…PM says Guyana must never become a “hot spot” for religious bigotry, terrorism

With many countries across the world ravished by civil war brought on by cultural differences, Guyana is a beacon to the rest of the world.

This was emphasised by Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo and Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr. George Norton as they delivered remarks at a ceremony held on Monday at the National Cultural Centre to celebrate National Social Cohesion Day.

Among the events cultural display was a moving performance by the National Drama Company of a skit entitled “Appreciation for Religion” which ended in resounding applause for its promotion of how the different religions in Guyana all contribute to our national identity.

“Not every nation is gifted with a social cohesion platform like what we have in Guyana. Look around everywhere in the world there are social disturbances and disruptions. There are civil wars in Syria and Libya; conflict in the Middle East, look at Palestine and Israel; dislocation of people based on their ethnicity in Myanmar; religious extremism and acts of terrorism as we’ve recently seen in Sri Lanka, Nigeria, and in Yemen, just to mention a few so-called hot spots in the world. We must vow that Guyana must never become a hot spot,” Nagamootoo remarked, speaking to an audience that included many school students and a number of diplomats.

Those in attendance included First Lady, Sandra Granger, British High Commissioner to Guyana, Greg Quinn and UNDP Representative Mikiko Tanaka, and Deputy Mayor of Georgetown, Alfred Mentore.

First held in 2017, National Social Cohesion Day is celebrated annually by the Ministry of the Presidency’s Department of Social Cohesion to celebrate and further promote unity among all Guyanese and an appreciation for our diversity. “We are observing national social cohesion day because Guyanese have shown a willingness to accept each other’s beliefs, and differences,” Nagamootoo noted. “As Guyanese we have a natural respect for who we are, we are one people. This respect comes from our shared collective duty imposed on all of us by our supreme law. Indeed appreciating our diversities is the stepping stone towards forging unity and building a better Guyana.”

He told the gathering that, recently, when Guyana observed Arrival Day on May 5, “we were reminded about our diversity. We were reminded about the arrival in this land of Africans, Portuguese, Indians and Chinese. They intermingled with the Amerindians, our indigenous peoples who were here centuries before, to form one, common Guyanese nation, as we know it today. “

The Prime Minister said Government has recognised this diversity. “We honour each and every one of our ethnic groupings. We celebrate Emancipation Day on August 1, in recognition of our African brothers and sisters and their ancestors. We observe Chinese Arrival Day on January 13; Portuguese Arrival Day on May 3; Indian Arrival Day on May 5, which coincides with National Arrival Day; and we observe September – an entire month – as Indigenous Heritage Month.

“It is my view that a nation that respects its diversity, reinforces the integrity of its composition, and strengthens the bonds that bind its different peoples together. “ Nagamootoo said during the observance of Indian Arrival Day on May 5, 2017 – two years ago – President David Granger told the gathering at Highbury on the East Bank of Berbice, where the first batch of East Indians had landed in 1838: “Diversity is a precious asset”.
He said it was on the foundation of our diversity that a society was formed. “It was not easy, over time, to bring people closer to each other. The different races were set up by the colonial planters against each other, and they competed against each other as units of cheap labour. They were suspicious of each other, and had cultivated social distrust of each other.” “As the President noted then, social cohesion had to be built gradually and deliberately, family by family, community by community. The observance of National Arrival Day therefore is a remarkable achievement, a national trophy for the painstaking work of building social cohesion,” the Prime Minister noted.

He said as Guyanese “we have sworn to obey the laws of Guyana. Our laws bind us to respect each other as equals; not to discriminate against another; not to be intolerant of each other’s belief or customs. Our social cohesion is reflected in our common love of our country. Earlier, we recited the National Pledge. It commands us to be loyal to our country, to love our fellow citizens.”

The prime minister alluded to Article 7 of Guyana Constitution which states that “it is the duty of every citizen of Guyana wherever he or she may be and of every person in Guyana to respect the national flag, the coat of arms, the national anthem, the national pledge and the Constitution of Guyana”.

“We are bound together by the sentiments, the emotional lyrics of our National Anthem. Our National Anthem sings out about our common heritage in a dear, green and great land. Our Guyana is revered and literally worshipped as our Great Mother.”

The event’s programme opened with inter-faith prayers performed by a number of school students. In addition to Guyana’s three main religions there were also prayers on behalf of the Bahai, Rastafarian and Indigenous communities. Guyanese Ingrid Devair was honoured with A Social Cohesion Award, while there was also a choral presentation by the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) Choir, and a dance by the National School of Dance.

Norton, during his address, raised nostalgia as he reminded of how well-knitted communities were in the past. “We’ve heard of stories of day when neighbors lived like brothers and sisters and the community felt like a large home. Everyone was their brother’s keepers. Unfortunately, as years went by, tightly-knitted communities disintegrated and persons cited diversity as a thing for separation rather than unity. Through programs and participation undertaken by this Department we are hoping to return Guyana to those days,” Norton noted. “Even though decades have passed, that spirit of social cohesion is still alive in our hearts. We all possess the desire to experience the glorious good old days that our grandparents bragged about. That life is now seen as essential to the sustenance of humanity. So much so that the promotion of inclusive societies is being addressed on a global level.”