Corbin says consensus programme can take Guyana forward
Guyana Chronicle
January 3, 2005
OPPOSITION Leader, Mr. Robert Corbin, says his People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) is willing “to play its part” in sitting with the government and all other stakeholders in fashioning a consensus programme to take Guyana forward in the interest of all Guyanese.
In his New Year’s Day message, he said it may be timely to repeat the PNCR’s proposal that all the stakeholders in Guyana, including the governing People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), “need to sit together and fashion a consensus programme”.
He suggested that this should include “a governance model to take Guyana forward in the interest of all Guyanese (and) in this regard the PNCR and I stand ready to play our part fully.”
He said ideas for discussion in the formulation of a consensus programme should include instituting and strengthening consultative and participatory mechanisms to allow citizens and civil society a meaningful voice in national affairs, and implementing all the agreements under the Constitution reform and constructive engagement processes.
Other aspects should be working with the labour movement to develop a comprehensive and worker-friendly wages policy, and creating policies and an environment conducive to the attraction of large, medium and small-scale private foreign and local investment in the economy, Mr. Corbin said
“As we embark upon this New Year, it is my sincere wish that we approach it with resoluteness and determination to overcome all obstacles, that we will achieve many successes and that we will strive to make Guyana the El Dorado we have all dreamed about.
“This is no easy task, but I am confident that we have the ability, nay the resilience to succeed,” he said.
Corbin said much more could have been achieved if the government and opposition had worked together.
“Just think how much further we could have progressed if together, as a government and opposition, we had tackled the many problems confronting our many communities through the constructive engagement process. How much more harmonious our society would have been if instead of unilateral action there was consultation and involvement.”
He noted that as they welcomed the New Year, there was much for which Guyanese should be thankful.
“We have been spared the devastating effects of the hurricanes of 2004; we have been spared the shocks of earthquakes; and, as the year came to a close we have observed with bewilderment the devastating tsunamis in Asia and Africa that tragically ended the lives of more than 120,000 citizens of this planet.
“God has spared us from these natural disasters and while Guyana has not prospered and progressed as we had hoped, we have lived to see a new year.”
Corbin said the major focus for this year must be on the economy.
“In 2005, a major focus must be on our economy for without an enhanced economic performance we will never be able to improve the quality of life of the Guyanese people.”
According to him, Guyana remains firmly in the grip of successive International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreements without any clear or evident exit strategy.
“These agreements are negotiated behind the scenes, are not laid in the National Assembly but predetermine the plight of thousands of workers and may be in direct violation of Article 13 of our Constitution, which require consultation, and participation of the people in the conclusion of such agreements,” he argued.
He said, too, that the government’s practice of democratic centralism, the written and unwritten discretions (or indiscretions) of ministers in the concessions process and the emptiness in the content and fulfillment of Acts of Parliament intended to give confidence to investors are among the obvious bottlenecks inhibiting large scale investment in Guyana.
He said that in the midst of all this the narcotics trade has reached unprecedented levels and now threatens the entire economic and political stability of the country.
“The cocaine in lumber, in fish, in coconuts and in most of our export commodities, is bound to impact on the smooth export of Guyana’s products by legitimate businesses and adversely affect our export trade.
“What is more worrying, however, are reports that the laundering process is gradually finding its way into established sectors of our vulnerable economy. This cannot be a good sign for the future of our country. Consequently, we must address the drug issue as an important one this year,” he said.
Corbin also indicated that there are important issues concerning national elections to be settled this year and which will be resolutely pursued by the PNCR.
He said it would be arrogant for any political party to suggest that it alone has the solution to the country’s pressing problems.
“Yet solution there must be and solution is within our grasp. But it is only by releasing the vast energies of our Guyanese people - those here at home and those in the diaspora – that we will turn the situation around and Guyana become the country our children deserve.
“But we must act together to combat fear, to combat distrust, to combat despair. Let us face the challenges of the New Year with hope in our hearts and, yes, with love for our fellow citizens.”