President and PM leading commendably

Oct 26, 2023 Letters

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Dear Editor,

When all is said and done, Guyanese at home and abroad and from all walks of life should be extremely proud and grateful to have Dr. Irfaan Ali as President and Brigadier Mark Phillips as Prime Minister of our beloved country. Although they have never worked together before being elected to office in August 2020, their respect and admiration for and confidence in one another have made them very compatible and a well-matched team that have provided good governance. And even though they had endured the long delay of five months before the March 2, 2020, results were officially declared on August 2, 2020, they were not daunted by the efforts of the Granger-led administration to brazenly and daringly rig the elections to remain in office. It was politics by any and every means necessary.

Many believed that their silly and misguided actions had not only threatened the democratic process and several provisions in the constitution, as well as the people’s right to vote for the party(s) of their choice, but it was also a trying period for both President Dr. Ali and Brigadier Phillips who were firm in their beliefs that the PPP/C had won the elections as shown in the recount. Since elected to office in 2020, President, Dr. Ali has been at the forefront of strengthening Guyana’s relations with its neighbours in CARICOM and Latin America, the United States, Canada, India, China, and other countries and regions around the world. He continues to advocate for increased production of food to significantly reduce CARICOM’s food bill by 2025, agricultural transformation, and for building resilient and sustainable economies in Guyana and the Caribbean, as well as his firm commitment and support for regional integration, gender equality, and respect for sovereignty, among others.

On the international scene, President, Dr. Ali continues to provide leadership in the areas of food security, energy security, climate security, protection of the environment, especially the forests, reduction or an end to armed conflicts, an end to human rights violations and respect for sovereignty and international law. He has positioned Guyana on the world stage as a global leader on climate change, food security and energy security. Locally, both President Ali and the Prime Minister Phillips have been working diligently to create good paying jobs, tackle poverty and unemployment, grow the lower and middle-classes, heal the racial divide and make life more affordable for a better future for Guyana where all can live in peace and harmony.

As evident in most if not all his outreaches in the regions, towns, villages, and districts, President, Dr. Ali has not only met and greeted the residents but is known to have solved many of their problems, and is considered by many as honest, reliable, consistent and a people-friendly person. On the other hand, Prime Minister Mark Phillips is straightforward and loyal, and is steadfast in his love and admiration for the people and to treat them fairly and equally and to make sure that no one is left out. According to Brigadier Phillips, Guyana belongs to all Guyanese and regardless of their status, or ethnicity, or party affiliation, all must benefit from its resources.

Under the leadership of President Dr. Ali and Prime Minister Mark Philipps, Guyana has embarked on a new style of governance at the grassroots level, which in essence means governance from the bottom-up where the views, opinions, and suggestions of the people are often considered in the policy-making and decision-making processes. Both the President and the Prime Minister believe that positive criticisms of the government from the residents are not only patriotic, but they are also welcome because they can only make the government stronger and more responsive to their specific needs in each of the 10 regions. A similar viewpoint is reflected in one of the speeches by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, who in 1910 said, “That there must be no criticism of the President, or that people are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable.”

Finally, President Dr. Ali and Prime Minister Brigadier Mark Phillips have inspired the nation to embrace the profoundly sound “One Guyana” vision which comprises several pertinent issues including unity, increased growth in GDP, the expansion and rapid growth of the agriculture sector and the economy, modernization of the infrastructure could solidify Guyana’s global leadership. Today, Guyana has become one of the most recognizable countries in the world, thanks to the brilliant and outstanding leadership of President, Dr. Irfaan Ali.

Sincerely,

Dr. Asquith Rose

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• Brigadier Mark Phillips, Dr. Asquith Rose., Dr. Irfaan Ali, Guyanese, President

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