Bartica:Cheaper electricity for Guyanese is a main priority of the Donald Ramotar Administration, and as it gears up to contest the May 11general and regional elections, the Head of State this evening assured that once re-elected, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) will ensure it becomes a reality.
“I promise you tonight when we win the elections on May 11, that Amaila will be at the top of the agenda and we will build the Amaila Falls electric station here. But more than that, we will make our country Guyana a powerhouse of energy,” the President told a crowd of enthusiastic supporters in Bartica.
The President noted that his government has made efforts to have the Amaila Falls project during this tenure, but these efforts were frustrated and thwarted by the political opposition, which did not support the project in the National Assembly.
However, interestingly, the Opposition Leader in Parliament and Presidential Candidate for the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) David Granger now has a change of heart and during the campaign season he recently declared that once elected, his party will work on a hydroelectric project.
“If he wanted to have hydroelectricity, he had an opportunity to vote for it in Parliament. We would have been building that now, but he voted against it. Comrades, these men will do anything to get power! Can we trust this man? Can we trust any of them? This is the nature of the beast that we are dealing with in this country, every single thing of national importance they want to damage,” he said.
The President added that every Guyanese would have benefitted from the hydroelectric project, as it meant lower electricity rates. He reiterated that government remains committed to the initiative to ensure that Guyana not only satisfies its needs, but is able to export the excess energy to its neighbours.
At present Government subsidies electricity with about $9 billion so that Guyanese do not bear the brunt of the high cost of fuel, but the planned hydro project will remove the need for that high subsidy and reduce the cost of electricity, he said. “We will save a lot from the importation of fuel because the Government’s biggest importation bill is the importation of fuel for electricity… With one year’s saving we can solve many of the problems we have… With cheap energy it opens the possibility to create an industrial and manufacturing sector and to create highly (paid) technical jobs.”
For these and other jobs, the government has been preparing the workforce through its education drive.
“We are one of the only governments where 30 percent of the budget goes to the social sector, most of which goes to education because the people are key to development,” he said, noting that Guyana has attained universal primary education.
“Under the PNC regime only 30 percent of our children leaving primary school, got into secondary schools. Today more than 90 percent of our children leaving primary school get into secondary school, and we are on our way to achieving universal secondary education.”
The world is moving at a fast pace and education has a major role to reduce poverty and help countries develop. “We intend to be the most educated people here in the Caribbean under the PPP/C government,” he said.
He also told the youths of the great potential of information, communication technology to create more high- end opportunities that could transform several sectors and the country through job creation, improved products and advanced service delivery.
“That is what we are working toward…a Guyana that is more just …and that is why we have been working with you to keep your children in school.” In this context, the government has provided free text books and uniforms for all children in public schools, as well as a $10,000 cash grant (Because We Care programme) and supported some students with dormitory facilities, hot meals and transportation to ensure children attend school regularly and complete their education.
In addition, the government through the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) offers free training in several technical areas.
The President said if the budget cuts were not restored, there would have been no money for the Because We Care initiative, and the supply of solar panels for hinterland communities. The cuts affected the support to hinterland communities with cash for transportation of produce to markets and children to school, as well as equipment and tools for hinterland farmers to move from subsistence farming to revenue earning agricultural ventures.
The progress in the housing and health sectors was also highlighted by the Head of State as he noted that now even young people can afford to build their own homes, as the average age for first time home owners has been significantly reduced from 50 years to about 35 years.
These successes have been achieved inspite of the terrible state in which the PPP/C Administration inherited the economy. “The debt that Guyana had was 925 percent of GDP that is nine and a quarter times bigger than our GDP (Gross Domestic Product). Our foreign debt was 951 percent of our external earnings…for us to pay back the debt was a cost of some 153 percent of our revenue…That is where they had taken us.” He added that today the repayment is 60 percent. “That is what we call good management of our economy.”
Over the last three years, he explained, it was easy, as the opposition tried to expose the country to numerous dangers, which are not incidental, but deliberate.
Among the setbacks, the President outlined were the non-passage of the Anti-Money Laundering Bill, which would have enabled the prosecution of persons culpable of financial crimes and drug trafficking and “these are the same people who come to you and talk about security…the opposition by voting against this bill, they voted to put ordinary people in danger.”
The President reiterated that the Opposition has incessantly tried to harm the country and government through its non-support for developmental initiatives. Among these are the opposition voting against the new airport, even though they initially agreed to support the project, they changed their position opening the government to litigation. The opposition also did not support a change in law to accommodate a reduction in environmental taxes charged on an imported aerated drink to ensure the playing field is level for both local and foreign companies distributing the product.
The opposition’s destructive behaviour was evident in past elections, and that it continued during the past three years with an anti-development thrust in the National Assembly, he stated. The Speciality hospital would have not only provided improved and more advanced services to Guyanese, but aided with medical tourism to develop Guyana.
The President also spoke of government’s plans to build a deep water harbour to accommodate larger ships, since the present capacity in the Demerara River is limited to ships of 10,000 tonnes.
Government hopeful for a new energy sector with the drilling for oil and gas that is ongoing.
“What is at stake in May 11 is extremely important …you should judge us on our record and there is no way the APNU and PNC record can compare to us…That is why they don’t want to talk about the past, they don’t have a record that could compare to our record…elections are about character as well and the PPP/C is proud of the fact that it takes its promises seriously.”
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