Hundreds yesterday morning braved rain at the newly spruced-up Indepen-dence Arch on Brickdam for the flag-raising ceremony marking Guyana’s 49th anniversary of independence during which APNU+AFC President, David Granger called for all to unite to make Guyana a nation of greater prosperity and equality.
Ten days after he was sworn in as the country’s 8th executive President, Granger arrived at the arch,
which has seen a massive clean-up over the past few days, to the loud cheers of those who stood behind the various police barricades around the Square of the Revolution and into Hadfield Street.
Members of the Guyana Defence Force and the Guyana Police Force stood resplendently attired in their ceremonial uniforms as the President took the salute which was once again greeted by loud cheers from those bracing the barricades and farther away.
“Let us strive to change our economy into one of greater prosperity, let us change our country to a nation of love and a nation of unity,” the President said in brief remarks as he called on all to work together to change society into one of greater equality.
As he spoke, with Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and his wife Sita and First Lady Sandra Granger seated at his side, Granger said that Guyanese are celebrating independence because of the struggles of those who came before them.
“We are assembled here to pay homage to those who agitated for decades to achieve national independence,” the president said, adding that the nation has a duty to actualize the vision of its founding fathers who fought to create a new state.
He told Guyanese that they had a duty to continue the work that was started to transform a “divided colony into a united nation”.
He asserted that independence was not the product of one person or one party but rather the product of a movement of the Caribbean and the Guyanese people and a process that took place over a long period of 50 years.
“Workers were the true pioneers of independence, it was they who rebelled against British Colonial-ism. First during the distress after the first and second World Wars in 1918 and 1945 respectively. It was during the rebellion of the 1930s that 29 workers were killed and 115 injured throughout the West Indies and British Guiana,” President Granger recalled.
Yesterday’s event, he said, was a form of homage to the workers for their sacrifice who he said were supported by the legislators. He said that it was Theophilus Lee, the first President of the British Guiana Trades Union Council who moved a motion that led to the setting up of the Waddington Commission and which in turn resulted in universal adult franchise. Granger said that the Commission’s recommendations eventually led to internal self-government and Independence.
He then controversially mentioned the disturbances of 1964 which occurred during a PPP administration. Without naming the PPP, President Granger said that the period “saw the government of the day employing every “devious device – including arson and murder – to delay elections under the proportional representation system”. These remarks will likely prove controversial as the facts of that period are hotly contested and both the PPP and the then opposition PNC had had various allegations levelled at them. The trade union movement had also been accused of fomenting strife during that period with clandestine backing from the US government and an American trade union organisation.
“Today we pay homage to the 176 persons who were killed during that awful year during the struggle for independence,” he said, noting that independence finally came in 1966 after decades of distress and distrust.
Just having raised what would be seen as a divisive recounting of 1964, President Granger went on to urge “Let us not now dwell on the pain of the past but look with faith to the future”.
“Let the sacrifice of those who struggled and died inspire us today and guide generations to come tomorrow and beyond. Independence meant change – change from colony to nation, change from subject to citizen, change from subjugation to liberation and change from discrimination to lives of dignity and equality”, he asserted. Observers say Granger’s reference to 1964 epitomises the strains that the APNU+AFC coalition will face in relating to difficult periods of the history of the country. The country’s new Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo spent many years in the PPP and would differ with Granger’s account of that period as would the present leader of the AFC and current 2nd Vice President and Minister of Home Affairs, Khemraj Ramjattan. Observers also question whether in a still tense period following the May 11th general elections and strained ties with the PPP whether it was even necessary for Granger to refer to 1964 particularly in light of his later appeal for unity and the earlier commitment by the coalition to a government of national unity.
Eight wreaths
Before his speech, eight wreaths were laid including one by the President himself which was in honour of the political leaders who fought for independence. Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Brigadier Mark Phillips, Com-missioner of Police, Seelall Persaud and President of the Guyana Trades Union Congress, Leslie Gonsalves were among the others who laid wreaths for the many other persons who would have fought in the struggle to free the country from British and Dutch colonialism.
No one from the opposition PPP/C witnessed the national event as the party on Monday evening said that it had declined the invitation for various reasons chief among them the contention that the May 11th polls were rigged and the refusal of the Guyana Elections Commission to grant their recount request. The party also cited the criminal charge against former President Bharrat Jagdeo and his later restriction by the court from leaving the country without its permission and the Mayor & City Council’s sending off on leave of the controversial acting Town Clerk, Carol Sooba as other reasons.
All the newly appointed ministers and a number of special invitees were also in attendance. Members of the Diplomatic Corps were also present.
But it was the many ordinary Guyanese, who included small children, the old and even those with walking sticks and wheelchairs, who braved the inclement weather that made the event one to be remembered.
“Look how this place looking nice…I didn’t even know it was an arch there and deh light represent the six races,” a woman said to another as they witnessed the event.
Others were overheard saying that they have never witnessed such an event and that they were happy that a unity Government was now at the helm of the country.
“We gat to unite, me daughter is 23 and she never see something like this…” another said while her friend commented that President Granger “is a history man and he know bout dem things this”.
As the President moved close to the Ministry of the Presidency with Prime Minister Nagamootoo for the final salute, the crowd erupted as they called out the last names of the two leaders. Minister of National Security, Ramjattan also attracted the same reaction as he left the event. As the members of the Disciplined Forces marched past they were also cheered and some in the crowd were heard saying “You all guh get better pay now”, even as some of the uniformed men gave the thumbs up. The APNU+AFC coalition during the election campaign had promised if installed in the government there would be better pay for members of the Disciplined Forces and public servants.
As members of the government and dignitaries departed, many in the crowd flocked to the Independence Arch to take photographs as had been happening for the past few days since the clean-up exercise started.
