Dear Editor,
Guyana’s transformation continues, and I am happy that President Dr. Irfaan Ali is pushing the ‘model village’ initiative. We need this all across Guyana, where the big idea is for “…creating safer, more resilient, and sustainable communities.”
This kind of mindset and new way of thinking, being spawned by the People’s Progressive Party, was explained by His Excellency himself to eager listeners across the East Coast of Demerara.
According to the effervescent Head of State, his “Government’s national village transformation programme will incorporate security infrastructure, improved drainage systems, economic development initiatives, and enhanced public amenities (all) as part of a comprehensive plan to modernize communities across Guyana,” and not only Melanie Damishana, where he met with villagers.
On this note, I hastily apprise the nation that any good village will and must involve a combination of easy physical access to the basic needs of everyday living. It must also incorporate strong social connectivity, and definitely, a shared sense of safety, characterized by the presence of security officers and the availability of law enforcers.
By way of expansion, and as per President Ali, these villages will be equipped with potable water systems and sanitation to ensure a ‘healthy living’ environment. Of course, “Safe roads and transit options to reach larger towns” will be in place. I see that the Government is planning for proper “medical care, schools, gathering spots, market squares, and parks.” Overall, it’s like a miniature country, and this kind of thinking is consistent with the modern and developed world, and Guyana must take its place therein.
Mind you, there is a caution that President Ali alluded to, that is, ‘people are at the center of such developments.’ He clearly laid down the notion that “Stronger, resilient, and sustainable communities are communities that are built to last; communities that are built to ensure the space in which you live is not only pleasing to the eyes, physically, but that space gives a sense of belonging, that space gives a sense of pride, a sense of ownership, a sense of dignity.
“ I see this as a challenge for the people of Guyana wanting and driving to become good and worthy villagers themselves. Leaving aside logistics and minutiae, what is heartening is that this is not ‘mere talk,’ as “…preliminary assessments have already been carried out by teams of engineers, planners, architects, and development specialists, who have identified several priorities for Melanie’s development, (and in time, all across the country.)”
Staying with the motif of ‘people’ or villagers themselves, the President was emphatic that “A community is the coming together of people; it is the coming together of many different things that coexist as one, and that is what makes us a community. A community has within it its traditions, culture, economy, infrastructure, people, environment, ecology, and its own beauty. And what we want to do is invest in such a way that all of these aspects of the community can become critically integrated in making the community a better place.”
This means that the onus will be upon every citizen to parallel the model villages and become model villagers. This redounds into following the law, helping out in their various communities, showing respect for all and sundry, caring for the common good, and taking part in society’s well-being. In a nutshell, it’s about realizing a vision.
Yours truly,
Hargesh B. Singh
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