The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) extends greetings for Emancipation Day 2024 to all, Locally, Regionally and Internationally.
Emancipation offers an opportunity to reflect on the difficult and untold sufferings of our forefathers, as there were long and grueling battles that ended harrowing crimes of enslavement that afflicted humanity for centuries, notwithstanding the terrifying cries and loss of lives in the fight for freedom. Freedom guaranteed us the human right to live a life of dignity, and the security to live life according to one’s dreams and beliefs. As we continue to reflect, let us work towards a future of prosperity for all Guyanese, in togetherness as One People, One Nation, One Destiny – with a commitment toward development for all.
Historically, Human Slavery was institutionalized long before the year 1080, and despite efforts to end the slave trade in England in the 12th Century when the Ecclesiastical Council of London decreed that “let no one dare to engage in the infamous business…of selling men like animals”, it continued. Notwithstanding, an anti-slavery movement in 1783 and legislative restrictions, slavery itself remained unchallenged and flourished on the sugar plantations of the Caribbean. Many African families were captured and sold into slavery during the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Barbarism and genocide were the fate of some slaves during this unfortunate period. Others endured sickness, starvation, torture and the brutal life sugar plantations offered…death was a relief from the sickening conditions.
The Jamaican rebellion caused the British Empire to hold an inquiry into the rebellion, which resulted in the passage of the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 that became effective on August 1, 1834 throughout the British Empire except a few territories. With the passage of the 1834 Act 800,000 slaves were freed, causing an influx of indentured labourers to supplement the plantation’s labour force. Under the Act 20-million-pound sterling were paid to slave owners as compensation.
Further, on January 1, 1863 the Emancipation Proclamation by United States President Abraham Lincoln to wit:
“…all persons held as slaves…shall be forever free…and all authority thereof, shall recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons and will do no acts to reprise such persons in any effort they make for their actual freedom”.
This Proclamation was only effective in the rebellious States during the civil war which liberated 3.5 million slaves.
In 2024, 190 years later, there is still the call for Reparative Justice, for restitution to the victims of slavery or their descendants.
The July 2023 Brussels Summit of the European Union and the Community of Latin American and the Caribbean States (CELAC) Declaration 10 states:
“We acknowledge and profoundly regret the untold suffering inflicted on millions of men, women and children as a result of the trans-Atlantic slave trade…including the acknowledgment that slavery and the slave trade, including the transatlantic slave trade, were appalling tragedies in the history of humanity not only because of their abhorrent barbarism but also in terms of their magnitude, organized nature and especially their negation of the essence of the victims, and that slavery and the slave trade are a crime against humanity…”.
CELAC references the Caribbean Reparation Commission document that outlines the path to conciliation, truth, and justice for the victims of slavery and their descendants.
In today’s society, the conditions experienced by the enslaved human capital of the 16th century no longer exist and several anti-slavery legislations are inforce to prevent a recurrence. However, that process to emancipation was laced with blood and tears, many have died to secure freedom for all and the right to be born free, to live freely and to enjoy benefits compensatory to efforts.
As we enjoy our lives in freedom where the chains of bondage were broken, the shackles loose, let us strive to secure economic freedom as well as prosperity for all. Let us continue the difficult journey in pursuit of a livable wage for workers. Social and economic equality must be attained to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor of our country. The inadequate provision of resources to meet the needs of people created another bondage for the citizens of Guyana. There must be economic freedom for the working class.
The Guyana Public Service Union advocates for unity and togetherness, to rid our country of the afflict of economic deprivation and the stronghold of poverty that continues to shackle the working class. Let us work together to build a just and fair society where all are treated equally before the law, where all can share in the richness of our country’s resources, regardless of our ethnicity, social and economic standing, or geographic origin. This is a Guyana of One People, One Nation, One Destiny. We must do better to secure a brighter future for us as a nation.
Let Individual, Economic and Social Justice reign.
