President Irfaan Ali says that while he is leading the national “One Guyana” inclusivity initiative, it is in no way political and should be embraced by all those who wish to see this country develop holistically.
During an interview last Monday, Ali told the Stabroek News that it pains him when he hears anyone interlink politics with the social cohesion and inclusivity initiative.
“I’m building one Guyana. We are we are pushing for one Guyana in which all the people must benefit. Prosperity must come to every single home. If in building one Guyana, the whole country supports me, I’ll be very happy. But if in building one Guyana [and] 10,000… persons do not support, then we have to continue to work to get those 10,000 persons to support one Guyana.
“I’m not talking about one PPP or one party. I’m talking about one Guyana, a Guyana where development meets the aspirations of all the people; of all the people of our country. One Guyana is not telling you to vote for one party. One Guyana is telling you to vote for Guyana. One Guyana is telling you to do everything to support and push Guyana forward,” he added.
Ali explained that the initiative was birthed to bridge the divide in the country where all sides would understand that they are equally valuable if this country is to progress. He said it has never been seen as a party initiative or strategy.
“As a government, we have a responsibility for all the people—those who voted for us and those who did not vote for us because we all live in one Guyana,” he reasoned.
When he had spoken about “One Guyana” and its empowerment agenda in February of this year, he said it was a social contract with the people of Guyana. “No government has all the answers. It is my wish to be able to benefit from the viewpoints of all, including our political parties, trade unions, private sector, workers and social organisations. ‘One Guyana’ is, therefore, a social contract of inclusion.”
A firm believer that there is a supreme being, Ali had also called on the religious community to help. “You are the custodians of morality, and you can help people to appreciate their moral and social obligations. The religious community also must lead the way in promoting social harmony, particularly through encouraging greater tolerance and understanding and through respect for our multicultural diversity.”
On Monday, he pointed out that persons must realise that it is their taxpayers’ dollars and resources from their country which fund the development paths of parties.
And while governments change, the country remains and its development trajectory and wellbeing of its people are constant, he noted.
“The development that we’re doing, the infrastructure we are building; the healthcare system we are building; the social safety system that we are building; the investment in agriculture, the investment in education; the investment in in technology… is for all of Guyana. So if you’re not supporting One Guyana then you’re not supporting Guyana,” he contended.
He said that he understands that much of the criticism of the initiative is being fuelled by politicians. And although he acknowledges that politicians have a role to play, he said it should never be to undermine the progression of the country or stymie developmental initiatives geared at bettering the population.
“There’s some in society who can never ever take the burden of selfishness off their backs. So because they have a very narrow and selfish political agenda, in most cases, a political agenda, they will allow that to prevent them from being part of the One Guyana. Terrible!” he opined.
But like many of the projects planned, Ali said that he will not be distracted as he has confidence that people will decipher for themselves if the plan is political or not.
He had earlier this year said that there would be a One Guyana Commission established, but when asked about a document to guide the initiative, he said that there was not one, as it forms part of overall social and economic developmental plans.
However, he is personally crafting a document “based on all the feedback, based on everything we were doing,” and “putting this together to have a concept paper on what One Guyana is.”
