“It is not enough to grow; we must grow together” – Pres Ali

…calls for unity as Guyana’s growth accelerates

President Dr Irfaan Ali has called for Guyana’s current period of economic growth to be accompanied by greater inclusion, unity and opportunity, saying that the benefits of the country’s democratic gains must be reflected in the lives of all Guyanese.
In a statement marking the 34th anniversary of the October 5, 1992 General Elections, Ali said the restoration of democracy provided Guyana with the political space and opportunity to pursue people-centred development.
He said the progress Guyana has experienced since 1992 in infrastructure, education, health, housing, telecommunications, economic activity, international engagement and social development cannot be separated from the restoration of democracy.
“Development requires resources. But development also requires political legitimacy,” Ali said.

According to the President, democracy provides citizens with the freedom to question Government, participate in national affairs and choose a Government and, when necessary, change it.
“Democracy is not an ornament to development. It is one of its foundations,” he said.
Ali said October 5 therefore represented more than a change in Government. It created an opportunity for national reconstruction following years of economic decline.
However, he said that opportunity also brought a responsibility to address the divisions that have affected Guyana for generations.

One Guyana
Ali said Guyana’s political history has been marked by deep ethnic divisions and that the challenge of overcoming those divisions remains relevant.
He argued that the ballot box cannot be the end of the national conversation.
“It must be the beginning,” Ali said.
The President said his mission extends beyond sustainable and inclusive prosperity to building “a more united Guyana,” describing this as the purpose of his administration’s “One Guyana” vision.
According to Ali, One Guyana represents a national commitment to ensuring that the benefits of development are national in scope and enjoyed by everyone, regardless of race, religious persuasion, political affiliation, class or location.
He said it also means ensuring that children inherit a country in which their prospects are determined by their talents, ambitions and the hard work of their generation.
“One Guyana means that our children should inherit a country in which their prospects are determined by their talents, ambitions and the hard work of their own generation,” Ali said.
He said Guyanese should be able to disagree politically without becoming enemies nationally.
“We can have different political loyalties and still share one national destiny,” the President said.

Growth must benefit all
Ali said the Guyana of today is “profoundly different” from the country of 1992, pointing to the scale of growth the country is now experiencing.
However, he said economic growth alone is not sufficient.
“It is not enough to grow. We must grow together,” Ali said.
He added that it is not enough to build, but that Guyana must build a society in which every citizen feels there is a place for them.
Similarly, he said national wealth must be converted into better lives, greater opportunities and a more secure future.
“The democratic dividend must become a national dividend,” Ali said.
He said achieving this requires all Guyanese to participate in building an inclusive, sustainable and prosperous future.
The President said the current period of growth and prosperity must see Guyanese working together in what he described as a genuine process of “the meeting of minds.”
He acknowledged that such unity does not require citizens to surrender their political differences.
“The true test of democracy is our capacity to accommodate differences,” Ali said.
He said creating a unified Guyana does not mean eliminating political competition, but requires a form of patriotism in which political differences do not prevent agreement on issues of national importance.
Among those issues, he identified the principle that Guyana belongs to all its citizens, that every child deserves opportunity, every citizen deserves dignity, the rule of law must be respected, democracy must be protected, Guyana’s territory must be safeguarded and the country’s natural wealth must be used to build a better future for generations to come.

“Protect what they won”
As Guyana marks the anniversary, Ali also paid tribute to those who contributed to the struggle for democracy.
He recognised political activists, trade unionists, religious leaders, civic organisations, farmers, fisherfolk, bauxite workers, public servants, nurses, doctors, journalists, lawyers, students, other citizens and members of the diaspora.
He also remembered those who have since died, saying their contributions to the fight for freedom should never be forgotten.
But he said remembering those who fought for democracy is not enough.
“The greatest tribute we can pay them to them is that we must protect what they won,” he said.
He said those who fought for October 5 did not struggle so that one generation could inherit democracy and another could squander it.
Rather, he said, they fought so that every generation could have the right to determine its own future.
Ali said the generation that fought for democracy created the opportunity for national reconstruction, while the present generation has the responsibility to give future generations a united Guyana.
He described October 5 as a reminder, a warning, a responsibility and a promise.
That promise, he said, must include ensuring that Guyanese are never again deprived of the right to freely choose their Government and that political power is always exercised with respect for the people.
He also called for economic prosperity to be accompanied by social justice and inclusion, and for the divisions of the past not to determine the possibilities of the future.
“Thirty-four years ago, Guyana reclaimed its democratic voice. Today, our task is to ensure that every Guyanese can see themselves in the future we are building,” Ali said.
He urged Guyanese to honour October 5 not only by looking back with gratitude but by looking forward.
“Let us build a Guyana in which democracy is secure, prosperity is shared, opportunity is accessible, and national unity is a lived reality,” he said.
Ali said the greatest tribute to those who fought for October 5, 1992, and the greatest gift to future generations, is to ensure that democracy, unity and opportunity endure.
“October 5 gave us back our vote, our voice, our freedom and it restored hope,” he said.