“We are all equal in value”
Dr Norton says in Arrival Day message

MINISTER of Social Cohesion Dr George Norton has said that regardless of “our class and creed we are all equal in value.”
Norton made the statement in his message to mark Arrival Day, which is being celebrated here today.

See full text of message

I WISH to extend greetings to all Guyanese on the occasion of Arrival Day, 2017. This day has been set aside to celebrate the arrival of all indentured immigrants to Guyana under a system which has long been described as one of “struggle, sacrifice and resistance.”

The East Indians, Chinese, Portuguese and Africans were brought to British Guiana to work as indentured labourers on the sugar plantations as a result of a void, which was created in the labour force due to the abolition of the dreadful system of African slavery.

British Guiana was the recipient of some 238,907 East Indian immigrants between 1838 and 1917; approximately 32,216 Portuguese between 1835 and 1890; a total of 13,541 Chinese for the entire period of 1853 to 1879; and approximately 13,970 Africans between 1840 and 1860. These four groups have all contributed to the development of Guyana in every sphere and have left behind legacies of cultural traditions, which have moulded Guyana into a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic society.

Arrival Day is an ideal time for all Guyanese to reflect on and celebrate their country’s rich diversity, which makes us truly unique. It allows us to have a greater appreciation of the struggles of our fore- parents, who paved the way for us to live the lives we do today in this beautiful nation.

Many of the persons who came to these wonderful shores were lured by the promise of a better life but were faced with very harsh conditions. We have come a long way as a nation and this is because of the hard work of our foreparents. It is, therefore, our duty to continue their efforts by working together for the betterment of our country.

As we celebrate their arrival, it is an opportune time for all Guyana to be reminded that regardless of their ethnicity, colour, class or creed, they are all equal in value. We must not let ourselves be divided but must resolve to develop greater harmony in our relations with each other. The Government of Guyana has established the Ministry of Social Cohesion for the purpose of building a more unified country. However, we cannot do this alone, and we have engaged and will continue to engage all Guyanese in order to foster and promote social cohesion.

Every Guyanese has a role to play in the process and we must remember that social cohesion will not be achieved overnight. Let us all continue to work together to ensure that we build a Guyana where all Guyanese, regardless of age, gender, religious beliefs, geographic location, cultural beliefs or socio-economic backgrounds, have the best life possible.

Happy Arrival Day to all of Guyana!

IAC pays tribute to Indian indentured servants

THE Indian Action Committee (IAC) wishes all Guyanese a Happy Arrival Day, and, especially, calls upon all citizens to remember the 179th Anniversary of the Arrival of East Indians to Guyana.

The IAC, an organisation which promotes and preserves Indian culture and deals with the issues and concerns of persons of Indo-Guyanese origin, considers 2017 to be an important year in which there are two significant centenaries which have been commemorated in the months of March and April.

The IAC wishes to remind all Guyanese that the ending of emigration of indentured labourers from India by the British Parliament took place on March 12, 1917. The IAC, also, wishes to remind citizens that the last batch of Indian indentured labourers arrived in British Guiana aboard the Coolie Ship S.S. Ganges on April 18, 1917.

The IAC, over the years, has provided Guyanese with historical information regarding the arrival of just over 239,000 Indian immigrants who came to this country aboard 245 Coolie Ships which made a total of 534 voyages across the Kaalaa Paanii between 1838 and 1917.

The IAC also has clarified and corrected statistical errors pertaining to the arrival of the first two Coolie Ships, the WHITBY and the HESPERUS which, between them, landed a total of 423 persons, including 382 indentured males, 14 indentured females, 21 children and six Christian Anglo- Indian interpreter/ superintendents.

The IAC, as the organisation has done over the years, continues to recognise the endeavours by these Indian immigrants and their descendants, the persons of Indo- Guyanese origin, to develop this country.
The IAC, which has recognised important contributions by giving awards to persons from Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo, is aware that tens of thousands of East Indians have made valuable efforts in all fields of human activity in this country, including business and commerce; banking and finance; the sugar and rice industries; coconuts and other crops; fishery and livestock; mining and quarrying; construction and engineering; forestry and sawmilling; education and academia; medicine and law; journalism and communications; accounting and insurance; private and national security; the hospitality and aviation sectors; the alcohol and beverage industries; sport and entertainment; culture and religion; and politics and governance.

Today, when the IAC looks back, the organisation is amazed how those groups of seemingly helpless Indians, many of whom were illiterate, speaking in different tongues, following different customs, belonging to different religions, belonging to different castes, over the generations, managed to fuse together while seamlessly merging into the wider environment to become the strong pillar of Guyana, a young nation born out of sweat and toil, along with similar endeavours of the other ethnic groups that comprise this nation.

Use occasion to forge social cohesion — PNCR

ON the occasion of the 179th Anniversary of the arrival of East Indians to Guyana, the PNCR salutes all Guyanese of East Indian descent and those in the Diaspora who are celebrating this milestone in the nation’s historical calendar. The party recognises the valuable contribution that our East Indian brothers and sisters have made to the development of our country and the shaping of the cultural tapestry of this nation. The PNCR, therefore, salutes all our East Indian brothers and sisters on this special commemorative day.

When the PNCR in the 1980s inaugurated the concept of celebrating the arrival of the respective ethnic groups of this nation, the intention was to deepen an understanding of the culture of these groups and so promote greater understanding and racial harmony as tools for nation-building. The party held at all times that such a course of action was absolutely necessary for welding the nation into a single whole out of the various groups which emigrated here from the various continents of the world. As we reflect on this historical milestone, it is the wish of the PNCR that the occasion would be used to indulge ourselves in activities designed at forging and moulding a destiny of racial and cultural cohesion so necessary for building an economically strong and vibrant nation.