“I love Guyana” sign is more than just a statement – Min. Rajkumar

―Message must be reflected holistically

DPI, Guyana, Friday December 20, 2019

Taking pride of place opposite the Umana Yana, the “I love Guyana” sign is more than just a marker. The sign’s erection in Kingston, Georgetown, has sparked significant interest with many locals and visitors taking the ubiquitous selfie.

According to Minister of Business the Honourable Haimraj Rajkumar, “the sign must be taken holistically, as a call to action.”

The minister stated, “For us locals, we should have a sense of pride and patriotism. When we say I love Guyana, we must mean it …. When we say I love my mother, I take care of her. I take care of my wife. I take care of my brother and my sister”

Appearing as a guest on DPI’s television programme ‘One on One’, the minister explained that the sign must also encourage all, for example, to be more environmentally conscious.

He said, “Where I came from in Essequibo, we have our parapets, sometimes we wait for months for someone to come and weed it. You take five minutes and weed it, clean the drain in front. It will make you feel good that you’ve done something, in whatever little way to help your country.”

According to Minister Rajkumar, the sign sends a strong message, “and we should all be guided by those words.”

He noted that the sign was erected with the precept of being a tourist attraction and will be impactful, in this regard. “For me, visitors taking pictures and returning to their home countries with these snapshots are all part of the network to sensitize persons about as Guyana as a destination choice.”

The I Love Guyana sign is a collaborative effort between the Tourism Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), Impressions Incorporated and the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI).