IT is with profound sincerity that I write to congratulate Prime Minister Samuel Hinds on his so much deserved achievement of having the highest national award of this land bestowed upon him. When we were gripped in the monstrous clutches of the PNC dictatorship, hungry and thirsty among those that were struggling to free us from the sufferings were Mr. Samuel Hinds. And like the greatest man that ever walked this earth, Our Lord Jesus Christ when he said to his disciples come walk with me. So did the father of this nation Dr Cheddi Jagan to Mr. Samuel Hinds when he said come walk with me so that we can struggle together to create a free, prosperous, socially just and modern Guyana. Mr. Hinds without hesitation accepted and together with their decent minded followers they walked the walk and talked the talk setting fire in the people’s hearts, moulding them together to be one people to work together to build our nation. So with the people’s pressure and that of President Jimmy Carter Mr. Desmond Hoyte fought off the obstinate Hamilton Green who was opposed to free and fair elections to the point where he had to expel him from the PNC party so that he could agree to allow free and fair elections. This he did and we all know the end results. Had Hoyte listened to Green and continued the dictatorship only God knows what state we and our country would be in today. Of course Green is still able to give us a glimpse of what our country was like then by his mismanagement of our city, bringing it from a Garden City to a garbage city. And true to form the ‘palm tree’ cinema at Melanie Damishana is a replica of what our country was like during the PNC misrule (dictatorship) and also a replica of Green’s mental manifesto.
I have worked in the private sector from 1955 with Bookers Stores Ltd up to when it was Guyana Stores Ltd and before it was privatised. But the store gradually and then rapidly started to display empty shelves and I had to move on. I can say a mouthful of its destruction under PNC rule. During my years with that company I had the privilege of meeting people from all walks of life- the highly qualified to those of the grassroot level; very humble intelligent people, but to compare any of those with Prime Minister Samuel Hinds for simplicity and humility that would be a very daunting task for me.
May God bless him with health and strength to continue the great work.