Guyana celebrated fifty-four (54) years of Republican status on February 23, 2024. This status was bestowed on us four years after Independence from Britain, allowing us the privilege of having a President as against ruler ship by “a Monarch”. In the words of the architect of the Republican status, Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham, “…we have now to learn again, to be trained again, to be brainwashed again or more accurately, de-brainwashed, to understand the emotional, economic and social advantages that can accrue from uniting our labour skills and resources in cooperation together; and that through such cooperation, the possibilities exist for little people, the dispossessed, the poor, the underprivileged, achieving real economic power and a just place in our society.”
I listened attentively to Dr. Ifraan Ali’s address to the nation at the Flag Raising Ceremony on February 22, 2024, and in my view, he was careful not to highlight the historical facts of our journey during the first 22 years as a Cooperative Republic. He appeared to be campaigning for the PPP’s return to office after the 2025 elections and took this opportunity to share the PPP’s propaganda and vision of Guyana in 2030. Hopefully, Dr. Keith Rowley, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, who was in the audience, knows enough of Guyana’s political history so he could have made the distinction between fact and fiction.
I was also appalled to hear Dr. Ali’s hypocrisy as he spoke of his love for teachers, public servants, nurses, farmers, etc. without making public how he intends to address the demands of the striking teachers. I take the honour of acknowledging Justice Sandil Kissoon for his wisdom exercised in recommending the impasse between the Guyana Teachers Union and the Ministry of Education to mediation.
In our 54th year of Republican Status, when Guyana’s economy has grown exponentially as a result of oil and gas activities, we are very far removed from President Burnham‘s 1970 vision of “uniting our labour skills and resources in cooperation together; and that through such cooperation, the possibilities exist for little people, the dispossessed, the poor, the underprivileged, achieving real economic power and a just place in our society”
Dr Ali has completely ignored the striking teachers’ call for adherence to the Constitutional principle of “Collective Bargaining.” Dr. Ali also repeated the well-worn cliche of prosperity for all Guyanese knowing fully well that he, his Ministers, and a few other elites are earning at least ten times more than the average teacher or public servant. Justice Sandil Kissoon must be applauded for upholding law and order by granting two conservatory orders in favour of the Guyana Teachers Union.
As a proud Guyanese, I would like to extend heartfelt appreciation to the People’s National Congress which, under its founder and late leader, L.F.S Burnham, created the political, social and economic environment where “..the possibilities exist for little people, the dispossessed, the poor, the underprivileged, achieving real economic power and a just place in our society.” There are many landmarks and policies from that period which have withstood scrutiny by the PPP naysayers.
I urge my fellow Guyanese to reflect on the vision of our Cooperative Republic and to ensure that the PPP does not replace our history with the far-fetched propaganda they have been feeding the younger generations since 1992. May we live as One people in One Nation with One Destiny.
Long live the Cooperative Republic of Guyana!
