President Dr Irfaan Ali has challenged residents of Linden, Region Ten (Upper Demerara-Berbice), to recognise the development already taking place in the region and prepare for even greater investment, including new business districts, increased support for small and medium-sized enterprises, and renewed investment in the bauxite industry.
He made the remarks whilst addressing a gathering at Victory Valley, Linden, during a cabinet outreach to the region on Wednesday.
According to President Ali, his Administration has made significant investments in Linden, with the level of investment under his tenure representing almost 1000 per cent more than that made under the previous A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Administration.
“Today, you have hundreds of thousands of persons who have benefitted from the healthcare system by hospital visits, thousands of surgeries completed right here in Linden, tens of thousands of labs completed right here in Linden, and CT scans completed right here in Linden. Lindeners becoming registered nurses and training right here in Linden. Lindeners are becoming trained teachers and trained graduates, right here in Linden. That is real development,” the Guyanese leader said.
In fact, he argued that those who refuse to acknowledge the progress are simply living in denial.
“If you don’t think the new Wismar Bridge is a development, something is wrong with you. If you don’t think the road that is being built to Lethem is going to bring thousands of trucks passing through the township as development, something is wrong with you. If you don’t see the thousands of houses that are being built as development, something is wrong with you. If you don’t see the hundreds of young people in the last five years who own their own home today, something is wrong with you,” Ali contended.
“If you don’t see the treated water that you’re getting as development, something is wrong with you. If you don’t see all the people in this village who became small contractors because of the investment, something wrong with you. Something definitely wrong with you,” he added.
President Ali also cautioned Region 10 residents to be wary of politicians who seek to sow division. He posited that unlike other political leaders, those in his Government are focused on empowering young people in entrepreneurship.
“Whilst they’re discussing division and hate, you know what we’re discussing? How we will bring the young people to work together in the tunnel house programme, how we will get the young people to work together in the development of the swine industry, how we will get the young people to work together in agro-processing, in honey production, and how we will get them to work together in different areas of development and empowerment,” he noted.
In this regard, he said to support small businesses in the region, the Government will establish business districts at Wismar and Mackenzie.
“We’re going to build two facilities on each side of the river, and what we’re going to call these facilities are ‘business districts’ where we’ll build the tarmacs, and we’ll put proper shops, whether it’s mechanic…spray painting, commerce, or entertainment, on both sides, so we can bring the small businesses together. In bringing the small businesses together, we can then support you, we can empower you, and we can have training seminars and training programmes right there,” the president outlined.
Moreover, he reminded us that these businesses can benefit from the Guyana Development Bank, which will offer collateral-free and interest-free loans “to build out their business opportunities”.
The president said the Government is also looking to develop an agro investment park in Linden where the best technology, irrigation systems and extension services will be readily available. Additionally, he said works will intensify on rebuilding the community centre, with completion expected in nine months. “We want that centre to be used for women empowerment and youth empowerment,” he remarked.
Apart from small business growth, President Ali said the region can look forward to major investments in the years to come, noting that “if you believe you’ve seen transformation in Linden, you’ve not really seen the massive transformation that still lies ahead”.
“We’re looking at investors now coming back in the bauxite industry to expand what is already happening in bauxite. These are things that are actively happening behind the scenes,” he noted.
He further explained that Linden will become a major transit point, with markets opening up in Northern Brazil, opportunities that residents can capitalise on.
According to the Guyanese leader, Linden residents should embrace these investments. In fact, he criticised the response of some politicians to the region’s electricity shortfall in light of the growing investments.
“A simple issue that Linden is growing, we have to put more power; we’re not getting 6 mw to put in. You know what? Some leaders’ solution is they come here and say, ‘Why do these people come from this part of the country and invest in Linden? Why are these people doing this in Linden?’. They’re driving a wedge; they’re using an old playbook…what we should do is work on ensuring Linden is the most welcoming place for investment, that people want to invest here, that people want to spend their money here, and that people want to build their businesses here. That is what we want,” President Ali expressed.
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