Guyana Celebrates 55th Anniversary of Political Independence
GEORGETOWN, Guyana – Guyana is celebrating its 55th anniversary of political independence from Britain on Wednesday, buoyed by the prospects of an economy propelled by its growing energy sector, but acknowledging the ongoing efforts by Venezuela to claim two-thirds of the country.
President Irfaan Ali, in his first Independence Day speech, said that the country, with its growing petroleum industry and other lucrative productive sectors, is on the cusp of economic transformation.
“We fought for independence to give our people the quality of life of which they had been deprived. If independence is to have any real meaning, it is to uplift our people from the ravages of limitations of the past, and to give them a better life with better opportunities under better circumstances,” Ali said in his address to the nation.
Ali said that education will also play a meaningful role in the future socio-economic development of the country as Guyana moves towards becoming a knowledge-based society, capable of competing with the best, worldwide.
“Free University education will be delivered, and schools’ infrastructure will be improved to provide a conducive environment for learning,” he said, adding that the manufacturing, agriculture and other sectors have been affected in the past by the high price of energy.
“Our private sector partners have rightly pointed to the adverse effects of this high price to the cost of doing business and to their capacity to market their goods abroad competitively, earning revenues in foreign exchange for the benefit of the country,” he said, promising that his administration will respond to this situation.
“We cannot be a nation that produces oil and gas, earning considerable sums from it without passing on the benefits to all sectors of our society. The cost of electricity must be reduced for both business and household consumption.
“Therefore, Government is carefully considering mechanisms by which the cost of energy can be reduced across our society by utilizing an appropriate percentage of our national earnings from oil and gas to do so,” Ali said, adding that these mechanisms will be presented to the nation, through the appropriate bodies, for endorsement.
But he reiterated that at the bottom line, domestic consumers must be given relief and businesses should be rendered more competitive.
Ali said that the objective of his administration, which came to office in August last year, is to build connectivity to all parts of Guyana, by roads, bridges, telecommunications, air and river transportation.
“Every part of our vast country should be accessible to all Guyanese so that we can all enjoy the marvels of its attractions in waterfalls, lakes, forests, and its flora and fauna.
“We also need to build new communities further inland from our coastal belt to spread our population, reduce prices for land and housing, and cease traffic congestion. In other words, we must use the land space with which we have been blessed as Guyanese to create new and improved living conditions. New area of growth and development and new population center,” said Ali, adding that “that is why, apart from the infrastructure build-out upon which we are embarked, we will also establish a new city”.
He said the government will incentivize the private sector and persons wishing to own their own homes to locate in the new city where government will also provide major facilities.
“Every person in our society now has real economic opportunities to grow and develop, and to contribute to the enlargement of our national wealth. I urge each of you to dream big,” he said, adding “we are on the cusp of being an economically strong Guyana, with opportunities for growth and development of all Guyanese”.
But he said while the government was moving to develop a strong economically new Guyana, it was also cognizant of the need to ensure racial harmony in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country.
“We want not only an economically strong Guyana, we also want a powerful Guyanese nation in which there is no distinction of race, no determination by color, no differentiation by creed. Let there be no doubt about it – just as we were divided and ruled in our colonial past, there are those who would divide us for their own purpose in the future. That must not happen. We must never allow that to happen.”
Ali said the Guyana will celebrate both Arrival Day and Emancipation Day “as integral parts of the rich tapestry that makes us uniquely Guyanese. We are all proud of our ancestral heritage – as we should be.
“Our ancestors suffered greatly so that we could inherit this land in freedom. Let us make them proud that their children belong to this new country built on their blood, sweat and tears, and on their creativity, their ingenuity and their recognition that, in the end, their success could only be the result of their unity,” li said.
But the Head of State said that the independence celebrations were taking place in an environment in which many citizens have died as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
“Like every other country in the world, we are fighting an unseen, but ever-present enemy in the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 16,000 of our people have been infected with the dreadful coronavirus and, sadly, more than 360 of them have died.
“We mourn those deaths and sympathize with the families who have lost loved ones. I plead with all to help stop these deaths; stop the tears of anguish; stop the grief,” he said, adding that the government has instituted measures to try to protect every person in Guyana, particularly the elderly and the vulnerable.
“However, the active participation of all is required to deploy the protective measures of masks, physical distancing, hand-washing and using sanitizers. Already, 20 percent of our people have been vaccinated.
“This is a significant accomplishment in a world where less than one percent of people in the developing countries have access to vaccines, and where recent World Health Organization studies suggest that more than six million people have died globally.”
Ali said Guyana has already purchased thousands of vaccines, and “we are sparing no expense in ensuring that we have enough vaccines to cover our full population 18 and above. Our objective is to ensure that we can inoculate everyone from this dreadful virus.”
In his address, President Ali made reference to the continued efforts by Venezuela to claim a significant portion of the country.
“My brothers and sisters, we cannot recall the moment of Guyana’s Independence without also remembering the efforts of Venezuela to prevent it. As we released ourselves from the colonial cord of Britain, the Venezuelan government sought to stifle our birth by falsely laying claim to two-thirds of our country.
“They have spent the last 55 years of the Independence of all of Guyana pursuing this claim, but international law is not silent. The International Court of Justice is the forum where the voice of international law will be heard, and justice will be determined.
“As one people, with one united voice, and a spirit that will not be broken, we will advance the validity of the 122-year-old award that fixed our boundaries. In our continuing struggle, we are not without friends. We deeply appreciate all those who have stood by our side, from the Caribbean, from the Commonwealth, from the Americas and beyond. “
Ali said that Venezuela “must understand that we sought no quarrel with them, and we do not do so now.
“Our only wish is to live in harmony and cooperation with all our neighbors. We hold out not a fist of war but a hand of friendship, based on respect for our borders and theirs. But we will not be cowered, nor will we be bullied,” Ali told the nation.
