THE People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has extended warmest Emancipation greetings to every Guyanese, especially Afro-Guyanese brothers and sisters, saying that the contribution of slaves and their descendants to every facet of life here is immeasurable.
In a message to mark Emancipation Day, the PPP said slavery remains the most cruel and inhumane system of subjugation and discrimination known to human history. The celebration of its abolition is the right and duty of every single human being. “Under the most intolerable and horrendous conditions, the slaves were able to mobilise and struggle relentlessly for their freedom. When freedom finally came, the freed slaves and their descendants, though uneducated, demonstrated an exceptional degree of industry, thrift and financial acumen and hence, were able to acquire large portions of land, which today remains the foundation of our village movement and subsistence cash crop industry.“
According to the PPP, indeed the contributions of slaves and their descendants to every facet of life in this nation is simply immeasurable, and it would be impossible to accurately capture in a mere statement of this nature. “As we celebrate this important historic and national occasion, we urge every Guyanese not only to reflect upon the herculean sacrifices of the slaves and their descendants, their incomparable struggles and their remarkable achievements, but also to use them as a source of inspiration and guide as we continue to work together to build a united and democratic nation, free from poverty and discrimination and one in which every Guyanese believes that he/she can achieve his/her true potential.”