– in ongoing quest to build racial unity and a cohesive and harmonious society

AS the United States paused to remember Martin Luther King Jr. yesterday, with parades, marches and service projects, so did many people the world over.Dr. King was born January, 15, 1929, and the USA declared a federal holiday in his memory on the third Monday in January.
The ruling party in a statement yesterday in remembrance of Martin Luther King Jr. noted the resonance his challenge of the status quo continues to have.
The statement reads:
“The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) joins with the rest of the world in paying homage to the late Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jnr. on the occasion of Martin Luther King Day which is observed on January 20.
Dr. King stood out among the great men of history for daring to challenge the status quo and for standing up for the rights and dignity of minority groups, in particular Blacks, who were treated as second class citizens in the United States of America.
Indeed, because of his strong and militant advocacy role for equality of rights for all Americans he almost single-handedly broke the back of racism and race prejudice in the United States.
Dr. King will be long remembered as a Civil Rights leader and for his eloquence and passion with which he pursued his dream. His speech “I have a Dream” has inspired and found resonance not only in the United States but among peoples from all the continents of the world.
Today race relations in the United States have been significantly improved to a point where an Afro-American President Barack Obama is now the President of the United States, something unthinkable at the time when Dr. King lived. There can be no doubt that Dr. King played a key role in breaking down ethnic barriers and in raising the profile of Afro-Americans.
His message of love, respect and equality has particular relevance for multi-racial societies such as Guyana which continue to remain vulnerable at the hands of unscrupulous elements in their attempt to score cheap political points.
The PPP as the largest political party in Guyana has always embraced multi-culturalism and political and ethnic pluralism and continue to draw inspiration from Dr. King in its ongoing quest to build racial unity and a cohesive and harmonious society.”

(By Vanessa Narine)