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My fellow Guyanese, permit me on behalf of the Parliamentary Opposition to wish you and your families and friends, including Guyanese in the Diaspora, all the best in the NEW YEAR.
The year 2023 has come and gone. At the dawn of a new year, the occasion presents itself for each of us to dwell on the changes in the quality of life of our families and our country over the last twelve (12) months. You all will agree that life has gotten worse. Let us ask ourselves: are we better off in our homes, our workplaces, our communities, and in our society? Are we happier and more satisfied? Are we more able to cope with the challenges of living in Guyana? Are we more confident and hopeful looking into the future? I am sure most of us would answer NO.
It is unfortunate that the wealth from oil is only benefitting the PPP/C elite, friends and families and the mass of people are compelled to live in poverty and depend on remittances from the caring Guyanese in the Diaspora. Meanwhile, the PPP/C government has become more corrupt, more incompetent and more divisive. Government’s approach to development is to neglect the development of our people, while pursuing projects that facilitate corruption and the enrichment of the few who are closely linked to the PPP regime at the expense of improving the quality of life of our people.
Most Guyanese would agree that the PPP made 2023 one of the hardest years in living memory. On the economic front, the cost-of-living kept surging as real incomes declined. Poverty and inequality increased. Living from paycheck to paycheck became a tougher challenge. Many parents, especially single parents, could not afford to properly feed their children. This Christmas, many families were forced to spend less. Yet, despite these hardships in 2023, the PPP government showed no urgency, no capacity, and no concern to ease the burden on the people. Indeed, the question most asked by Guyanese is: why is the oil money not reaching them? The answer is not a secret. Most of the oil wealth is enriching the friends, families, and favorites of the PPP at the expense of the ordinary people.
My fellow Guyanese, let us note that at the end of 2023, the PPP has held office for 26 of the last 31 years. In the last two years, it has passed two massive oil budgets. Last year alone, the PPP spent close to $900 billion. That is almost one trillion dollars! Yet, our country ranks among the worst on a range of human development or quality-of-life indicators. Guyana remains among the worst countries in which to live in terms of maternal and infant deaths, life expectancy, child poverty, food security, youth unemployment, and educational standards.
Even more appalling, the PPP has made it crystal clear that it does not intend to pay a living wage, does not intend to significantly raise the tax-free threshold, and does not intend to significantly raise pensions and public assistance. The PPP has set no deadline and provided no guarantees on raising the living standards and ending poverty for the low and middle classes. The PPP has presented no economic development plan. It is uncaring as it is clueless and incompetent.
In 2023, we also witnessed further assaults by the PPP on governance and democracy. Its assault on our freedoms of expression and association reached even more dangerous heights, as the recent court summons served on US-based political activist Rickford Burke starkly demonstrate. The Police Force continued to be used as a political tool. The poor and powerless continued to be dispossessed of their land. Cabinet ministers and PPP cronies persisted in flouting the law and escaping prosecution. From the Dharamlall scandal to the oil audit scam to the unbridled corruption, Guyanese last year saw justice being perverted by those in high office, as the government sunk deeper into immorality, depravity and corruption.
Not unexpectedly, the President’s New Year’s Speech will be an elaborate exercise in spin doctoring, as he tries to paint an alternative reality. But we all know and feel the reality as we and our families live it every day. Guyana is in crisis.
Throughout these national crises in 2023, we, in the Opposition, carried on with the fight, alongside you, the people. We visited and listened to citizens in several communities across the country. We worked to keep you, the citizens, informed. We fought in the courts to defend our Constitution and the rights and freedoms of citizens. We campaigned in the Parliament to shape the national agenda and to keep the government in check. We demonstrated on the streets for electoral reform, including a new voters list and biometrics. We lobbied international stakeholders. And we presented our ideas for a better Guyana.
We, in the Opposition, believe that Guyana can have one of the world’s highest standards of living. We believe that Guyana can be one of the world’s happiest societies. We believe that Guyana can achieve the goal of zero poverty and zero misery. We believe that Guyana can be a model of democracy and good governance. However, Guyana could only achieve the ideals, if there is a caring and competent administration. We intend to be that administration. The poor performance of the government dictates that there must be a change of government. That change is near.
As the next government, therefore, we are committed to implementing a development strategy that puts people first and at the center. We see this not only as our moral obligation to the people, but also as an economic investment in developing our human resources. We are committed to tackling the ills that sap the Guyanese people’s spirit and vitality, such as discrimination, poverty, crime, unemployment (especially youth unemployment) and the lack of economic security and a livable income. We are single-minded in our ambition to build a new Guyana.
For now, as the Opposition, on our agenda for 2024, we will stay the course in the fight for a fair, just and equitable Guyana. We will build more pressure on the government to implement cost of living relief measures and to ensure fair and equitable allocation of resources to citizens. We will persevere in the defense of our democracy and constitutional order and the rights and liberties of citizens and communities. We will continue to expose government corruption, discrimination, and ineptitude. We will intensify our demand for a clean voters list and biometrics at the place of poll. We will persist in our vigilance to prevent the squandering of our oil wealth.
We in the Opposition will not relent on these and other fronts. Our people’s livelihood is at stake. The destiny of our country is at stake. We call on all fair-minded Guyanese to join us in our campaign to rescue our dear country.
Together, we can transform Guyana into a world-class and prosperous society. We believe that Guyana can become the envy of the world as the country where citizens have opportunities to realize their aspirations and full potential. That is our vision in the Coalition. That is our pledge. That is in our CONTRACT WITH GUYANA – OUR CONTRACT WITH YOU, THE PEOPLE.
Unfortunately, the extant situation does not allow me to wish you a prosperous New Year but take this opportunity to wish you all the best in 2024.
As we face 2024, despite the past, present and upcoming struggles under the PPP/C government, let us not lose hope and faith. Let us not surrender in frustration. Let us continue to pray for our nation. A new and better government awaits. Better times are ahead.
All the best for 2024!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!