Dear Editor,
There’s a logo recently in circulation showing the map of Guyana surrounded by its neighbouring countries and the Atlantic Ocean, with the expression ‘One Guyana’ written in the ocean and the words ‘Essequibo belongs to Guyana’ at the bottom of the logo which is set in a golden circle. Editor, I think the imagery is perfect – and so too is the timing of the presentation of this logo. Like most people, I first heard of the expression ‘One Guyana’ when President Ali launched his ‘One Guyana’ initiative. I immediately appreciated it. I saw it as the expression of exactly what our country needs at this juncture of our history – a reboot to galvanize us to grasp and become the true meaning of our national motto ‘One People One Nation One Destiny’ by encapsulating this aspiration in an easy two-syllable expression. I later realised that not all my countrymen and countrywomen viewed it that simply and straightforward.
I recently uncovered an article published circa 2006 by Global Security.org entitled “Guyana – Political Parties – 2006”. This article opens by stating “Nomination Day went off with hardly a hitch 26 July 2006. Eleven parties appeared at Georgetown’s City Hall to present their candidate lists….” The first of those parties was named as the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) with presidential candidate Bharrat Jagdeo. The second party on that list was named the One Guyana People’s National Congress Reform (OG/PNCR) with presidential candidate Robert Corbin. The article went on to observe: “The ungainly OG/PNCR acronym made its first appearance on Nomination Day…. The ‘One Guyana’ part of the platform includes the small National Front Alliance party, unnamed unions, and unnamed civic organizations”. Editor, it is small wonder then that traditional PNC supporters know not that the expression ‘One Guyana’ is in fact of PNC origin.
I must assume that President Ali was fully aware of that fact – and adopted the expression not to revive OG/PNCR but because the expression embodies exactly what is needed for Guyana today; oneness and patriotism as foreign faces from different places take an avid interest in getting a piece of the action happening in the oil-rich Co-operative Republic of Guyana. In the face of Venezuela’s most recent aggressive statements supported currently by its military movements on the border, all of Guyana’s political parties have banded together to reject Venezuela’s threats and present one united face to the international community upon whose support we depend, given the huge population and military disparity between the two countries. This is ‘One Guyana’ operating in practice out of bare necessity – but shouldn’t we be ‘One Guyana’ anyway on any day and in every way?
Sincerely,
Ronald Bostwick