Dear Editor,
I sat and listened with rapt attention to the most recent episode of Nation Watch which set me thinking and I asked, “Will Aubrey Norton’s People-Centred Development Strategy be a Game-Changer for Guyana?” On Sunday, Guyanese were informed that the Leader of the Opposition, the Hon. Mr. Aubrey Norton will, at an appropriate time, divulge the critical elements of his People-Centred Development Strategy (PCDS), which is intended to transform their lives positively. This information surfaced during last Sunday’s Nation Watch programme on “PPP mythology” hosted by former PNCR Parliamentarian Mervyn Williams. Williams and his guest Rawle Lucas, former chairman of GPL and GRA, exposed the sobering truth about the poor performance of Guyana’s economy under the stewardship of the PPP.
In reviewing the management of Guyana’s economy, Lucas used empirical data from the budget speeches of the PPP to demonstrate that successive PPP governments cumulatively only increased the output and income of the economy by 2.66% per year from 2000 to 2014. Many viewers and listeners were surprised to learn from the revelations that in 1992, the economy of Guyana was growing by over 7%, and by the year 2000, it shrank by 1.4%. Viewers were also alarmed to hear that the dilemma of the shrinking economy was repeated in 2003 and 2005. Guyanese now want to know why the PPP could not sustain the robust growth that started under the PNC, was inherited by the PPP in 1992, and continued under Dr. Cheddie Jagan into the 1990s.
From the incontrovertible information presented by Mr. Williams’ guest, many listeners realized that they were being misled by the fantastical and blatantly farcical claims of the spokespersons of the PPP that the PPP is the best manager of Guyana’s economy. They also gained a realistic picture of the situation after coming to the realization that the APNU+AFC Coalition government had grown the economy from 2015 to 2019 by 3.75%, much faster than the PPP did in 15 years and without the fortunes of the present circumstance of oil. They realized, too, that the current electricity supply debacle coupled with the untenable cost-of-living in Guyana are further proof of PPP ineptitude. People who tuned in to the programme listened intently to the guest, Rawle Lucas, as he commented on Norton’s PCDS. Lucas revealed that Norton’s intention is to ensure that the financial benefits of the oil revenues reaches the pockets of every Guyanese and that every Guyanese will be afforded the opportunity to build the lives that they desire for themselves and family, which includes owning their homes.
It was revealed too that Norton would incentivize skilled and qualified workers to stay to build and develop the country, which is an essential component to national development. Lucas concluded that in his view, Norton’s PCDS comprises and embraces the needs, ambitions, and aspirations of the people of Guyana. He feels that people will be excited by Norton’s PCDS and inspired to join and support him when he outlines the details of the plan. After listening and hoping that Guyanese are attuned, I ask, “Will Aubrey Norton’s People-Centred Development Strategy be a Game-Changer for Guyana?”
Yours truly,
Paul Cort.
