Prime Minister Mark Phillips yesterday met with a high-level delegation of New York State officials and a statement from his office later said that “constructive discussions” were held.
The statement said that the visiting team was led by New York State Senator, Roxanne J. Persaud – who is a US-based Guyanese, Senator Kevin Parker and Assemblywoman Alicia Hyndman.
The delegation, consisting of members from both the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, held “constructive discussions” with the Prime Minister and several Cabinet Ministers, the statement said. The meeting was held at the Office of the Prime Minister on Camp Street.
The statement said that the discussions focused on enhancing cooperation and promoting greater dialogue with the Guyanese diaspora.
Phillips described the meeting as a “meaningful encounter” while reaffirming the Government’s unwavering commitment to good governance and its readiness to collaborate with partners to push national development.
“As a Government, we are committed to good governance in Guyana. The delivery of goods and services in an equitable manner to all the people of Guyana. We are committed to upholding the democratic traditions of Guyana. We believe in democracy; we believe in the rule of law and we strongly believe that we must remain engaged and must strengthen the bonds with Guyanese in the diaspora”, he said.
The statement added that the visiting officials gained valuable insights into the Government’s “inclusive policies” and its “ambitious agenda” for development in various sectors, including healthcare, education, and the national housing programme.
Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony; Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand; Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy; Foreign Secretary, Robert Persaud; Chief Executive Officer of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), Sherwyn Greaves and Chief Development Planner CH&PA, Germene Stewart were also at the meeting.
US legislators at the national and state level have been paying increased attention to Guyana and several teams have visited in recent years and others are expected. The opposition has been lobbying the state and national legislators on a variety of issues. While in opposition, the current PPP/C government had also lobbied significantly in relation to the bid in 2020 to rig the general elections here.
