It is times such as national anniversaries, Days of the Republic, that the people's response needs to be carefully adjudged - taking into consideration the way the perception process tends to filter and at times distort reactions to the political leadership.

In Tanzania, Mwalimu Nyerere, arguably one of the greatest sons of Africa, regularly requested all area and district commissioners to be at State House and to engage the Wananchi Umoja - the common people.

Today, yesterday and for some time now, events in both Venezuela and Haiti have confirmed the veracity of the democratic principle. In both of these countries politics traditionally has more often than not been the preserve of the power oligarchy.

The rich/poor antagonism everywhere, but especially in those countries where a petit bourgeois alliance coalesces with the 'national bourgeoisie', the end result invariably is a comprador compromise. The coalition seeks to supplant an overtly nationalist 'nouveau riche' class compulsively aligned to the State.

In large measure this is essentially the dialectic in Haiti as well as Venezuela, Ecuador, Nicaragua and the huge body politic of Brazil. As for Guyana, three crucial and inter-related factors ought to be always in focus.

The first concerns the social capital of the nation - above all the political economy and the quality of life that the people often have expectations for - education, housing, a varied and abundant reliable food supply and health care, regardless of whether this is considered "welfare-ism."

The second obliges a relative 'protectionism' and calls, places urgent demands on the State apparatus to deeply confront all forms and variations of criminal behaviours, including violent and 'white collar' revenue fraud and corrupt practices.

Increasingly, policy formation at this level is greatly influenced by new technology and strategies, including those developed by Guyanese domiciled in the Diaspora.

The third factor 'constructs' on national democracy and is sine qua non to ensure that the dangers of unexpected shifts in the regional and global balance of forces (Bosnia-Croatia-Albania) do not encourage ultra right adventurism and, most of all, terrorism.

This long-term 'determinant' rests on building, on nurturing and sustaining 'national confidence' - the capacity of the people to overcome adversities and temporary setbacks. This process is essentially a historical evolution that combines the reform dynamic with an imaginative and well thought-out paradigm, qualitatively accessible for both business and labour sectors.

This weekend's regional Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS) Outreach should therefore be regarded as an important stage in the most practical sense, not only in terms of implementation of the PRSP (Poverty Reduction Strategy Programme) but, just as important, for the real value which the National Consultations imparted - particularly those most professional sub-units that worked along with Dr. Coby Frimpong and his Steering Committee personnel.

Perhaps and advisably, given the differential, the alternations and even the almost complete transformation of policy valuation of certain aspects of income disposal, purchasing power and other market criteria since the 2000 and pre-9/11 period, the key linkage for the PRS would be flexibility.

Guyana's Business Outlook Survey Report for 2004, released at a public event on December 17, 2003, identifies both for the traditional and new investors, specific parameters normally associated with business surveys.

GO-INVEST's launching of its website on December 22, 2003 further elaborates for the entrepreneurial and investor community that prime area for sustainable incentive programmes.