A positive international image

By Jainarine Deonauth

Our country was relatively unknown years ago, and some persons often mistook Guyana for Ghana, an African country. The name “Guyana” would invoke memories of the mass killings that took place at Jonestown, as that incident, having been given wide publicity by the international media, was the only thing people could connect to our country’s name. In essence, more often than not, the name “Guyana” invoked some negative connotation whenever it was mentioned. However, all this has since changed, and our country is now recognised as a leader on various crucial issues on the international scene. Guyana is now known for many positive things, and this is due to the hard work of many ordinary citizens, of which we should all be proud.

Just a few days ago, no other than our own internationally acclaimed former Commonwealth Secretary General, Sir Shridath Ramphal, made mention of the fact that Guyana’s image abroad has improved tremendously. Sir Shridath hailed the work of the government, in particular President Bharrat Jagdeo, for maintaining a prominent and positive image of the country on the international scene. He was quoted by our newspaper as saying: “I feel very excited at where we are, and how, in fact, the government has succeeded in keeping Guyana alive and prominent in the international community in a progressive way.” Indeed, the renowned diplomat was being objective with respect to the level of development he had seen taking place, and the direction in which the country was going.

Of particular interest was Sir Shridath’s remark about Guyana’s contributions to tackling global environmental issues. He said: “The work that has been done by the government and the president on environmental issues is really quite phenomenal, and the success of the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) is a very substantial contribution to world development.” Through the LCDS and the President Jagdeo-led advocacy for inclusion of forests in any future climate policy, Guyana has managed to secure a US$250 million deal with Norway.

A large percentage (almost 80 per cent) of Guyana’s territory is covered with rainforest, and President Jagdeo had said that if we can find a way to use this asset to combat climate change, without slowing down our national development or compromising our people’s sovereignty over the forests, then we would be able to play a part, at the global level, in fighting the negative effects of this phenomenon. Mr Jagdeo is of the view that there is no solution to climate change without action on forestry, and the people of Guyana understand this and are generally committed to helping in this regard.

Additionally, our tourism sector has taken off, as our country is being marketed as a unique tourist destination to the world, and is being given much publicity by the international media. This year, the Surama Village Eco- Lodge (North Rupununi) was named the joint winner of the prestigious 2011 Caribbean Excellence in Sustainable Tourism Award, along with Harrison’s Cave in Barbados, by the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) in collaboration with TravelMole. This is the first time Guyana has won a CTO award, and it is indeed a proud achievement for our tourism sector.

Sir Shridath pointed out that Guyana’s efforts have gained the attention and admiration of developing countries and the world at large; and we agree with him to a large extent that, so long as we keep our perspective and pursue development in a resolute way, a bright future lies ahead for all of us.