Twenty-two years of freedom
FORTY-eight years ago, being 48 years old would have been considered as being old. But now 48 years after attaining independence, Guyana has been considered the shining star of the Caribbean and the best kept secret in South America by explorers of the free world.With new developmental projects and international investors swarming this land of many waters consistently, Guyana has grown as a robust economy over the years, and is today still preserving our first leader’s legacy of being a free and multicultural country. “Onward, upward, May we ever go, day by day in strength and beauty grow,” indeed.
Guyana became an independent nation on Thursday, 26 May 1966, after years of being a British colony that was ruled by the Queen of England. The dream of one day becoming an independent nation was not only the dream of our political leaders back then, but mostly the dream of our citizens. Numerous proposals were sent to the Queen requesting the right to make our own laws and the right to become a free nation, which eventually was granted to our citizens. But although the British left Guyana, they still left behind numerous legacies such as their jurisprudence, some of their culture and even their native language, making Guyana the only English-speaking country in South America.
Guyana may be celebrating 48 years of being free from colonization, but many believe today that Guyana is really and truly a little younger than half of those 48 years old. Guyana was reborn in 1992 after the PPP/C was elected as the ruling party of this great country. In 22 years of ruling Guyana, the PPP/C has transformed Guyana’s landscape tremendously and has injected growth in our nation’s economy. These changes have elevated us as one people and are today being enjoyed by both the old and the new generation of Guyanese citizens all across our land.
Dr. Cheddi Jagan always dreamt of a Guyana whereby one day classism would become an obsolete word, and the freedom to live a comfortable life would be the choice of our people. Today, as a humble citizen of Guyana, I could say that Dr. Jagan’s legacy and dreams are being preserved by the dedicated members of the PPP/C. I’m sure he’s smiling down on them all, very proud and very impressed as they continue to shape his dreams into reality. Guyana’s future is looking bright and promising; thanks to the PPP/C Government. Our kids will definitely inherit good morals, freedom, and most of all, a Guyana where classism doesn’t exist.
We as Guyanese citizens shouldn’t place, or even attempt to place, a blind eye to the fact that after becoming the ruling party in 1992, the PPP/C has allowed us to become independent individuals who can now afford to take care of ourselves, our families, and at the same time, be free from dictatorship, authoritarianism, and autocratism as we experienced under the PNC government for decades. Those gloomy days are far behind us, and whether we’re celebrating 48years of independence or 22years of a being a new and improved Guyana, we are all One People, One Nation, (with) One Destiny.
Lancelot Adams