Building & transcending beyond traditional confines

President Dr Irfaan Ali’s recent remarks in Skeldon, Region Six, offer a sobering reminder that true national development must transcend the traditional confines of physical infrastructure and economic output. The words of the Head of State serve not only as a reflection of compassion and responsibility, but as a clarion call for collective action: development must be as much about emotional and psychological well-being as it is about roads, schools, and jobs.
The pursuit of a modern Guyana, rich in industry and opportunity, must not come at the expense of its people’s mental health or emotional stability. While the skyline may be changing and new highways stretch across once-rural plains, another battle continues quietly – in the homes, schools, and workplaces of everyday citizens. It is the battle against substance abuse, depression, and suicide. It is a battle for the soul of the nation.
Substance abuse and mental health crises do not exist in isolation. They often intersect with poverty, unemployment, trauma, and social disintegration. In failing to address these issues holistically, any notion of progress remains incomplete. As President Ali rightly emphasised, real development includes addressing “every single thing that erodes our wellness and mental health”.
The Government’s efforts in this regard cannot go unnoticed. The passage of the Mental Health Protection and Promotion Bill 2022 marked a landmark moment in Guyana’s legislative history. This Act does not merely codify the rights of mental health patients, but affirms the nation’s commitment to treating mental illness as a matter of dignity, rights, and inclusion. Equally significant are the ongoing efforts through the Gatekeepers Training Programme for Suicide Prevention. The training of 800 individuals to recognise and respond to signs of suicidal behaviour represents a grassroots response to a deep-seated crisis.
The National Mental Health Action Plan and Suicide Prevention Plan 2024–2030 further illustrates the Government’s intention to confront the problem with strategic resolve. Yet, despite these laudable initiatives, the figures speak for themselves. Forty lives were lost to suicide in the first eight months of 2024 alone, and one hundred deaths were recorded the previous year. These are not just statistics. These are sons, daughters, parents, and friends—lives cut short in silence, often in solitude.
Substance abuse, particularly alcohol misuse, continues to claim lives both directly and indirectly. Drunk driving remains a deadly consequence, claiming victims on roads meant to symbolise progress. The Government’s legislative amendments to the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic Act and the Intoxicating Liquor Licensing (Amendment) Bill 2022 signal a firm stance. Making bar owners accountable and demanding more stringent checks on age verification represent a step in the right direction, but enforcement must be uncompromising.
This national reckoning with mental health and substance abuse must be met with an equally national response – one that incorporates civil society, Private Sector partners, faith-based organisations, and educational institutions. No single entity, not even the Government, can bear this burden alone. The urgency of the matter demands community-based care, de-stigmatisation campaigns, increased funding for mental health facilities, and a shift in public discourse that recognises mental health as a pillar of development.
Development must be people-centred. Progress must have a human face.
In raising these issues in a setting far from Georgetown’s centre of power, President Ali underscored a fundamental truth: that every region, every community, and every citizen matters in the vision for a better Guyana. Leadership, at its best, does not only pave highways – it opens dialogue, breaks silence, and protects the unseen.
The infrastructural boom must be matched by a societal awakening. The roads built must lead not only to towns and cities, but to healthier minds, stronger families, and a more resilient nation.