FORTY YEARS OF THE REPUBLIC: When will we really be ‘One People, One Nation, with One Destiny?’

Feb 28, 2010 APNU Column, Features / Columnists

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One week ago, the People’s National Congress Reform extended greetings to all Guyanese on the nation’s achievement of forty years of Republican status.

When we ushered in the Cooperative Republic of Guyana in 1970, the mood and spirit of the nation was high in the fervent hope that we would do well in charting its own destiny.

Consequently, the PNCR, in its message, urged that some reflection, especially on signal moments in the life of our nation, was a necessary prerequisite to experiencing a celebratory mood and spirit.

MASHRAMANI, LENT, YOUMUN NABI & PHAGWAH

Significantly, the major Mashramani, (the name now fully accepted for our Republic celebrations) activities, including the traditional Costume Band and Float Parade on February 23, 2010, fell in the religious season of Lent: an important Christian observance of the sacred period prior to the Easter Celebration of the resurrection of Christ after His crucifixion on the Cross.

As the Mashramani programme continues, the Nation witnessed the Islamic observance of the birth anniversary of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, Youmun Nabi, and will tomorrow, also witness the Hindu Festival of Phagwah.

The close proximity of these activities and observances would have enabled and will enable many Guyanese to observe the participants and aid our reflection.

Our religious and cultural diversity, the plural nature of our society and its consequences, and the political polarization that has characterized Guyana’s politics before and after political independence on the 26th May, 1966 must be matters for contemplation. It may also be necessary to assess whether these activities reflect harmony or tolerance or are just a veneer over the many problematic as well as divisive issues that still confront our Nation.

The assessment leads naturally to the question: When will we really achieve, One People One Nation and One Destiny?

TWO DECADES OF PROGRESS HARNESSED BY RACIAL AND POLITICAL POLARIZATION

In the first decade of these forty years, we saw a people driven by hope, love of country and charting a developmental scale of unknown proportions in our country.

For example, there were very few paved roads in Guyana at Independence . Since then, there is the Soesdyke/Linden Highway that was carved out from among forest, hills and creeks, a Demerara Harbour Bridge and a Canje Bridge that came from a vision to link people, goods and services and mesh four major productive Regions for easy ingress and egress to the Capital; the construction of the Mahaica Mahaicony Abary D & I Scheme and the expansion of the Tapakuma D & I Scheme in Essequibo and the completion and expansion of the Black Bush Polder D & I Scheme in Berbice.

To ensure the education of the populace, Multilateral Schools, Community High Schools, a Campus for the University of Guyana , a Campus for the New Amsterdam Technical Institute were accessible. Free education was introduced from nursery to university for every Guyanese, a new and relevant curriculum for schools was formulated, and a beautiful cultural centre was constructed.

To provide health care, new Regional Hospitals and Clinics were constructed and staffed throughout the nation. Industrial Estates were commissioned; electricity supply and water were expanded to communities unknown.

Iwokrama, 1430 square miles of Guyana, known as one of the four last pristine tropical forests in the world, was offered to the world for research and development by the wisdom of the PNC leadership under President Hoyte, which recognized the need for urgent action to deal with climate change.

These and many more growth points were signal moments in our nation’s first two decades of Republican status.

Throughout Guyana, during this period, there seemed to be a sense of boundless energy linked with a pride of ownership of our nation’s unexploited unlimited resources and endless possibilities for personal growth and development. Despite these developments, however, the political reality was that racial and political polarization harnessed efforts to accelerate development.

ANOTHER TWO DECADES HARNESSED BY CRIME, CORRUPTON AND BAD GOVERNANCE

The next two decades were no different. As a nation, we can boast of being able to drive on our highways from Charity to Moleson Creek and cross by ferry to Surinam and return in a single day.

We are bombarded daily by the monopoly NCN with the news of millions of dollars being spent on infrastructural development: New State of the Art Hospitals, schools, roads, LCDS and the new $8 Billion Fiber optic Cable from Lethem to Georgetown to modernize out ICT Framework.

Yet these developments have not blinded Guyanese from the reality.

Although the $142.8 billion 2010 Budget is being touted as the largest ever, it does not adequately affect the improvement of the quality of life of Guyanese, nor does it present any coherent plans to create the necessary economic and social conditions to lift the growing army of pauperised Guyanese out of poverty.

