“Our development plans will benefit all communities”

– The Prime Minister stressed that reflecting on the positive agenda set by the PPP/C Government to improve the lives of all Guyanese

Fiona Morrison
On the fourth anniversary of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic Party (PPP/C) Government’s return to power, Minister of the Prime Minister, Brigadier-General (Retired) Mark Phillips, has given a reflective and forward-looking review of its administration, highlighting its achievements, challenges and future ambitions.
In a special interview to mark the August 2, 2024 anniversary, Prime Minister Phillips stressed that the Government led by President Dr. Irfaan Ali is steadfast in its commitment to delivering on its manifesto promises to improve the lives of every Guyanese.

Reminding the audience that four years ago the Government embarked on a journey to rebuild and revitalize growth in Guyana, he said: “We put Guyana on a path of development; on a path of prosperity for all Guyanese. One year later, in 2021, we had floods. We took all measures to bring relief to people across Guyana. These are some of the challenges that we have to deal with on our path to prosperity.”

He also highlighted the significant progress made in social development, focusing on education, recreational facilities, ICT connectivity, roads, healthcare and housing. According to him, the government ensured that its programmes would bring relief and development to the communities.
“We involve community leaders and community workers in dealing with many issues. For example, many roads in the community are built by small contractors who are selected and trained to do the work. Many drains are cleaned by what we call the Community Improvement and Enhancement Team,” he said.

He said several government ministers led teams into the villages to address welfare, land ownership and other issues.
“We will bring development to all the people of Guyana,” he said, adding: “We don’t care if you voted for the opposition or if you voted for us, we are on the path of development and we ensure that all communities are impacted by our development plans.”

Prime Minister Phillips made it clear that all ethnic groups would benefit from government initiatives, noting that the government had provided millions of dollars in funding to the Afro-Guyanese Liberation Organization.
He noted that Emancipation Day is of great significance to Afro-Guyanese and, in addition to this, supporting these organizations helps all Guyanese understand the period when slavery ended on Emancipation Day, thereby promoting diversity. He noted that three days after returning to government, the People’s Progressive Party/Communist Party government quickly liberalized Guyana’s telecommunications sector.
The government explained that the move ended a monopoly and paved the way for greater competition, improved services and lower costs for consumers.

Energy
He noted that Guyana has invested millions of dollars to reduce power outages and that significant progress has been made in the energy sector. But as the country rapidly develops, the Prime Minister acknowledged that more needs to be done to provide a stable and reliable supply of electricity to meet growing demand and support the country’s ongoing modernization and economic expansion.
He said the Gas to Energy (GtE) project, which is due to start operations next year, would play an important role here. “Whatever you pay for electricity now, you will only pay 50% of it after the GtE project is completed,” he posited.

Significantly, Prime Minister Phillips said that in order to prevent customers from paying more, the government has set aside funds to offset the impact of rising fuel and electricity costs.
He discussed Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2023 and said the government is committed to lowering the country’s carbon footprint through the use of renewable energy sources such as solar energy. “We realised that if we use solar technology, we can provide electricity to people in remote areas. Every community in the interior will have electricity. This (solar energy) changes the way people live…”

Information and Communication Technology
In addition, Prime Minister Phillips disclosed that more ICT centres are being built in more than 200 communities in the interior. He said that now that people have better internet connectivity, students are taking advantage of the internet for online education, noting that the Guyana Academy of Online Learning (GOAL) has provided scholarships to thousands of Guyanese.
He noted that health professionals are taking advantage of the increased bandwidth for the government’s telemedicine program. By the end of the year, Starlink equipment will connect all inland areas to the internet. Prime Minister Phillips revealed that approximately 30,000 solar systems have been distributed to homes in these areas.

Claims that the government’s “One Guyana” slogan is an attempt to change the country’s motto of “One People, One Nation, One Destiny” have been refuted by government officials.
“The President came up with the concept of ‘One Guyana’ because he wanted to ensure that all Guyanese benefit from all the programmes, policies and projects put in place by this Government. This is an effort to promote inclusive governance, to promote shared prosperity. It is not an effort to divide Guyana. We (PPP/C) stand by that slogan. We have not changed that slogan.”

Local content
He also spoke about the Local Content Bill, which ensures that Guyanese nationals and Guyanese companies are given priority in the procurement of goods and services, moves up the petroleum industry value chain, and promotes local capacity development.
Furthermore, he noted that the PPP/CP was in power at a time when Guyana had no oil money, yet they continued to provide cash grants to thousands of school children under the “Because We Care” program.
“We continue to increase the grant amount, which is currently $45,000.” He said the money will go to more than 200,000 children in the public and private school systems.

He said the previous APNU+AFC government had ended the cash handouts after insisting there was no budget space but managed to find funds for other purposes.
He further highlighted the government’s transformational plans, noting that 12 modern hospitals were being built, 200 taxes and fees imposed by the APNU+AFC government were abolished, Presidential Grants were issued to American communities, and that $4.7 billion from the sale of carbon emissions would be used to fund 800 projects in American communities.

He listed more achievements of the PPP/C government, including the creation of nearly 60,000 jobs, provision of public assistance, restoration of joint service one month bonus, increase in civil servants’ salaries, increase in pensions, provision of eye care vouchers, HPV tests and glasses, and re-employment of sugar workers sacked by the APNU+AFC.
“Everyone benefits from shared prosperity,” he declared.

The Prime Minister claimed that more projects will be launched as the government reaches out to communities to engage with residents.
On the fourth anniversary of the People’s Progressive Party/Communist Party Government, the Prime Minister said the Government will remain focused on the path ahead and committed to the vision of a prosperous and unified Guyana.
“We are a caring government and we will continue to develop policies that will improve the lives of the Guyanese people, raise their living standards and promote the development of Guyana. This is what ‘One Guyana’ is really about.”
“Journey to Shared Prosperity” is the theme of this year’s anniversary celebrations.