Guyanese face many challenges to which they must never retreat or succumb, the Regional Chairman of Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne) has said.
In an independence day message, Chairman Zulficar Mustapha said this occasion should the nation to draw from within, a sense of confidence that there is a Guyanese destiny greater than the problems faced today, and that through a combination of visions and hard work the challenges will be overcome.
He said that in Region Six there is tremendous development in all facets of the lives of the people. “We are witnessing a transformation in education, health and housing. In the health sector, we have a brand new Ophthalmology Centre. More schools are being built and rehabilitated.
“We have also witnessed the largest single investment by government in our region: a modern sugar factory at Skeldon. The road that stretches from New Amsterdam to Molson Creek is being rehabilitated and we have now been connected with the rest of the country by the Berbice River Bridge.”
Therefore, he said, independence presents a golden opportunity to forge closer unity and recommitment to the task of nation building.
He noted Berbice’s significance to the nation’s journey to freedom, in that it was the county which was the cradle of the liberation struggle, citing the 1763 Berbice Slave Rebellion.
“I urge all of you not to underestimate the significance of the anniversary,” Mustapha said.
“We must remember the selfless struggles of our ancestors who were brought here either as slaves or as indentured immigrants. We must pay homage to those who kept the torch of hope and freedom burning in the difficult and dark times.”
