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Anthony urges self-introspection on Independence anniversary
Presidential Advisor Gail Teixeira shares her intrigue of photos of the Duke and Duchess on a visit to Guyana in May, 1966, with Minister of Culture Dr Frank Anthony.
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr Frank Anthony has urged Guyanese to undertake introspection to see how much they have contributed to the development of independent Guyana.
His comments came on Monday, at the opening of an annual Independence exhibition put on by the National Archives, but hosted at the Guyana National Museum.
The exhibition is mainly pictorial and presents glimpses of the political battles fought for independence, the spectacle of the Independence ceremony, including the now famous photo of the hug between (now late presidents) Dr Cheddi Jagan and Forbes Burnham on the raising of the National Flag.
The exhibition also features recently released classified information from the United States Central Intelligence Agency, revealing the phobia America had for Dr Jagan and his policies and the efforts to keep him out of office.
Presidential Adviser Gail Teixeira, in chronicling the events leading up to independence, suggested that the bitter struggle that ensued between Dr Jagan and Forbes Burnham in the years leading up to Independence were in fact a struggle to determine who would be in office when Guyana would gain its freedom from Britain.
With the coalition between Burnham’s People’s National Congress and the United Force, Burnham became Prime Minister in 1964 and was therefore the one in power when Britain handed over the instruments of independence.
However, she said that Dr Jagan, who is largely considered the father of the independence struggle, showed up at the National Park for the raising of the Golden Arrowhead, and the hug he and Burnham shared demonstrated their respect for each other’s contributions and was representative of the collective pride of all Guyanese on achieving independence.
Teixeira also hailed the contributions of women to the independence struggle, noting that it was the women who were able to keep the masses mobilised by passing around messages which they secretly kept in their baskets and in their flowing frocks.
She recognised the contributions of late former President Mrs Janet Jagan for her role in the independence struggle and for making sure that women were not deprived of a voice.
Teixeira also noted that the violent protests against Mrs Jagn’s presidency that led to the peace-brokering Herdmasnton Accord, and to the reform of the Guyana constitution, which Teixeira said represented the will of the people of how they wanted the systems of government to work for them and represented the spirit of an independent nation.
The exhibition chronicles the life of all of Guyana’s former and late presidents – Arthur Chung, Burnham, Hugh Desmond Hoyte, Dr Jagan, and Mrs Jagan. It also takes a brief look at current President Bharrat Jagdeo and Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, who served as president for nine months in 1997.
The exhibition is open to the public.
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