A purely altruistic event
-funded by the people of Guyana; not the State
THE APPRECIATION Day activity for President Bharrat Jagdeo to be held at the Guyana National Stadium on Friday will see the biggest crowd ever in this country say organizers, who stress that it is not a political event, and that neither will State resources be used to finance it.

“No State resource is used for this event; none of it,” said Irfaan Ali, Minister of Housing and Water, who spoke in his capacity as a citizen at a press conference at Roraima Residence Inn’s Bel Air Park offices yesterday.

He also rejected the idea that because the Police and Army are taking part in the activities meant that State resources were being used to fund the event.

“This is not the first time the Army and Police will be participating in a non-military or non-Police Force activity. They participate in Church activities, trade union activities, in civil society and private sector activities,” Ali said.

Noting that a new way of thinking is being put forward by the ordinary working-class people and people all across Guyana. Ali said Friday’s event will be testimony to that.

Further, he said that all of the talent to perform at the event will be voluntary. “People, from their heart, want to bring out thanks and convey their appreciation for the leadership of His Excellency,” he said, adding: “Although it is a very costly activity, it is voluntary in nature.”

And according to Bishop Juan Edghill: “People are pooling their money to pay for gasoline for canters, trucks and the rest of it to be able to come. I think Guyana has grown and matured to the point where people don’t have to wait for charity for them to participate.
“There is an energy and synergy developed around this appreciation that is quite healthy. Some of the persons who have contacted me as one of the organizers of this activity are not people who have voted for Bharrat Jagdeo for President.”

The Bishop said too that the request to have the Army and the Police present came from the organizing committee and not from any Government official.

“We wrote the Army and the Police to indicate to them about this activity, and for them to consider how they would like to be involved. No one is under an obligation, and no one is being pressured to be involved. This is the way the Police and Army sought to show appreciation to their Commander-in-Chief,” Bishop Edghill said.

Speaking to the gathering of media persons, President of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG), Carvil Duncan said he needs to debunk the thought that the appreciation to the President is a political one.
“This appreciation for the President got its origins out of a meeting of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG), the workers of this country. We had concluded that in the past, we always honour our citizens and our heroes when they are dead. Hence we decided that on this occasion, we would change the landscape of that thinking, and we will honour that person when they are alive and still active,” he said.

He said that having discussed the idea, “we [the Union] decided that we will get on board with the private sector and other citizens, including the religious community, so that we could make this fanfare, as some people call it, to be appreciated and remembered.”

He said that at the same time, they are setting the stage for future generations “so that they will follow suit what we are starting today. It has never been done in this country and we are the first to think about it.”

“In my discourse with workers throughout the length and breadth of this country,” Duncan said, “they have all said too me that they are happy that we can do something of this nature for His Excellency who has done so much for this country and for the labour movement.”

According to Bishop Edghill, there was an overwhelming response to the idea to host the Day of Appreciation for the President. “It has now taken on gigantic proportions. There are hundreds of people who are involved from all regions, all religions and all cultural organizations across the landscape.”

Kerwin Bollers of Hits and Jams said when his organization was approached to be a part of the event, they thought it was a wonderful idea. He recalled that some years ago, the President had held a symposium to which all the local entertainers were invited. He said that the President fulfilled all of the commitments that he’d made at that symposium and for this Hits and Jams was appreciative.

“We plan a celebarathon [on Thursday night] that will be reflective of some of the great things that the President would have contributed to, not only in entertainment but in other areas. I want to go on record to say thanks to the President and the Government of Guyana for all the support you have given,” he said.

Hits and Jams will also be lending their support by providing sound and lighting for the event, and also taking part in the cultural presentations, Bollers said.

“We encourage everyone to come out and be a part of this, and let us celebrate the contribution of the President,” Bollers said.

Bishop Edghill said a feed will be provided to other ‘friendly’ television stations desirous of relaying the broadcast of the event on Friday.

And, reiterating that the request to host the event came from the people, Minister Ali said: “It was not an event that was led by the Government or led by any political party. It came from the desire of the people to show appreciation for someone who has contributed immensely to the socio-economic and political development of this country. “Today, a lot of young people are involved in the political landscape of our country, and the mere fact that you see a coming together of religious leaders, of the social sector, entertainment, culture, labour unions, and civil society tells a big story.
“And that story is that the President has been able to touch every single segment of our society, and this unification, I think, would be one of the proudest moments where we have all the sectors of the society working together around one table to bring together this event.”

The Minister said motorcades will be coming from Region Three (West Demerara-Essequibo Islands), Berbice and Soesdyke among other places.
“It is going to be the largest single crowd ever in the history of this country… to say thank you to a man who has led Guyana through the worst financial crisis; through the worst natural disasters of the world; through the worst food crisis of the world; through the worst fuel crisis of the world,” Minister Ali said, adding: 
“This is a President who has led this country through all these world crises, and Guyana came out successful, to the extent that, to date, we can celebrate [5.9 per cent] economic growth for the first half of this year.”