…shares visionary plan to further modernise grassroots base
By Michael Younge
Businessman Cosford Roberts wants to reenergise and fire up the support base of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) in order to create more positive change that would see one of the country’s oldest political institutions further modernised and ready to lead Guyana out of the annals of poverty and into a new era of prosperity backed by its oil wealth and agricultural diversity.
Of course, this is all dependent on whether he secures the party’s nod to become its next Vice Chairman, following the staging of its 20th Biennial Congress which is
Cosford Roberts
set to take place this weekend at Congress Place in Sophia, Greater Georgetown.
Roberts, who was born in Mahaicony on the East Coast of Demerara and is a father of five, said he has a passion for service and a dedication to nation building which propels him to work extremely hard for the betterment of his country and all Guyanese. He said he has been an active member of the PNC since the age of 14 and came through the ranks of the party after deciding at a tender age that he could make a difference in the lives of ordinary citizens through the party’s projects, policies and plans.
Speaking with Guyana Times on Thursday morning during an exclusive interview, Roberts who now resides in the United States of America said he is no new comer to the scene and has both the experience and skills necessary to better organise the party as its Vice Chairman to deal with the challenges which lie ahead.
“I feel that the party is playing a crucial role in the development of the country because it is the party that determines the quality of governance and the ideological positions of Government at the moment…The most important reason why I am lending my energies and experiences on board is because Guyana is at the crust of making a transition to a different kind of economy which offers the opportunity for the country to be prosperous” he remarked.
He said the country must be “organised to take advantage of our blessings… we need to enlarge and deepen agriculture… tap into export markets… be the food basket of the Caribbean”, in order to realise true development and sustainability.
“I am committed to upholding of ethical behaviour, humility, sensitivity and responsiveness to the needs of constituents and the role of the party in national development. It is not enough to have a good Leader and chairperson for the party, they need to be supported by two strong and capable Vice Chairpersons,” he said.
Roberts, having served in the party’s youth movement and the Guyana Youth Corps said he remained active and made invaluable contributions both material and otherwise to the development of the PNC despite being abroad for many years.
He reminded that he served as the party’s Regional Secretary for Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) for many years and waged a war on social media in defence of the plans of the coalition which he boasted played a major role in the PNCR’s elections victory back in 2015. Asked if he was bothered by the youth and more experienced as well as popular candidates vying for the party’s Vice Chairmanship, Roberts responded in the negative stating that “win or lose” he will continue to fight for the policies and programmes he believes can play a role in transforming the PNCR and the country by extension.
He admitted that while young people are very important to the process and they need to be groomed, they was no proper system in place to ensure that they had all of the necessary skills to take over from the older guards and deliver on a number of fronts.
“We need to be doing that now…they have to learn about governance”, he said referring to young people before explaining that he is “fit” as ever to take on the new role.
Roberts said his campaigning has been going well so far and he has received a substantial amount of nominations from particular areas.
“I am very confident at what I do but the decision ultimately has to be made by the delegates…I am supported too by the North American Group…One just have to do the work and accept whatever the results are… I will continue to serve win or lose….”, he explained.
In this regard, he intends to invest his energies as Vice Chair to ensure that the party delivers to its constituents and to all Guyanese through influencing the implementation of policies that resolve issues in every industry and community and to give expression to the values and aspirations of the people.
He said too that he wanted to assist the party to win a big mandate in the 2020 General Elections to facilitate changes in the society that will propel the nation forward while also assisting the party with the short and long-term development planning for Guyana and to fully engage the Guyanese Diaspora as a key strategic approach to capacity building and population growth.
He has a Diploma in Personnel Management from the University of Guyana and a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) – Human Resources Management Magma Cum Laude from Strayer University and an MBA from the same university.
