PM Hinds, two Presidential Candidates share platform
PRIME Minister Samuel Hinds has assured that Central Government will continue to respond to the needs and concerns of Linden and Region 10 (Upper Demerara/Upper Berbice) “no less or no more” than it does to  the needs of other communities across Guyana. He gave that assurance on Sunday while addressing the large gathering at the Linden/Georgetown Minibus Park for the official opening of Linden Town Week activities to mark the town’s 41st anniversary.

Linden Interim Management Committee (IMC) Chairman Mr. Orrin Gordon had, earlier, declared open the week-long anniversary celebrations and remarks were made by other prominent persons, including Presidential Candidates of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Mr. David Granger and Alliance For Change, Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan; Regional Chairman, Mr. Mortimer Mingo and Chairman of Linden Fund U.S.A., Dr. Vincent Adams.
Mr. Hinds said: “I bring you greetings from our Central Government as, all across the world, people, from time to time, look to their past and they look to their future because things are never the same. Things are always changing.”
The Prime Minister said, many years ago, in the 1960s, when he worked at the Alumina Plant, which seemed to have many revolutionary persons, they thought that mankind is always exploring, experimenting, inventing new things and, because of that, things are always changing.
“So it is good that Linden should hold this Town Week annually and your theme ‘Revisiting Our Heritage as we redefine The Future’ is very relevant, he remarked.
He said it is his hope that what people have learnt in bauxite, they can put into other areas.
“And that is why I hope that, at Central Government, the skills, the organisation that people in Linden learnt in the heydays of bauxite, when our bauxite products were competitive, were the most competitive in the world, that those same skills, that same ability to organise would take us into the future,” the Prime Minister said..

CONTINUING UNCERTAINTY
He added: “I want to assure you, again in this period of continuing uncertainty, that at Central Government, we pay as much attention to the concerns of the people of Linden and Region 10, as to any other area in Guyana. And we seek to bring the general improvement that one expects of Central Government to Linden and Region 10, the same as in other areas.”
Adams, speaking on behalf of all the residents and Guyanese in the Diaspora, congratulated the local leadership of Mr. Mingo, Mr. Orrin Gordon and Ms. Dawn Caynes for a job well done in putting together a great and delightful week of celebrations.
He also extended congratulations to Presidential Candidates Donald Ramotar, David Granger and Khemraj Ramjattan – with the latter two present at the function.
Adams compared the state of the country after Independence in 1966 to today and said no one should be tempted to blame anyone for the high unemployment, inefficient education and the worst economic downturn.
“The Diaspora and I think every living Guyanese and even Guyanese in their graves are calling upon your deepest human instincts to demonstrate your leadership of this great country, to ensure that there will be no race baiting. That those around you, who perpetrate it, would be held accountable and this election will be carried out fairly and peacefully and be judged only by the merit of your presentation to the voting public and your vision for this country’s prosperity,” he told the candidates.
Mingo looked at the positives in the town over the past year and noted that it achieved commendable successes, such as the senior and junior calypso monarch titles for 2011 through the artistic excellence of Lester Charles ‘De Professor’ and Lindener Diana Chapman, respectively, with the latter also placing second in the senior category.
“Many others deserved accolades including in sports with the success of our female power lifter and record holder, Ms. Dawn Barker and, in education, Ms. Roslyn Henry being adjudged the Best Teacher in Guyana. All of these deserved successes demonstrate the fact that the people we possess continue to ensure that our people in our region continue to excel and exceed all expectations,” the Regional Chairman said.
He said it is some of those talents and others that result in the week- long showcase of productive performances and social presentations.
Granger declared that Linden, today, is at the crossroads. “Geographically, you are at the crossroads because Linden is the gateway to the continent. And our relations with Brazil and the southern states of South America will mean that Linden will become the hub of economic development,” he explained.
Granger observed that Linden is the gateway, too, to the new mining industries, particularly those in the Potaro/Siparuni Region and those in the Rupununi, the petroleum, the gold and diamond industries.
“So Linden is the gateway of hope. Linden is the gateway to the future. And you, the citizens of Linden, must make sure that you reap the benefits of that mineral exploration and our contact with South America. That is why this gathering tonight and Linden Town Week is so important. That is why so many members from the Diaspora have engaged in a pilgrimage to come back to the town of their birth at this time of the year to celebrate with you the Linden Week.

NOT SUFFICIENT
“I congratulate the Diaspora for supporting Linden, in and out of season. But the support of the Diaspora and the celebration of Linden Town Week although they are necessary for your solidarity, they are not sufficient. There must be more and we promise to reform the education system so that there are fewer dropouts and more qualified scientists and more Guyanese young people, who can take their place in the world of work. We want to ensure that all the development that is going to take place in Guyana in the years to come means more jobs for Linden and the Lindeners,” Granger said.
For the AFC, Ramjattan proclaimed that Lindeners are, indeed, “a resilient community of Guyanese.
“This effort to continue and maintain the Linden Town Week of celebrations in this grand manner is simply magnificent. Whereas other towns would have despaired and gone hopeless, you have found hope to proudly carry on,” he stated.
“Congratulations to you and full compliments to the organisers. This one finest and flourishing of mining communities must continue to remain strong, must continue to weather the storm, because Linden and her citizens are only months away from a recommencement and resurgence to viability and prosperity, as a result of the change that is coming. Like all Guyana, Lindeners, too, must believe that change is just around the corner.
“Of course, what tomorrow will be depends on the choices we make today. And so it is true that what our country will be next year, will depend on the choices we make this year,” Ramjattan pointed out.
Ms. Valerie Sharpe, Coordinator of the Linden Enterprise Network (LEN) which replaced the seven-year long Linden Economic Advancement Programme (LEAP) after  December 2009, said the successor entity is still struggling to take off.
“Much of the work we have to do we cannot accomplish until the Board of Directors is established. Yes we are operating the incubators but we have the potential to make a significant contribution to this town’s development if given a chance. LEN has the potential to exceed the performance of LEAP, for many lessons would have been learnt from the past during our operation and this can enhance the performance of LEN,” she said.
President of the Linden Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Mr. Marvin Burns, also offered congratulations to the town on behalf of the business community while Town Clerk Patrick Inniss delivered the welcome.
The programme for the opening ceremony included dances, songs and dramatic poetry among other presentations. (Joe Chapman)