Foreign Affairs Minister Dr. Karen Cummings has urged Guyanese in the diaspora to exercise greater vigilance as she says Guyana’s “progress and prospects” has given rise to envy and skepticism by both local and international actors.
Addressing a sizeable crowd of, Minister Cummings said the oil boom about to flood Guyana is causing many internal and external forces to become “envious and skeptical of the country’s progress and prospects.”
“When you see local and international actors behaving in a particular way, you must understand what is inspiring them,” Cummings was quoted as saying by the Department of Public Information (DPI) at a meeting with overseas-based Guyanese on the sidelines of the 74th Session the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York Thursday evening.
“In return, as never before we must be strong in our defence of Guyana. Be informed. Avoid fake news. Be vigilant, be involved. We must be patriots as never before. Don’t give way to skepticism, or tribalism, but rise above these challenges that would detract from the journey of destiny on which we embark,” she added.
The meeting took place at the Medgar Evers College, in Brooklyn.
According to the DPI report, Cummings noted that transformation has taken been sweeping across Guyana since the APNU+AFC coalition took office and she added that it will be significantly accelerated as the nation benefits from the lucrative rewards of the emerging oil and gas sector.
The report note that the minister said Guyana is on the rise, and for the nation to achieve its full potential, it must have leadership that is accountable, fair, transparent and responsible.
“With great prosperity comes great responsibility. It is imperative that astute political leadership firmly rooted in integrity, the rule of law, good governance and accountability prevails,” she said.
The report added that she urged those in the diaspora to “continue your strong and unwavering support of the APNU+AFC coalition and let prosperity, development, unity and harmony continue.”
Cummings reminded that the coalition stands ready to contest the next general and regional elections after a “clean list” is established. The Guyanese people, she said, will be the judge after all that has taken place over the last four years under the leadership of President David Granger.
According to the report, Cummings also emphasised the important role of those in the diaspora. “As Guyanese living here in the US, many of you have a great interest in what is taking place in Guyana. I recognised that all of you want to see Guyana live up to its potential so that your relatives back home can enjoy the good life,” she noted.
“We will continue to focus on ways to strategically engage the Guyanese diaspora, to leverage development finance through remittances, foreign direct investments, and even philanthropy,” she also said.
The minister, according to the report, also addressed a host of concerns raised by members of the diaspora, including voter registration, cash transfers from the oil-wealth fund, and the Guyana/Venezuela border controversy.
