President lauds Region 6 contributions to economy - at opening of 8th Annual Berbice Expo

Georgetown, GINA, August 11, 2012 -- Source - GINA

President Donald Ramotar makes a point as he examines a large sweet potato at the Ministry of Agriculture’s booth at Berbice Expo 

Addressing the opening ceremony of the 8th Annual Berbice Expo and Trade Fair being held under theme “Showcasing Opportunities, Fulfilling Our Potential” last evening, President Donald Ramotar extolled the county’s developments, which he said are certainly not ‘ancient’ from the point of view of social and economic development.

He said this has been because of government’s investments in the county, albeit challenges and criticisms.

“We have been facing a lot of challenges in working to build our country; we have been working in conditions that have not been ideal,” the President told the gathering at the Albion Sports Complex, Berbice.  The Berbice Expo has become the premiere trade and investment showcase for the entire county, allowing for exhibitors to showcase their talent, entrepreneurship and industry. It runs from August 10-13.

President Ramotar said that in the first instance, Government has had to build the country, working in a context whereby its international partners and the countries with which it conducts trade, particularly the USA and Europe have been undergoing serious economic difficulties.

This has resulted in many countries in the Caribbean being seriously affected, but, “Guyana because of good management and governance has been able to spare our people that kind of hurt,” he noted.

He said this is emphasised by the praises from an International Monetary Fund (IMF) team, which, just two weeks ago came and examined the country’s economy. The team publicly was in high praise of the management of the country’s economy which grew last year by five percent and which is expected this year to experience growth as well.

The President said that Berbice itself has made a major contribution to the development of the country and to its economic growth, and this is due to the fact that the government has been successful in attracting investments in the county in areas such as sugar, bauxite, infrastructure and information communication technology.

A section of the gathering at the launch of Bebice Expo

The opportunity for continued modernisation and service sector development is also there with Government’s investments in offshore and on-shore oil drilling; the latter being explored in Berbice.

The President said, success sometimes brings criticism, and stated that the administration has repeatedly had to deal with criticisms from, “those who feel their fortunes are not linked to the development of our society and who feel that their fortunes are linked to things getting bad in our country.”

The President identified these persons as the same ones who would have just recently criciticised government’s investments in Berbice’s development infrastructure such as the Berbice Bridge; who have chosen to ignore the fact that the bridge has vastly improved the pace and the speed of communication and access to the county.

The Head of State said it is these same forces that have been attacking Government for neglecting Berbice again, forgetting the fact that Government has invested over $200M to build a new sugar factory at Skeldon. While he admitted that the factory has some problems, he expressed optimism that the problems will be fixed sooner than later and that the factory will prove itself as one of the flagships of the Guyana Sugar Corporation.

President Donald Ramotar in one of the booths at Berbice Expo

President Ramotar said the same forces are now “misrepresenting facts and distorting information” as it relates to electricity in Linden.

 “What has taken place there is total distortion and political manoeuvres, using all kinds of elements to try to destabilise the people there,” President Ramotar said.

He said that whilst Government regrets the loss of the three lives at Linden, Government will not allow that tragedy to be taken advantage of by these forces, who only seek to use it, “to try to damage the whole community, the reputation of the community as a whole and as a place, a destination for development and investment.”

The President assured that despite the “effort of those who do not see their future linked to progress and development”, the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) government will continue to pursue policies to build alliances with private sector, governments and working people, as these are needed, at this point in the country’s history, to take it forward.

Also in attendance at the opening was Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce (Ag) Irfaan Ali, Regional Chairman, Region Six David Armogan, Former President, Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) Clinton Williams and President, Central Corentyne Chambers of Commerce (CCCC) Leekha Rambirch.