Latest update March 29th, 2024 12:59 AM
Oct 23, 2011 News
-lays out plans to spur investment, bridge Corentyne River
The incumbent People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) last evening said that it would create 25,000 ‘high quality’ jobs in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector, complete major infrastructure projects, and promote investments in new and traditional sectors in the next five years if re-elected to office.
These initiatives are included in a 14-point Manifesto. The party says it would undertake them in an effort to achieve a “diversified, modern, competitive and resilient economy.”
“This ambitious, realistic and realizable programme constitutes the core of our transformative agenda, while sustaining the economic, social and political progress made in government over the past nineteen years,” said Donald Ramotar, the career politician chosen by the party to lead it victory at the November 28 polls.
As expected, the party laid out the completion of several projects it has talked about over the years as part of the five year-plan. These include the Amaila Falls Hydro Electricity Programme, a Specialty Hospital, a deep water harbour, paving the road from Linden to Lethem and extending the runway at the country’s main international airport.
Among other plans listed in the Manifesto, are the bridging of the Corentyne River, and examining the possibility of establishing rail transportation along busy corridors.
The PPP/C said that it will facilitate investments to expand bauxite and gold mining, and inject new life into the productive sectors.
The manifesto talks of facilitating “a complete transformation of the productive sectors with the aim of creating more jobs and generating more wealth, by encouraging faster growth in such labour- and skill-intensive sectors as Information and Communication Technology, large scale agriculture and agro-processing, and sustainable harvesting of our country’s vast natural resources.”
The plan for infrastructure development includes upgrading ports, harbours, and stellings, and adding to the current fleet of vessels for riverain transport.
The five-year plan for the electricity sector is to bring electricity to every single household by extending the national grid to include all new housing developments, unserved and hinterland areas.
Within five years, the party said it would transform Guyana into a country that meets almost all of its national demand for electric energy from renewable sources, by completing the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project.
The PPP/C envisages Guyana being able to export electricity by facilitating a second large scale privately-financed hydropower project.
In agriculture, the PPP said it wants to get the troubled Skeldon Sugar Factory, on which US$200 was spent, working as it should. It also talks of getting more cane planted and investing in value added sugar products.
In the rice sector, the PPP/C said it would promote large scale rice production in other parts of the country, which will see significant economies of scale being realised, new technologies introduced and new markets serviced.
Other plans for the agriculture sector include promoting large scale investments, especially in the Rupununi and the Intermediate Savannahs.
In the education sector, the party said it would see to it that there are sufficient secondary school places available in all Regions, as well as the implementation of a school transportation programme for the poor where this is an impediment.
The party said it would push foreign language teaching, especially in Spanish, Portuguese and Amerindian languages.
Building on the platform created by the One Laptop Per Family Programme, which aims to distribute 90,000 laptops, the PPP said that it will use the University of Guyana and other universities to implement online university programmes.
In the health sector, the PPP/C laid out plans to improve hospital and health care facility management, with an emphasis on value for money, accountability for results, and improved logistical management. The party also pledged to review the system of oversight of private health facilities to ensure a high quality of service and sound ethical practices.
In the housing sector, the plan includes distributing another 30,000 new house lots, comprising a special re-migrant housing scheme and enacting sunset legislation for squatting and regularise all possible settlements.
Additionally, the housing assurance is for housing plots in the hinterland.
Regarding Amerindian development, the PPP/C said it would continue and accelerate land titling and demarcation and expand social services in the communities, including construction of more schools, dormitories, recreational and health facilities for greater access.
For youth development, the goals the party has set itself includes completing the new athletics track, build a new velodrome, upgrading other sports grounds and facilities, along with construction of additional indoor sport facilities across the country, while encouraging the full use of existing community centres.
In the security sector, the PPP/C plans to place new emphasis on intelligence-led policing, strengthening the intelligence gathering and processing capabilities of the Police Force, including full establishment of the intelligence apparatus, through ICT enablement and networking of stations for real time access to databases, along with improved forensic capability, thereby enabling a more robust fight against narco-traffickers.
The party also outlined plans to enhance the operational capacity of the Joint Services through the provision of targeted training, forensic, communication and transportation resources along with the increased resort to ICT applications in the fight against crime.
It also pledged to continue the legislative programme to facilitate successful prosecutions, to protect society by enacting a bail act and to stiffen custodial penalties for serious crimes.
The PPP/C also listed promoting greater public support and confidence in the Joint Services by paying more attention to rapid responses, confidentiality about sources of information and respect for human rights.
In Local Government, the party, which only saw one Local Government Election in its 19-year hold on power, said it would hold these elections one year after the upcoming General Elections.
When it comes to public administration, the PPP/C said it would review every Government agency to identify ways in which the bureaucracy can be made more people-friendly, and implement priority actions identified to achieve this.
The plans also touted, are placing special emphasis on agencies such as the Guyana Revenue Authority and the Guyana Office for Investment to ensure that they discharge the role assigned to them in a manner consistent with a modern, efficient tax administration, and a modern, functioning investment promotion and facilitation agency.
The initiatives outlined in the manifesto, the PPP/C stated, represent just a subset of the major policies and initiatives to be implemented by the party if it gets into office again.
“Over the next five years, we commit to ensuring that all Guyanese, regardless of race, religion or gender continue to benefit from the programmes that we propose to implement,” Ramotar stated.
THIS IDIOT TELLING GUYANA WE HAVE NO SAY IN THE 50% PROFIT SHARING AGREEMENT WE HAVE WITH EXXON.
Mar 29, 2024
By Rawle Toney Kaieteur Sports – After a series of outstanding performances in 2023, Tianna Springer, dubbed the ‘wonder girl’, is eagerly gearing up to compete in this year’s...Kaieteur News – Good Friday in Guyana is not what it used to be. The day has lost much of its solemnity. The one day... more
By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News – In the face of escalating global environmental challenges, water scarcity and... more
Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.
Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: [email protected] / [email protected]