President Irfaan Ali on Saturday voiced his support for reparations.
“Guyana will continue to support the efforts being made within the Caribbean Community to press for the convening of an international summit to demand reparative justice for the victims of the transatlantic slave trade, African enslavement, and its enduring effects,” Ali proclaimed in his Emancipation Day message.
He reflected that the abolition of slavery was a defining moment in the country’s history and that Emancipation day itself recalls the heroic courage and sacrifices of Guyana’s African ancestors in their epic struggle for freedom and human dignity.
“Today, and every Emancipation Day, we salute the indomitable will of those who rebelled against the indignities of slavery. Freedom, however, was not accompanied by recompense for the atrocities committed against those enslaved [so] Emancipation Day remains a constant reminder of the debt that is still owed to Africans and their descendants,” Ali stated before re-committing Guyana to the goal of gaining international reparations for the crime of African enslavement.
“Reparative justice must include a full and unconditional apology from those responsible and/or who benefitted from the transatlantic trade in captive Africans and their consequent enslavement,” Ali said, while assuring Afro-Guyanese that they will benefit equally from national development.
“An essential part of my Government is inclusion. As Guyanese, we should be defined by our nationality and by our common love for our country. The establishment of the ‘One Guyana Commission” will give life to our vision of oneness,” he said.
According to Ali, Guyana should on the occasion of Emancipation seize the opportunity to acknowledge, to value, and to celebrate the tremendous achievements and contributions to national development of Afro-Guyanese.
