By Tota C. Mangar

TODAY, Wednesday, 26th May, commemorates the fifty-fifth anniversary of our country’s attainment of political independence from Great Britain. On this historic day in 1966, a new nation, Guyana, the only English speaking one on the South American continent, achieved national sovereignty to become the 24th member of the then British Commonwealth of Nations, thus bringing to an end several decades of British colonial rule.

Guyana’s road to political independence was indeed turbulent.  For a brief period in the early 1950s its nationalist movement, the original People’s Progressive Party under the leadership of the late Presidents, Dr. Cheddi Jagan  and Mr. Forbes  Burnham enjoyed overwhelming support from the working class and the masses in general, as they pursued the noble objective of national unity and  internal self-government. Their resounding victory at the 1953 general elections astounded many, including local reactionaries, the Colonial Office and also the US State Department.

SETBACK

The mass-based  party’s  tenure in office was only short-lived as Great Britain under considerable American pressure, suspended  the Constitution , and overthrew the legally elected government under the guise of preventing the establishment of a communist state in the then British Guiana. The irony about this unfortunate development was that an interim government was imposed and it comprised several of the individuals who themselves suffered humiliating defeats at the hands of the toppled nationalist candidates.  As if that setback was not enough, the nationalist movement itself became severely fractured in 1955 into Jaganite and Burnhamite factions of the PPP and the eventual emergence of the People’s National Congress, a mere two years later.

This development paved the way for the intense political rivalry between our foremost two political leaders, Dr. Jagan and Mr. Burnham. Unfortunately, it was this split more than anything else which led to serious racial strife and insecurity in the immediate post-independence years and also ensured the local movement for political independence treading a most uneven passage.  Subsequent events such as political and social instability, including strikes and disturbances which erupted as a result of the Kaldor budget and the Labour Relations Bill, clearly illustrated the very turbulent waters this nation had to endure. Loss of several lives, the destruction of properties and the severe dislocation of people to the tune of millions of dollars were the sad reality of life during this extremely dark period of our country’s history.

INDEPENDENCE

At fresh elections and under a new electoral system of proportional representation instead of the previous first-past the post or constituency system, Mr. Burnham headed a PNC/UF coalition government in office in 1964.   As Prime Minister, he shouldered the responsibility of leading the country to independence while his former colleague and by then rival, served as Leader of the Opposition. Political independence was achieved on May 26, 1966 and it represented the successful culmination of several years of agitation, lobbying and political filibustering against the background of centuries of colonial domination of one form or the other. At the twitching hour of midnight, thousands of Guyanese of all walks of life stood proudly and cheered lustily  as the

Union Jack was lowered and our National Flag went up to herald the birth of a new, proud ,ambitious and independent Guyana.
Among those who witnessed the highly significant and unique ceremony were the Duke and Duchess of Kent, Colonial Secretary, Mr Anthony Greenwood, former Conservative Colonial Secretary, Mr. Duncan Sandys, the first Governor-General of Guyana, Sir Richard Luyt and 62 delegates from 47 countries world-wide.
Of added significance and to the tumultuous applause of all who thronged Independence Square was that comforting ‘bear hug’ embrace between Cheddi and Forbes, the architects of Guyana’s freedom, only minutes before the attainment of nationhood. That emotionally charged happening promised much at the time but unfortunately in the final analysis it realized very little.

As part of Independence we saw the emergence of our new Guyana Coat of Arms. On it is seen the pride of our fauna life, two jaguars holding a pickaxe and stems of rice and sugar-cane and facing each other proudly across a painted shield on top of which rests a visored helmet topped by the feathered crown of an Amerindian chieftain. Beneath, a scroll-like banner proudly proclaims the Nation’s Motto; ‘One People, One Nation, One Destiny’ while on the shield itself are found three barrulets of azure blue symbolising Guyana’s watery nature and its water potential. This Coat of Arms justifiably accords pride of place in our national minds and reminds us of our unity and sense of purpose as an independent nation.
Independence brought with it our National Flag, a slender golden arrowhead, set proudly on a background of green and red standing as a striking symbol of Guyana’s journey into the future. The lush green colour symbolises the fields and forests of Guyana’s assets of which the country is richly endowed. The red triangle represents the zeal and dynamic nature of nation-building that lies before the young and independent nation while the deep black border stands for the endurance that will sustain the forward thrust of its people. Finally, white depicts our rivers, waterfalls and our hydro-electric potential of this “Land of Many Waters”.

Our own National Anthem is a popular aspect of our Independence. Reverend Archibald Luker wrote the words of “Green Land of Guyana” in response to the nation-wide competition sponsored by the then National History and Arts Council, while our distinguished Guyanese educationist and musician, the late R.C.G.Potter composed its music. The title of our National Anthem is appropriate and expressive of colour and vitality and of land fertility.

On the morning of the 26th May, 1966 the National Assembly witnessed all the pomp and pageantry and ceremonial aspects of Westminster. In the historic Public Buildings the Duke of Kent handed over to the country’s Prime Minister, the Constitutional instruments conceding to us the dignity and pride of Independent Nationhood on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen and the British Government. Undoubtedly, the expectations of all Guyanese were very high at that point in time and they had every right to be so. Our then Prime Minister, Mr. Forbes Burnham, expressed great optimism when he said, “Thus our journeying to Independence has ended. We face, however, the harder but more emotionally satisfying and definitely more self-respecting tasks of making Guyana great among the nations- the task of building a free and just society.”

CONCLUSION

What can we justifiably say 55 years after gaining independence? We certainly share the joy, pride and dignity of being an independent nation. Our expectation was that with political independence we would have enjoyed political stability, national unity and social and economic progress. Regrettably, the stark reality is that today our nation is still struggling to fully achieve these desired objectives. In several aspects we have fallen short despite the very best efforts of many. Political stability and national unity are as elusive as ever. Unfortunately, we are often plagued with the blame game, insensitivities and controversies which do us more harm than good. A real, prolonged and serious threat to our democracy and the rule of law in the immediate post- March 2020 elections is a clear testimony of this sad situation.

While some progress has been made on the social and economic front, the nation is still to completely rid itself of economic dependency on international financial agencies. Foreign debts, despite write offs and debt rescheduling, continue to stifle us while we experience fluctuating and sometimes depressed world market prices for our products. We are still to fully accelerate our production and productivity drives. We continue to suffer from migration and consequential ‘brain drain’ and capital flight. We are feeling the devastating effects of the European Union sugar reforms and the recent decline in the sugar industry.  We need to focus attention on the challenges associated with the rapidly emerging oil and gas sector along with the impact of climate change, especially on our low-lying coastal plain.

We should never lose sight of the current deadly scourge of the global pandemic of COVID-19 which is targetting our human resource with tremendous venom. Let us ensure we are all vaccinated and we rigidly adhere to all COVID-19 protocols and guidelines.
Through struggle, trials and tribulations of our trail-blazers for freedom we are now living in an age of greater enlightenment and with the corresponding need for more tolerance, mutual respect, understanding and appreciation of all Guyanese towards a unified nation with a common destiny. Let us show a greater sense of purpose and maturity as we reflect on the true meaning of Independence. Let us put Guyana first in the face of a seemingly harsh and oppressive world environment in this twenty-first century of ours.

A happy 55th anniversary to one and all; long live the Co-operative Republic of Guyana.