Dear Editor,
The Bank of Guyana celebrated its 50th anniversary this month. This is quite an important milestone and should be celebrated by all Guyanese. Only last year the University of Guyana also celebrated its 50th anniversary. Both of these can be considered transformative projects and have today become national institutions.
These projects were the brainchild of the PPP government under the leadership of the late Dr Cheddi Jagan who was very passionate about Guyana having its own national institutions to drive the development process. The country had just emerged from colonial rule and there were strong nationalist feelings by the leadership of the PPP to carve our own path to development.
There were challenges in terms of resources both human and financial, but the PPP government persevered, and today both of these have become pivotal to our development.
There were the usual critics who were opposed to the establishment of national institutions, more particularly the establishment of the University of Guyana, but time has proven them wrong.
Thanks to the tenacity, perspicacity and vision of Dr Jagan and the PPP leadership Guyana is today a much better place and in some respects ahead of other countries in the region in terms of accessibility to university education.
Yours faithfully,
Hydar Ally
