Arrival Day Messages

May 05, 2017 News

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PRESIDENT DAVID GRANGER

The Cooperative Republic of Guyana celebrates ‘Indian Arrival Day’ on 5th May to acknowledge the achievements of the descendants of immigrants of Indian origin and their contribution to nation-building. This year, 2017, marks also the 100th anniversary of the abolition of Indian indentured immigration, the system which was responsible for bringing almost 240,000 Indians to our shores between 1838 and 1917.
Indians were recruited in response to the perceived and predicted shortages of labour on the sugar plantations following African emancipation. They crossed the ocean – kala pani – from Asia to the Americas to toil as indentured immigrants on the sugar plantations.
Indians, together with Portuguese indentured immigrants, who had arrived earlier, and Chinese, who arrived later, and with the free Africans, who remained on the plantations, helped to ensure the survival of the sugar industry in British Guiana.
Indians transformed Guyana’s demographic, economic, political and cultural life. Indians remain the single largest ethnic group in this country and have achieved eminence and prominence in every aspect of national life.
Indian Arrival Day reminds every one of the role of persons of Indian origin in shaping the nation. Their resistance to the abuses of plantation conditions and their struggle for a better life are legendary. Their cultural beliefs and values and respectful relations became the bases for social cohesion. Guyana pays tribute to Indian achievement.
I extend best wishes to all on the occasion of Indian Arrival Day.

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GOVERNMENT OF GUYANA
On the occasion of Arrival Day 2017, the Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana recognizes all the people of Guyana for their resilience, fortitude and unwavering dedication to nationhood and acknowledge the contributions of all our peoples towards the development of Guyana.
The peoples who came to this land, many under unspeakable circumstances, have each toiled and sacrificed and endured hardship for us to have achieved as we have and for us to be, this year, celebrating as an independent, sovereign and free nation widely respected within the community of nations globally.
We stand on the shoulders of those who have fought and struggled for the freedoms we now enjoy and which we must zealously guard. Our ancestry is diverse; our destiny is inextricably and irrevocably intertwined. We are, as our motto instructs, one people, one nation with one destiny.
Arrival Day affords us an opportunity to reflect on our triumphs and challenges as we reaffirm the Guyanese spirit of tolerance, inclusivity and brotherhood and a unified vision for a progressive, prosperous and cohesive Guyana for all its peoples.
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PEOPLE’S NATIONAL CONGRESS/REFORM [PNCR]
On the occasion of the 179th Anniversary of the arrival of East Indians to Guyana, the PNCR salutes all Guyanese of East Indian descent and those in the Diaspora who are celebrating this milestone in the nation’s historical calendar. The Party recognises the valuable contribution that our East Indian brothers and sisters have made to the development of our country and the shaping of the cultural tapestry of this nation. The PNCR, therefore, salutes all our East Indian brothers and sisters on this special commemorative day.
When the PNCR in the 1980’s inaugurated the concept of celebrating the arrival of the respective ethnic groups of this nation the intention was to deepen an understanding of the culture of these groups and so promote greater understanding and racial harmony as tools for nation building. The Party held at all times that such a course of action was absolutely necessary for welding the nation into a single whole out of the various groups which emigrated here from the various continents of the world.
As we reflect on this historical milestone it is the wish of the PNCR that the occasion would be used to indulge ourselves in activities designed at forging and moulding a destiny of racial and cultural cohesion so necessary for building an economically strong and vibrant nation.

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MINISTER OF SOCIAL COHESION, DR. GEORGE NORTON
I wish to extend greetings to all Guyanese on the occasion of Arrival day 2017. This day has been set aside to celebrate the arrival of all indentured immigrants to Guyana under a system, which has long been described as one of “struggle, sacrifice and resistance.”
The East Indians, Chinese, Portuguese and Africans were brought to British Guiana to work as indentured labourers on the sugar plantations as a result of a void, which was created in the labour force due to the abolition of the dreadful system of African slavery.
British Guiana was the recipient of some 238,907 East Indian immigrants between 1838 and 1917, approximately 32,216 Portuguese between 1835 and 1890, a total of 13, 541 Chinese for the entire period of 1853 to 1879 and approximately 13,970 Africans between 1840 and 1860. These four groups have all contributed to the development of Guyana in every sphere and have left behind legacies of cultural traditions, which have moulded Guyana into a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic society.
Arrival day is an ideal time for all Guyanese to reflect on and celebrate their country’s rich diversity, which makes us truly unique. It allows us to have a greater appreciation of the struggles of our fore parents, who paved the way for us to live the lives we do today in this beautiful nation.
Many of the persons who came to these wonderful shores were lured by the promise of a better life but were faced with very harsh conditions. We have come a long way as a nation and this is because of the hard work of our fore parents. It is, therefore, our duty to continue their efforts by working together for the betterment of our country.
As we celebrate their arrival, it is an opportune time for all Guyana to be reminded that regardless of their ethnicity, colour, class or creed, they are all equal in value. We must not let ourselves be divided but must resolve to develop greater harmony in our relations with each other.
The Government of Guyana has established the Ministry of Social Cohesion for the purpose of building a more unified country. However, we cannot do this alone, and we have engaged and will continue to engage all Guyanese in order to foster and promote social cohesion.
Every Guyanese has a role to play in the process and we must remember that social cohesion will not be achieved overnight. Let us all continue to work together to ensure that we build a Guyana where all Guyanese, regardless of age, gender, religious beliefs, geographic location, cultural beliefs or socio-economic backgrounds have the best life possible.
Happy Arrival Day to all of Guyana!

