Gov’t ahead of schedule on delivering manifesto commitments − Min Singh

The PPP/C Administration continues to prioritise countrywide development and is working assiduously to deliver on its manifesto promises.

This assurance was given by Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, during an interview on Trinidad’s AM Prime on Thursday.

The minister said that the government has been making concentrated efforts to boost oil and gas production since the start of production in 2019. He noted that the deployment of the second FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Offloading) vessel in early 2022 saw an increased capacity of over 200,000 barrels per day, and said that currently, there is a production capacity of over 300,000 barrels per day.

“We’re going to continue rolling out additional FPSOs, and we see ourselves within the decade getting up to producing one million barrels a day and more.

“We would like to deploy the returns of the industry in a manner that would promote long-term sustainable growth in Guyana and for improvement in the lives of all Guyanese people,” Minister Singh related.

The finance minister also debunked the “incoherent” postulations of the opposition that the government is not doing enough to put resources at the disposal of the Guyanese, reiterating that the administration encourages coherent, constructive criticism to facilitate countrywide development.

“The PPP/C Government places the highest importance on Guyana’s credentials as a democratic nation. We strongly believe in democracy and democratic connection, in a functioning parliamentary democracy, and in engaging the opposition in and out of parliament, and we will continue to do that. But, we can only do so to the extent that the opposition offers sensible and coherent policy positions that we can respond to,” he explained.

He noted that the manifesto was formulated following multiple consultations with the public to pinpoint key areas requiring action.

“The manifesto reflects feedback that we got from the people of Guyana, and what they consider to be important, and it reflects commitments that we believe we can deliver realistically, and that we are committed to delivering.”

The minister referred to the government’s advancements in various sectors such as education, agriculture, and housing, noting that well over 10,000 house lots have been distributed to Guyanese people.

He also posited that thousands of jobs have been created in various sectors in keeping with the government’s commitment to creating 50,000 jobs by 2025.

“The manifesto is our binding commitment and we are delivering. We are ahead of schedule in terms of delivering on these commitments and we will continue to push aggressively to ensure that we deliver every single thing we promised in the manifesto,” he assured.

Moreover, Minister Singh addressed the opposition’s claims that there is an unequal distribution of resources. He said President Ali’s ‘One Guyana’ philosophy was built on the foundation of the PPP/C’s policy of ensuring development and prosperity for all Guyanese regardless of race, religion, or social class.

“We, as a government, are committed to ensuring that all of Guyana participates in and benefits from this incredibly exciting period of transformation in Guyana,” the minister conveyed.