Dear Editor,
The Alliance for Change (AFC) has once again renewed its call to all political parties to craft a “joint 15-year development plan” for Guyana.
Editor, it is worthwhile to note that the AFC is not a new political party. The AFC was established in 2005, which means that the party has been around for nearly two-decades. Prior to the 2015 elections, which they won after forming a coalition government with the APNU, the AFC contested two elections, in 2006, and in 2011.
Yet, after nearly two-decades in existence, and the current leader who also served in that capacity several times before, the party still does not have even a blue-print of a development plan for the country.
In contrast, the PPP/C took no more than two (2) years to develop and finalize the country’s first national development plan in 1996. Work had commenced on that plan in 1994, finalized in 1996, and its incremental implementation began immediately thereafter, through the national budgets of 1997-2014 and 2020–to present.
Notably, the 1996 National Development Strategy (NDS, 1996) was followed by the Poverty Reduction Strategy (with support from the World Bank), the National Competitiveness Strategy (with support from the Inter-American Development Bank), the Low Carbon Development Strategy (2009), and now the expanded version of the Low Carbon Development Strategy (2030).
In summary, within the space of thirty-two (32) years, of which 27 years were in Government (1992-2014; 2020-2024), and five years in Opposition, the PPP/C delivered a total of five (5) national development strategies and plans for the country.
Additionally, together with those plans, all the sectors of the economy have their own sectorial policy and strategy document, and regional development plans.
These achievements by the PPP/C alone speaks for itself, which is in stark contrast to the AFC that has been around for nearly two-decades, and not even a blue-print of a development plan, or an outline, leaving much to be desired.
Sincerely,
Joel Bhagwandin
