GETTING IN GROOVE FOR 2004
- by Robert Persaud
Guyana Chronicle
January 5, 2004
The New Year has dawned. The season of joy and goodwill is coming to a close. It is beyond doubt that Guyanese of all walks of life had an enjoyable festive season - the best in many years. It was much fun to see the crowded shopping centers, parents and children fetching the loaded, heavy shopping bags under the watchful eyes of our police.
The thousands of overseas Guyanese, many back for the first time in decades, were clearly impressed. Media interviews and interactions with some confirmed their surprise about developments in the country and peaceful, quality social interaction of our diverse population. Once again, our overseas-based friends and families realised how distorted a picture they had of the homeland.
There was much to be happy about at the end of 2003. Everyone had decided to make the best of it as they prepare for the coming year. Relatively speaking, the mood of the country is at an all-time high. Since the 1997 intensification of extra-parliamentary action by the main opposition party, the society had become weary, but certainly not defeated. The current period, culminating by the Christmas and New Year's holiday, was one of the high points of the past six years. This is one of the better periods to start the New Year.
Just days before Christmas, the President described the granting of the enhanced HPIC debt relief by the IMF and World Bank as one of the best Christmas presents Guyana could have received. The granting of this historical debt relief was a testimony to prudent economic management, international goodwill and hard work. This relief would allow for another US$30M annually (which would have been otherwise spent for debt servicing) over the next several years, to be available for poverty reduction and economic growth activities. This signal achievement came at the near end of a challenging year, which started out daunting and less promising. Astute leadership and a determined population turned the situation around for the better.
The political impasse has thawed. Parliament is being used as the forum for articulating and advancing political causes. The crime situation has improved significantly. Inclusiveness by the State has expanded many aspects of the Constitution which have been implemented. There is greater investors' interest and activities as reflected in the amount of foreign and local investment in the economy last year. The state of our economy is healthy. Public servants, teachers, sugar workers, policemen and soldiers, to a name a few groups, have received increased pay. The opposition has finally played its part to allow for the constitutional service commission members to be appointed so that our public servants, policemen, teachers and members of the judiciary could be promoted after about three years delay. Major infrastructural projects are being undertaken across the country. The level of poverty, already reduced by half over the past decade, is still being attacked. Government services, while not perfect, continued to be improved. The fight against corruption has been intensified, especially in the area of revenue leakages.
There is no reason to believe that Guyana has overcome all of its problems. Like many developing countries, there are factors, internal and external, which will take much time, patience and diligence to correct. These are critical issues, which would have to be confronted. People still demand and do deserve better water, electricity and telephone services (the last utility is outside the ambit of government). Communities do warrant more pro-activeness from relevant regional and central bodies.
The President's New Year's address to the nation has set the right tempo to get the nation in groove for what seems to be a most promising year ahead. According to the Head of State, "...it is impossible to provide you a problem free country. What I can promise you is commitment and hard work every single day." This we have witnessed in the year just gone by and certainly will witness at a higher level in the period ahead. As alluded to in a previous commentary, expectations must be tempered by reality in terms of what is possible with the scarce resources we have as a nation, which is struggling after decades of misrule.
2004 has commenced with a greater sense of hope and optimism. People seem ready for making the best of it, excluding the few with access to the television and newspapers with other agendas and who did not even care to respect the significance of the season to ease off with their hate messages, vile remarks, untruths and unbearable pessimism. Expect them to become more desperate as things improve. Do expect to hear about the launch of another political party to join the fray of attacking the PPP/C. Notwithstanding the many good prospects for our people, the detractors would continue and even intensify their campaign in 2004. People will judge them accordingly.
Things are incrementally getting better. But we are not out of the `woods.' Forces are at work to ensure that for political reasons we remain in the proverbial `woods' for much longer. We all must be on our guard to repel these if our dear land is to accelerate progress.
As we get into the groove to succeed in the New Year, the many positive things around and the prospects ought to comfort us in the future. President Jagdeo in his New Year's Address to the Nation summed it up well "...the nation is on the move." All notwithstanding, ethnic, political and other differences must keep Guyana this way in 2004.
(The author is the Information Liaison to the President and an Executive Committee Member of the PPP.)