President Irfaan Ali wants the Guyanese diaspora to know that his government is working “assiduously” to build a Guyana that reflects the principles which defines its citizens and their diversity.
According to a release yesterday from the Office of the President, those remarks were made while addressing a diaspora reception in Washington, DC, on the sidelines of Ali’s official visit to the United States of America where he has since engaged a number of government officials and private sector representatives.
The president further told the gathering, “Know that the Guyana we want to build is the Guyana that must reflect the values that define us as a people.” He then explained that these values must not be individual values, but principles that Guyanese share collectively as part of the Guyanese identity.
“When someone says they are Guyanese they must be a symbol of the rule of law. They must be a symbol of democracy. They must be a symbol of ethnic harmony. They must be a symbol of what unity looks like. They must be a symbol of tolerance. This is how a Guyanese identity must be defined. We are born in a society that is multi-ethnic, a society that is multi-religious. God has given us this gift so that we can demonstrate to the world how you combine a multi-religious and multi-ethnic country to demonstrate what the true meaning of tolerance and unity is.”
He declared that the time has come for all Guyanese to embrace “this fundamental gift, and further explained, “When we combine the collective differences in our individual identity, we have an identity that is called Guyanese. And that is fundamentally important because that is what is going to shape our character. That is what is going to shape us as we move forward in this tremendous phase of transformation and development in our country.”
The audience was also told that the Government of Guyana has a “transformative agenda” aimed at improving the lives of all Guyanese.
The Head of State also assured the provision of “world-class services in all sectors” designed to incentivise their return to their homeland.
“There are three fundamental pillars that we have to address that would give you further incentives to return home. You want to know that you can return to a healthcare system that could take care of your family. You want to know that you can return to an education system that can give your children the best possible education, and you want to know if you can return to a system where the security of your family is not a worry, but a given.”
These changes, he explained, will not only come with the improvement of infrastructure but must also be accompanied by a change in the mindset, attitude, and behaviour of the citizens.
“This requires a lot of work but we have to do the work, we don’t have a choice. We just don’t have a choice… You see, the future requires a level of frankness and honesty in our discourse. I made it very clear that there is one way forward.”
The President emphasised that all of these will be done to build an economy that is competitive, strong, robust, resilient, and sustainable enough to compete at “every level”.
Also present at the event were Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd; Foreign Secretary, Robert Persaud; Guyana’s Ambassador to the United States, Samuel Hinds; and US Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch, the release added.
