The Working People’s Alliance (WPA) believes that with almost half of Guyana’s population still living in poverty, the Government should be condemned over its management of the country’s economy.

The WPA’s condemnation follows a report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which said Guyana’s economic transformation is advancing at a strong pace, owing to the oil and gas sector.

Co-leader of the WPA, Dr David Hinds said the country’s growth rate is not reflective in the lives of the regular man and woman.

“We are not just looking at growth, we are looking at development. We are not just looking at economic indicators in terms of numbers but we are looking at the human development factors. And we think that these international organizations tend to fall short of that broader background against which we do our evaluation,” Dr Hinds said.

He said while there is no doubt that revenues earned from the Oil and Gas Sector have changed Guyana’s economic profile, there is little socio-economic transformation.

He accused the Government of spending lavishly on infrastructural development, while there is little qualitative change in the collective material circumstances of most of the population.

“Poverty still haunts the lives of almost half of the population. The secondary school dropout rate still hovers around 50 percent.  Wages in the public sector are still depressed. The relatively high cost of living has not been arrested by the government. The longstanding electricity problem has gotten worse by the day.  The sugar industry continues to be a heavy burden on the government. These are only a few of the woes,” Dr Hinds pointed out.

At the WPA’s Monday press conference, Dr. Hinds also said after almost five years in office, the PPP is underperforming when it comes to addressing the issue of poverty and the real needs of citizens.

The party is of the opinion that the government lacks a clear and coherent vision for the transformation of the the country.

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