STATEMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT OF GUYANA ON THE 4TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 2015 ELECTIONS MAY 11 – A DAY TO REMEMBER AND CELEBRATE!
Press Statement, Government of Guyana – Friday, May 10, 2019
Today, May 11, marks the 4th anniversary of the General and Regional Elections, held in 2015, at which the six-party APNU+AFC Coalition was elected to form the Government of Guyana.
His Excellency, David Arthur Granger, became the Head of State as Executive President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces; and the Honourable Moses Verasammy Nagamootoo was appointed Prime Minister and Leader of Government Business in Parliament of what has since emerged as a united and formidable Coalition.
Avoiding public fanfare and triumphalism, the Coalition Government steered the country forward as a stable and growing economy; promoted and defended its sovereignty and territorial integrity; restored respect for Guyana as a democracy in which all human rights and press freedom are protected; and supported and encouraged social cohesion among our multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, plural population.
Over these past four years, the policies and programmes of the Coalition Government have favourably impacted every aspect of life in Guyana, from the coastland to the hinterland, and in our riverain and indigenous communities. No government before has done more within such a short span of time.
The APNU+AFC Coalition Government is pleased that it has given our senior citizens and working people a reassuring glimpse of the good life. It has increased old age pension and social assistance, raised the national minimum wage and improved salaries, including those for sweeper/cleaners, nurses and teachers.
Our Government, after giving some $43 billion in “bailouts” and severance payments to the sugar industry, took drastic action to save and secure the jobs of over 10,000 workers; and intervened in defence of bauxite workers. It also found new export markets for our farmers to sell their paddy and rice, while maintaining essential infrastructural support.
These are years to remember as our country emerged from the shadows of an authoritarian, narco-criminalised state into a respectable democracy that stands on the firm shoulders of the Constitution of the Republic, and guarantees the Rule of Law and the Separation of Powers, under which the Executive, the Judiciary and the Legislature enjoy full independence.
Emerging from a past that was characterized by “pervasive corruption” and systemic, political patronage, it had become a gigantic task for our Government to combat and reduce acts of institutionalized criminality, corrupt practices and discourage conflict of interest situations. This remains an incomplete national task. But our Government has taken legislative and administrative steps to fight tax evasion, the illicit contraband trade, piracy, trafficking in persons, money laundering, abuse of the procurement processes, and non-compliance with requirements to ensure integrity in public life.
Over these four years the Coalition Government restored neighbourhood, indigenous community and municipal grassroots democracy by holding local government elections, which were denied for over 20 years ago, in 2016 and, again, in 2018. Three new townships have been created in hinterland settlements, and the State has commissioned six regional radio stations together with internet connectivity to remove communities.
The APNU+AFC Government has embarked on a programme of clean, modern and orderly development that is reflected in timely disposal of solid waste, construction of major new roads on the East Coast, West Coast of Demerara and East Bank of Demerara, the East Bank of Essequibo and Berbice, that have been fitted with road lamps. Municipal “smart” roads have been provided with cameras.
Guyanese and foreign Commuters have all recognized the enhanced facilities at our international airports, renovated airstrips and aerodromes, and refurbished steamers that ply all of our riverain and sea routes. The charge for bridge crossings over the Demerara river remains subsidized, and the tolls at the Berbice River bridge has been reduced.
Since 2015 there have been incremental improvements in the delivery and reliability of electricity supplies nationwide, expansion of potable water facilities and installation of several heavy-duty pumps to reduce seasonal flooding. In the social sectors, greater financial allocations for public education, health and housing have resulted in remarkable and better results.
These have been challenging but hopeful years that prove that Guyana could emerge from poor governance and sloth in socio-economic development. Fresh hope has been provided by our Government’s green growth pathway, our diversified but balanced agro-industrial strategy, and plans for prudent use of our oil revenues to enrich the lives and living standards of all of our people. The good news is that the APNU+AFC Coalition Government has brought Guyana, in these past four years, to the door-step of unprecedented wealth with imminent production from our off-shore wells, that hold an estimated 5.5 billion barrels of oil.
Our Government confidently believes that there are good reasons for all Guyanese, here and in the diaspora, to celebrate the achievements over the past four years. All Guyanese have good reasons to remember this day – May 11 – when we started the journey to build a new Guyana.
May 11, 2019 marks the gateway to new opportunities, and the prospects for a return of the Coalition, for a second consecutive term, as the best-ever Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana!