Mr. President, please do something for the private sector

Dec 14, 2023 Letters

Dear Editor,

Please permit me to draw the attention of the people as well as the government of Guyana to the very unfair treatment of private sector employees. Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper, the problem is about the GYD 25,000 one-off cash distribution to public sector employees only.

I am a private sector employee; I don’t benefit as a Guyanese, and my taxes are being paid daily to the government’s agencies, etc. While my voice is small in these short sentences, I would like the President of Guyana to know that every Guyanese, whether public or private sector, must benefit from these initiatives. Let me turn my attention to one event in our country: “ELECTION.” When we go to the poll station to cast our vote, we don’t vote as private or public sector, but as a Guyanese exercising his or her constitutional right, so why can we in the private sector benefit? Mr. President, how can you address the country and the international stage about how all Guyanese are benefiting from the wealth of the country?

In addition, Editor, here is another example: based on several articles from January 31, 2022, the GYD 30,000 grant initially catered only to public school learners; the government went on to extend it to private school learners, benefiting an additional 17,000 students. It is time that private sector employees get that one-off cash grant.

Also, a gentle reminder to the Government that a team from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), led by Ms. Alina Carare, held discussions during August 28–September 11 for the 2023 Article IV Consultation and reported that the Guyanese economy continues to grow very rapidly, supported by the government’s modernization plans, including the unparalleled oil sector expansion. Following record real GDP growth in 2022—62.3 percent, the highest in the world—real GDP is expected to continue to grow extremely fast in 2023 (38 percent).

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