By Mark DaCosta- Guyanese will recall that one of the major policy initiatives of the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition was the revitalisation of village economies. Unfortunately, that initiative – which has been historically successful – has been abandoned by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) regime. Instead, the PPP has moved to practising a corrupt form of trickle down economics – a system of top-down economic distribution that has never worked at any time, anywhere in the world.
In Guyana, the practice of establishing, maintaining, and strengthening village economies began after the final release of some 82,000 slaves in 1838. That event was followed by the establishment of Guyana’s first village, Victoria on the East Coast Demerara.
On November 7, 1839, 83 former slaves bought Plantation Northbrook, and named it the village of Victoria. That was the beginning of The Village Movement – a period in our history that lasted for about nine years. That historical period defined and determined Guyana’s current appearance. Importantly, too, it solidified the “Guyaneseness” of African Guyanese. It was during this period that village economies were born.
Village Economy is a self explanatory term. During the Village Movement, the founders and occupants of Guyana’s new villages started to produce various products to meet their own needs and to sell to outsiders. Those former slaves were Guyana’s first entrepreneurs.
The intention of the APNU+AFC Coalition to revive village economies – which is a direct, grassroots approach to development – was a decision that was made long before the coalition was elected to office in 2015. Immediately after taking office, then President Brigadier (ret’d) David Granger spoke about the initiative. It was a concept central to the coalition’s development plans for Guyana, and frequently alluded to by him.
On August 9, 2015, an event was held at the Critchlow Labour College. The event was a ceremony organised by the Cuffy 250 Committee in commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Berbice Slave Rebellion.
On that occasion, the former president spoke at length about the coalition’s plans to revitalise village economies. He spoke about the decisions Guyanese must make; he said, “If we are going to construct a new economy we have to make economic decisions . . . If we are to revive those village economies we have to make use of those lands which were bought 177 years ago and which are still available for production and development. If you are going to solve the employment problem . . . you are going to have to create jobs within your communities.”
In May 2019, residents of Mocha Arcadia on the East Bank of Demerara, celebrated the community’s 125th anniversary of gaining the status as a village. Mocha Arcadia – home to some 4,000 residents – is a former plantation that produced mostly coffee, among other things. The location was initially two separate villages but was declared as one village on May 23, 1894 for purposes of what constituted local government at that time.
Former president Granger delivered the feature address during the celebrations. In his speech, he mentioned the National Day of Villages, which was a national observance of the importance of villages held every year on November 7.
At Mocha Arcadia President Granger said, “Every village in this country must celebrate national day of villages and today your have chosen as your village day . . . these villages transformed plantations into a nation, they transformed subjects into citizens, they transformed domination into determination and they transformed dependence into independence. That is why I feel so proud about our villages, without these villages Guyana would be a different place.”
“Villages are very relevant to present day development and they must be revitalised, that is my purpose in having this national day of villages. Not national day of towns but national day of villages because it is my belief that this economy, the country’s economy could be revitalised by village production. And that is why my government is supporting the development of villages and communities,” the former president said.
The APNU+AFC Coalition was serious about pursuing a course of development that would benefit all Guyanese. Revitalisation of village economies was a bottom-up approach that would benefit all citizens, particularly those at the bottom of the economic ladder. Unfortunately, the PPP regime has abandoned that great idea. As a result of the PPP’s decision to throw a good idea by the wayside, Guyanese now suffer under the weight of an unbearably high cost of living, with almost 40 percent of citizens unable to find employment, even though billions of dollars of oil money is flowing into the country.
Conversely, the PPP, since entering office in August 2020, has abandoned a plan that offers human and economic development from bottom up.
