How could this Govt. speak of development when we are clearly in reverse mode?

Aug 07, 2018 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
Various international organisations, such as the World Economic Forum, through a series of annual countries’ assessment, inadvertently espouse the axiom that “Guyana is in reverse mode”.
In 2017, the Global Human Capital index, a report that ranks countries according to their effectiveness and level of human capital development, demoted Guyana below its 2015 global position of 79, by 9 positions, surpassing frail economies such as Uganda, Zambia and Kenya.
A closer look at some of the key indicators reveled that, within one year, 2015-2016, Guyana slipped by more than four positions in unemployment rate, for age group 25-54, and seven positions, for 55-64.
Ironically, the Government boasts of job creation.
Furthermore, between 2015- 2017, the country’s global ranking fell by another seven positions, in relation to quality of primary education of children, age 0-15 years.
Overall, Guyana has slipped by eight positions in global ranking, in the quality of educational services provided to children, age 15-24. Concomitantly, youth literacy rate also fell in global position by more than five. According to the report, unemployment rate for youths, age 15-24, has contracted by more than nine positions, globally.
Similarly, to the Global Human Capital Index, Guyana has also deteriorated globally by three positions, when ranked by the Human Development Index, for the year 2016. Countries such as Namibia and Morocco have all surpassed Guyana in global ranking.
In the health sector, when compared to 2013, infant mortality rates per 1,000 live births, has increased from 29 in 2013, to 32 in 2015. Similarly, for infants under five months there was an increase in mortality rate, per 1,000 live birth, from 36 to 40, during a similar period. Adults, on the other hand, saw an increase in deaths due to tuberculosis: from 15 for every 100,000 people in 2013, to 21, in 2015.
The latest Global Competitive Index Report, on the other hand, for the period 2015-2016, saw Guyana fall in global ranking by more than nineteen positions to 121, when compared to 2014. Institutions – one of the fundamental pillars that command global ranking – deteriorated by thirteen positions, to 102 in 2016 when compared to 2015. Property rights; bribes; favoritism; wasteful spending; and organized crime have all seen massive deterioration in ranking, on average by six positions.
Similarly, macroeconomic environment, another critical pillar of equal weight, deteriorated by three positions: government budget balance as a percentage of GDP fell by 19 positions, which, presently is now worse than that of Haiti. Further confirming the abysmal and deteriorated trend, health and primary education systems declined by another two positions: Guyana is now lagging behind countries such as Kenya and Ethiopia.
Finally, in doing business, the most problematic factors now orbit around inefficient government bureaucracy, corruption and poor access to financing.
The question that begs to be answered is, how could this government speak of development, wealth generation, and the “good life”, when we are clearly, from all indications, in reverse mode?
Mohamed Irfaan Ali

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