President David Granger, in his New Year’s message to the nation, said “Guyana is changing for good”, and his Government is “promoting the good life for all”.
“We are reducing divisions and maximising cohesion. We are protecting our patrimony, pursuing economic prosperity, promoting respect for national institutions, and providing better public services and improved human safety. We are building a country of which everyone can be proud,” the President said in his message.
President David Granger
“We shall continue to work with all sectors and strata of society to improve our political culture and promote inclusiveness. We must repudiate vulgarity. We must rebuke those who abuse our public institutions, and reject the poisonous politics of the past,” he posited.
According to Mr Granger, Guyanese greet the dawn of 2018 feeling good about themselves, their children, their communities, and their country.
“Guyanese have inherited and inhabit a beautiful, bountiful, and blissful country – a land that is celebrated in the words of our beloved National Anthem as the “Green Land’:
…of rivers and plains; made rich by the sunshine, and lush by the rains; set gem-like and fair, between mountains and sea.”
Guyana, indeed, is a gem-like, luxuriant land – of grasslands, highlands, islands, wetlands, lakes, mangroves, mudflats, rainforests, rivers and waterfalls. We are happy in our homeland.
“We shall protect our heritage, which is every citizen’s birthright, and bequeath this endowment to future generations,” the President said.
“We signified in the year 2016 that the year 2017 would be spent in setting the settlement of the unlawful and unreasonable claims to our country’s territory on a definite course. The United Nations Secretary General, in 2018, is expected to discharge his commitment to setting that course in a manner consistent with justice and international law. We shall continue to defend every ‘blade of grass’ of our homeland. We shall never cede a centimetre of territory, or compromise (our) sovereignty.”
The President further stated: “We shall continue to work to eradicate the inequalities and disabilities which foster destitution and discrimination. We are creating a more equal society – one with greater opportunities and a higher quality of life for all. We extend open arms of friendship to all political parties, social organisations and religious groups to collaborate in order to contribute to creating a more cohesive society. We shall continue to work to provide greater social protection for everyone, particularly our women, children, the elderly, and persons in difficult circumstances.”
The President also noted that his Administration increased the minimum wage for the lowest-paid State employees by nearly 50 percent.
“…we increased old-age pensions by almost 50 per cent; we increased social assistance by 27 per cent, all in only thirty months. We will ensure that the disadvantaged are protected,” he said.
“We shall continue to work to empower local government organs, so that they can bring improvements to communities. Local democracy will be renewed in local and municipal elections in 2018,” the President added.
We declared three new ‘capital towns’ last year, to expedite enterprise and economic development in their respective regions by increasing investment and generating employment.
The surge in agro-processing, artisanal manufacturing and cottage industries seen in the regional agricultural and commercial exhibitions is evidence of the green shoots of healthy grass-root economic growth.
“We shall continue to work towards making the country safer for all by improving citizens’ security. Security sector reform, being undertaken with support from our international partners, aims at creating safer communities and protecting the people from transnational threats, such as illegal narcotics, firearms, and people-trafficking. We are building a country in which everyone can be safe,” he stated.
“Life is getting better year by year. Guyanese have lots of reasons to feel good about their homeland in 2018! A happy New Year to all!” the President concluded in his New Year’s message.
