THIS Emancipation Day reaches us at what may well be another turning point on Guyana’s road of freedom.The Guyanese people, including the descendants of African slaves with others, unexpectedly experienced more than a generation of the opposite of what human freedom was intended.

It is an opportune time for all the ethnic groups, including our mixed and African-based citizens, to see this Emancipation Celebration as an opportunity to vindicate the struggles, dignities and sufferings of the ancestors.

With new conditions in Guyana and a Leader committed to making education the linchpin for national development, we look forward to the dreams and aspirations of those freed one hundred and seventy seven (177) years ago, that we can now fully realise those dreams; and the people of Guyana, at home and in the diaspora, can now exhale and no longer see themselves being suffocated by injustice, corruption, criminality and greed.

Insofar as the City is concerned, we recall that our main canals and waterways inside and outside the City were dug by the slaves with their bare hands. Picture those deep and wide canals dug and shaped, and the mud moved to long distances when there were no excavators, bulldozers, hymacs or trucks.

We hail and pay homage to our noble ancestors, and I pray that our Creator will grant us the wisdom and fortitude to support a caring Government, so that we bequeath to our descendants a country that is truly free, united and prosperous; a country identified for decency, moral structure and peace.

THANK YOU
MAYOR HAMILTON GREEN