-– President Ali says 60 years of Independence is only the beginning for Guyana
UNDER the glow of fireworks and the echoes of patriotic songs along the Essequibo River, President Dr Irfaan Ali used Guyana’s 60th Independence Anniversary celebrations to cast the nation as a country entering a new era of ambition and global relevance.
Addressing a packed audience of dignitaries, regional leaders and citizens, the President framed Independence at 60 as a moment to measure how far Guyana has travelled from the fragile, divided and economically dependent state that raised the Golden Arrowhead in 1966. He reminded Guyanese that at the moment of independence the commanding heights of the economy, sugar estates, bauxite mines, banks and major commercial interests, were still in foreign hands, leaving the new state “a nation with a dependent economy” despite its new symbols of sovereignty.
“We are a nation that dared a nation that endured division and regression, and yet we are a nation that has emerged against all odds as one of the most remarkable stories of transformation this century has produced,” he said to thundering applause.
Yet, 60 years on, Dr. Ali argued that Guyana now stands before the world “not as supplicants… but as a sovereign people, proud, unbroken, and unafraid.”
Citing International Monetary Fund (IMF) data, he reminded that Guyana is now the fastest growing economy on earth with oil production surpassing 915,000 barrels per day and per capita income projected to approach US$38,000 by 2028.
The President linked this rapid economic rise to a broader story of resilience and transformation, acknowledging decades in which “Guyanese, by the tens of thousands, packed their bags and left” leaving more citizens abroad than at home.
On this Diamond Jubilee, he said, the country honours both those who stayed and those in the diaspora who carried Guyana in their hearts across borders.
Crucially, the President stressed that Independence at 60 must be seen as a platform, not a destination.
“Sixty years is a great achievement, but it is just the beginning. Sixty years is a foundation,” he told Guyanese everywhere urging them to choose healing over bitterness and to build a nation anchored in love strengthened by unity, and guided by enduring faith.
“60 years of independence calls us towards a higher covenant to build a nation anchored in love, ennobled by honest labour, strengthened by unity, and guided by enduring faith through shared ambition, shared families, compassionate communities, and a deep and abiding pride in country, we can shape a Guyana where democracy and equity are not distant aspirations but living principles embrace in collective trust by all in that noble undertaking,” he said.
Looking ahead, he urged Guyanese to embrace a shared vision of development.
“You are not responsible for the divisions of the past, but you hold responsibility for the unity of the future. Do not inherit all prejudices. Do not repeat all arguments. Do not allow the past to define the limits of your imagination. You are the generation that will finally, fully, and irreversibly make Guyana whole,” he said.
