A proud nation

Guyana’s attainment of republican status from Great Britain, on February 23, 1970, remains an indelible part of the country’s history; and each year, colourful celebrations following the ceremonial hoisting of the Golden Arrowhead are undertaken to remind the nation of its struggle to become independent. This year’s Mashramani celebrations are held under the theme: “Showcasing our culture, sustaining our pride”.

Over the past few days, we have seen spectacular costume competitions, float parades, masquerade bands, and dancing in the streets to the accompaniment of steel pan music. This is in addition to the many calypso and chutney competitions being held across the country.

All Guyanese should be excited and proud that our nation is celebrating 41 years as a republic. It is expected that many of us will engage in debates and discussions about the level of progress we have made as a country. No doubt, we would all agree that our development could have been further accelerated. However, we should not lose sight of the many important achievements that were made. Guyana is still a relatively young nation, and there is evidence that we have come a far way. Many of the developed countries took hundreds of years to achieve the level of development that they boast about, but this should not be an excuse for our leaders not to work hard to help our citizens achieve their dreams and aspirations.

Over the past decade, the administration has made important strides in many areas, such as rehabilitating and building infrastructure, and improving services such as water, telephone, and electricity. There have also been significant improvements in the delivery of education and healthcare.

In addition, housing has been transformed, as quite a few new housing schemes have been opened, and housing continues to expand across the country. Owning a home was once just a dream for many Guyanese, today it has become reality. Even though wages and salaries need to be improved in both the public and private sectors, there have been significant increases offered over the years to respond to the rises in prices of commodities and services.

We still face many challenges, since quite a number of Guyanese are living below the poverty line; and continued efforts must be made by the government and other stakeholders to ensure that more people are lifted out of poverty. In this regard, there should be renewed efforts at generating wealth and creating job opportunities for every citizen, especially those that are skilled and qualified. In so doing, more investments and productive activities should be encouraged, which would result in more opportunities being made available.

It is important that we draw strength from, and remain optimistic about, the fact that we are independent and free. When we became a republic, our aspiration was to crown our independence with the status of full and complete nationhood, and to make our people sovereign. Republicanism must therefore be viewed as a historic continuity of all that our ancestors stood for, struggled against, and hoped to achieve.

Further, since this is an election year, the time is opportune to remind our politicians, and for that matter every Guyanese, that racism and divisiveness have no place in our society. After 41 years of republican status, let us demonstrate to the world that we can once more (as happened in 2006) campaign and conduct elections peacefully; and when the results are out, we can then work towards achieving our developmental objectives as one people.

Our leaders must know that our children’s future cannot be realised if they walk separately and in different directions. This year’s celebrations should remind us that Mashramani is the symbolism of our oneness. It represents the desire of people of all races to cooperate, to sing, dance, and revel together; to make a harmonious blend of our cultures; and to lift our Guyanese soul to the tune of the steel pan, tabla, the masquerade drums and the flute.

Let us continue to work hard to build our communities and our nation as a whole, as we seek to further develop an independent and free Guyana.