Republic Day Messages
45th Republic Anniversary Message By His Excellency Donald Ramotar, President, Republic of Guyana.
Inspired by a vision of a united, just, democratic, and prosperous society Guyana threw off the yoke of British colonialism in 1966 and just four years later, in February 23, 1970, elevated our status to that of a Republic. Today, forty-five years on, Guyanese of every walk of life, in every village in every region have come together to celebrate this historic milestone.
As we celebrate our Republic, we first of all recall and salute the heroism, the sacrifices and the selflessness of our people who made it possible for all of us to live in this strong and vibrant democracy. We remember and salute our brothers and sisters all across the country and our friends across the world, whose solidarity made it possible for us to defeat colonialism and establish this Republic. All of them, through their determined struggles, ensured that Guyanese today, more than at any time before, enjoy the right of living in a just, united and prosperous country.
Accordingly, as a nation, we renew, on this historic day, our pledge to build a better life for all, working closely with all sectors of our society. As we renew our pledge on this the forty fifth anniversary of our Republic, we also take pride in, and celebrate, the progress we have made since 1970 and more so since 1992 towards a better life for all and a more united society. We renew our pledge knowing that today is better than yesterday and tomorrow will bring even more joy than today.
As we renew this pledge, our people are conscious of the fact that, as their community gets clean water, electricity, health centres and proper roads, as many move from informal to formal housing their turn will surely come as day follows night. This they know, because they have seen the determined efforts of this democratically elected government since 1992, to ensure a better life for all.
Indeed, working together, we have helped to restore the dignity of all Guyanese through the broadening access to basic services previously denied to them; in opening the doors to education; the economic opportunities that have been created and in the gathering pace of our country’s economic growth that creates the resources for further advances in improving the lives of all our communities.
Our policies and our programmes are all based on the quest for a just society in which individuals and communities are free to practice their beliefs, their traditions and their cultures without fear.
As we rededicate ourselves to building a better life for all, we are conscious that some of the legacies of the past continue to disfigure our nation in the present; that we have not wholly removed the cancer of poverty from our society; that we have only moved slowly towards building a truly egalitarian society; that we still have challenges to overcome.
As we renew our pledge for a better life for all, we need to work together. I therefore call on all Guyanese, from all stations of life to rededicate ourselves and work together on the big challenges facing our country so that as today is better than yesterday, tomorrow must be better than today for all the people of our country.
Fellow Guyanese, we need to dedicate ourselves to the building of a socially cohesive nation, always working to create a common identity as Guyanese, united in diversity, bound together by the same vision of creating a harmonious society based on truly universal values.
Mashramani is an important signpost in our national life. It symbolises the dawn of freedom and democracy. It represents a call to sustain the national effort that brought about freedom, which is critical in consolidating our democracy and promoting national unity. It calls on all Guyanese to unite and defeat poverty and underdevelopment. It calls on all of us to work together for a better future. Let us therefore renew our pledge to build a better life for all.
STATEMENT BY US SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN KERRY
On behalf of President Obama and the American people, I congratulate the people of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana as you celebrate 45 years of independence on February 23.
Your nation will hold national elections this year. I am confident that it will serve as an example of the peaceful exercise of the right to vote. Your actions will strengthen the entire region’s commitment to democratic institutions.
Guyana participates positively in the region through the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, the Caribbean Community, and the Union of South American Nations.
The United States stands with you as a partner and friend in the Inter-American System and in continuing to strengthen and revitalize the Organization of American States.
We will continue to work together to achieve energy and environmental sustainability, as agreed upon during the recent Caribbean Energy Security Summit.
I wish you all a joyful Mashramani and Guyanese Republic Day.
MESSAGE BY THE PPP
The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) extends greetings to all Guyanese on the occasion of the forty fifth anniversary of the attainment of republican status. As we all know, Guyana became a republic on February 23, 1970.
The granting of republican status brings a formal end to British colonial rule following the attainment of political independence on May 26, 1966.
The PPP is proud of the vanguard role it has played in the struggle for national independence and by extension republican status. Indeed, the PPP has always been instrumental in every major political and constitutional advance the country has seen since the party was formed sixty five years ago.
These included universal adult suffrage, internal self government, the struggle for national independence and for a return of democracy after it was taken away by the PNC regime. The PPP has also been in the forefront of the reconstruction efforts more particularly the physical and social infrastructure after twenty eight years of devastating and dictatorial PNC rule.
Guyanese have every reason to celebrate this significant milestone even though it is public knowledge that independence for Guyana was deliberately withheld until the PPP was removed from office in 1964 through the intrigues and machinations of western vested interests in collaboration with local reactionary forces. From one of the more prosperous country in the region, the country was reduced to the poorest country in the western hemisphere as a result of twenty eight years of PNC minority rule.
This anniversary celebration is taking place at a critical moment in our political life when Guyanese are once again preparing to go to the polls following a decision taken by His Excellency President Donald Ramotar to prorogue parliament and subsequently name a date for general and regional elections after all reasonable attempts to reach consensus on the way forward were rejected by the combined parliamentary opposition namely the APNU and the AFC.
Our Party remains convinced that history and time is on our side despite being cheated and manipulated by dark and hostile forces in the past. Like a phoenix, the PPP has always emerged triumphant thanks to the support of the Guyanese masses.
The PPP has full confidence in the ability of the Guyanese people to make the right choices as they go to the polls on May 11 and overwhelmingly re-elect President Donald Ramotar and the PPP/C administration to the seat of government.
The PPP encourages all eligible Guyanese to exercise that right to vote and in so doing give true meaning and substance to our sense of nationhood and national sovereignty.
The PPP takes this opportunity to pledge its unconditional loyalty to the cause and well being of the Guyanese people as we seek collectively to create a peaceful, progressive and prosperous Guyana.
May the dreams and aspirations of each and every Guyanese be realized as we continue to work as one people, one nation with a common destiny.
A Happy Mashramani to one and all!
