Minister Rodrigues calls for promotion of peace, unity and harmony

– at JCI Guyana’s peace seminar

Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues, MP, on Saturday made a call to Guyanese to promote peace, unity and harmony among all.

The minister was addressing the Junior Chamber International (JCI) Guyana’s “A Peaceful and Sustainable Guyana” programme at Outback Adventures, Canje, East Berbice, Region Six.

Minister Rodrigues commended the JCI community for taking the responsibility of promoting peace across Guyana. She noted that it is an apt time as Guyana is undergoing a major transformation.

“With Guyana on the cusp of major transformational change, and the influx of foreigners who will be looking to capitalise and to take advantage of all of the opportunities that will be created, I cannot think of a more appropriate time to make peace, racial harmony, sustainability and the protection of Guyanese on the top of our agenda,” the Minister stated.

Minister Rodrigues said the projects undertaken by JCI seek to foster unity in the country and the Government is pleased to have partnerships of this kind, as it is a top priority on the ‘One Guyana’ agenda.

She said all Guyanese should aim to eliminate discrimination in all forms to help achieve this goal.

The minister outlined a number of programmes implemented by the PPP/C Government, highlighting the equitable roll out of each.

Some of these included the $25,000 household Covid relief grant, the farmer’s flood relief grant and the ‘Because We Care’ cash grant, among others.

Minister Rodrigues pointed to the Government’s decision to extend the ‘Because We Care’ cash grant to children in private schools. This, she noted is another demonstration of the administration’s commitment to inclusivity and equal opportunities for all Guyanese.

Racial discrimination, Minister Rodrigues, noted, must not be tolerated by Guyanese, since it affects the rate of development.

“The division of our country, along racial lines has a long and dark history dating back to colonial days and continued even after our Independence from Britain. The origin and promotion of racism among Guyanese has always been for political advantage and was engineered and promulgated by our Colonizers at the time.”

The Minister also took the opportunity to list a number of projects that the Government is committed to executing that are in accordance with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, while noting how they will improve the lives of all Guyanese.