A GALLERY of Presidents was unveiled at the Public Buildings, on Wednesday, in celebration of Guyana’s 53rd Independence Anniversary.

President David Granger was joined by former Presidents Samuel Hinds, Bharrat Jagdeo and Donald Ramotar as he witnessed the historic occasion in the presence of the Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr. Barton Scotland and Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs.

The creation of the Gallery of Presidents is a presentation of the people of Guyana in tribute to President Arthur Raymond Chung, President Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham, President Hugh Desmond Hoyte, President Cheddi Berret Jagan, President Janet Jagan, President Samuel Archibald Anthony Hinds, President Bharrat Jagdeo, President Donald Rabindranauth Ramotar, and President David Arthur Granger. Former Presidents Chung, Burnham, Hoyte, Cheddi Jagan and Janet Jagan are deceased.

The initiative is the brainchild of Dr Scotland. He told the gathering at the unveiling that the creation of the gallery is in deep appreciation for the exceptional and dedicated service offered by the President and former Presidents.

“Beyond this observance of the 53rd Independence of our country our fellow Guyanese and others who in the future would visit have much to contemplate through the reality of this Gallery of Presidents,” Dr. Scotland said during the unveiling ceremony.

He noted that the idea of a Gallery of Presidents, which now adds adornment and great lustre to the National Assembly, was born out of a number of discussions with his Personal Assistant, Jocette Bacchus, later on with the Clerk and other members of staff. The services of Merlene Ellis, Louis Jordan and Geoffrey La Rose were solicited to make the gallery a reality.

“It is with much gratitude and appreciation that we recognise the exceptional work which has been created by Merlene Ellis and Louis Jordan and which is the focus of our attention today,” the Speaker said. The Gallery of Presidents was unveiled by participants of the 4th Annual Youth Parliament, Miracle Miller, the Best Speaker, and Jordan Kellman, the Best Debater.

Former President and Prime Minister of Guyana, Samuel Hinds, in offering brief remarks, said “the conventional thing” would be to speak about how badly the country has done since gaining independence on May 26, 1966 but he would not share such a view. Hinds said a close examination of the challenges that have faced the nation since 1966 would reveal that the country “has not done too badly.” According to him, Guyana has underestimated itself.

“I think that we have been underestimating the challenges facing us, in particularly two areas, in coming together as one people from our different worlds that we lived in, and secondly we have been underestimating the challenge of developing our country,” Hinds reasoned. As the country prepares to be a significant player in the Oil and Gas industry, the former President said he remains hopeful that Guyana would be among countries that would have done well. He also thanked the Speaker for the initiative. To add colour to the ceremony, the Foundation Seven Music School performed “Guyana the Free.”