CRIME &CORRUPTION

In these last two decades, the veneer of development cannot hide the polarization, which still exists. In addition, the Nation cannot forget the serious crime and security situation.

The highlights include, the seven-year crime spree, the escalation of the Narcotics trade, the phantom gangs, the Lusignan, Bartica and Lindo Creek massacres; and, the murder or execution of over two hundred Guyanese, including a serving Government Minister.

Unparalleled levels of corruption and the blatant lack of accountability by the Administration have also characterized the last two decades.

The stone scam; the gold scam; the law books scam; the re-migrant duty-free-vehicle scam; the Cane Grove Conservancy Dam scam; the IAST scam; the export of dolphins scam; the Polar Beer scam; the wildlife scam; the flagrant and continued abuse of Lotto funds have all occurred in the last two decades of our Republic.

Guyana’s international trade has also been compromised during this period by Cocaine-in-lumber; Cocaine-in-molasses; Cocaine-in rice; Cocaine-in-cricket-bats; Cocaine in timber; Cocaine-in-fish, coconut, curry powder, pepper sauce, rum, baking powder and many more commodities too numerous to mention a few.

The crime situation and unprecedented levels of corruption have enabled Guyana to achieve international notoriety, which continues to embarrass all patriotic Guyanese.

MESSAGES OF HOPE

The celebration this year marks the beginning of another decade. It is perhaps opportune that fate has permitted religious observances to be intermingled with our 40th anniversary celebrations. Excerpts from the PNCR messages on these observances are therefore worthy of note:

YOUMUN NABI MESSAGE

“The Party takes particular note of the fact that the belief is that Holy Prophet Muhammad is the final messenger of God to mankind and he has left as a legacy, a religion that is universal in scope and purpose.

This religion espouses the end of human suffering from disease, poverty, backwardness and the promotion of peace and harmony between and among peoples and nations the world over.

We, in Guyana, can benefit from the legacy by using it as an instrument, not only for promoting understanding among our various ethnic groups, but also, and more importantly, for bringing a healing towel to dilemmas and challenges which affect the nation at this most difficult period of its youthful life.

As we together observe this important Muslim Holiday, the PNCR wishes to suggest, that as a nation, we reflect on the significance of the birth of the Holy Prophet (On Whom Be Peace) and take to heart the lessons and messages of this religion and use them as important instruments in the construction of a more just, peaceful and harmonious Guyana.”

PHAGWAH MESSAGE

“We urge all Guyanese to use this occasion to refresh their spirit and enjoy life, and to participate fully in this colourful festival… of our religious and cultural diversity.

We are conscious, also, that our spirits are becoming increasingly sullen and sour in the brooding darkness that now engulfs our land.

Violent crime, pervasive joblessness, creeping despotism, social disintegration and deepening poverty, stalk our land; partisanship, discrimination and executive lawlessness compound bad governance; our economy and society are in tatters, and our nation can only see dark clouds on the horizon.

We are heartened, however, by the true meaning of this Festival, which has not only a secular significance of fertility, renewal and regeneration, but also an important religious moral.

The religious significance of Holi lies in the conquest of good over evil, manifested in the destruction by Phahalada of his demonic father, King Hiranyakashipu.

Several demons are now abroad in our embattled land, and as we urge the Guyanese people to see some spiritual inspiration in this Festival, we also urge them to brace themselves against these evils that are in our midst, and resolve, at this juncture, to take steps to end these calamities that now bedevil our country.”

REPUBLIC MESSAGE

“As we reflect on the 40 years of our Republic, let us recommit to love our nation and fight for our rights, let us do our duty, let us be principled stateswomen and men, patriots, heroes who love our nation more than our own private interests.

We must continue to agitate for justice and fair play, safety in our neighbourhoods and in our schools, restoration of decent values, good corporate behaviour, protection for our children and the disabled and challenged. We must begin to refresh and fertilize our dear land of Guyana, our nation, with a hope, stake and an action plan that will ensure a Destiny to Mould.”

It is to be hoped that the messages of Mashramani, Youman Nabi and Phagwah will guide us as a Nation to achieve unity in diversity and indeed make a reality of our national motto: ONE PEOPLE: ONE NATION: ONE DESTINY.

 

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