Dear Editor,
I have been putting some more nuts and bolts on the ‘Building Our Dream Guyana’ National Economic and Social Development Plan, as such this letter will focus on Agriculture, Green Economy, Blue Economy, and some steps to reduce the high cost of living. The general economic development will be capitalist-driven and around three areas: The market economy, state economy and social economy. My goal is to eliminate poverty in Guyana by 2035 and under the ‘Building Our Dream Guyana’ campaign/movement from the 1st of January to 31st December 2025 will be designated as the ‘Year of the Guyanese People’. The focus for this year will be on renewing our commitment as a people to working together to achieve our motto: One People One Nation One Destiny.
A key focus of my government will also be on supporting our Caribbean neighbourhood to grow and develop economically, socially, and environmentally.
In terms of Agriculture, the focus of my government will be on food security and nutrition. This will be at three levels: Local, regional (Caribbean) and international. We will develop a structured programme for agriculture and support for small, medium and large scale farmers in Guyana; and as far as possible, with a market-driven approach. A key aspect of our agriculture strategy will be the school farming programme which will be linked to the health strategy to improve nutrition. The school farming programme will particularly focus on growing fruits and vegetables and crops high in protein. The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Agriculture Corps will be revived as a leading agriculture focus area for practical, educational, as well as supply of products to the Army and the Discipline Services. The GDF Garden of Eden Agri Corps location will be rehabilitated and developed into a model farm.
With regard to the Green Economy, my government will review the former APNU+AFC’s ‘Green State Development Strategy’ and the PPP/C’s ‘Low Carbon Development Strategy’ and extract relevant components to be integrated into our ‘Green Economy Strategy’. Our approach to governance will not be to throw away the baby and the bath water; meaning to abandon the good strategies and programmes from previous administrations. Guyana has enormous potential under the Green Economy, and we will maximise these opportunities. On the Blue Economy, my government will develop a ‘Blue Economy Strategy’ for Guyana. The World Bank defines the Blue Economy as the “sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the health of ocean ecosystem” while the European Commission definition states “All economic activities related to oceans, seas and coasts. It covers a wide range of interlinked established and emerging sectors.” Our National Economic and Social Development Plan will include the Blue Economy as a key focus of building out a sustainable economy for Guyana.
This approach will capitalize on Guyana being the ‘Land of Many Waters’ and create and capture more value from our water resources. For example, can Guyana export freshwater? How can Guyana’s freshwater resource be of economic benefit to countries in the Caribbean region and internationally? Water is currently an important resource and will be even more critical in the future and this will be factored into the national development plan. We will modernize our ports and construct new ports, harbours, and wharfs, where necessary, essentially, creating and capturing more value and exploring more possibilities from not being a landlocked country. We will also assist our fishermen to construct proper ‘ports’ of landings to improve their trade. I would like to focus on some of the things my government will do within the first six months to reduce the cost of living.
Let me take this opportunity to thank the Stabroek News for its great work over the past months in highlighting the impact of the high cost of living on citizens. Our government will either reduce or remove the taxes on milk, toilet paper, sanitary napkins, soaps, soap powders, baby cereals, among other items. We will try to bring the cost for a packet of milk below $500. Our aim is for every citizen to be able to have fruits and vegetables regularly and increase their protein intake. Ideally, we would like to reduce the price for one pound of banana to $200 or less. Citizens should be able to buy five pounds of banana for $1,000. Prices for oranges, mangoes, etc. should also be reasonable enough for citizens to be able to consume fruits regularly. Our approach would be to require that commuters pay for crossing bridges. As a matter of fact, since oil is not an infinite resource, the money the country is earning from the oil and gas industry should be invested into additional and future income earning economic activities. As such, instead of a blanket approach of not requiring payments for crossing bridges, we will identify vulnerable groups, for e.g., school children, elderly and disabled persons and design a programme where they will benefit from crossing bridges free. We would prefer to reduce taxes on food and some personal items and support agriculture to reduce the cost of fruits and vegetables and improve nutrition.
I am asking the Guyanese people to ‘Give Audreyanna a Chance’ to be the next President of Guyana. ‘Give Audreyanna a Chance’ to work with the Guyanese people to ‘Build Our Dream Guyana’ and achieve One People, One Nation, One Destiny; to provide strong leadership; to work with the Guyanese people to build strong families; to work with the Guyanese people to build strong communities; to work with the Guyanese people to build strong organisations and institutions; to work with the Guyanese People to develop strong citizenship; to work with the Guyanese people to build a strong economy; to work with the Guyanese people to build strong bonds; and to work with Guyanese to build a strong Guyana.
For the purpose of this campaign/movement; our community, youth, and diaspora groups, will be called ‘Dream Teams.’ I would like to partner and team up with people who still believe in the ideal of our Motto: One People One Nation One Destiny.
Sincerely,
Citizen Audreyanna Thomas
Presidential Candidate 2025