Architect of modern Guyana
PRESIDENT Bharrat Jagdeo was yesterday honoured by the Muslim Community in Guyana, through the Executive and members of the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG), as a distinguished Guyanese man, an outstanding Guyanese leader, and a true Guyanese hero. The following is the full citation presented to President Jagdeo yesterday at a function at the National Cultural Centre in Georgetown:
To His Excellency President Bharrat Jagdeo,

Distinguished Guyanese Man, Outstanding Guyanese Leader, Celebrated Guyanese Hero

Later this year, Bharrat Jagdeo will demit the Presidency of Guyana. He will do so with a record that marks him as a man of superlative achievements in all that he has done. He was one of Guyana’s youngest Ministers ever. He was Guyana’s youngest President ever. He is the only Guyanese President to have won re-election twice. When he demits office, he will do so as Guyana’s longest serving President. And, his track record sets him easily apart as Guyana’s most accomplished President both in terms of his domestic activities and his presence on the international stage.

As a young person, Bharrat Jagdeo has set a standard of personal achievement that will be difficult to match for generations to come. While those who knew him personally would undoubtedly have recognised his talent and ability, the fact that he was spotted and considered worthy by that titan of Caribbean politicians, Dr. Cheddi Jagan, when he was still only 29 years old and appointed a Minister within Dr. Jagan’s Cabinet, speaks volumes of the young Bharrat Jagdeo. But little could have prepared Guyana or the world for the Bharrat Jagdeo that was still to come. At the age of 35 years, Bharrat Jagdeo assumed the Presidency of Guyana. He has since won two elections with resounding victories, and has served his country with distinction.

Bharrat Jagdeo’s 12 years of service in the office of President have seen Guyana’s legislative and institutional landscapes transformed. He leaves the Presidency having signed into law a new Constitution for our country. The far-reaching 2001 amendments have made Guyana’s Constitution the most advanced in the Western Hemisphere, establishing a system of standing Parliamentary Sectoral Committees to provide oversight and ensure accountability in Government, establishing a system of independent Rights Commissions to promote and enhance fundamental rights and the rule of law, and introducing term limits on the Presidency.

Our country now has a revamped judiciary, including by our accession to the Caribbean Court of Justice as our final Court, the establishment of a new commercial court which is already in operation, the establishment of a family court which is soon to be brought into operation, enactment of legislation imposing time limits for judicial decisions to be delivered, enactment of legislation providing for judicial review, and the promulgation of rules to guide the Judicial Service Commission in its deliberations. Our country now has modern legislation governing the financial sector, ensuring robust supervisory and regulatory systems, and securing the strength and stability of our financial system. We have modern legislation addressing issues of interest to women and children, and providing important protections to the most vulnerable.

The physical and social infrastructure of our country has been visibly expanded and revamped during His Excellency’s tenure. Today, we have new roads and bridges, airports and airstrips, hospitals and schools, dormitories and hostels, where they did not exist before. Some of the flagship projects completed during his term of office include the Berbice River Bridge, the Berbice Campus of the University of Guyana, the CARICOM Headquarters Building, the Guyana International Convention Centre, the National Stadium at Providence, the Linden Hospital, the Takutu River Bridge, to name just a few. But, he has also laid the foundation for other even bigger projects to come, with the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project expected to commence construction this year, along with the 4-lane road to Timehri, while new housing areas like Diamond/Grove and Parfaite/Harmonie also bear testimony to his service to the people of our country.

President Jagdeo’s service, has, however, not been confined to the domestic arena. He has been called upon to share his intellectual leadership by many of the important councils of the world. He has served on the Commonwealth Secretary General’s Working Group of Heads of Government on Reform of the International Financial Institutions. He has also served on the United Nations Secretary General’s Working Group on Climate Finance. He has chaired CARICOM, the Rio Group, the Governing Boards of the World Bank and the IMF, and he now chairs UNASUR.

President Jagdeo has also been recognised worldwide for his achievements and leadership. He has received two honorary doctorates, one from his alma mater the People’s Friendship University of Russia, and the other from the Padmashree Dr. D. Y. Patil University of India. He has been awarded the Pushkin Medal by Russia and the Pravasi Bharatiya Sanman Award by India. He has been named a Hero of the Environment by Time Magazine, and a Champion of the Earth by the United Nations Environment Programme.

Most of all, Bharrat Jagdeo has brought to his office the virtues of simplicity, humility, and integrity. His personal energy, his capacity for hard work, and his ability to communicate with the ordinary man have endeared him immeasurably and lastingly to the People of Guyana.

In this, the last year of his service as President of Guyana, we the Executives and Members of the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana are pleased to welcome, honour and acclaim His Excellency President Bharrat Jagdeo, a distinguished Guyanese man, an outstanding Guyanese leader, and a true Guyanese hero.