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One Nation, Guyana

May 15, 2016 APNU Column, Features / Columnists

Guyana achieved Independence on 26th May 1966, under the inspirational national motto – One People, One Nation, One Destiny. The Nation, this month, will celebrate its 50th anniversary of Independence. The Guyanese people today have a duty to actualise the vision of our nation’s founders by continuing their work to make Guyana ‘One Nation.’ We cannot become One Nation if we are divided.
The national motto remained as relevant as ever as the people voted in the general and regional elections on 11th May 2015. The people were determined to make national unity a reality. A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) coalition won a majority of the popular vote and renewed its commitment to making Guyana ‘One Nation.’
The results of both the 2011 and 2015 general and regional elections have made it clear that the majority of the Guyanese people want an ‘inclusionary democracy’ in order to promote national unity. The people want greater inclusion, not exclusion. The current dispensation in the National Assembly in the 11th Parliament requires consultation and cooperation between the legislative and executive branches of government.
The APNU+AFC Coalition is convinced that greater national unity will bring greater national benefits. These include the elimination of one-party domination of the government; enhancement of local, municipal and parliamentary democracy; enlargement of multi-ethnic space and the elimination of ethnic insecurity; expansion of economic enterprise and development and the enrichment of cultural life, national consciousness and pride.
Guyana, today, is an unequal society. The former PPP administration’s 23-year record has ensured that Guyana became and remained an unequal and poor society in which a few people enjoy an extremely high income and most people endure an extremely small income. The former PPP administration’s attitudes and policies harmed social cohesion, undermined our sense of solidarity, impoverished a large section of the population, alienated the hinterland regions and gradually divided ‘two countries’ instead of cementing One Nation.
The Coalition will continue to battle against poverty, to establish working people’s economic independence and to improve their livelihood. The Coalition will continue to promote policies and programmes that are geared to finding ways to increase wealth, not to perpetuate poverty.
The Coalition will continue to ensure that Municipal and Neighbourhood Democratic Councils are democratically elected, and that local government elections are held when constitutionally due. The Coalition will fortify grass-roots democracy by ensuring that the people are allowed to play a greater role in local government countrywide by finding solutions to rural and agrarian problems.
The Coalition will continue to be totally committed to ensuring equality for all and to protect citizens’ fundamental rights. It will improve information, communication and education infrastructure in hinterland and coastal areas – a weakness which continues to hinder the development of many citizens. The Coalition will continue its assault on inequality of opportunity and remove impediments to equal access to public services.
The Coalition, most of all, will remain committed to achieving national unity and to building bridges to all communities and groups which are interested in the well-being of our citizens and the progress of our country. The Coalition will continue to work towards promoting inclusionary democracy.
The Coalition’s ‘One Nation’ approach could be the main means of combining the talents of a wider constituency and of creating the conditions for social cooperation and economic progress. The three-fold purpose of such a project would be to reach a broad consensus on the goals of national development, to establish a sustainable institutional architecture and to create effective policy instruments for the achievement of our common objectives.
The Coalition’s One Nation project will be the basis for major sections of society – including the government; political opposition; trade unions; private sector and civil society – to come together to seek agreement on a broad national programme to move our country forward.
The Coalition’s One Nation project shows how its programme is relevant to people’s everyday experiences and expectations. Guyana’s resilient and resourceful people and communities are eager to play their part in rebuilding our country as One Nation.

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