…says President Bharrat Jagdeo
“GUYANA is a beautiful country; its diversity is our strength”.
Those were the words of President Bharrat Jagdeo last evening, as he noted that the Indian culture belongs to all of Guyana.
He was addressing scores of Guyanese from all walks of life at the Indian Arrival Committee (IAC) 2010 grand cultural Mela, at the National Park in Georgetown, to celebrate the 172nd anniversary of Indian arrival in Guyana.
The Head of State congratulated the IAC for once again organising the event which “brings together people of Guyana, people of all races, to celebrate the Indian contribution to what is essentially the Guyanese culture – our culture”.
“We are very proud of our ancestors who came here under very difficult circumstances, who, through their hard work, helped to pioneer changes in this country, and assisted with its development working side by side with the other races that comprise this country,” he asserted.
He said, “We must all be proud of them and from where we came”.
“I am very pleased that many of the awardees ( from the IAC for outstanding contribution to Guyana’s development) chose not to listen to the silliness that goes on and passes off for analysis in many of our newspapers.”
One medium said how the receipt of this award or the celebration of the Indian culture demeans the rest of Guyana –“ it does not,” he rebutted.
He said they recognise that this is a multicultural and multi ethnic country, and that all of its people have contributed equally to its development.
“And the Indian culture that was brought by our ancestors today doesn’t belong only to Indian people, it belongs to all of Guyana and all races,” the Head of State stressed.
He said similarly, Guyanese should encourage the celebration of the African heritage and Amerindian heritage “because they are essentially part of who we are.”
“We were born in this land with that history, and we have to embrace its total history, not a part of it; because if we do that, we will be bigoted like some of these people who seem to, by speaking of these awards, cause division among our ranks,” he said.
“Time and time again I have come here and spoken about the changing world. A world that needs greater tolerance and respect for diversity, a world that understands different civilisations and how people from different cultures can work across the cultures, across religion, across ethnic differences, to move and to create a better life here on earth,” he reminded.
He said that is the kind of world that is needed, observing that the countries and the peoples who were successful in this world are people who understand multiculturalism.
“We live multiculturalism here every day in Guyana. Our neighbours, our friends, our colleagues at work, the culture that we celebrate, is so varied, it comes from so many different parts of the world, that we are enriched without knowing it,” he stated.
“So I say, kudos to the IAC for celebrating the Indian aspect of our culture; but the Indian culture as I said before, belongs to the entire country and in promoting it and causing it to flourish, we are developing our entire culture,” he reiterated.
“So this is why I could never ever accept what some people are trying to do, that is to create ethnic and cultural divisions in our society,” President Jagdeo emphasised.
He noted that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic believes that this country will reach its maximum potential “only if we include everyone and if everyone feels a part of it, and this has permeated our practices within the government.”
He recognised that the Indian culture is as important a part of the Guyanese culture as any other culture and “we must respect it and promote it, and ensure that our children understand it so that they can continue to enrich it.”
“ I ask you not to complain too often when we face difficulties, because we do face difficulties in life every single day, but just imagine the kinds of difficulties that our ancestors faced.”
“Our ancestors endured all of that; they persevered because they were strong in spirit and they were strong as a collective, and today, we are the beneficiaries of that, so let us use that strength to move our country forward,” he called.
“This country belongs to a large number of beautiful people, all of them having equal rights, no one is inferior and no one is superior – we are all equal in this land,” he exhorted.
The IAC as customary, honoured the following persons in recognition of their contributions made to the development of Guyana in various fields: Shivnarine Chanderpaul, for his outstanding contribution in the field of sports (cricket) for both Guyana and the West Indies; Leila Ramson, for her outstanding contribution in the field of education; and Badrudin Hassan, known as “Buddy Hassan” for his outstanding contribution of his religion.
Addresses was also made by General Secretary of the PPP, Mr. Donald Ramotar; and Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Mr. Subit Kumar Mandal.
The gala event kicked off with  tassa drumming and various dance groups performing on the tarmac, and prayers by representatives of the three main religions in Guyana.