Hailing the return of democracy on October 5th, 1992, President Irfaan Ali yesterday thanked the many young people who fought to uphold free and fair elections this year.
In a statement Ali said: “On this the 28th anniversary milestone, Guyana recalls the epic struggle waged for the restoration of the right of our people to freely elect a government of their choice. Today, we pay tribute to all those, inside and outside of Guyana, who contributed to the eventual triumph of democracy. We remember especially those brave individuals who lost their lives in this struggle, including Jagan Ramesar, Bhola Nauth Parmanand, Father Bernard Darke and Dr. Walter Rodney”.
He said that the restoration of democracy on October 5th 1992 ushered in the dawn of a new era.
“No longer were we a pariah state, and no longer would dictatorship oppress our people and stifle economic development. It unlocked the latent potential of our people and propelled economic growth and development. Guy-ana’s economic, political and social progress over the past twenty-eight years would not have been possible without democracy”, the President asserted.
He said that his government remains committed to upholding and protecting democracy.
“We intend to fashion a more inclusive system of governance and, especially, to fortify our democratic institutions so that never again will our people’s freedom be subject to the threat of being hijacked”, he declared.
He thanked all those Guyanese, among them, many young people who stood up and allowed themselves to be counted when their country needed them, in defence of democracy in 2020.
It took five months for the election results to be declared amid clear attempts to rig the elections in favour of the former governing coalition, APNU+AFC.
“Today, as we reflect on the legacy and life and contribution of Dr. (Cheddi) Jagan, Janet Jagan and other leaders in our society; for the People’s Progressive Party we can say that their legacy, … was again celebrated when Guyanese in 2020, continued in a vein that ensured democracy lived on”, Ali stated.
