is the poor state of sanitation in many communities. Garbage disposal remains a bugbear in almost all the areas on the coast and is fast emerging as a growing concern in many interior communities,” he said.
“We have to work together, all of us—government and citizens; government and the opposition; government and civil society—to fix our country’s problems,” he added.
Ramotar said he had heard stories about underpayment of workers, while adding that the government has moved decisively to bring an end to such abuse. “We first set minimum wages for many categories of workers susceptible to exploitation, and this was followed by the institution of a national minimum wage which will further protect vulnerable workers from abuse and naked exploitation,” he noted, while urging any full-time employee who is earning less than the specified national minimum wage, to contact the Ministry of Labour.
The president said too that he had also promised to address concerns relating to domestic workers. “This minimum wage has gone a far way in doing so, since domestic workers are entitled to this minimum as well. We have now set their working time at 40 hours per week. They will now be legally entitled to holiday with pay and all the other benefits that flow from the labour acts,” he noted, while saying that government would also ratify the ILO convention 189 on domestic workers.
From July 1, 2013 some 31,000 workers in security sector, domestic and shop assistant will have a high wage, he pointed out.
