The five challenges of Independence (Part 1)

Jun 19, 2016 APNU Column, Features / Columnists

(Address by His Excellency Brigadier David Granger, President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana at the Dinner in honour of Guyana’s 50th Independence Anniversary, in New York)

Guyana – a land of lakes, forests, mountains, mudflats, rivers, savannahs and waterfalls – is ours by birthright. Guyana belongs to every Guyanese, regardless of religion or race. Guyana is ours to own, control, develop and bequeath to future generations.
The words of our inspirational patriotic song: ‘Song of Guyana’s Children’ remind us that we were:
“Born in the land of the mighty Roraima,
Land of great rivers and far stretching sea,
So like the mountain, the sea and the river,
great, wide and deep in our lives would we be.”
Guyana was a colony of two empires for almost three hundred and fifty years. The Dutch Empire was the first to occupy our country and established the colonies of Essequibo, Berbice and Demerara. The three colonies were eventually ceded to the British Empire in 1814 and were united in 1831. It took 152 years of British rule before Guyanese finally won their freedom on 26th May 1966.
Our forebears came from the continents of Africa, Asia and Europe and encountered the indigenous people of the continent of South America. They laid the foundation for creating a unique, new nation. They yearned for freedom. Some died for freedom.
Guyanese today are free, but that freedom had to be fought for. It was bought by the struggle and sacrifice of our forebears. Independence won for us the right we enjoy today to exercise sovereignty over our country.
Independence was the culmination of the historic quest for freedom from enslavement, indentureship and exploitation. The struggle for freedom was long and hard and the achievement of Independence was not a triumph of one person’s or one party’s will, but of the work of many people.
Independence was won in the minds of all those Guyanese for whom the flame of freedom never dimmed and whose ardour never diminished. It was won because of the spirit of resistance of our martyrs – labourers, peasants, workers and political leaders.
We, Guyanese, today, pay homage to our ancestors whose resistance and rebellion reinforced their resolve to confront the greatest of adversities and overcome their most dangerous adversaries.
We, Guyanese, pay homage to all those who were part of this struggle. We recall the martyrs of the Berbice, Demerara and Essequibo revolts during the dark era of enslavement.
We recall the martyrs of the protests at Leonora, Devonshire Castle, Rose Hall, Ruimveldt and Enmore during and after the era of indentureship. We recall the labours of our leaders which eventuated in national Independence.
The Union flag was lowered on 25th May 1966. The Golden Arrowhead was hoisted. Some celebrated. Some sulked. The symbols, the parades and fireworks were necessary signs of nationhood. They were not sufficient to transform a dependent colony into an ‘independent’ new nation. We needed to do more.
Guyana, at ‘dayclean’ on the morning 26th May 1966, was not a different place:
– The Governor General of the new state was a foreigner;
– The Governor of the Bank of Guyana;
– The Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force;
– The Commissioner of the Guyana Police Force;
– The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Guyana;
– The Bishops of the Anglican and Roman Churches;
– The directors of the bauxite and sugar industries and of the banks
… were all foreigners.
We are reminded of the deadly declaration of Lieutenant General Emile Janssens, Commander-in-Chief of the Force Publique in Congo. Congo was granted ‘independence’ on 30th June 1960. General Janssens, six days afterwards, summoned the non-commissioned officers and wrote on a blackboard the notorious words: ‘Avant l’indépendance égal après l’indépendance.’ The Force Publique mutinied. The rest is history.
Janssens’ words continue to echo through the decades. They remind us of the need to ensure that Independence must mean that we cannot forever expect to be dependent on others to develop our country. Guyana’s road to Independence was not an easy one.
Consider the fact that 18 regiments of the British Army had to be deployed to British Guiana between 1953 and 1966.
Consider the road taken by former British colonies – Bangladesh, Cyprus, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka and Uganda – since their Independence.
Consider the fact that Guyana was born broken. The colony had survived the deadly ‘Disturbances’ of 1964 in which scores were murdered, thousands had become internal refugees and communities were deeply divided.
The Independence constitution talks were boycotted. Independence ‘celebrations’ were discouraged and the new National Assembly was shunned. Symbols of nationhood were disparaged. The omens were not good. The effects of political damage are still visible.