PRESIDENT, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, was Chief Guest at the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Diva Convention recently held in India. The President was also conferred with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award— the highest award given to persons of Indian-origin who reside outside of India.

The Guyanese Head of State is also one of the recipients of that prestigious award which over the years was bestowed by the Indian Government to several Guyanese and those from the broader diaspora. Former Presidents Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, Mr. Donald Ramotar, Sir Sridath Ramphal and businessman, the late Yesu Persaud were also recipients of the award.

It was indeed a proud moment not only for President Ali who pursued studies in India, but for all Guyanese. Guyana’s profile on the international stage is growing and this is due in no small way to the leadership role displayed by President Ali. This most recent award is yet another manifestation of the high regard with which the Guyanese President is being held by the international community.

India has the largest diaspora in the world, with an estimated 17.5 million. This is due to several decades of colonial and neo-colonial rule, which resulted during the colonial era in the underdevelopment of India.

One consequence of that underdevelopment was the fact that millions of Indians were forced to seek a living outside of India.
Despite the high rate of emigration, the population of India continues to increase significantly, reaching a stage where India is now projected to have the largest population in the world, surpassing China which, until last year, had the largest population in the world.

The situation in Guyana was no different from that of India. Guyana also suffered from over 150 years of British colonial rule, which saw the large-scale importation of Indentured labourers from India to replace slave labour.

Despite harsh economic conditions during the colonial era, Indians in Guyana displayed remarkable resilience and a significant number excelled in a number of fields including politics, business, sports and the professions, including medicine and law.

After the granting of internal self-government, Dr. Cheddi Jagan, an Indo-Guyanese, became the first Premier of then British Guiana. He later went on to become an Executive President of Guyana following the restoration of democratic rule to the country on October 5, 1992.

But it was the rupture of the democratic fabric of the Guyanese society and the economic and social decline under the previous PNC regime that was mainly responsible for the mass exodus of Guyanese mainly to North America.

Indo-Guyanese, in particular, the majority of whom are supporters of the PPP, felt discriminated against by the Burnham-led PNC regime and began to emigrate overseas, many to Suriname and neighbouring countries but mainly to the United States and Canada.

It is, therefore, not surprising that Guyana ranks among countries with the largest diaspora in the world, on a per capita basis!
With the return of democracy and higher levels of inclusivity and participatory governance under successive PPP/C administrations, the Guyanese diaspora is being encouraged to return to their homeland and contribute to the process of national development.

Many would have acquired, over the years, critical skills and financial resources which can make a difference to the growth and development of Guyana, especially at this time when oil and gas has opened up new investment opportunities.

But even as the country is crafting policies to integrate its own diaspora in the national development process, the doors are wide open for investors from all across the globe to capitalise on the investment opportunities that the country has to offer.

During his engagement with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Ali re-affirmed the historical bonds that existed between the two countries and the opportunities that now exist to deepen such relations in a broad variety of areas including co-operation in energy, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, technology and defence co-operation.

Both Guyana and India have demonstrated that it is possible to overcome poverty and backwardness through accelerated economic development and the full participation of people in the process of nation-building, including the involvement of their respective diaspora populations.