I am pleased to be a part of this year’s celebration to mark the birth anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Her Majesty the Queen has not only won the high respect of her people but also of the world and in particular those of the Commonwealth countries. On behalf of the Government and people of Guyana and on my own behalf I extend warm congratulations to Her Majesty and best wishes for her continued good health and happiness.

Excellency, the U.K. continues to partner with Guyana as we work to build an ever-more secure and prosperous nation. The UK’s Department for International Development supports sectors such as Water and Education, and support after the floods, particularly through the RNLI volunteers and the works on the conservancy dam, was especially valuable. I thank the UK’s Overseas Development Institute, which for many years has provided our Ministries with high quality economists. And I want to pay tribute to the work of British voluntary organisations, such as Project Trust and VSO. An example which has been brought to my attention is the work VSO is doing with the National Commission for the Disabled; I believe that this stands as a powerful metaphor for how VSO helps the most vulnerable within our society, often without obvious praise or reward.

In recent weeks, the U.K.’s efforts to create a fairer world have come under the spotlight more than ever. The deal on debt relief which has received particular attention means that millions will be lifted from a life of hunger and premature death. African children who otherwise would have died will now live because of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown’s progressive leadership in this area; there can be no finer testament to its impact than that.

On behalf of the people of Guyana, one of the deal’s beneficiaries, I want to thank the Prime Minister, the Chancellor, and above all, the British people. In particular, I want to salute the thousands of British people who campaign for debt relief, trade justice and better aid. Their commitment to justice around the world will leave a legacy that will be felt for generations.

But I would be letting my people down if I were to allow this genuine, unqualified gratitude to be interpreted as suggesting that there is not yet more for the international community to do.

When they elected me, the people of Guyana invested in me a responsibility to lead their national development. I will not shy away from that. But if we are to have a truly fair environment in which to do this, it is essential that the developed world works with us to build on progress so far, and to continue to right some of the wrongs of the past.

For Guyana’s part, our expectations are simply to achieve a fair deal as we work to meet the Millennium Development Goals, and our other national development objectives. I offer three areas where this is most important.

Firstly, we hope that others in the developed world will agree to the U.K. proposal to double development assistance, whether through the proposed International Finance Facility, or any other mechanism. I welcome the European Union’s recent decision to double the aid its members give, and hope that the UK will use its presidency of the EU to ensure that this is offered in as modern a way as possible, without unnecessary conditions, and unburdened by the excessive bureaucracy that has stymied development assistance in the past.

Secondly, we seek consistent trade policies, particularly in relation to the sugar industry. Next week, the EU will make proposals on changes to the sugar pricing regime. If the proposals are as severe as the leaks suggest, the impact on the Guyanese economy will be in excess of US$40 million per annum – that’s about four times as much as Guyana will receive in extra debt relief following last week’s announcement. An equivalent economic shock in the UK would be if every single financial services institution in the U.K. were to shut down within two years.

That said, in Guyana, we are fully committed to modernizing our sugar industry as fast as we can. We recognized that there will be changes to the European Union preferential regime. All we seek is that the change in preferences is managed – the reduction in prices cannot be so steep and the transition period so short that CARICOM economies are unable to cope, and there must be arrangements in place to help us through the difficult transition period.

Thirdly, we await the details of last weekend’s debt relief deal with anticipation. The deal is a good one for the world, and in particular for Africa. But for Guyana – where the deal does not yet encompass our biggest creditor, the IDB – the outcomes are not so clear. There are disturbing rumours emanating from the International Financial Institutions; however, we hope that these institutions will pay heed to Gordon Brown’s invocation to think big and to reject timidity and the cancellation would take effect almost immediately. This deal should be about helping our economy to grow, and about investing in poverty reduction; it should not be used by the IFIs as an opportunity to impose yet further artificial fiscal and other restrictions.

Here in Guyana, the UK’s support for our bilateral programme will continue to help us in the years ahead as we seek to grow our economy, stimulate the creation of jobs, and attack poverty in all its forms.

Also, in the next year, we will ask the U.K. and our other international friends to help us complete a peaceful and successful electoral process.

The elections must, I repeat must, be held before the constitutionally due date, and they must be free and fair. The duty of all individuals and organisations who want to see this happen is to co-operate with the Elections Commission to allow them to make the necessary preparations.

The international community must play a strong supporting role, and in particular, must not shy away from criticising those who seek to damage the electoral process, or who wish to invent excuses to stop our people from exercising their democratic rights.

Our people wish to see a fair fight where issues that matter to them are discussed; they do not want to hear the jaded arguments of those who are afraid of political debate. I relish the opportunity to defend my Government’s record, and will engage with anyone who is serious about strengthening our democracy.

Excellency, I look forward when we can talk of debt relief, trade justice and development assistance as historical topics. I look forward to the speeches at functions like this being about successful British companies active in Guyana, and successful Guyanese enterprises in the U.K. I look forward to hearing about British students studying in Guyana, and British tourists appreciating our country. Above all, I look forward to hearing about Guyana’s full achievement of the democratic, economic and social goals we speak of as ambitions today. These will be the hallmarks that the work we pursue today has delivered the results we all want to see.

o close, Excellency, I want to propose a toast to the continued good health and happiness of Her Majesty the Queen, to the prosperity of the people of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and to the continued firm and friendly relations between Guyana and the United Kingdom.

FRIDAY JUNE 17, 2005