“Our Guyana today remains peaceful, stable and orderly” – PM Nagamootoo
– “everyone wins when the nation is united” – Pres. Granger
– Guyana today is a plural, multi-party democracy
DPI, Guyana, Monday, February 25, 2019
“Our Guyana today remains peaceful, stable and orderly, with a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural population that is striving daily to realise the goal of being one, united Guyanese people, as one nation with a common destiny.”
This was the message delivered by Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo in his weekly ‘My Turn’ Column published in the Guyana Chronicle on Sunday, February 24.
As Guyana celebrated its 49th Republic Anniversary on Saturday, February 23, 2019, the Prime Minister, in his column, reminded of President David Granger’s message to the nation where he stated that “everyone wins when the nation is united”.
“The call for unity is perhaps the word most often spoken by our leaders, present and past. It was the elusive goal of both Cheddi Jagan and Forbes Burnham after the split during 1955 in the once united nationalist movement. It was partially achieved after 1975 when unity between the major, splintered political blocs assumed the form of “critical support” and calls for “unity government”. Then, when the six-party APNU+AFC Coalition took office in 2015, unity took a broader organisational form at the governance level,” Prime Minister Nagamootoo wrote.
He noted too that the need for unity today is different from that of the past when Guyanese had to join in the fight for its freedom as one; Guyana today is a plural, multi-party democracy.
“The unity that we need today is a necessity to protect our gains, and to ensure that all Guyanese enjoy the fruits of our nation.”
More importantly, the prime minister noted that while many Guyanese recognise the need for togetherness, there still exists a section of the political directorate that is dis-interested in unity.
“It is commendable that the Executive recognises the need for togetherness, and has left open the avenues for greater inclusion. But it must be the concern of all patriotic Guyanese that a section of the political directorate is dis-interested in broad-based unity. It feeds on discontent and disaffection. Its preference to unity is dissent and disorder.”
He also made reference of the Leader of the Opposition throwing tantrums, one after the other, and questioned why he would not engage with the Executive on the way forward.
“He sees elections as a goal, not as a means to achieve national objectives such as unity. Our people are vigilant, and they would not pawn the freedom they enjoy under our Republic for diktat from outside forces. We have to approach our internal order as true nationals would do as patriots, not political mercenaries,” Prime Minister Nagamootoo stated.
The full column can be found on the link provided:
Rebecca Ganesh.
Image: Department of Public Information.