WHEW! The last day of 2020! And what a year it has been! Here in Guyana, the country battled through and won a major threat against democracy. In the United States, the pandemic lacerated the country, and the U.S. elections saw all manner of dramas and ups and downs, with protests and Black Lives Matter underlining a year of immense upheaval. Globally, the pandemic caused immense social and economic angst, and in fact the world is entering 2021 with many places either in full lockdown, such as England and parts of Europe and even closer to home in Ontario, Canada, or with a curfew in effect. The global population is facing the new year under the COVID-19 pandemic cloud, as vaccine roll-outs ramp up in several countries around the world. Most people worldwide would breath a sigh of relief as 2020 fades into the past. In 2021, Guyana is looking well set to enjoy a fruitful year of plenty, as a major global oil producer and with rice and agriculture, forestry and mining, and overall foreign investments in massive projects, well underway.
Even the sugar industry is bouncing back, albeit slowly. Guyanese are facing the new year with confidence, with a warm welcome and with every assurance that the nation’s social and economic well-being is on the right path. In fact, how different this year-end is, compared to the 2019 year-end, when the country faced political chagrin, an uncertain future under the Coalition, and economic decline.

Thankfully , things righted themselves and Guyanese came through 2020 with flying colours. The COVID-19 pandemic is a serious threat hanging over the heads of citizens, but the government is doing a laudable job in tackling the virus. Guyanese in 2020 proved themselves to be a resilient, strong, reasonable nation. They showed integrity and self-leadership in standing up to fight for democracy to prevail. Just like citizens banded together to fight back against a plan a couple of years ago to blanket Georgetown with parking meters, Guyanese stood up with one chorus to demand their country be respected on the world stage. It is a huge historical moment for this country. Now, nobody would dare mess with the Guyanese people. The country also saw a big win in a case at the World Court, to push back Venezuela’s claim against a chunk of Essequibo. So 2020 would go down in the history books as a monstrous year for the global population, but for Guyana, the people showed their mettle, character, and integrity. The Guyanese nation won big in 2020. In that victory, citizens would count their blessings with COVID-19 as well, as the pandemic did not become as gruesome as it did in Brazil, India, the U.S., Russia, or so many other countries around the world. Guyanese live in such a blessed land. There’s no major natural disaster, no threat from neighbouring countries – even Venezuela with its border claim would not dare attack, no internal strife of any significance, and the six races co-exist in admirable multi-culturalism and togetherness.

In fact, Guyana today stands out as a model nation on the world stage. In democracy, socio-economic growth and development, the fight against poverty, climate change, human rights, and promising wealth in the near future, the country in 2020 turned the corner from its history as a poor underdeveloped country, into one of rich promise. Every Guyanese should be proud of this land as 2020 comes to an end. Every Guyanese could hold his/her head high, and indeed the Guyanese diaspora around the world feels immense pride and joy when they consider their homeland. One would not be surprised if in the near future, overseas Guyanese would start trekking back to live in their homeland, as happened in 1992 when democracy was restored. Guyana today is a land of optimism, positive vibes, and expectations of imminent prosperity. As Guyana says goodbye to 2020, citizens look back with a thankful heart. But they must also face the future, starting tomorrow in 2021, with sober-minded consciousness that there’s a lot of work to build this society into the potential it holds. There is still a lot of work to clean up Georgetown, especially to rid the streets of petty criminals, homeless drug addicts, and disorderly public behaviour. Restoring the Garden City should be a dream Guyanese can aim for, and work hard to achieve.

It would be a great achievement in 2021, were Georgetown to be rid of street crimes, homeless vagabonds loitering and sleeping on sidewalks, and for order to prevail with street vendors and hucksters. Cleaning up the capital city in 2021 is a necessary task if the country is to become a global hotspot for business investments, tourists, and for local citizens to enjoy the rich blessedness of the land. Georgetowners should be able to walk the streets and enjoy the cool of the evening, for example, and sit on benches on Main Street and read or enjoy cultural events from local talents. First Lady Arya Ali worked hard in 2020 to clean up the seawall at Kingston. That kind of effort and visionary leadership could transform the capital city, so that any visitor to these shores would enjoy a fantastic first impression of the golden Guyana that lies under the Atlantic sun. So Guyanese enter 2021 with big dreams, with huge expectations for full development for their nation to become a global mecca of peace, prosperity, and progress, a standout country, with a massive push from government for socio-economic well-being to ramp up across the land. Farewell, 2020. Welcome, 2021!