ADDRESS TO THE NATION BY HIS EXCELLENCY, PRESIDENT BHARRAT JAGDEO ON THE OCASSION OF GUYANA’S 36TH INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY - May 25th, 2002

Fellow Guyanese:
Thirty-six years ago, almost to the hour, thousands of Guyanese of every class and colour, rank and status, assembled at an event not dissimilar from tonight’s, to celebrate the attainment of our Independence. As the Union Jack was lowered, the Golden Arrowhead was triumphantly hoisted. In that magic moment, the march of past events – the epic stories of the struggles of our heroes and heroines of yore must have flashed upon the collective consciousness of our people.
The achievement of Independence was tangible evidence that their struggles and sacrifice, their hard work, buoyed by hopes for their prosperity, were not in vain. At last, British Guiana, the colony, had become Guyana, the latest and newest of countries then, to join the world community of nations, independent and free. This land had become our land, the birthright of every Guyanese.
The prospect of the future, too, would have been on the minds of our people, mainly in the form of excited anticipation. What was it going to be to become independent in reality, beyond our flag, anthem and motto? What was it going to take to chart our own destiny with no one to blame for any failure? What would it mean to be responsible for the security of our borders, and for the integrity of the social fabric of our nation? What was going to be the cost of building a good society in our beloved land for all of our peoples, fragmented as we were, by our colonial legacy, history and culture and burdened by poverty?
Certainly, too, people must have made commitments to work, to build, to create the society of their hopes, a society in which they could realise personal liberty, basic well-being, racial and ethnic equality, national peace and security, and the opportunity for a rewarding life.
That was then. That was thirty-six years ago. What has it been since then? How closer are we to the realization of our people’s expectations? Could it be that in the great excitement in the early flush of independence, our people had too great hopes, and too unrealistic expectations. These may be matters for debate, for speculation. But we have to return to the present.
Now is the right time to take stock and look critically at ourselves to see if we were up to the task and if as a people we are ready for the future.
Fellow Guyanese:
In the course of the past 36 years, we have laboured to create a comfortable environment with the aim of creating wealth, jobs, security and harmonious relations. Roads have been built as well as sea and river defences. Lands have been opened up for various economic activities and housing. We have established services such as water works, hospitals, schools and electricity facilities. Indeed our landscape has been reshaped mainly due to the industriousness of our people. In many ways, we have done well.
At the same time, we have made mistakes and lost many opportunities. We remain, to a large extent, an agricultural country, producing primary products for which prices have been relatively, constantly falling. We have not been able to garner enough resources to do all the things that are necessary to give our people all they need. There are still significant pockets of poverty among our people, not all our people are well educated, investment in the economy is not as it could be. Some continue to live on the dark side of the law, preying on innocent citizens and even taking their lives, and the political environment falls short of expectations. And many skilled Guyanese continue to leave our country. Yes, in many ways, we are still to bring that good life to all Guyanese.
So where do we go from here? We are aware of our achievements and our shortcomings. We are conscious of the changes that are taking place in the world. We know we have to modernize our society in keeping with world trends. I know we have the will and determination to move forward and get these things done. Your government has, on many occasions, outlined clear policy guidelines on how we can achieve our objectives.
There is, however, one essential ingredient of nation building that is missing. Unfortunately, not everyone is seized with the commitment to put the national interest before anything else. I know that many poor countries experience similar problems, but that is no comfort. The problems of development are painful, especially in these times. But we have to be mature enough to understand that there will be problems, differences and competing interests. What is important is for us to adopt principles and approaches that would afford us the opportunity to resolve these issues without harming the national interest. Let us not lose sight of our common objectives. We must not be derailed from our development thrust whenever problems arise. The leaders of our country have a responsibility to instill these values in all our people. When there are grievances, we must seek recourse to established mechanisms and provisions in our laws, not to the streets and violence. Whatever we do, we must ensure that Guyana really comes first.