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INDIAN ACTION COMMITTEE ARRIVAL
The Indian Action Committee (IAC) wishes all Guyanese a Happy Arrival Day, and, especially, calls upon all citizens to remember the 179th Anniversary of the Arrival of East Indians to Guyana.
The IAC, an organization which promotes and preserves Indian culture and deals with the issues and concerns of persons of Indo-Guyanese origin considers 2017 to be an important year in which there are two significant centenaries which have been commemorated in the months of March and April.
The IAC wishes to remind all Guyanese that the ending of emigration of indentured labourers from India by the British Parliament took place on March 12, 1917.
The IAC, also, wishes to remind the citizens that the last batch of Indian indentured labourers arrived in British Guiana aboard the Coolie Ship s.s. Ganges on April 18, 1917.
The IAC, over the years has provided Guyanese with historical information regarding the arrival of just over 239,000 Indian immigrants who came to this country aboard 245 Coolie Ships which made a total of 534 voyages across the Kaalaa Paanii between 1838 and 1917.
The IAC also has clarified and corrected statistical errors pertaining to the arrival of the first two Coolie Ships, the WHITBY and the HESPERUS which, between them landed a total of 423 persons including 382indentured males, 14indentured females, 21 children and six Christian Anglo- Indian interpreter/superintendents.
The IAC, as the organization has done over the years continues to recognise the endeavours by these Indian immigrants and their descendants, the persons of Indo- Guyanese origin, to develop this country.
The IAC, which has recognised important contributions by giving awards to persons from Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo, is aware that tens of thousands of East Indians have made valuable efforts in all fields of human activity in this country including business and commerce; banking and finance; the sugar and rice industries; coconuts and other crops; fishery and livestock; mining and quarrying; construction and engineering; forestry and sawmilling; education and academia; medicine and law; journalism and communications; accounting and insurance; private and national security; the hospitality and aviation sectors; the alcohol and beverage industries; sport and entertainment; culture and religion; and politics and governance.
Today, when the IAC looks back, the organization is amazed how those groups of seemingly helpless Indians, many of whom were illiterate, speaking in different tongues, following different customs, belonging to different religions, belonging to different castes, over the generations, managed to fuse together while seamlessly merging into the wider environment to become the strong pillar of Guyana, a young nation born out of sweat and toil, along with similar endeavours of the other ethnic groups that comprise this nation.
A Happy Arrival Day to all.

 

PEOPLE’S PROGRESSIVE PARTY

The People’s Progressive Party wishes to extend warmest greetings on this auspicious day to all of our people who came to this land under the brutal indentured system of servitude in search of a better life, over one hundred and seventy years ago. Each of the ethnic group that came brought with them a rich and unique heritage, history, culture, religion, customs and practices, which were later not only merged among themselves but also amalgamated with those of our Amerindian and African brothers and sisters to create an extraordinary Guyanese cultural, social and economic landscape.
Over one hundred and seventy years later, one can easily identify the peculiar contributions of each of our people who came in almost every facet of national life in our country, in one form or another. The Chinese cuisine remains an irreplaceable part of our national diet. The entrepreneurial qualities of our Portuguese people continue to exhibit itself in vital areas of national commerce and industry. The contributions of the Indian immigrants, the largest group that came consists of a formidable part of so many aspects of national life, that it is impossible to imagine a Guyana without them.
It is important to note, that the sugar industry that was so instrumental in bringing the Indentured Immigrants and African slaves to this land and that has been a major source of employment and contributor to the local economy for over three hundred years in our country, is now facing imminent closure within just two short years of this coalition Government. It is apt also to note, that many of the challenges which the Immigrants faced during the indentureship system and thereafter, which they struggled along with others to overcome and which they made substantial progress in overcoming are suddenly returning to plague them.
The PPP takes this opportunity to renew its commitment to all of our people who came to this land to continue to struggle with them side by side, to overcome these challenges as well as preparing them for new challenges. In particular, we pledge to continue to work, indefatigably, to remove the scourge of racism and racial discrimination from this land; to forge ethnic, religious and class unity among all our people and to build a society governed by the rule of law and where the constitutional rights and freedom of our people are not only respected but are protected and advanced.
Happy Arrival Day to all!

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