‘Think big, be bold, be aggressive’

PRESIDENT IRFAAN ALI WANTS THE PRIVATE SECTORS OF NEIGHBOURING
GUYANA AND SURINAME to think big, be bold and personify aggressiveness about extant
development opportunities in the two CARICOM states.

The Guyanese Head of State gave this gave the two sides the special assignment during a working
breakfast hosted by the local Private Sector Commission (PSC) in the presence of visiting Surinamese
President, Chandrikapersad Santokhi and members of his delegation who officially visited Guyana
this week.

“There are many opportunities ahead of you, that is why it is important that we set the right tone. Today
we are two countries, neighbours not talking about competing with each other, but talking about
cooperating with each other; talking about coordinating with each other to develop the seamless path for
the prosperity of the people of both countries,” President Ali told business officials of both sides.

Maximising available opportunities will depend on mutual trust between Guyana and Dutch-speaking
Suriname, Ali explained.

“That is why President Santokhi and I made the point that we lead from the front in demonstrating to the
people of both countries that we trust the process, we trust each other and we trust the policies and
programmes that will be designed to take the countries forward.”

“We want the private sector of both countries to work towards building trust. When you build trust, you
build partnerships; when you build partnerships, you build capacity; when you build capacity, you build a
foundation to win,” the Guyanese leader explained.

In addition, businesses from both countries should for syndicates, Ali counselled.

“That is why we are connected today. We have to think big, in a bold manner, in an aggressive
manner…I am saying that the opportunities are there, don’t sit down, do nothing, and when the
opportunities go away from the local private sector you say ‘where do these outsiders come from and
take the opportunities? Why we never had the opportunities?’”

President Ali pointed to available opportunities in a number of areas locally, including food
production; the emerging oil and gas sector; infrastructure projects; security; natural resources, and
the environment. Guyana and Suriname must commit to unification of efforts in the interest of both
economies and the people of both countries.

“Today (as) members of the private sector, you are the foundation of this partnership. We can create
the best enabling environment, the best policy environment, but if there are no takers then we are just
creating policies in a vacuum and no one benefits,” Ali counselled.

As a government, “we recognise clearly that the engine to drive this is the private sector,” the
president said.

However, the private sector must hold up its end of the bargain to ensure that people are included as
the body prospers.

“Let me assure you that the aggression that is coming after the opportunities from the private
sector outside of Suriname and Guyana is unbelievable. The only way you can create a winning
culture is if we cultivate the conditions to win,” President Ali counselled