SEE BELOW STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE PEOPLE’S NATIONAL CONGRESS REFORM:
On Monday, 16th January, the government presented the national budget for 2023. It informed the nation that it again plans to spend the country’s oil revenues in various ways. Yet, again, most Guyanese hold out little to no hope that their livelihoods will improve.
The reality we, as Guyanese, face is clear. The PPP has been in government now for 25 of the last 30 years –a long spell since 1992 broken only by the five years of relief between 2015 and 2020 when the Coalition held office. Let us ask ourselves as citizens: have our living standards and those of our families improved much or at all? Are we more satisfied, more prosperous, less stressed?
In those 25 long years under the PPP, the quality of life of Guyanese has either stagnated or markedly declined. Not surprising, Guyana ranks among the worst countries in the Latin America-Caribbean region on numerous human development and quality of life indicators. Guyana has, for instance, one of the highest rates of poverty and inequality, infant mortality, maternal mortality, suicide, child malnutrition, and preventable deaths.
Our country has one of the lowest levels of life expectancy, numeracy and literacy, education performance, and access to quality health care. These indicators are not abstract statistics. We, Guyanese, experience and suffer these pains.
Even now with our vast oil wealth, most of us expect our living standards will remain the same or get worse under a clueless and incompetent PPP government. As Stabroek News remarked in its Editorial of 7th January 2023, the PPP “aren’t that good at running a country. When one looks back since [1992] – going on [30] years minus the five-year coalition interregnum – it is hard to detect any significant progress.”
The SN Editorial added: “Now that they have more money the mistakes may in fact be even worse.”
This is the reality we, Guyanese, face today. It is a reality we can change with our voices and our votes.
