Democracy a ‘non-negotiable prerequisite’ to attract investment – Dr. Singh

Democracy is essential to attracting foreign investment. This was relayed by Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance Dr. Ashni Singh during an interview with the DPI on Friday.

“A non-negotiable prerequisite for an attractive investment environment is democracy and respect for the rule of law. No international investor would come to a country that does not respect democracy,” Dr. Singh stated.

The Minister said the world watched with disbelief at the events that occurred on March 2 until August 2, 2020. He added that the world expressed a collective sigh of relief when Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali was sworn in as President.

For five months, the Government battled the APNU+AFC to take its rightful place in office. The Government was supported by the local, regional and international community to prevent the now main opposition from stealing an election and disenfranchising thousands of electors.

“The restoration of democracy in Guyana I think is probably the singularly most important prerequisite for Guyana once again being an environment for investment that it was prior to 2015,” Minister Singh underscored.

At the recent launch of the Canada/Guyana Chamber of Commerce, President Ali said the world was once again expressing confidence in Guyana’s economy. He added that Guyana is a safe place to invest and that the Government will not put hurdles in the way of potential investors.