Bettering lives of Guyanese not “seasonal” – Pres Ali tells senior citizens

President Irfaan Ali has posited that the relationship his Government shares with the Guyanese people and the strides it has been making in terms of bettering the lives of the elderly are not seasonal things, but are rather a round-the-clock effort to ensure a successful country.

The Guyanese Leader brought Christmas cheer to hundreds of senior citizens from across Region Three on Wednesday, December 22, during a luncheon hosted at his residence at Leonora, West Coast Demerara. In remarks he made then, the Head of State shared that despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, and in the face of global shortages, his Government has been able to deliver more than 75 percent of what was promised in their elections manifesto in just over two years.
“We have been able to overcome all of this and still deliver more than 75 percent in two years, of what we promised the people we would deliver… For us, our relationship with the people of this country is not a seasonal relationship; it is a relationship that is based on working hard every day to do the best we can to make the lives of our citizens better. We have launched many innovative programmes over the last two years to support our elderly, our young people, and our children. We have brought back many of the important policies like we had before,” the President told the gathering of elderly persons.

The President reminded that healthcare has been high on the agenda of his Government, and a brand-new, state-of-the-art facility would soon be built in the De Kinderen-Tuschen area as one of three hospitals to be built in Region Three.
“We are now looking at when we have space to upgrade West Demerara Hospital, or whether we will just have a new location and build a brand-new level four hospital here in Region Three,” he explained.
According to Ali, Region Three has demonstrated respect for the rule of law and for democracy, being comprised of mixed communities that are known for their peaceful coexistence.
“A lot of our communities in this region are integrated,” he said. “Region Three has always been a bedrock of peaceful coexistence amongst people. We need to take this all across the country, and that is the environment in which I am proud to be brought up and to come out of. We know how to live together and how to do things together.

“I want you to know that we all worked to elect this Government. We did so knowing that we want to serve all the people of our country. That is exactly what we’re doing,” he disclosed.
The PPP/C Administration had, in October, announced a one-off cash grant of $28,000 for all old-age pensioners across Guyana, which provided an additional $1.8 billion in disposable income to pensioners. Last year, a one-off grant of $25,000 was also paid to all old-age pensioners across the country. That initiative alone had placed an additional $1.6 billion in the hands of pensioners.
After assuming office in 2020, the PPP/C Government raised the old-age pension from $20,500 to $25,000 in 2021, and from $25,000 to 28,000 in 2022. To the senior citizens, he assured “We want you to know that your quality of life is improving, and will continue to improve. We ask of you to continue to have patience, trust, and belief in your Government.”