I wish to appeal to all to desist from exploiting race and ethnicity, and fears of racial/ethnic insecurity. Above all, Guyana today needs racial/ethnic healing and harmony. When my wife and I and other started the independence struggle in the mid-1940s, we stood firmly on the side of the working people – all the people, regardless of race. Our anti-colonial struggle was not based on race/ethnicity, as in some countries, but on socio-economic issues.
Cheddi Jagan Address at the Flag-Raising Ceremony in honour of the 27th Anniversary of Independence –May 26, 1993