Dear Editor,
It is said by many in and out of Guyana that President Dr Irfaan Ali is the right President at the right time for Guyana amidst the oil revenue which he stated will be used to modernise the country’s aging infrastructure, improve education and health care, expand the agriculture, mining and poultry sectors, but most importantly, to develop the country and improve the lives of all Guyanese. President Ali’s recent visits to some of the poorest and roughest areas of the city, including Albouystown and Leopold Street, perhaps the two areas with the most notorious reputation of violent crimes, poverty, high unemployment and hopeless youths. Not to mention his engagement with the residents of Herstelling and Grove on the East Bank of Demerara not only shows the true character of a President who cares, but they also revealed that he is sincere and is concerned with the development of every community.
In many of his speeches, President Dr Ali has stated that he is the President of all the people and that one of his Administration’s primary goals is to create 50,000 new jobs, provide houses and house lots to those who need them, increase old age pensions and salaries for public servants and the military and para-military, improve the well-being of the people, especially the poor, and transform Guyana from an underdeveloped nation to a developed country. His “One Guyana” vision is the embodiment of a united country of one people, one nation striving to achieve one destiny.
A young, ambitious and vivacious President, Dr Ali strongly believes in a united Guyana and has so far has done and continues to do everything in his power to bring unity to a nation that has been divided for more than six decades. Many experts on development believe that since independence in 1966 the division of the races has stalled progress and hampered the development of the country. However, history has shown that no other President has gone to the extent as President Ali has done to heal the racial divide in the country. His vision for Guyana rests heavily on his “One Guyana” initiative which is solid proof of his seriousness, sincerity and resoluteness to reconcile the differences and bitterness between Indo and Afro-Guyanese and merge them into one as Guyanese. But make no mistake, President Dr Ali knows that he cannot do it alone. To this end, he has summoned every individual from every race and ethnicity, regardless of party affiliation, every organisation, public and private and his cabinet to contribute to this noble and worthy mission.
Unlike the past, development is happening all over Guyana today, in every community and neighbourhood, thanks to President Dr Ali, who believes that every area of the country is vital to the country’s improvement, expansion and growth. The President has emphasised that it is crucial for everyone at home and in the diaspora, regardless of race, ethnicity or party affiliation to be involved in the development of Guyana. He has maintained that his Administration will make sure that no region and no one will be left out of the development process because Guyana belongs to all Guyanese. This is one of the reasons that he has launched the “One Guyana” initiative and his 1000-Men on a Mission programme which is to address the problems faced by men and youths, such as crime, domestic violence, unemployment, poverty and the lack of proper education, among others.
Since assuming office in August 2020, President Ali has focused much of his attention on the problems facing youths who are 65 per cent of the country’s population. His goal is to provide them with alternatives to crimes and violence and to make them good, decent and productive citizens in the 21st century. With the discovery of more than 10 billion barrels of oil and billions of dollars in revenue expected, Guyana is well poised to be the wealthiest country in the world on a per capita basis under President Ali’s leadership.
Sincerely,
Dr Asquith Rose
