MORE than 300 US-based Guyanese from around the state of Florida gathered Saturday for the 50th Golden Jubilee gala, and were invited to be part of Guyana’s renaissance, which has occasioned the cleaning up of the environment, as well as greater emphasis on education and training.

The invitation came from Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, who was the guest of honour and keynote speaker at the gala, which was hosted by the Guyana Association of South Florida, in conjunction with the Guyana Sports Development Association, and Ms. Joy Agness of Joy Agness events.

According to a release, Minister Harmon said that since independence, Guyana had made strides and mistakes, but the spirit of nationhood lived on.

“Today, our Coalition is led by a man of impeccable character. His Excellency David Arthur Granger, our president, is a man of God, a man of decency, morality, integrity, a family man, married for 46 years; an outstanding example of the moral and upright leadership that is desirable for the establishment of a decent society and a prosperous nation,” the Minister said.

The release noted that Minister Harmon pointed out that under the leadership of President Granger, there is now renewed interest in national life amongst Guyanese at home and abroad, as evidenced by their commitment to assisting with the development of Guyana.

“Guyana is poised for take-off, and our government is committed to a one-nation approach to development; to national unity and social cohesion, and the value we derive from keeping pristine our forest reducing inequalities, removing obstacles to education, opening opportunities to all our citizens and uniting our coastland and hinterland,” the release quoted Harmon as saying.

He further noted, “On the economic front, the discovery of massive deposits of oil and gas in the economic zone off our coastland has added significantly to the natural resource inventory of our country. This, together with our agricultural potential, and the value we derive from keeping pristine our forest, provide the basis for inviting and attracting investments for real growth and development.”

According to the release, Harmon said that the government is committed to modernising the country’s infrastructure. In this regard, he invited Guyanese in the diaspora to participate in the historic 50th independence celebrations at home later this month and to consider contributing more directly to the nation’s immediate and long term development efforts.

I therefore wish to take this opportunity to invite you all to be part of Guyana’s immediate and long term endeavors. You in the diaspora represent a significant portion of our human resource base. You include some of our brightest, most talented and best trained people. You possess an enlightened work ethic from being in a developed country and constitute a vital reservoir of resources and talents needed at home to confront the challenges of development and social re-construction.”