‘We have truly become one people, one nation, with one destiny’
THE People’s Progressive Party-Civic salutes Independence Day 2011 and greets it as yet another milestone reached by the Guyanese people on their onward march to prosperity and greater freedoms. May 26, 2011 marks the 45th anniversary of our liberation from the colonial rule of the British Empire. At midnight on May 25th in 1966, our own Golden Arrowhead rose to the top of the flagstaff for the first time and the Union Jack of the out-going colonial power, came down for the last time.

The party recalls the arduous struggle of the Guyanese people to achieve independence against daunting odds; odds that seemed insuperable, but were nevertheless overcome in great triumph. That struggle has a long history which could be said to have begun with the first blow struck against slavery, to be followed by further blows against indentureship. We have truly become in 2011:  ONE PEOPLE, ONE NATION, ONE DESTINY.

Today, Guyanese can look back in pride at their glorious struggle and then count their present blessings under the dynamic and democratic PPP-Civic Government. Although only in power for 18 years, the Party has been able to transform Guyana from the sorry state of affairs which existed prior to that watershed year of 1992.

Today, the Guyanese people can boast of political and economic freedoms, basic human rights, free and fair elections, enough food to eat, fine clothes to wear, and a dynamic housing programme, coupled with a booming construction industry.

There is no shortage of house lots. Those who today do not have a house lot either do not actually need one or do not qualify for one at this time, or already have one. The still too numerous squatting areas with their squalor are being regularized at a rapid pace and are being replaced by varying degrees and quality of decent housing. Our housing programme is second to none in the world and so is our overseas scholarship programme.

There is full freedom to travel, full freedom of association and full freedom of worship. Social services like health care and education are basically free to all citizens; while there is an ongoing programme to bring electrification to all areas where citizens live.

Guyana today is replete with examples of developmental projects initiated by a caring PPP/C Government for the benefit of all Guyanese. Not only have we managed to restore the infrastructure of a broken and bankrupt dictatorship under the PNC regime, but we have restored our country to a vibrant middle income democracy and brought prosperity to all. Our Administration has also worked hard to improve our country’s revenue base and have expanded the economy into other new areas, such as the low carbon development Strategy, ICT, and mineral extraction, like oil, precious and heavy metals.

The leading role played by the People’s Progressive Party, led by the indomitable Dr Cheddi Jagan in the fight for independence from Britain, stands unchallenged to this day.

With the PPP-Civic in office, the freedoms of the Guyanese people are guaranteed.
People’s Progressive Party/Civic

Warm hearted Independence Anniversary greetings
THE Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) hereby sends warm-hearted 45th Independence Anniversary greetings to the nation and the citizens who constitute the nation.

Forty five years in the life of any individual, institution or nation, offer a significant enough period for reflection, review and assessment of such period.  This means that our celebration must be balanced by sober contemplation. WHAT HAVE WE DONE WITH 45 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE ?

FITUG pauses to remark on two relevant but not so popular realities and understandings of our political, constitutional and governmental independence. One, the first twenty-six years, a quarter of a century, saw one political party dominating the political space in this country.

Two, since 1966, a whole new generation, the majority of which are now forty plus or less, are inheritors of the glorious and victorious anti-colonial struggle waged by their elders, but they know or care little about that battle against Britain, the erstwhile colonial master.

Then there are those amongst us, especially at this time, WHO WOULD REVISE HISTORY, to misinform the young and the gullible. FITUG advises the nation to be true to history. Reject today’s Pretenders. As we recall the Independence fighters Cheddi Jagan and Forbes Burnham, we recognize that differences between them also resulted in the unfortunate legacy of confrontation, mistrust and delayed development amongst our people. When our rights and freedom were restored in 1992, too many selfish men facilitated bitterness, selfishness, jealousy, sabotage and subterfuge.

Those political enemies of peace and progress are still amongst us, but FITUG is confident that most Guyanese will reject them. On this Independence Anniversary, Guyanese will reflect then opt for development, genuine representation and peace.
The political independence of 1966, the past decade, saw attacks on Trade Union Representation meant to compromise the nation’s labour movement. Astonishingly, threats to the existence and relevance of Trade Unionism came from the most surprising sources in this now Sovereign Republic. FROM BOTH LOCAL AND FOREIGN EMPLOYERS! But the earlier struggle for independence has left today’s progressives with minds of mental freedom, pride and true independence.

FITUG, the nation’s largest grouping of the country’s workforce, will be on watch for the workers always. Political Independence was not won for colonial minded, modern day slave-masters.

That’s why this 45th Anniversary must speak to Trade Union Solidarity on issues common to the working-class. And we must, as a people, identify those who could fashion and manage a future of economic prosperity and social justice for all in this forty-five year old motherland of ours.
The Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana

‘We will work with all responsible and reliable forces’
ON the significant occasion of the 45th Anniversary of Guyana’s Independence, the People’s National Congress Reform joins all Guyanese at home and abroad in appropriate observances of this milestone.

