Unity message: Former Commonwealth Secretary-General Sir Shridath Ramphal delivering his unity message on Tuesday at the inauguration of President David Granger at the Guyana National Stadium. He said in part: “This is a time for healing in Guyana, and I commend the spirit of unity that permeates these commemorations. At Independence, we aspired to Guyana’s worthy destiny through being one nation and one people.
“We were one people then and have been ever since -save in our politics through which we deceive ourselves into believing that our motto of ‘one people’ is false.
“It is not false; and we must not let the vicissitudes of politics and the discord inherent in the democratic process diminish our ‘oneness’. At moments of transition like this, it is the duty of all to work hard at destroying the myth of otherness and at cultivating by conscious effort, the reality of oneness that is our historical birthright.
“Guyana is on the cusp of a great future. “ (GINA photo)