THE national flag-raising ceremony and the Jubilee Float Parade organised as part of our 50th Independence Anniversary celebrations were generally incident-free, Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan has said. In a statement, the ministry commended the general public and the Guyana Police Force for their display of good citizenship. “The Guyana Police Force, supported by the Guyana Fire Service and the Health Services coordinated efforts to ensure general safety and security of the public. While citizens were in celebratory mood, our officers were working beyond the call of duty to deliver first-class operational and security support to the major events over the last two days,” the statement read. It added, “These efforts included crowd control, traffic management, protection against possible terror threats and general public safety. The ministry wishes to offer special commendation to the traffic ranks who executed a well put together plan to minimise inconvenience to the travelling public. It is heartening to note that we were able to celebrate our Golden Jubilee almost without incident.”
According to the ministry, the citizens of Guyana and visitors “to this beautiful land of ours who attended these mega events conducted themselves in a manner that is praiseworthy. There are still a few events remaining on the official Jubilee Calendar of events. The ministry calls upon the general public to continue to demonstrate good citizenship and the security forces to continue to demonstrate resolve and dedication.”
On a sad note however, the ministry offers condolences to the relatives of the late Roxanne Mitchell who died in a vehicular accident while returning home from the flag-raising ceremony. “This loss of life is regretted. The ministry takes this opportunity to call upon the travelling public to obey the rules of the road and to take care and caution when traversing our roadways.”