This year there will be several changes in the way the country celebrates independence. There will be no flag raising at the National Park as is customary. Instead, there will be an early morning celebration at the Brickdam Indepen-dence Arch, which will honour those who participated in the fight for the country’s independence. It will be followed by two other events to mark the inauguration of the country’s 8th Executive President, David Granger.
At a press briefing held yesterday at the Ministry of Culture, spokesman for the planning committee Bobby Vieira, in the company of Permanent Secretary of the Ministry Alfred King, explained that the events planned will be used as an opportunity for “Guyana to show what we can do.”
King told reporters that President Granger has appointed to the Minister of State designate Joseph Harmon an events manager in the person of retired colonel Laurie London.
London will serve as the chief coordinator for the events, which will take place on May 26th.
The new administration has indicated its intention to resurrect the Garden City of Georgetown and create an atmosphere where Guyanese are connected through all symbols of nationhood to the past and future of their country. The Independence Arch, was erected to commemorate the birth of Guyanese sovereignty 49 years ago and was therefore considered an ideal location for this year’s celebration.
Previous plans for the celebration of the country’s independence had assigned the planning to two subcommittees, which were responsible for organising the flag raising ceremony and cultural event. These committees, according to King, have been merged into a special event committee constituted by Harmon. This committee, with support from the National Coordinating Committee, will facilitate the planning and execution of the activities associated with the observation.
According to Vieira, who will be assisting in the planning, there will be three main events which will all be held on May 26th.
The first of these is the Independence Day celebration, which will begin at 8AM. “The most significant feature” of this event, according to Vieira, will be the laying of eight wreaths at the base of the Independence Arch on Brickdam to honour those who struggled for independence. The wreaths will be laid by representatives from different sections of society. Sections already identified are youth, women, trade unions and political parties involved in the struggle.
There will also be the traditional Military Guard of Honour provided by the Guyana Defence Force and a 21-gun salute followed by two minutes of silence and the traditional hoisting of the flag. “It is going to be both ceremonial and in some instances emotional as there are still some of those around us who struggled in our fight for our independence. His Excellency would like to pay tribute to those persons,” Vieira said.
Later that day, the public is invited to assemble early for at the Guyana National Stadium for the official inauguration, which will begin with a 3PM a cultural show with local entertainers. By 5PM, the second segment of the inauguration will begin with the arrival of the president.
Members of the public who wish to be present at the ceremony are advised that since the capacity of the stadium is estimated to be 15,000, they should show up early as entry will not be allowed once it has reached capacity. Those who are unable to make it into the stadium may view the events on the large screen which will be set up on the tarmac or from the comfort of their own homes as it will be broadcast live by the National Communications Network (NCN).
The last event will be a private reception to be held at the Pegasus Hotel, for which admission will be by invitation only.
It is expected that several heads of state, particularly from the Caribbean and South America, will be present for the independence observation. Also expected are members of the diplomatic community and other dignitaries.
Citizens are being asked to play their part by assisting the government’s clean-up efforts. “We are hoping that nationals themselves, since there is this new pride, this whole new revival or whatever you want to call it, people themselves start within their own communities, their own lot…,” Vieira said
The clean-up efforts have been supported by several businesses, including BK International, Cummings Electrical and Harris Paints, which have volunteered materials and their services in the restoration of the independence Arch free of cost. According to Vieira none of the planned activities will be costing the taxpayers any money, since several citizens have volunteered their services and donated resources.
History of the Independence Arch
The Arch was formally presented to then Prime Minister Forbes Burnham on May 22nd, 1966 by the Managing Director of the Demerara Bauxite Com-pany J G Campbell.
In his presentation, Campbell noted that the arch, which was designed by Canadian architect Edric Flack, could be described as truly Guyanese. It had been made of materials that would endure time and elements, namely aluminum that was made from the bauxite from Mackenzie. Aubrey Barker, the chairman of the Arch Committee, noted that one of two factors which influenced the selection of the site was that Brickdam was Georgetown’s oldest street. In the circumstance, the monument would link the past and the future.