It is only when we have attained this maturity that others will have greater respect for us. How do we develop and prosper when criminals are being encouraged to do their dirty work because of some perceived political advantage? How can we create more jobs and economic prosperity in an environment of political instability? Some people may want to believe that their actions will hurt the Government. They are wrong! At the end of the day, it is the entire country and all the people who suffer. I fully agree with the recent statement by the United States Ambassador to Guyana who said: “Guyana is a democratic society that is founded on and depends for its existence on respect for the rule of law. There is no justification for criminal violence in a democratic society, just as there is no justification for political violence in a democracy.”
I have given assurances that I am committed to working with all those who want to take this country forward. Your government has been and remains prepared to have meaningful dialogue with the Opposition and all other social groups on national issues. However, in these matters, success cannot be judged by the amount of advantage received by one or another party.
The success of any serious dialogue must be judged on the basis of what are the benefits to the country and people. The solution is not to walk away from dialogue when there are differences. That is the easy way. Nation building is always fraught with challenges, but we must be mature and responsible to find common grounds, guided by, once again, what is good for our country and people.
Today, we live in a democracy. We are a legitimate government, freely and fairly elected to office by the people of this country and not foisted upon them by fraud.
The freedom to protest in a democracy is normal. Protest, however, must not be an excuse for orchestrated lawlessness and violence. Regardless of which side of the political spectrum you belong, these activities must be condemned. At the end of the day, they hurt our country and our people.
If there is one lesson that our history since Independence has taught us, it is that governance, like development, of this country, for any sectional interest, will not work. We have decades of evidence to show that it has not worked. My Government firmly believes in the equality of all citizens, regardless of race, religion or status, and will continue to govern in the best interests of all the people.
Fellow Guyanese:
My vision for Guyana is not burdened by the pain of the past, though I am not unmindful of that pain. Neither is it a vision marred by the guilt of responsibility for that pain which one must seek to hide by posture and rhetoric of one kind or another. If anything, it is a vision of a new Guyana in which the hopes, dreams and aspirations of those people who witnessed the first Independence, can be realised. A vision for all our futures!
It is the vision of a country fully developed in every respect, in which the quality of the daily life of its people, matches in dignity, and grace, the grandeur of our landscape of mountains, rivers and waterfalls, and men and women are completely tolerant of one another’s religion, race and culture. Also, it is a vision that provides care, security and opportunities for our children, young people, women, the disabled, and the elderly, for each and every Guyanese.
To pursue our vision, we must get on with the task of providing jobs, through investments, for all our people, and of educating and training them for work in this digital age. We must build for the future. We must restructure the traditional industries and create new ones. But your Government alone cannot achieve this. This is a task that demands the involvement of all of us; that demands as well, our understanding of the issues involved. It calls on us to transcend the narrowness of the bigotry of race. It demands us to break the habit of the malice. It calls on us to exorcise that narrowness to build on our unity and strength.
My vision for Guyana is clear. So too is the way to realise it.
Our role and leadership in CARICOM is growing. We are building stronger relations with our neighbours, and our international credibility is at an all-time high.
Our economy is withstanding the severe shocks of a global economic recession. Despite the best efforts by a few elements to retard economic progress, our economic fundamentals are intact - our economy is growing and inflation is low.
Our social agenda – better health, education, housing and care for our children and the elderly – is focused and has won international recognition.
My Government remains committed to good governance, and to a transparent and inclusive approach in the administration of our country.
We are on the move. We have come some way. Now we have to prepare for the impact of globalisation and trade liberalization. This will demand a creative response of the entire nation – government, workers, employers, religious leaders, the young and old, indeed every citizen.
Tonight, I wish to salute the hard working and dedicated men and women of the Guyana Defence Force and the Guyana Police Force who are tasked with and are working diligently to maintain law and order and ensure the security of our nation.
I have no doubt that we shall rise to the challenges, with our independence and sovereignty intact, with security on our borders and peace and harmony in our society, for we are a resilient people, a strong people, a people with the capacity for creativity and industry. We shall overcome!
Long Live Guyana!