Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha on Sunday praised the rich legacy left by the founders of Queenstown on the Essequibo Coast, in Region Two, as the village celebrated its 181st anniversary. .
Mustapha, according to a Ministry of Agriculture press release, was at the time speaking at a memorial and thanksgiving ceremony to mark the occasion.
“I wish to commend the members of the Queens-town Development Association for holding the Inter-Religious Memorial Thanksgiving service to honour the 181st anniversary of the founding of the village of Queenstown. Such events are important in helping to keep alive the memory, hard work, and sacrifices of those who committed their efforts to the founding of this village. The fact that we can have this memorial thanksgiving service today – 181 years after, speaks to the value of their efforts and the rich legacy they left us. We must also commend the descendants, the successive committees, and villages for keeping that legacy alive. It speaks to the importance of continuity and to the need for enlightenment for generations over time,” said the minister, who was representing President Irfaan Ali.
The release said Mustapha also cautioned villagers against falling prey to political gimmicks aimed at stoking division and racism.
“We must beware of actions that are aimed at dividing us as a people and as a nation. We must dismiss those who set out to fan the flames of racism. We’ve seen what those actions have caused in other countries. Entire villages and tribes were slaughtered because of those actions. We must emulate the attitudes and actions of our fore parents who worked to ensure these villages were developed to benefit and uplift our people,” he was quoted as saying.
According to the release, Mustapha also used the opportunity to remind villagers of the many interventions implemented by the government over the last two years. He added that several initiatives will soon come on stream following commitments made by Ali and Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo during their ministerial outreaches in the region earlier this year.
“Our government remains committed to working with every community and every Guyanese to build a ‘One Guyana.’ The Chairman in his address had some questions so I want to respond and let you know where we are with some of the commitments made not so long ago. You raised the issue about the regulators. The bids have since been advertised and we will soon be awarded so that Queenstown can have three new regulators. The Chairman also mentioned a trench that needs to be cleaned. I will ask the NDIA to work on having that trench and any other trench that is blocked cleaned. We will also give the maintenance contract to the village so that the beneficiaries can do those works. The Ministry of Agriculture is committed to working with every villager to develop the agriculture. As a government, when we make commitments and promises, we deliver on them because we know the impact these initiatives will have on the lives of our citizens,” he said.
Mustapha also participated in a wreath-laying exercise at a monument that was constructed 100 years after the village was granted village status.
The release said villagers were set to participate in a number of activities during the week as part of the anniversary observances.
It further noted that Queenstown’s first village council was established in 1847 after villagers applied for and were granted village status.
