“I BELIEVE that the freedom which we have won for our people is our greatest achievement. Human history is a history of man’s struggle for freedom. In whatever epoch of history you examine, what were the people under slavery fighting for? What were the indentured servants fighting for? Freedom.”

This is according to Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, who adds that freedom and justice are two interchangeable concepts, since without one you cannot have the other.

‘After 1992 we gained freedom and we kept it, we have progressively been expanding it, so that every day you become a freer people, our country becomes a freer society, because with freedom comes progress.’ –AG and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall

The AG’s remarks were made on Saturday in his feature address at a symposium attended by approximately 100 persons in Region 2 (Pomeroon/ Supenaam), on the Peoples Progressive Party’s ascension to office on October 5, 1992 and the achievements the Civic arm made in Government over the last 22 years.
He said, “Without freedom, you can’t have justice, without justice there is no freedom. When we were a colony, what were the leaders of our party during that period fighting for? Freedom from colonialism.
“When we won independence, what was our party struggling and fighting for? Freedom from a dictatorship under the People’s National Congress (PNC); and if you examine human civilisation you will see that man has not progressed in any society in which he does not enjoy freedom.”
He made it clear that the freedoms won by the ruling People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) over the last two decades have translated itself into different spheres and includes economic, social, financial, constitutional and legal freedom.
“Lands have always progressed, societies have always advanced, and countries have always developed once there is freedom. Any society that takes away the freedom from citizens is a society that perishes,” the AG stressed.

A HARD FOUGHT STRUGGLE
Nandlall added that the freedoms that Guyanese enjoy today are reflective of stark differences, when compared to the past.
He said, “The freedom that we enjoy today, a simple freedom to vote, to elect a Government of your choice, was taken away from Guyanese people for 28 years.
“Imagine you did not have a say in who leads your country, who made decisions that will impact your lives; who made decisions that will impact the future, your children’s future, your grandchildren’s future?
“You had no say in that process because the right and the freedom you have now to make a contribution, to select or elect people whom you think are qualified, whom you trust, whom you support to make those decisions, that freedom was taken away from you.”
The AG highlighted that in 1992, after 28 years of struggle, the ruling party, with the people of this country by its side, was able to win back freedom after a hard fought struggle.
“We were able to hold elections every five years in accordance with the laws of our country and the people were allowed to vote freely and that is what brought the prosperity you see around you today,” he said.
Nandlall made it clear that since that victory, the PPP/C has been able to not only maintain the hard won freedoms, but have since expanded them.
“After 1992, we gained freedom and we kept it, we have progressively been expanding it, so that every day you become a freer people, our country becomes a freer society, because with freedom comes progress,” he said.

PAST CANNOT BE FORGOTTEN
The AG contends that despite the fact that progress has been made, the past must not be forgotten. “It is my considered view that a people who forget their past are a people who are condemned to repeat it,” he said.
He maintained that there have been many changes, with every section of society now empowered.
Nandlall cited the pending no-confidence motion against the current Administration and stated that it was the PPP/C that amended the “Burnham Constitution” to allow the majority membership in the National Assembly to express their view. “We gave them that power and that freedom and that is our achievement,” he said.
According to him, every section of Guyanese society, including political parties, have more freedoms today than in the past.
“Political parties have more power than they ever had, they have more freedom than they ever had, and we continue to work to ensure that those freedoms continue to be expanded. As I said, a people who are denied their freedom are a people who will not be progressive,” he said.
The AG bemoaned the fact that while the ruling party has used its hard won freedoms to advance a development thrust for the benefit of all Guyanese, the combined Opposition, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC), have obstructed progress at every turn.
He said, “Look at the history when we were in Government, in the 50s and 60s, we made tremendous development. We built the University of Guyana, we built the School of Agriculture, and we built all the technical institutions. We built canals; the agricultural base of this country was set during that period. It was during that period that the Rice Producers Association was formed.
“The AFC and APNU won the Parliament in the last election; they control the Parliament, what have they achieved for the people of this country? Rather than use that one seat majority to get the Government to deliver more, they are trying to cut every budget so that we can deliver less to the people,” Nandlall charged.
He reiterated that the past must not be forgotten and committed the PPP/C to pressing forward with its developmental thrust to improve the lives of the people of Guyana.

MOVING FORWARD
Addressing the way forward, the AG stated that the ruling party will protect its hard won freedoms for the sake of the people of Guyana and will consolidate those and further build on them.
“The first change, that you have to make, is to ensure that you have the right people in Government, because when we are out of Government, freedom is taken away from the Guyanese people, progress is denied the Guyanese people, and there is economic stagnation,” he charged.
According to him, Government has visionary plans for the country in the coming year, including a move to ensure that every child in the country has access to the internet and is empowered to maximise on the prevailing age of Information Communication and Technology (ICT); the development of a deep water harbour, which will improve trade for the country, among other indirect benefits; a modern airport, which will see Guyana becoming the gateway to South America; and the development of the country’s agriculture potential to ensure that Guyana not only leads the Caribbean in this regard, among others.
“That is what we want to achieve and it can only be achieved if we remain a democratic country and the people of this country continue to enjoy their rights and freedom,” he concluded.

(By Vanessa Narine)