Posted January 5th. 2001

Fellow Guyanese! Happy New-Year greetings!

This is a time for all of us to reflect on the challenges and achievements of the past year. After a hard year's work Guyanese celebrated their Christmas holidays as never before. It was a time of peace and goodwill. It was full of the true Guyanese spirit of generosity and caring for one another.

During these holidays, the holy month of Ramadan reminded us of cherished values of discipline, sacrifice and brotherhood. We want this spirit of the season to continue into the New Year.

Our vision is to secure a better quality of life for all. The material needs of our people must be a priority. Equally important are strong spiritual and moral values, solid family ties, respect for the rights and cultures of others, love and care of country and people.

Guyana continues to move forward. Our accomplishments are many and must be celebrated since we have found ways of achieving these in rather difficult circumstances. Throughout the year, we have had problems. The prices we received for many of our main exports - gold, bauxite, sugar, rice and forest products have fallen on world markets. Because of this, people have suffered. We have had border problems with Venezuela and Suriname and we have experienced disasters such as the floods, locust infestation and the recent destruction to the Army ammunition base at Camp Groomes.

What is significant is that your government has responded promptly to these events. Added to these were many tragic events that diminished our efforts including the high carnage on our roads, which wasted precious lives; and fires that caused much damage and loss of lives.

In spite of these problems, we have managed to end the year in high spirits. The economy has withstood various pressures. Public sector workers have had a record pay rise. At the same time, we maintained relative stability in the exchange rate. Inflation has been kept within single digits. In short, our economic and financial prospects remain good.

In the social sector, we are convinced that the key to success is education. Spending in this sector has gone up to 9.3 billion dollars. The result: more schools, better schools, better trained and paid teachers and a better curriculum. We have moved tertiary education to rural areas. We are introducing information technology in the education system in order to modernise the way we do things. Guyana will not be left behind.

Tens of thousands of Guyanese, for the very first time, have ownership of a plot of land upon which they can build their future. This success story has brought hope and stability in the lives of many. Houses, it seems, are going up everywhere. So too are new and modern health facilities, new roads, new sea and river defences, new bridges, and more. These have not been confined to any one part of the country. They are visible everywhere.

Many new enterprises have been established and creating wealth and jobs. Micro-enterprises alone created some 9000 jobs. However, much more could have been done to create more jobs but a difficult political environment has put off investors. As a result, many young Guyanese were denied jobs. I hope that the national interest of enhancing economic activities will in the future prevail over political postures that only harm our country.

In many other ways, however, this has been a remarkable year. We have started a process of constitutional reform that will have a huge impact on the lives of Guyanese. We have passed laws to combat racial discrimination. This will bring greater security to all people in our multi-ethnic and multi-cultural society. Important changes have been made to our electoral system. These are intended to make our democracy more representative and more inclusive. We have also amended the Constitution to make the powers of the President more consistent with democratic societies.

The past months have seen an intensification of the political dialogue. The most important result for me was consensus on the date for national and regional elections. These will be held on March 19, 2001. The Guyana Elections Commission will have the full support of my government in ensuring free, fair and transparent elections. The world will be watching us.

It is expected that just after these holidays, the elections campaign will commence in earnest. Competition among political parties is a normal characteristic of our political system. It is my belief that after more that three decades of Independence, the population deserves to see a political culture based on civility between the contending parties. My party, the PPP/CIVIC, strongly believes in this, and I hope that this will be the approach taken by all others.

After these elections I hope that national concord will prevail. Though the elected government must be given a mandate by the people to steer the ship of state in accordance with the provisions of our Constitution. I believe that our system of governance must be inclusive. There must be room for all patriotic forces to participate in the task of nation building for the true interests of Guyana.

In Guyana, there are no second-class citizens. Our Constitution provides for all our people to be equal in the eyes of the law and in all opportunities for self-development. All our people have the right to practice their religion, to express their views and to have a government of their choice. No one should be considered greater or lesser because of his or her beliefs; race or religion. My government will strongly defend these fundamental rights.

My vision for Guyana is one where there are civil and political liberties; where there is freedom of expression; where there is equality and social justice; where there will be empowerment of the marginalized, such as women, youths and the indigenous peoples; and where ethnic diversity is seen as strength not weakness; a society in which all our people's basic needs are met. Everyone has a place in my Guyana including the pensioners, old folks, the destitute and the needy.

This year my government will be hard at work: Hard at work to bring relief to those in need; hard at work to stop the mayhem on our roads by tough laws; hard at work to create more jobs, to provide water, electricity and housing; and hard at work to deliver better education. My government will work with Churches, Temples and Mosques to return care and compassion to our society. We will be hard at work with civil society to take our children and destitute off the streets. Hard at work to deliver more efficient government services to further improve the well being of all Guyanese. Hard at work for all of you!

My dearest Guyanese Brothers and Sisters:

How often have we not marvelled at the breath-taking beauty of our Guyana? How often have we not felt pride at our vast natural resources and our yet untapped wealth? Yes, we know that our Guyana has what it takes to be among the most prosperous! Yes! We have what it takes to make us great! To fulfil our hopes and realise our potential, we must all show togetherness. Above all, we must show responsibility and courage in pursuing our dreams and destiny. We cannot, and we must not, allow ourselves to stray into the dead end of division and destruction.

Together, we must all aspire to a higher loyalty a loyalty to Guyana, her children and their future. This is the most appropriate resolution we can make for the New Year. This New Year offers us all an opportunity to achieve from the very first day. We can continue to build a nation that is strong and prosperous a nation that will endure beyond the centuries.

I take this opportunity, on behalf of my wife, Varshnie, and my colleagues in government, to wish all Guyanese, wherever you may be, and especially those who have returned for the holidays, a Happy and Prosperous New Year.