— Region 5 looks to settle on regional flag, vision statement

A MOTION for the adoption of a regional flag for Region Five is one of two motions that will be debated by the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) at the next statutory meeting scheduled for March 15.

The other motion is for the adoption of a vision statement for the council for the next three years.
The motions were laid by APNU Councillor, Dolston Hutson and seconded by AFC Councillor Abel Seetaram during the last RDC meeting.
The meeting was the second monthly meeting for the year, both of which have been successfully held without rancor among the councillors.

However, Regional Chairman Vickchand Ramphal was notably absent.
His deputy, Rion Peters, who chaired the statutory meeting in his absence, informed the Council that Ramphal had been unable to attend the meeting because he was unwell.
The motion for the adoption of a regional flag is in keeping with a charge by President David Granger that each region should seek to assert its regional identity.
The President had urged the adoption of flags and emblems which embody the unique resources, economic activities and sources of pride of each Region.

The current administration had said that having regional emblems is long overdue, since real democracies already have such symbols of ownership and pride.
It noted that each state in the United States has a flag. “In fact, individual counties and towns, within many states, also have flags. Does this mean that Americans do not adore the stars and stripes? Of course not,” a recent statement said.

Guyanese, the statement asserted, are well aware that Americans love their flag and they are often moved to tears when their Star Spangled Banner is hoisted.
“Each Province in Canada has a flag. Are Canadians less proud of their National Flag, The Maple Leaf? Closer to home, many cities and even towns in Caribbean territories such as Trinidad and Tobago proudly display their own flags.

“It is time for Guyana to become truly democratic; to be sincerely proud of each part of our beautiful land even though unfortunately, the PPP is stuck in its communist and backward past.”

The PPP knows that North Korea has no regional flags and China has actually banned such flags and emblems. Guyanese are aware that neither China nor North Korea is a multi-party democracy, the statement said.

In line with the administration’s strategic vision for the administrative regions, President Granger had also called on each Regional Democratic Council to craft a Plan of Action for Regional Development (PARD) and the motion for a three-year vision for Region Five is a follow through of the President’s sentiment.