PRESIDENT David Granger and Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, were among the main guests Friday evening when Speaker of the National Assembly played host to an “An Afternoon of Reflection and Celebration of Guyana’s 50th Independence Anniversary.”Notably, the opposition PPP stayed away from the event. In a letter to the Speaker, the PPP stated that it was boycotting the event because of what it said was the lack of inclusivity of younger parliamentarians, female parliamentarians and ethnically diverse parliamentarians.
The event, held in the forecourt of Parliament Buildings in downtown Georgetown, was euphoric and delightfully heart-warming.

It was a classy two-and-a-half-hour programme, characterised by elegance and a nostalgic sense of pride and belonging.
Travelling all the way from the USA to be part of the celebration was former politician Mr. Moses Bhagwan, who through the years had worked closely with the National Assembly.
The programme began with performances by the Guyana Police Force Band and the National Steel Orchestra. In addition, there were fine displays of talent by budding young artistes, including colourful dance sequences by the National Dance Company, folk songs by the Circle of Love and prolific choral speaking by Keon Heywood.
And asserting a dominant presence was Guyana’s celebrated Woodside Choir, warming the hearts of the appreciative audience with its choral renditions of “My Native Land” and “Guyana the Free.”
Emcee was Public Relations Officer,Parliament Office, Mrs Onieka Alphonso, while Clerk of the National Assembly Mr. Sherlock Isaacs at the outset of the programme, delivered a solemn roll call of the members of the First and Second Parliaments, the majority of whom are now extinct.
Meanwhile, the highlight of the evening’s performances was the nostalgic re-enactment of the handing-over of the instruments of Independence to Forbes Burnham, Premier of British Guiana, later Prime Minister of Guyana, by the Duke of Kent.
The National School of Drama and Theatre Arts did a fantastic job of re-enacting the handing over of the instruments of Independence, and painting a vivid picture of the House of the National Assembly evolving from the former Legislative Chamber as it was at that time.
And cruising down memory lane for a while, were three iconic members of the National Assembly of the First Parliament of Guyana, who shared reflections of Parliament down through the years. The distinguished Parliamentarians were Mr. Oscar Clarke, C.C.H., Member of the National Assembly of the First Parliament of Guyana; Mr. Llewelyn John, C.C.H., Member of the National Assembly of the First Parliament of Guyana; and Mr. Frank Narain, C.C.H., Deputy Clerk of the National Assembly of the First Parliament of Guyana.
Moderator of that segment of the programme was Dr. Grantley Walrond.

Meanwhile, in his brief remarks to the gathering, Speaker of the House , Dr. Barton Scotland, the author of the programme, reflected on the team spirit that prevailed as, together with the staff of the National Assembly, the organising team sought to get about the task of energetically organising and galvanising to bring the programme to fruition. But his over-arching concern, he said, “was that we should present a programme which would do justice to the name of the National Assembly.”
In summing up, Dr. Scotland affirmed: “It is my opinion that we have done an excellent job in presenting this programme.”
He thanked the members, as well as the invitees for joining them in a most elegant evening of “Reflection and Celebration of Guyana’s 50th Independence Anniversary.”
To wrap up the event, six honorees were presented with tokens for having served the National Assembly with distinction throughout the years.
Those awardees were former Prime Minister and Mayor of Georgetown Hamilton Green; Mr. Oscar Clarke; Dr. Barton Scotland, Mr. Llewelyn John, Mr. Frank Narain, and Mr. Jeffrey Thomas.