…says very little progress despite years of effort
The Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) was created to ensure that Caricom member states have equal access to a central economic zone without hurdles to facilitate the free movement of goods among other things.
However, President Dr Irfaan Ali has contended that Guyana has been treated quite unfairly by Caricom when it comes to trading goods, explaining that the country has been trying for years to get its produce on the CSME with very little progress.
“We have been trying to get our produce into one of our closest partners, Caricom, and we are still trying for years. This has to change. We have facilitated investments from other Caricom countries, from other partners without any hurdle,” the Head of State said, adding that Guyana’s Private Sector never came out and complained.
“Our Private Sector never said to the Government “scale back”. The fact of the matter is we have not been treated the same way. Its fact, it has to change,” the President told stakeholders at the launching of the Canada-Guyana Chamber of Commerce on Friday.
Ali noted that his Government is committed to making the investments and sharing the opportunities but it is essential that the playing field is balanced. To make his point clearer, the President explained that it took a number of years for Guyana to just get its ice cream in some of the Caricom markets when the process should have been fairly hurdle-free.
He called on the local Private Sector to band together to advocate for equal access to the markets they are entitled to under the CSME agreement.
“I have asked the Foreign Affairs Ministry to bring a list of all the hurdles we have in every single market in Caricom and we are going to put together a joint team of the Private Sector and the Government to break down those hurdles. To get our products in,” Ali informed.
He reiterated that Guyana remains a safe place to invest, adding that Government stands committed to facilitating hurdle-free investments. However, Ali also reminded that while his Government will be facilitating investments, it also has the responsibility to ensure that the local Private Sector does not encounter hurdles when doing business elsewhere.
“Canada has been a very important partner. Establishment of the Guyana-Canada Chambers represents an overwhelming vote of confidence in our country’s future. It signals high expectations for Guyana’s economic prospects. It is important for us to understand that we don’t want Chambers to be falling apart. The world is expressing confidence on Guyana economy…Government has to ensure we work closely with the Private Sector to realise those expectations,” he noted.
Despite accusations of being too business-friendly, Ali noted that his Government is on the path to become even more so, explaining that businesses help to create wealth, generate jobs and it is the role of Government to help facilitate the growth and development of businesses whilst at the same time facilitating the development of its human resources.
On Wednesday, at the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association’s (GMSA’s) 25th Annual Awards Ceremony, President Ali challenged the local Private Sector to be bold and more aggressive in its negotiations with Caricom in order to break the existing trade barriers.
The Head of State had pointed out that this is not only a duty for the Government, but the Private Sector must also take up responsibility in asserting its place nationally and within the region. He said that not only has the Private Sector been included on State Boards, but it was a Private Sector leader who led the local content dialogue. He was referring to GMSA President Shyam Nokta, who chaired the Local Content Panel that presented its first report to Government.
To this end, he emphasised the need for the local Private Sector to prepare itself to capitalise on the scale of opportunities that will come its way.
