… at Investiture ceremony
THE 2011 Investiture ceremony held yesterday at the National Cultural Centre saw 119 Guyanese and 12 organizations being honoured for contributing to national interests.
Chancellor of the Orders of Guyana, President Bharrat Jagdeo, stressed that the single goal of unity and prosperity is what unites all Guyanese.
“We are all part of this country that we all call home, and we are all connected to this goal…our youth need to be inspired, and you inspire us all, many times in difficult circumstances,” Mr. Jagdeo said.

SINGLE GOAL   
President Jagdeo encouraged the honourees to continue their stellar service and inspire a patriotic spirit among Guyanese youth.
“I hope that you will continue to play an important role as our country continues to evolve to take hold of its rightful destiny (and become) a place where every Guyanese can live in comfort, live in peace; where our children can have the best education,” he said.
Jagdeo noted that the wisdom and commitment of those awarded are valued assets. He reiterated that Guyana welcomes their continuing contributions to national development.
“We hope that you will help in whatever way you can to assist the next generation as they take the reins of the country, and as they try to take Guyana to that place we all struggled for even before independence,” he said.

REINFORCE VALUES
The president called for the celebrated awardees to reinforce values that have made Guyana a proud nation.
He urged those honoured to lead by example in encouraging Guyanese to come together, in particular during the elections period, and maintain an atmosphere of unity and peace.
“We are breaking a cycle that affected our entire country, a cycle of undemocratic rule and a cycle of violence. The last elections, for the first time, we demonstrated the character of the Guyanese people when we stood up and said across the board, regardless of what party we supported, that we would not allow that kind of behaviour to characterize our image,” the President said.     
He stressed that this time around Guyana must stand united, even as the competition is robust.
“At the end of the elections, once they are free and fair, the Guyanese values will emerge again and we will return to the road where we accumulate wealth and progress for the Guyanese people,” he said.
The head of state called for all Guyanese to remain focused on the values that make Guyanese proud of their country.
Mr. Jagdeo said, “Guyanese are a proud, hard-working people who have achieved a lot…we have overcome challenges, and our people are more united…I am extremely grateful for the examples you have set in your service as a teacher or a health worker.”   

RECOGNITION IS IMPORTANT
The head of state acknowledged that, for several years now, there had been no Investiture ceremony; but he maintained that recognizing the contributions of outstanding Guyanese is important.
“Whatever the reason you have received the award today, I want to assure you that you have played an important role in national formation thus far…sometimes the service you have given goes unrecognized in the day-to-day grind…it is very important,” Mr. Jagdeo stressed.
Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Commodore Gary Best, was the only one awarded the Military Service Star. Nine others were awarded the Military Service Medal, and Police Commissioner Henry Greene was awarded the Disciplined Services Star. Six were awarded the Disciplined Services Medal for meritorious service; 64 individuals were awarded the Medal of Service, along with 12 groups; 21 received the Golden Arrow of Achievement; 11 were recognized with the Cacique Crown of Honour; and two received the Order of Roraima.
Guyana’s highest honour, the Order of Excellence, was conferred on Prime Minister Samuel Archibald Hinds.
As a Guyanese politician, Hinds has been Prime Minister of Guyana almost continuously since 1992. He also briefly served as president of Guyana in 1997. He first became Prime Minister under President Cheddi Jagan in 1992, following the October 1992 election which was won by an alliance of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and Hinds’ s group, the Civic.
When President Jagan died in March 1997, Hinds became president himself, relinquishing his prime ministerial position to Mrs Janet Jagan. He resigned the presidency in December 1997 in favour of Mrs Janet Jagan, widow of the late President Cheddi Jagan. She, in turn, re-appointed Hinds as Prime Minister.
Hinds once worked for Alcan as head of the Chemical Engineering Department. He is a professionally qualified and licensed chemical engineer, who graduated from the University of New Brunswick in Canada.    
In August 1999, President Janet Jagan appointed the young Bharrat Jagdeo as her replacement when she resigned from the presidency of Guyana. President Jagdeo then reappointed Hinds as Prime Minister. After the government was re-elected in the August 28, 2006 election, Hinds was again sworn in as Prime Minister in early September.
President Bharrat Jagdeo, in congratulating the awardees, said, “You have distinguished yourselves in your respective fields…I express the appreciation of a grateful nation for the service that you each rendered to your country. Guyana honours you, salutes you, and values your contribution to the nation.”
He observed that, in today’s world, many do not recognize the quality of hard work, honesty and commitment, and he made it clear that the transition of Guyana will depend on those qualities.