Leader of Forward Guyana, Amanza Walton-Desir believes the Government of Guyana should incentivize Guyanese to settle and develop the Essequibo region, in light of the increased aggression from Venezuela to assert control over the territory. Walton-Desir, who resigned last week from both the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) and her seat in Parliament, made the call during a recent interview on Globespan.
The former MP said the government must adopt a deliberate policy of incentivizing the movement of citizens into Essequibo if it wants to effectively counter Venezuela’s aggressive claims.
“And if we were serious about countering Venezuela, we would incentivize the populating of the Essequibo. We would incentivize Guyanese moving out there and setting up cities there by giving people housing, etcetera, putting in infrastructure there,” Walton-Desir said.
She argued that the country’s development strategy must include transforming the Essequibo region into a hub of economic and social activity. The politician said, “We have to open up this country. We have to take every region and develop it and most of all, we have to incentivize populating the Essequibo. To populate and to govern.”
Walton-Desir warned that Guyana’s continued underinvestment in the region is encouraging Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, to “dance” on Guyana’s western front.
Further, Walton-Desir criticized the administration for what she described as a lack of long-term vision. She believes that the government’s focus on coastal infrastructure is shortsighted and leaves the country vulnerable in the long-term. She warned about crowding citizens on the coastline while not investing in climate resilient infrastructure.
Moreover, she referenced former APNU+AFC Coalition President David Granger’s policy of creating new townships across the country as a model for balanced regional development.
