Dear Editor,
As the bells toll and the clock strikes midnight on Tuesday, February 22, 2022, this beautiful land called Guyana will celebrate her 52nd year as the Co-operative Republic of Guyana. Guyana broke away from its colonial masters on May 26, 1966, when it gained independence from Great Britain and became free from all British sovereignty when she declared herself a Republic state on February 23, 1970. Arthur Chung was sworn in as its first President but was viewed as merely a “rubber stamp.”
Mia Mottley’s Barbados has recently relinquished British sovereignty and declared herself as a Republican State in November 2021, joining Trinidad and Tobago and Dominica. Jamaica still has the Queen of England as their Head of State. Although a public holiday, the usual pomp and glory will be missing and the parades and masquerading in the streets will be a lost sight. This is no accident but a design to help reduce a pandemic to an epidemic. COVID-19 is still with us and all necessary protocols are in place and need to be observed.
“Mashramani 2022” has been reduced from its delightful opulence to a lesser stage of chagrined paucity. But this does not diminish the theme of “One Guyana” and the numerous cultural events will quietly explode in many corners to express the rich diverseness of a struggling, young nation, coping to jump the many hurdles blocking the smooth progress of transition from a less developed country to a developed country. Guyana has boasted 10 different Heads of State, with Dr Bharat Jagdeo serving its longest presidency (12 years) and with Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali being the current President, both being from the PPP/C. The PPP/C has provided 6 of the 10 Presidents. Guyana remains a member of the Commonwealth Nations and is an integral part of Caricom.
She has survived the angst of dictatorship from the dreaded days of Burnham’s terror: the failed nationalisation of many of the industries, the banning of essential food items, the creation of controlled state machinery for propaganda and for the sole purposes of the party and members, the party’s paramountcy, the boosting, boasting and bragging of racial indulgence, preferential treatment for party members, the convenience of employing one sect over others, the brain drain, the mass exodus of migration, the many unsolved killings, the reign of terror and fear in different forms and the many shapes designed to perpetrate discriminative practices.
Those infamous days were quickly followed by crucial threats of a reformed Desmond Hoyte, who also stained his conscience with many of Burnham’s qualities but to a lesser degree. The silence of a skulduggery David Granger, allowed gross misappropriations to advance in mass proportions and Guyana witnessed a barefaced management in economic chaos. Guyana has seen the demise of financial progression and the salvaging of poverty to richness only under the PPP/C. Twice, the PNC party has driven the country to bankruptcy and it was the PPP/C that brought the people out of this shame and disgrace.
Guyana has indulged in communism, socialism, co-operatism and capitalism and now relies on the enthusiasm of democracy as practiced, preached and propagated by the People Progressive/Civic’s governance. Under the various leadership of PNC, PNCR, APNU/AFC and other associated parties, the PPP/C has had to continue a struggle to fight election frauds at all times. The rigging of elections is well documented and adumbrated by acknowledged world leaders who have all recently had the justified reason of brandishing the APNU/AFC party as liars and cheaters when they brazenly attempted to rig the last General Election in 2021. In front of the eyes of the world, observers watched in dismay as the APNU/AFC party tried to corroborate with some of GECOM personnel to deliberately mislead a nation into believing that they were the winners of the election. Being branded with the word “sanctimonious,” the APNU/AFC party can never wash this dinged stain from their mantra and this characteristic will forever be featured as a royal and loyal quality.
The dawning of a new era is in the making under the astute leadership of Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali and his PPP/C Government. The party’s manifesto has quickly unfolded a path of economic recovery and has translated into progression as slated by the passing of the biggest budget in the history of Guyana. Last week’s Energy Conference and Expo is being hailed as a success from all corners and companies throughout the world are bidding for Guyana’s resources.
The richness of the country was exposed to many interested bidders and Guyana’s developmental future is guaranteed a place in the world to compete with the more established financial magnates. As all eyes focus on the early establishment of business entities, the interest of Guyanese remains of paramount importance to the Government and this entails protection via its Local Content Policy. No wonder many Guyanese living abroad are eager to return home and participate in this stage of Guyana’s progression as encouraged by the Government. The dark days of gloom by a failed Administration led by a sleeping David Granger are a thing of the past. Pride and dignity have been restored by the civility of a sobered PPP/C Administration and Guyana can look forward to happier days as the country celebrates her Republic Day with a breath of fresh air from the might of the Atlantic Ocean. Happy Republic Day, Guyana.
Respectfully,
Jai Lall
