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HAPPY NEW YEAR!
As the nation bids farewell to 2016, Guyanese both at home and abroad will waltz to the famous ballad “Auld Lang Syne” hoping that 2017 would be a prosperous and peaceful year for Guyana. The New Year should bring a number of positive changes to the country, which in turn should act as a catharsis for the nation.
It is time for all to reflect on the past year and to empathize with the families and friends who have lost loves ones, those who are bed-ridden, who are jobless and homeless, the elderly and those who cannot make ends meet and who are the victims of crime. It is also a time to lift the spirits of those battling depression, alcohol and substance abuse.
The New Year should bring renewed hope to all, and provide adequate care for the elderly and the most vulnerable in society and to those without jobs. It should be the beginning of a new era, the rebuilding and unifying of the nation and respect for the rights of the people, especially women.
No longer shall children be sexually molested, women abused and the rights of the people violated. The New Year should be of tremendous significance for the country and people of Guyana.
For many, 2016 was not such a good year, but it was great for others. It had its “ups”and “downs.” It was the first anniversary of the APNU+AFC government and the 50th independence anniversary of Guyana which is the heart of the nation’s consciousness, heritage, identity and destiny.
Today, Guyana is beset by a series of crisis. Most of the goals that were set for its development in those momentous years since independence have not been achieved. Its economy is teetering and its national institutions are dysfunctional. The government is faced with the arduous task of solving many of the problems inherited from the last administration.
However, there were some positive developments in 2016. The people’s confidence and hope have been restored and the government has embarked on the process to unite the races. It has converted Georgetown from the garbage city to the Garden City it once used to be. Merriman Mall has been restored, D’Urban Park has been transformed and Le Repentir cemetery has been rehabilitated.
On the international scene, there are also some highs and lows. InSeptember Hurricane Matthew, the most powerful storm to hit the Caribbean damaged the Bahamas, Jamaica and Cuba. It wreaked havoc in the North Eastern states in the US and Haiti which is still feeling the effects of the 2010 earthquake. Today, there is an outbreak of cholera in Haiti.
In Syria, the civil war has led many Syrians to flee to neighboring countries as refugees. In Brazil, Michel Temer became president after President Dilma Rousseff was impeached and removed from office in August.
In March, President Obama visited Cuba, which signaled the establishment of normal relations between the US and Cuba. In November, Republican candidate Donald Trump was elected the 45th president of the US after a very divisive political campaign between himself and Hillary Clinton.
The year also saw the deaths of Cuba’s former President Fidel Castro, former world heavyweight boxing champion, Mohammed Ali, Guyanese born novelist E R Braithwaite, famous for‘To Sir with Love’ singers Prince, David Bowie and George Michael, and actresses Carrie Fisher and her mother Debbie Reynolds, among others.
The New Year should be the beginning of a new period for Guyana. It should be a year for introspection, the eradication of crime and poverty, the rebuilding of the economy, and improving the lives of the poor. The nation must strive for unity and accelerate progress towards the realization of the goal of a better life for all.
Happy New Year to all.
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