Today (Tuesday, May 26) as we celebrate 54 years of being an independent nation, there is quite a lot to reflect on, more particularly how far we have come as a developing nation and the many challenges ahead which confront us as we seek to build a democratic and prosperous country for everyone.
In addition to external battles, such as the ongoing Venezuela border controversy, etc, there are battles internal which must be fought with the involvement of all stakeholders who stand on the side of decency and what is right for our country, if the idea of being independent and free is to really mean anything to us as a people.
Until the 1950s, Guyana was a British colony and there was little talk of Independence from Britain as had been the case in the older British colonial territories such as India. What we had in Guyana were labour disputes from time to time with citizens asking for better conditions of work and pay. Such disputes mostly occurred in the sugar industry which was the country’s mainstay. On most occasions, these disputes resulted in violent unrest as the working conditions became unbearable.
After World War Two, the trend of demanding better economic and social conditions continued. The demand grew for Independence by political leaders, and the exhausted colonial power, Britain, was determined to withdraw from West Indian colonies. All three of these trends merged in the 1950s.
The colonial power, Britain, began the process of handing over power by advancing constitutional reform. But they were only finally going to hand over power to politicians who, they could trust. This was the time of the Cold War, and Dr Cheddi Jagan though, leading the party with the largest support – the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), was regarded as a communist and, therefore, unacceptable to the Anglo Americans, who decided that Mr LFS Burnham and his party – the People’s National Congress (PNC), were more acceptable and likely to carry on with what they wanted, especially as it relates to foreign policy.
Accordingly, before handing over power to Burnham and the PNC party, the colonial government imposed a proportional representation system to ensure that Burnham would be in office, which he did in coalition with the United Force (UF) Party.
The British were now prepared to withdraw and grant independence, but Venezuela which had tried to annul the 1899 Arbitral Award declared that they would not recognise the independent state of Guyana except the border claim was settled. Britain was then able to negotiate a tripartite agreement between Venezuela, Guyana and herself (Britain) to work towards a settlement. Guyana was then granted Independence without any Venezuelan impediment.
The local political clash between the PNC and PPP was very bitter and morphed into social political discord with violent clashes and political tensions being extremely high when Independence was granted on May 26, 1966. At 12am at the National Park, when the Union Jack was being lowered and the Golden Arrowhead was hoisted, Mr Burnham and Dr Jagan spontaneously embraced each other. This spontaneous symbolism of the ethnic and social unity of Guyanese sent shockwaves throughout the nation into grasping that they were one people with one destiny.
Today, there is an electoral dispute emerging following the March 2, 2020 General Elections, and though, there is neither that level of high tension as there was in May 1966 or sharp racial division, there are still a few voices from the past which tend to interpret issues and events through racist lens. These forces are bent on seeing all the democratic gains made post-Independence, especially the post-1992 period, reversed. However, they must never be allowed to succeed. Guyana’s development cannot be stalled because of the actions of a few.
With the countrywide recount of the votes ongoing, the winning party must be declared based on the results of the recount. The party that loses must accept defeat gracefully. And while the winning party must be allowed to govern, it must do so in an inclusive, transparent and fair manner. Real efforts must be made to ensure all Guyanese, irrespective of race or party loyalty, feel that they are part of the development process.
Once the recount process is completed, it is hoped that all other political stakeholders and development partners would join hands and work towards ensuring Guyana blooms into a successful, prosperous and unified nation – the same vision that Dr Jagan and Mr Burnham had on the first Independence Day of May 1966. Independence would mean nothing to us, if there are internal political conflicts which prevent citizens from achieving their full potential.
Happy Independence to all Guyanese.