In the judgement of our Party, these observances should be the occasion for soul-searching as to where our country is today and what must be done if it is to survive as a cohesive unified and prosperous country.
As a people we must ask ourselves whether, after 45 years of political independence we have been successful in ‘Nation Building’, and whether the economic plans and programmes over the past years have helped to spread prosperity equitably throughout our land and resolve our deep-seated ethnic and social problems.

Let us take note of the fact, as we observe this particular milestone, that our country is definitely showing signs of regression; and all Guyanese, who love their country, must pause and ponder what must be done, as a matter of urgency, to ensure that the path to racial harmony, economic development and social progress which were evident in the early years after independence is resumed in this our dear land.

Our Party is confident that if, as a nation, we can build a truly, inclusive political culture in which all stakeholders are allowed to play a meaningful role, and which can create an enabling environment for the orderly development of the nation, we can look forward to a future that is politically successful, economically self-sustaining and culturally rewarding.

On this 45th Anniversary of Independence, the PNCR pledges to work with all responsible and reliable forces whose aim is to forge a ‘National Consensus’, which can facilitate the resolution of the many known problems which have bedeviled our country and stymied our development. In particular, our Party will be supportive of all plans and programmes which seek to bring an end to the suffocating Westminster form of governance, which has not only slowed our development, but also generated conflict and ethnic division.

The PNCR is confident that when we present to the world an image of a united, reconciled, purposeful and serious nation, our country will not encounter insuperable difficulties in attracting credible investments to boost its economic development and, thereby, provide greater opportunity for expanded employment. A prosperous economy can be the stimulus for the spiritual, social and cultural rebirth of the nation.

It is with these reflections that the PNCR greets all the people of this our dear land, in this election year, and extend best wishes on the occasion of the 45th Anniversary of our political Independence.
People’s National Congress Reform

Still more hurdles to overcome
AS Guyanese commemorate 45 years of political independence, the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) asks that this period be used for introspection and recommitment to the spirit and struggle that realised the initial steps of independence, since there are still many more hurdles to overcome in order to make the claim that as a people, we are free at last!
Though freedom was the principle and burning desire that influenced, saw to, and realized political independence, it remains a dream of many and unfortunately, is used as a guise by some to trample the freedom of others. The desire for freedom is inalienable, enshrined in the United Nations Human Rights Declaration and protected in the Guyana Constitution wherein all are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
Forty-five years after it becomes opportune to ask what have we, as a people, gained, lost and are still to achieve. Admittedly the gain of political independence, which achieved the right to self determination, saw us giving meaning to who we are as a people with the creation of our own flag, coat of arms, motto, national anthem, constitution, laws and system of governance. While these structures symoblise and distinguish us from others, for many they are meaningless and oppressive, since their cries for freedom and being treated as equals in dignity and right are still to be respected. And behind this backdrop, Labour gives voice to these inequities and injustices, guided by the goal for the creation of a just society for all.
Today, the achievement of internal self government-the right to self determination- has morphed into governance reminiscence of dark periods in the colonial era when there were two societies, with markedly defining lines between the haves and the have-nots, where might was right, discrimination a common feature, the masses lived in poverty as the leaders lived off of them. As a people who have achieved the instrument of freedom, we cannot settle for a philosophy that holds one superior to another, and accept bad governance as the norm because it is in the hands of fellow nationals. These are not what our foreparents fought for, neither are they enshrined in our Constitution, or adumbrated in our motto. It is behind this backdrop that the struggle must continue until freedom reigns and economic and social justice are not the privilege of a few, but the right of all!
Those who recall the joy, pride and fervour that permeated the nation on the achievement of independence, and witnessing the lowering of the Union Jack and hoisting of the Golden Arrow Head, such was a defining moment when everyone felt that ‘I want to build this land that belongs to me.’ It was a moment pregnant with aspirations, dreams and endless possibilities. Today, this joy, pride, fervour and zeal are being replaced with sorrows, poor governance, fear, flight, discrimination, deprivation and hopelessness as dreams are forcedly deferred, the people’s potentials not fully unleashed, and the nation’s resources yet to be used with care and for the benefit of all.
For many, freedom, happiness and prosperity can only be pursued and achieved in a foreign land in as much as their foreparents gave their blood, sweat and tears to make it possible in the land of their birth. For workers who are organised and desire to be organized, they will recall this right and that of collective bargaining being achieved under the colonial authority; and yet today they still have to wage a valiant struggle to have them respected by fellow nationals. The striking public servants shot by police in May 1999 still await respect to have an enquiry into the incident, even as they recall the 1948 police shooting of their fellow striking sugar workers and the colonial authority acceding to their request and conducting an enquiry. These are some instances when reflections and comparisons of the colonial and independence eras are vividly made, causing many to ponder what went wrong and was it worth the struggle and fight that made May 26th 1966 possible.
Labour understands and empathises with the concerns given unfolding events and recommits to standing with all Guyanese in the pursuit of freedom. Cognisant that freedom isn’t free, it requires continuous vigilance, standing up for what is fair and just, and most importantly, staying the course. These are principles the GTUC holds dear and will not waver from.
Today, we recommit to you to continue the struggle for the creation of a just society, where freedom is not for a few, but for all!
The Guyana Trades Union Congress