As he appealed for virtues of compassion and humility among citizens, President Irfaan Ali on Saturday night recommitted his government’s support for humanitarian efforts.
The Guest Speaker at the Rotary Club of Georgetown’s World Understanding Day, Ali also announced the donation of $2.5 million to aid the programmes of the nonprofit organisation.
His One Guyana initiative, the President pointed out, is one way his government is working towards achieving a Guyana that is united in pooling efforts to ensure compassionate and humble citizens committed to the holistic sustainable development of their country for generations to come.
“In your work moving forward, I am sure that you will have an understanding of the challenges the world is facing and will continue to face. Whether it is climate change, food security, or energy security … These challenges that we are going to face require organisations like yours, to play a stronger, more robust role,” Ali said.
“But to play that role you first have to have a full understanding how [challenges] evolve …to then position yourself and help navigate the consequences. I think this is where a lot of your future work … how you will partner with the government of Guyana,” he added.
“I want to say to you that we are ready to partner with you. We are ready to work hand in hand with you in confronting these challenges, through the various policies of the Government of Guyana. We are willing to partner with you, utilising your skills, within your organisation. To partner with you in supporting your projects financially and under this note I want to say that we are going to contribute $2.5 million to the completion of the building. And we want to integrate your work with what we are doing, because we want to bring a lot of young people in on the issue of food security.”
Explaining his One Guyana initiative, the President said he wanted to make clear that it was an apolitical assignment void of religious leanings or class structure but rooted in compassion and humility and the understanding that there are unique difficulties faced by persons.
“That is a core part of One Guyana [and] the elements of understanding are captured in two words – compassion and humility. If we cannot have compassion for each other and if we cannot see the pain of another person; if we cannot see each other as equal, if we cannot position ourselves in the difficult circumstances of someone else, you can never have an understanding of their situation…,” he said.
One Guyana, he said, is founded on a goal that persons embracing it are trustworthy and must stand on moral and ethical values, where they denounce racism and embrace democracy.
Building trust and strengthening partnerships, Ali said, are needed for One Guyana to meet its true potential and persons must not be afraid to “break free of traditional barriers”.
In the end, he said, he hopes for a Guyana where its citizenry can “lift our heads and square our shoulders” with a certain level of pride when they show the world or hear of the harmonious, democratic society they have produced. “You do not need to be rich or poor to foster social harmony,” he posited.
Ali had told this newspaper that while he is leading the national One Guyana inclusivity initiative, it is in no way political and should be embraced by all those who wish to see this country develop holistically.
He said that it pains him when he hears anyone interlink politics with the social cohesion and inclusivity initiative.
“I’m building one Guyana. We are pushing for one Guyana in which all the people must benefit. Prosperity must come to every single home. If in building one Guyana, the whole country supports me, I’ll be very happy. But if in building one Guyana 10,000… persons do not support, then we have to continue to work to get those 10,000 persons to support one Guyana,” he said.
“I’m not talking about one PPP or one party. I’m talking about one Guyana; a Guyana where development meets the aspirations of all the people of our country. One Guyana is not telling you to vote for one party. One Guyana is telling you to vote for Guyana. One Guyana is telling you to do everything to support and push Guyana forward.”
Ali explained that the initiative was birthed to bridge the divide in the country where all sides would understand that they are equally valuable if this country is to progress. He said it has never been seen as a party initiative or strategy.
“As a government, we have a responsibility for all the people — those who voted for us and those who did not vote for us because we all live in one Guyana,” he reasoned.
