Every year, October 17 is observed by United Nations’ member countries as International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. According to the most recent UN estimates, 1.3 billion people still live in multidimensional poverty; meaning, they are not just poor in terms of income, they are also lacking in health, education, and living standards; and they risk falling behind further when faced with conflict, sickness, unemployment, or natural disasters.
The theme for this year’s observances is: “Coming together with those furthest behind to build an inclusive world of universal respect for human rights and dignity”. This year’s theme is quite fitting, since there is still an extremely huge gap between those who are considered below the poverty line and those who are considered to be above.
The UN has noted that, in the 25 years since the first International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, human development has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, and has increased economic and social opportunities for many more across the world. Yet, while hundreds of millions of people have moved above the poverty line, development has not been able to reach everyone.
According to the UN, on average, a child born today in a country with very high human development can expect to live almost 20 years longer, and be in school seven years more than a child born in a country with low human development. These statistics represent lost opportunities for millions.
In Guyana, too many of our citizens are still considered living below the poverty line, and many more are still waiting to access the opportunities that would allow them to lift themselves out of poverty.
President David Granger had said before that Guyana has enough resources to banish poverty forever. However, after three years of gaining political power, the nation is still waiting to see what concrete plans and programmes would be put in place to address poverty and to create “the good life” for all, which was promised on the campaign trail during the May 2015 polls.
Just recently again, during his special address to the National Assembly, the President regurgitated this same promise of providing a “good life” for all Guyanese. He said his vision is to create a good life for all Guyanese based on happy communities, happy households and happy people.
According to the President, “The ‘good life’ entails providing every citizen with opportunities to be the best that they can be. The ‘good life’ is about securing sustained economic prosperity, ensuring citizens’ access to quality public services, and promoting social cohesion… eliminating extreme poverty, and removing social, ethnic and geographic inequalities.”
All of these promises sound very well to the ordinary man; and we are certain that the President means well. However, one cannot ignore the present realities our country is faced with. The President’s remarks come at a time when there is a pending increase in tolls at the Berbice River Bridge, when sugar workers are facing extremely tough times due to the downsizing of the sugar estates, when bauxite workers are uncertain about their future with the impending closure of Rusal, when miners are complaining that they are being pressured by the authorities, and so on.
It should be noted, too, that the economy is performing very poorly, and there is hardly anything being done to create job opportunities or generate wealth in the society.
That said, with First Oil expected in 2020, there is some hope that there would be a turnaround of the economy, and citizens would begin to enjoy the many benefits of the emerging oil and gas sector. Given the many concerns being raised with respect to the management of that sector, the President has assured the National Assembly that Government is strategically positioned to manage the oil and gas sector. In fact, he said steps are being taken to ensure that “the revenues which accrue from the sector will not be squandered, but instead will be invested strategically in building human and institutional capacity, addressing our infrastructural deficit, and providing economic security for future generations”.
With the promise of oil money, our hope is that the Government, with the involvement of other stakeholders, would intensify their efforts towards eradicating poverty and ensuring that the promise of a ‘good life’ actually becomes a reality, rather than mere political rhetoric.
