FOR ALL the very subjective and even hostile reporting and commentaries in other sections of the media, Guyanese showed up in their thousands at the Providence National Stadium on Friday night to participate in the ‘night of appreciation’ for the outstanding achievements by Executive President, Bharrat Jagdeo over the 12 years he has served this nation as Head of State and Head of Government. The enthusiasm displayed for the celebratory occasion, and the warmth of the salutations for the President would have been a disappointment only for a myopic opposition hustling to foment distractions and sow bitterness and disunity as a substitute for their inability to offer realistic alternative policies and programmes with which successive PPP/C governments have been identified.
Now that Guyanese across the political divide have had the opportunity to witness or otherwise learn, via the media, the Providence celebratory affair, the political elements and fractured parties that were yelling to make it a ‘shame and disgrace’ occasion must now also bear responsibility for the sheer slanderous paintings of anti-Jagdeo slogans at selected public places.
For his part, President Jagdeo stoically demonstrated his capacity to stay on the message of national interest as he appealed to Guyanese, irrespective to political associations, to remain committed to the further social and economic progress of this nation that has had to overcome numerous challenges to arrive at today’s recorded achievements, against all odds.
From the ‘night of appreciation’ at Providence, Guyanese can now expect a concerted programme of activities focused on the coming presidential and parliamentary elections when all contesting parties will have to come forward, not with personal abuse, vague promises and meaningless slogans, but with creative alternatives to overcome lingering problems and keep Guyana on a steady and realistic development path.