A genuine national development strategy

The first priority on taking the reins of government is to generate a strategic plan, quickly followed by implementation and financial plans for execution. A nation's development, more especially in the case of Guyana, which saw its infrastructure devastated as a result of PNC neglect and mismanagement, must be based on the formulation of a strategic plan. Almost five years after coming to power, the PPP/Civic is still trying to fully comprehend what is meant by strategic planning. It is hardly surprising that the Guyanese people have little notion of where the country is going. If the government doesn't have a clue, how could the people?

A national development strategy is highly desirable. In the case of the recently created National Development Strategy however, there was an initial flaw in design: the PPP-Civic Administration failed to engage the population and large sections of the political opposition in support of the process. Furthermore, the Strategy is being made public on the eve of elections, which further politicises the document, as some strive to make it a PPP-Civic Manifesto.

As we approach the 21st century, many find it uncomfortable to have an external agency (the Carter Centre) play the prominent role, especially coming on top of the IMF/World Bank direction of government economic planning through the Economic Recovery Programme. The ending of the ERP this year provides an opportunity for a genuinely national Development Strategy to involve all sectors and shades of opinion in its design. Recognising the imperatives of globalization does not mean that we give up our national duty to devise how best Guyana can develop within the world economy.

A truly national Development Strategy must have popular participation and a range of skills both specialist and generalist. Implementation will also require skills in policy formulation and execution. WPA in government will be able to lend its expertise and experience to such a process, and to attract other skills from outside its ranks.

Racial accommodatlon

Without racial accommodation, there is no possibility of national reconstruction. Racial accommodation must also be built on genuine and active respect for cultural diversity. The nation needs to find a way of reconciliation that helps to remove the threat of confrontation by contending political forces. The WPA is ideally positioned to facilitate racial accommodation.

AGREEMENT ON EXTERNAL RELATIONS

There is need for national agreement on how the country deals with the following:

	The sovereignty of the nation and relations with foreign investors, funding agencies and the International Financial Institutions
	Relations with associations in the region, especially CARICOM, the hemisphere, e.g., CBI and NAFTA and the main centres of power in the West e.g., the European Union

Agreement on basic and fundamental Institutions

	Issues of govemance, including systems of transparency, management and accountability; public involvement in the design and articulation of social and economic policy
	Processes to eliminate all forms of discrimination
	Agreement on constitutional requirements and respect for electoral processes and their outcomes

This then is a summary of what the WPA stands for and its vision for 21st century Guyana. Join with the WPA and ensure that the vision becomes reality.

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Last Edited: 10/07/97