Amid strong condemnation by the Opposition over Government’s handling of the Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, unsolved murders, and the unwarranted and wanton firing of hundreds of public servants, President Irfaan Ali said he is pleased with his Government’s performance during its first 100 days in Office.
“I am extremely pleased with the performance of my Government during the past 100 days. Ministers have been proactive. They have been going out to meet and address the people’s concerns. Over the past 100 days, my administration has responded responsibly to the health crisis; it is rebooting the economy, relieving citizens’ burdens, restoring hope, rebuilding confidence and re-engineering development,” the Head of State said in an address to the nation on Tuesday.
President Ali took office on August 2, 2020 at the end of a highly controversial General and Regional Elections marred by a series of legal battles and allegations of electoral fraud – that spanned for a period of five months. In addition to the political crisis, the country was confronted by the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.
The President said that upon assuming office, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) initiated a comprehensive and multifaceted plan to not only combat the disease but also to provide much needed assistance to sectors hard hit by the pandemic.
But while the President boasted that the country’s testing capacity has significantly increased, statistics coming out of the Ministry of Health indicate that the pandemic is spiraling out of control with more infections and deaths.
From March 11 to August 2 – a period of six months — the previous Administration recorded a total of 21 COVID-19 related deaths. However, from August 4 to November 9, 2020 –four months — the country has recorded 114 additional COVID-19 deaths. The number of confirmed cases of the virus has long surpassed 4,500 of which approximately 1000 are still active. Notwithstanding this fact, Government is moving ahead with its plan to reopen the country.
The President said in addition to the acquisition of adequate supplies of personal protective gear, his Administration has allocated $150M in the emergency Budget for frontline workers. Health workers, however, in rejecting the $150M in September, described it as “chicken feed” as they protested the Health Ministry for increased risk allowance, salaries and benefits.
The Administration also launched an almost $5 Billion COVID-19 relief grant which is expected to see every household receiving G$25,000, but this too has been marred by allegations levelled by the Opposition that only pro-government communities are being targeted.
Turning his attention to the horrendous murders of three teenagers in West Berbice, President Ali renewed his commitment to have the perpetrators brought to justice.
“I have already promised that we will leave no stone unturned to apprehend those responsible for these heinous crimes. It was my government who invited a specialist team from the Regional Security System to examine and assist with the investigation. The team has expressed confidence in the capabilities of our local crime investigators. My government will persevere in its efforts to ensure that justice is served. I am confident that we will be able to bring the guilty to justice,” the Head of State assured.
But two months after cousins, Isaiah and Joel Henry and Haresh Singh were gruesomely murdered, local investigators are empty handed. Last week, the Guyana Police Force announced a $3M reward for anyone with information in relation to the murders. The offer came after the DNA samples sent to St. Lucia for analysis provided no tangible leads.
The families of the Henry boys and their attorney, Nigel Hughes, have posited that the offer of a reward by the Police is indicative of the Force’s failure to solve the heinous crimes. Hughes has recommended that an Argentine Team of Forensic Investigators assist with the investigation, but the recommendation has thus far fallen on deaf ears.
Despite little progress thus far, the President remains optimistic that the local investigators can successfully complete the investigation.
“Our investigators, however, must be given the latitude, time and cooperation to bring the guilty to justice. These deaths are not a matter which should be manipulated to divide our people. Every life matters,” he said.
Further, President Ali said his Government has initiated the process of reviving the economy. He said within record time, his Government crafted an Emergency Budget which included measures aimed at nursing the economy to good health, stimulating economic sectors, attracting new investments, creating employment and improving the economy’s competitiveness.
“In this year’s Emergency Budget, we have instituted measures to improve competitiveness including providing tax concessions on mining, agro-processing, cold storage and packaging; the removal of VAT on exports and allowing exporters, including those in the fishing, rice and timber industries, to reclaim input VAT. We have also removed the VAT on fertilizers, agro-chemicals, pesticides, and key inputs into the poultry sector. And we have zero-rated the poultry industry,” he explained.
According to him, the PPP/C Administration is reigniting the engines of commerce and industry, with significant focus placed on the reopening of sugar estates that were closed under the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Administration, with the exception of the Wales Estate.
