CHAIRPERSON of the National Toshaos Council Yvonne Pearson has lauded President Bharrat Jagdeo for addressing the plight of the Amerindian peoples through the passage of legislation, and the many improvements in health and education in the hinterland regions. “We the Indigenous people of Guyana join with all Guyanese to say thanks to President Bharrat Jagdeo. Thank you for putting Guyana on the world map; the world is looking at Guyana now,” she said at the Day of Appreciation for the President on Friday at the Guyana National Stadium.
She spoke of the passage of the Amerindian Act of 2006 and said this is one of the lasting legacies of the Jagdeo regime; adding that under President Jagdeo, there has been improved health and education for Amerindians in the hinterland.
She also placed on record her appreciation of the President for the work he has done to advance the concerns of women in Guyana, and to ensure that they take their rightful place in society.
At the event also was Professor Clement Sankat, Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University of the West Indies St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad, who said the appreciation shown President Jagdeo is “beyond deserving.”
Speaking on behalf of Guyanese in the Diaspora, Professor Sankat said that by paying tribute to the man, people were also paying tribute to his ideals.
Calling President Jagdeo one of the most influential contemporary leaders of the region, Dr. Sankat said:
“He has had a tremendous apprenticeship in planning and finance. His leadership on environmental issues has been nothing short of stellar,” this was in reference to the President’s track record in financial management and his passionate drive for the protection of the environment and in the fight against climate change.
And Guyanese cricketer, Lennox Cush, in delivering his tribute, honoured the President for the keen interest he has taken in sports. He noted that it was because of the President’s strong lobbying that Guyana was able to build a new stadium in order to host Cricketing World Cup in 2007, a fitting reminder, given that it was the very venue for the Appreciation Day event.
But as Cush would also remind the packed-to-capacity audience, the President’s support to the sport sector is not limited to cricket, a case in point being the annual Kashif and Shanghai football tournament which sees some of the biggest crowds. He also spoke of the Olympic-sized swimming pool and the synthetic track being constructed on the West Coast of Demerara. For all this, Cush said a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to the President on behalf of all sportsmen and women and fans of the various sports disciplines.
Receptive to all the expressions of gratitude in the various forms, President Jagdeo expressed his gratitude to the people for supporting him throughout his years at the helm of  government.
“I am overwhelmed by this event. I wish to thank all of the people who played a part in putting this together. It is not very often that a President gets something like this just before he leaves office. It is a very important message for all Guyana,” the President said, adding that such an event as the one being hosted in his honour speaks volumes of Guyana and its maturing democracy.
He expressed the hope that future Presidents will be accorded the same honour as he, and his heartfelt gratitude to all those who made it possible to reach the heights that he has. He also spoke about the integral role his parents and sisters played in his upbringing, which has helped make him the well-rounded person he is, and taught him compassion.
“I never stopped believing that our better days are ahead of us, notwithstanding [the progress we have achieved in many areas],” he said, adding: “We must believe that tomorrow will be better… It needs every one of you working hard and giving of your best.”
Noting that it is the compassion ingrained in him that has helped form the core of his party’s principles, President Jagdeo said it has helped them “embrace people, even those who oppose us.”
Urging the nation to help heal the wounds of the past, and to keep the faith in their country, he said:
“This country could become the paradise that we all wish it to be. I ask you to feel pride in things that are Guyanese. Do not be sidetracked.”
He also encouraged persons to shun those who seek to take them down the road of the past and the path of division. “Fiercely defend the interests of this country,” he said, adding that Guyanese should never allow foreign interests to become Guyana’s agenda. “We must always fiercely defend national interests while recognising that we are part of a global village,” he said.
He also had a word of advice for our menfolk, in that they need to take more responsibility for their children and treat women better so that they can have the same opportunities to advance. “Our future will be defined by how we treat our women and children,” he said, adding in closing that he will always continue to serve the country in whatever way he can.