FROM PRESIDENT BHARRAT JAGDEOMy Fellow Guyanese:?? Happy New Year! President Bharrat JagdeoI extend to you wishes for peace,Cheap Jerseys Online, good health and prosperity in 2009.One of our great national characteristics is optimism.I can’t even remember facing a New Year with anything less than hopefulness; and a few of those years were difficult ones.? I wish therefore to encourage you to adopt a positive attitude towards the future even as we confront challenges which are beyond our control. Amongst the problems over which we have little control are the consequences of climate change. Heavy rains over the past weeks have left large sections of our coastline flooded.On this New Year’s Day, I especially empathize with my brothers and sisters whose communities are still under water. I commend those working to bring relief to the affected, especially the ongoing efforts to get the water off the land.I know it has not been easy for those within the flood-hit communities.I want to assure them that I am deeply concerned for their well- being and will continue to monitor the situation and make the necessary interventions that are within our means.The challenges in our society which we now face should not detract from the pride we should rightly feel as citizens of this great country.We should all be thankful that we are a free nation: free from the carnage of war, free from the rage of cataclysmic natural disasters, free from ethnic and religious violence that today devastates parts of the world. This stability gives us a platform to realize our national aspirations.As we struggle to emerge out of the shadows of a global recession, global warming, and threats to national security, we must remain steadfastly focused on our goal of transforming Guyana into a modern, democratic state, where every citizen can improve his or her economic standing; have access to quality healthcare and education; where our families can nurture their children in safety; and, most significantly, create a nation steeped in ethnic and religious tolerance.? We have been provided with more than enough reasons over the past year to believe that this goal is achievable. 2008 was not an easy year. It was a year that tested our resolve and capacity.The brutal horrors of the Lusignan, Bartica and Lindo Creek killings plunged our nation into profound grief. But they also united our people against the enemies within our gates and fortified our resolve to face down this evil. Through the efforts of the Joint Services, we were successful in neutralizing one of the major criminal gangs that was responsible for the terror.The job is not yet complete, but I am confident that we shall in the end bring to justice all those who so misguidedly believed that they could inflict such barbarism on our society without recompense.Also contributing to loss of life was the carnage on our roads and domestic violence. These were troubling problems to which we responded by toughening our laws, recognising however that laws alone will not solve these problems, what is required is a coordinated effort from all citizens, particularly from members of civil society.In 2008, we were also confronted with the global food and energy crises. We took immediate action to mitigate the harmful effects of these crises. Our interventions ranged from cost of living allowances and increased pensions to the reduction of taxes and the implementation of market subsidies.I am pleased that the prices of public transport have in the main returned to the pre-crisis level and that there have been reductions in other prices, including bread,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, within the local economy.Despite the hostile external environment and the unfortunate developments within the sugar industry, I am pleased to report that from preliminary indications, Guyana ’s Gross Domestic Product grew by about 3% in 2008, a significant achievement considering the problems that we faced. Sterling performances were recorded in rice, gold and the non- traditional agricultural sectors.We must with vigour now, turn our attention to the large-scale infrastructural projects that will become the catalyst for a modern and competitive economy. In the years ahead we intend to work on these second generation projects that will add value to our bauxite, exploit our hydroelectric potential, allow us the benefits of a deep water harbour and increase investment in ICT services.Through our ongoing efforts to expand the economy, my Government will continue to improve the quality of health care throughout the country. We have recently commissioned several modern health facilities at Diamond, Leonora, Suddie and Mahaicony.New hospitals at Linden and Lethem along with the high-tech ophthalmology centre in Berbice are expected to be completed and operational this year.?Over the years we have substantially increased budgetary allo