A system is only as good as people make it to be

Feb 08, 2014 Letters

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DEAR EDITOR,
The current PPPC administration has been putting much emphasis on the development of its human resources. Most development practitioners agree that without a sound human resource base it is difficult to advance national development in an accelerated and sustained manner.
The records will show that per capita spending on education has risen sharply since the assumption to office of the PPPC administration on October 5, 1992. Indeed, the spending gap between Guyana and her regional counterparts in the Caribbean has been consistently narrowing, even though in relative terms, Guyana still ranks lower than most counties in the Caribbean in terms of per capita income.
A similar trend is discernible in other areas such as per capita spending on health care delivery, housing and water, which together could be regarded as key variables in terms of human development. Guyana is ahead of most countries in the hemisphere in terms of its housing programme, a fact that is being acknowledged by several regional leaders.
Compare this with the much touted but hopelessly failed attempt by the PNC regime during the 1972-1976 period when it promised to ‘Feed, Clothe and House’ the nation. An ambitious 65,000 houses were promised the Guyanese people, but by the end of that period, a paltry 13,000 houses were built and distributed, mainly to the party’s supporters and friends.
By the latter part of the PNC rule, housing was deleted as an expenditure item in the national budget estimates, a total disgrace for a party that once laid claims to being a party of the working class.
One consequence of the failure to meet the housing needs of the Guyanese people was a proliferation of squatting areas in Georgetown, the most conspicuous of which was Sophia, where poor, working class Guyanese were forced to live under sub-human conditions without any of the basic amenities of life such as water, electricity or roads.
It took the assumption to office of the PPPC administration on October 1992 before any real attempt was made to regularize squatting areas and open up lands for housing and recreational purposes. Take Sophia for example. Today that community boasts its own primary and nursery schools, a health centre, electricity, water and a police station, all of which were established by the current administration. There are still issues of concern to residents there like in any other communities, but no one can deny that the area has been transformed beyond recognition from what it was during the days of PNC rule.
Housing is certainly one of the success stories of the PPPC administration, but there are many others, some of which are not quite noticeable to the wider populace.
During a recent visit to the Essequibo Coast, I decided to take a ride on one of the Chinese-built passenger vessels on my return journey, after a harrowing and scary trip by speedboat from Parika to Supenaam. The rough waves, made even worse by a heavy downpour, made the ride look not only treacherous but extremely uncomfortable.
I always thought that it should be made mandatory by law for all speedboats to have adequate shelter from rain and be fully equipped with life jackets to cater for any untoward situation that could arise from time to time.
The return journey with the Chinese-built vessel was in contrast to what I experienced with the speedboat on my way to Supenaam. I was highly impressed by the comfort and huge size of the vessel which makes the journey such a pleasant experience. And the fare to travel is less than half of that of speedboats. One gets the feeling of traveling first class, even by first world standards.
There are several other such success stories in every facet of national life, some of which are not quite obvious to Guyanese, unless they have reason to do business with such government entities. Those of us who routinely do business with the National Insurance Scheme can attest to the relative ease with which our transactions are processed with minimal waiting time. The same can be said for the passport office, where there is a marked reduction in waiting time for the processing of both new and renewed passports.
The use of information and communication systems have contributed in no small measure to higher levels of efficiency in service delivery, but the human factor cannot be over-emphasized. A system is only as good as people make it to be. This is why some credit must be given to our public servants, especially at policy-making and implementation levels, for putting in place mechanisms to provide services and social goods to the Guyanese people with minimal red tape and undue bureaucracy.
Hydar Ally

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