The National Development Strategy was conceptualised in the early years of the Jagan administration

Dear Editor, Emile Mervin’s letter on October 5, 2017 in Stabroek News ‘Hope for better seems to be a fleeting illusion’ refers.

The content of the letter strongly reflects Mr Mervin views which I have no difficulty with; however, while Mr Mervin is entitled to his own views he is not entitled to his own facts. For instance, Mr Mervin stated in his letter that “for the five years he was President, Jagan either was formulating an economic plan or he simply had no plan, at least not that the people knew of.” This statement is not only inaccurate but totally misleading.

The National Development Strategy (NDS), a ten-year plan was conceptualized in the early years of the Cheddi Jagan administration. Dr Jagan launched the first draft of six volumes of the NDS on January 6, 1997. The NDS was laid in Parliament and benefited from inputs from the opposition, private sector, NGOs and University of Guyana, with workshops in the various regions of the country.

Later, the late Dr Kenneth King worked on the production of the final NDS document after broad consultations. Dr King did a series of articles in Sunday Stabroek in 2001 on the NDS, focusing on value added in the natural resources sectors, foreign investments, the manufacturing sector and infrastructure. Only recently, the British High Commissioner, Mr Greg Quinn in August made reference to the NDS plan as a framework to develop a current term strategy in Guyana.

Any person who has an interest in Guyana’s political and economic development should read the NDS strategy.

Yours faithfully, (Name and address provided)