Dear Editor,
The Working People’s Alliance wishes all Guyanese a happy and prosperous New Year.
This coming year promises to be a defining moment for our country. It will be our first year as an oil producing nation and that brings with it, new challenges and possibilities for our beloved country. This is an exciting time to be a Guyanese. For the first time since Independence Guyana would have access to resources to be able to address the myriad challenges our country has faced, thanks to our long history of bondage and exploitation.
The coming Oil and Gas dispensation would forever change Guyana as we know it. With God’s guidance and prudent leadership our country can be transformed into a space where all our citizens will be able to enjoy a life bereft of poverty. This is a very significant area for us in the WPA. As a party in and out of government we are deeply committed to the liberation of the poor and the powerless, the working people, from the shackles of poverty.
It is our considered view that our first order of business should be wiping the scourge of poverty from the face of Guyana. This can be achieved firstly through the elimination of unemployment and the creation of jobs which pay a living wage. The right to work is a human right that any government worth its salt should strive to guarantee all its citizens.
Further, the WPA believes that the Guyanese people should benefit directly from the expected oil wealth. Towards this end we have proposed and will continue to champion Direct Cash Transfers to households. We feel this policy measure would greatly help with the alleviation of poverty as all Guyanese, regardless of ethnicity or social class, would be guaranteed an additional income to use as they see fit. We have every confidence in the ability of Guyanese to put that money to good use.
WPA believes that in addition to full employment and Cash Transfers, all Guyanese should be afforded a quality education, from nursery to university. In this regard, we support government subsidized education or free public education, improved wages for teachers and modern classrooms as central to a revolution in our education system.
WPA embraces a strengthening of the capacity of the State to deliver the best services to citizens, but above and beyond that we feel the State should be strengthened to be the defender and protection of the rights of citizens and the guardian of our sovereignty as a country. It is our view that the State must first and foremost invest in the people, in particular, the youth which makes up the majority of the population.
All the above stands a better chance of becoming a reality under the stewardship of the right government. The WPA therefore urges Guyanese to vote for the return of the APNU+AFC Coalition to office. As a party committed to Shared Governance, we see the Coalition as a step in that direction. We urge Guyanese to vote against One Party government and give the broad-based Coalition a second chance.
WPA does not believe that the Coalition reached its full potential during the first term, but we feel it has done more than enough to deserve a chance to finish its work. We make a special appeal to the youth and to those skeptical voters. Use your vote—do not spoil it by staying away from the polls. Your vote is your voice and your voice must be heard even if you are not fully satisfied.
Yours faithfully,
Tabitha Sarabo-Halley
Chairperson, WPA
