Dear Editor,
It is important in democratic societies that voices from every corner, whether in praise or criticism, be heard, respected, and responded to with clarity, evidence, and honesty. It is in this spirit that I wish to leave a final response to Mr Sultan Mohamed’s recent letter in which he again outlined a number of concerns regarding the People’s Progressive Party/Civic Government’s developmental agenda as it relates to Enterprise. While Mr Mohamed claims to “ignore all the fluff” in my previous letter, it appears that he deliberately ignored the facts. It is evidently clear that his claims, repeated, are couched in political oversimplification and, regrettably, show his selective interpretation of facts. Permit me to address those concerns.
Firstly, Mr Mohamed questions the logical basis for selecting Enmore as the site for the regional hospital, citing the growth in Enterprise. The growth which we are experiencing is not limited to Enterprise but instead the entire region and country as a whole. A regional hospital, by definition, is designed to serve multiple communities efficiently. Enmore’s location is geographically central to a cluster of growing communities, including Enterprise. This allows equitable access to health services for all communities. This location was based on logical feasibility, land availability, accessibility and existing infrastructure and not just because PPP people reside there. The Enmore Hospital was built on land already available to the previous Enmore Polyclinic that has also served the entire East Coast for many years. The hospital is also situated alongside a major access road (Enmore Estate Road) that is being expanded right now and connects the Main East Coast Road and the Railway Embankment to the developing industrial site at the back of Enmore.
While Enterprise’s growth is commendable and largely a direct result of the PPP/C’s aggressive housing policies, it must be noted that hospital location must consider broader regional planning and not just population size. Enmore, therefore, with its close proximity to major transportation arteries and its emerging industrial zone, presented the most viable and logical option for the timely delivery and operational integration of the Enmore Regional Hospital. While there is a large land space at the back of Enterprise, those lands are now being developed for housing; therefore, it is not logical to build a hospital in no man’s land at this time.
Secondly, Mr Mohamed took umbrage at the suggestion that residents of Enterprise can access opportunities being created in Enmore. He views the necessity of commuting as a burden rather than a norm in regional economic development. No Government promises jobs on every resident’s doorstep. Instead, the PPP/C Government is investing in a regional ecosystem where infrastructure, industries and enterprises are interconnected and where every resident in every community benefits from shared assets. His further assertion that “it is the Government’s fault” if residents of Enterprise are not benefiting from nearby opportunities clearly disregards the multi-agency efforts underway to improve transportation, retraining, and job readiness. It is not an absence of opportunity but rather a need for better information flow.
On the question of the stockfeed mill, while this is a fair question, the final decision on its location is driven by technical, environmental and logistical factors and not mere political sentiments. Enterprise remains one of the many locations under consideration. Economic diversification anywhere in the world cannot happen in silos. It is highly counterproductive to argue that the development in one village somehow undermines the prospects of another. Enterprise’s legacy as an agricultural hub will surely be strengthened by regional investments that go beyond a single-site developmental agenda.
Mr Mohamed rightly notes that infrastructure alone does not equate to sustained employment but clearly overlooks the direct and indirect employment benefits such upgrades deliver. Infrastructural development creates more than temporary construction jobs; it also creates long-term value through improved access, property value, private sector investments, and encouragement of small start-up businesses. The President’s commitments at the Enterprise Rally are not mere promises but instead policy directions that are already underway and clearly show the PPP/C Government’s holistic approach to development.
Mr Mohamed once again draws a distinction between the “spanking new” Buxton Sideline Primary and what he perceives as “patchwork” at the Enterprise Primary School. And again, the facts speak otherwise and were clearly ignored by Mr Mohamed. While the building may have been built some 60 years ago, the Ministry of Education has made consistent and phased investments in the school to improve safety, comfort, and functionality for the students and teachers. The tarmac, windows, repainting and other repairs mentioned are not cosmetic but necessary interventions to maintain the structure and standard of the school. As a former student of the Enterprise Primary School, I can say that the school is in a far better condition today than it was in my days. If it was being neglected and not maintained properly, then definitely it would have been falling apart, but thanks to the PPP/C Governments, investments have kept the building standing tall and strong despite its age. Additionally, as it relates to the building of new schools, whether in Enterprise or neighbouring communities, it is part of a demographic strategy and careful planning to reduce overcrowding and increase access. President Ali has therefore made it clear his administration’s commitment to expand the educational infrastructure across the entire East Coast Corridor.
The most contentious point repeated is Mr Mohamed’s assertion that job creation must happen within Enterprise’s borders and that anything less is baseless. This shows a narrowness and lack of knowledge of economics. Such an approach to economic development evidently ignores the fundamental realities of modern economies. The PPP/C’s policy is one of regional integration where jobs, training, housing and services span interconnected communities, towns and regions. Therefore, no community should be an island. To argue otherwise is to deny the economic interdependence that binds Enterprise to Enmore, Buxton and beyond. If we should really take Mr Mohamed’s analogy into consideration, then soon we may have to move the mining grounds from the interior to Enterprise so that miners in Enterprise do not have to travel to those locations anymore. Mr Mohamed went on to mention the Enmore Martyrs, but clearly, he did not understand what their struggle was. Indeed, three of those five persons were from Enterprise; however, they all sacrificed their lives for workers’ rights, dignity and opportunity throughout the sugar estates in the country. They did not sacrifice their lives for one single village like Enterprise or Enmore only, and hence, honouring their legacy means building a region and a country where economic justice drives policy decisions and not geographical parochialism.
At the ending of the letter, Mr Mohamed quoted His Excellency President Irfaan Ali’s words at the Enterprise rally. Indeed, the President has committed to improving the lives of every Guyanese, and we see this every day by his wide-ranging policies. The PPP/C Government has and will continue to prioritise job creation, housing, education, health, and infrastructure not only in Enterprise but also in the entire nation.
In the last 5 years, 50,000 jobs were created, and over 39,000 scholarships were awarded to Guyanese. Mr Mohamed means to tell me no one from Enterprise benefited from these?
Clearly, he is the one far removed from the current reality of Guyana and specifically Enterprise. Many persons in Enterprise are currently employed in Government agencies; some are benefiting from the part-time job programme; persons are also employed at the schools and health centre in Enterprise, and many have even started their own small businesses. A number of persons within Enterprise have benefited from small grants to fund start-up businesses or expand their current operations; they have also benefited from training opportunities to better manage their businesses and enhance their daily lives. Clearly, there are opportunities, and residents of Enterprise are benefiting from them.
Civic activism is a cornerstone of our democracy, and while Mr Mohamed’s advocacy for Enterprise is welcomed, we must ground our discussions in facts and fairness and not on ignorance. Our advocacy must be one with a vision that embraces regional collaboration over competition. Enterprise is NOT being ignored. Instead, it is a part of a larger plan that is already in motion and one that will bear fruit with continued partnership, patience, participation and coherence.
Most definitely after September 1st, 2025, we will bear witness to many more transformational plans for our developing country under the leadership of the PPP/C.