The Diplomat recapped that thus far 2015 has already been a transformative year in the relationship between his country and Guyana. “Right now about a year ago the former Guyanese Education Minister was delivering her infamous “feral blast” to former Ambassador (Brent) Hardt, based on his urgent call for Local Government Elections.” Hunt said that he was not quite au fait at the time with certain local expressions but “I now better understand the definition of a feral blast, the intricacies of prorogation (former President Donald Ramotar prorogued the Parliament on November 10, 2014 to avoid a no-confidence Motion) and the critical importance of international election observation-thanks to some of my friends in Guyanese politics for the rapid and unexpected education.”

Hunt said he hopes that the next big occasion will be the establishing of “a vibrant Parliamentary Opposition.” The Opposition People’s Progressive Party Civic has not yet taken up its 32 seats allotted them in the National Assembly.

Travelling down a path of long history, the Chief of Mission explained that “July 4th in the United States represents a very special day … It is a day we celebrate (not only) our Independence from Great Britain, but it is also a day we celebrate what makes our country great.” In so doing, he compared the two countries, Guyana and the US, in a very positive, noting that, “Both of our countries are home to people of different religions, and ethnic backgrounds. We both are proud of how our citizens work together to achieve common goals. In the United States we celebrate “One Nation, indivisible with liberty and justice for all, and in Guyana, you speak of “One People, One Nation, One Destiny.”

He poignantly declared that this kind of milieu subscribes towards the veritable adage that the “whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and that is why we work hand-in-hand and walk step-by-step to move forward.”

Noting that nation building is not an easy and automatic happening, Hunt admitted that “we will not always get it right, (as) recently, both of our countries have had to face challenges to national unity.” In detailing this caveat, he said that for the US, it was in the form of some tragic events that led to racial discord in Ferguson, Baltimore, and New York; for Guyana, it resided in the form of ethnically divisive rhetoric on (the 2015 election) campaign trail.”

He however boasted that “To our (two) nations’ credit, we have emerged stronger from these experiences in no small part, due to the vision of our respective senior leaders.”  Hunt then referred to US President Barack Obama, who spoke of the need to strive to heal racial division and embark on a new dialogue on race relations. In Guyana, according to Hunt, the President and Prime Minister have eloquently called for national unity and stressed the need for social and ethnic inclusion, while simultaneously demonstrating through their multi-ethnic coalition government that political cooperation in the national interest is possible.

Gracing the occasion was Guyana Prime Minister Nagamootoo, who spoke on behalf of the Guyana Government in the absence of President Granger (currently in Barbados, attending the CARICOM Heads of Government Summit). The PM gave assurance to the United States that “the (2015) elections are happily behind Guyana, and that the new Government has embarked on a nationwide clean-up campaign, “which is one that seeks to get rid of bad governance and lack of accountability.”

He then highlighted that Ambassador, Brent Hardt’s campaign for Local Government Elections is already bearing fruit, as he reminded the audience of the tabling of the Amendment Bill that is designed to pave the way for these elections. END