In less than 12 hours, Guyanese will head to the polls to elect a government to govern this dear land of ours, Guyana, for the next five years (2025–2030). With the elections campaign now at an end and as we prepare to cast our votes, I shall hereafter cease my virtual campaign and responding to negatives and instead focus my attention on the positives that underpin my wholehearted endorsement of President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali and, by extension, the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) for a second term in office—staying the course.
𝟭. 𝗔 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: The PPP/C is the only credible and capable party to lead us forward into a bright, prosperous future. Three decades ago, they inherited a bankrupt economy (in 1992): no savings in the bank, no foreign exchange reserves, debt nine times the size of the economy, debt service over 150%, triple-digit inflation, and interest rates above 40%. Yet, they lifted us out of the underbelly of poverty.
𝟮. 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗢𝗱𝗱𝘀: By 2006, long before oil was discovered in 2015, the PPP/C had already returned the economy to financial viability and stability. This was not achieved under ordinary circumstances. In the 1990s and early 2000s, the party governed amidst one of the most turbulent political environments—marked by politically motivated violence and crime, the 2005 floods that wiped out 60% of GDP, a minority government whereby the political opposition stymied development and progress in the National Assembly, as well as adverse external shocks. These compounded domestic economic challenges, yet the PPP/C persevered and succeeded.
𝟯. 𝗔𝗣𝗡𝗨+𝗔𝗙𝗖’𝘀 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁: When the PPP/C lost power in 2015 to APNU+AFC, it was proven beyond doubt that no other political force is as capable in economic governance. Despite inheriting over $200 billion in liquid cash and reserves—and facing only a fraction of the challenges endured by the PPP/C—APNU+AFC managed to erode economic gains in just five years, leaving the non-oil economy incapacitated.
𝟰. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀: Over the last five years, under President Ali’s stewardship, the PPP/C successfully navigated the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and restored household wealth, which had been destroyed during APNU+AFC’s tenure. Not just household wealth but household dignity and pride to families.
𝟱. 𝗔 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿-𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀: The PPP/C stands on indisputable credibility: they have fulfilled 120% of their 2020 manifesto commitments. They have under-promised and over-delivered.
𝟲. 𝗔 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: In the economics literature, there are typically five stages of development. Between 1992–2015, we completed the first stage referred to as the “traditional society.” Guyana can no longer be described as such, thanks to the work done on the economy by the President Ali Administration between 2020–2025. That brings us to the second stage, referred to as the “preconditions to take-off.” This stage is characterized by (i) development of infrastructure, (ii) emergence of an entrepreneurial class, and (iii) increased investments in education and technology. Looking ahead to the next five years, the 2025–2030 manifesto signals the transition into the third stage of development by the end of the decade, even as some work in this second stage remains to be completed. In other words, we are now approaching the end of the second stage and paving the way to enter the third stage by 2030. Having built the foundation over the last five years, Guyana is set for transformation from a historically primary-sector economy into a value-based, tertiary-sector economy.
𝟳. 𝗔 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: There was a time when my parents could not afford toys on a regular basis—only at Christmas, unlike the experience my own children now enjoy. Financing my education was a struggle: my parents carried the burden of my primary and secondary schooling, while I was left to finance my tertiary education through loans with help from my parents. A trip to Georgetown or Parika was once the equivalent of a trip abroad. We had no running water, and so we fetched it from long distances in buckets. Blackouts lasted for days, sometimes weeks. We had no landline telephone; let alone mobile phones or the modern gadgets we take for granted today. There was a time when opportunities were scarce, driving mass migration. Today, opportunities abound, reversing that very tide.
𝟴. 𝗔 𝗗𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Today, through education and opportunity, many Guyanese families can create a near first-world standard of living in this small, emerging economy, i.e., the growing middle class. My children have no relatable experience of the hardships I endured. That is transformation. True transformation is a journey—it takes the right leadership, governance, and generations of progress to move from poverty to prosperity.
𝟵. 𝗔𝗰𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀: It is true that poverty still exists in our society. But we have come a long way. There was a time when 95% of our people lived in poverty. Poverty today is not the poverty of the past. Notwithstanding, much work remains to be done to lift all Guyanese into prosperity, and the PPP/C is best placed to accomplish this.
𝟭𝟬. 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀: When in government, the PPP/C has always made it seem effortless to govern, despite confronting a plethora of challenges. They keep the macroeconomic fundamentals intact and build resilience even amidst turbulence. On the contrary, their predecessors failed at every turn—preferring excuses and finger-pointing instead of competence, decisiveness, and results.
𝟭𝟭. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱-𝗢𝗻: What sets the PPP/C apart from its rivals? The PPP/C is the only party that not only acknowledges but actively confronts the many challenges of governing our country. Unlike others who rely on rhetoric, the PPP/C formulates its policies and development plans within a sustainable macroeconomic framework, factoring in both exogenous and endogenous risks, and macro risks. Additionally, while opposition parties talk endlessly about corruption, it is the PPP/C that has taken concrete, systemic steps to tackle it. This includes legislative reforms already underway in public procurement, notably the introduction of e-procurement to significantly reduce irregularities. Their commitment to building a digital economy and transforming a bureaucratic state into a modern digital government will further dismantle avenues for corruption and enhance transparency.
𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻
These are the reasons why I will be voting solidly for President Irfaan Ali and the PPP/C tomorrow. The PPP/C is the only party with the vision, competence, and credibility to lead Guyana through the next stage of transformation. I cannot afford to risk our future, my family’s future, and, above all, my children’s future on excuses, failures, or empty rhetoric. Hence, I urge all Guyanese to do the same and vote for the PPP/C.