– President Ali says ahead of independence anniversary, emphasises need for gratitude, reflection and unity

PRESIDENT, Dr Irfaan Ali has called on Guyanese to embrace gratitude, spiritual maturity and national unity as the country marks its 60th anniversary of independence, declaring that “60 years is evidence of endurance” and that “a thankful nation is a strong nation.”

Speaking during a special thanksgiving service at the Better Hope Assembly of God Church on Sunday, President Ali framed the nation’s upcoming Diamond Jubilee as a moment not only for celebration, but [also] for sober reflection on God’s sustaining hand over Guyana through “trials and triumphs.”

“As Guyana celebrates 60 years of independence, it is only fitting that we pause to give thanks and praise for this long journey as a nation. Sixty years is evidence of endurance. It is proof that through trials and triumphs God has sustained this land and his people,” he said.

Dr Ali noted that thanksgiving is central to the country’s spiritual and civic health, insisting that gratitude must shape both personal conduct and national policy.

“A thankful people are a hopeful people. A thankful nation is a strong nation,” he told the congregation.

Contrasting gratitude with envy, he warned that many fail to recognise their blessings because they compare themselves to others.

REMEMBERING SACRIFICE

The President linked national thanksgiving to historical memory, urging citizens to honour the sacrifices of enslaved Africans, indentured labourers, and earlier generations whose struggles laid the foundation for modern Guyana.

“Those who came and were tortured and beaten as slaves, those who came as indentured labourers, the foundation and sacrifice that they laid is that gift of gratitude that we inherit today,” he said, calling on Guyanese to give praise and thanksgiving in their memory.

He stressed that the most meaningful way to honour parents and grandparents is through humility, conduct, and service.

Drawing on his own family history, the President recalled how his grandmother laboured in the rice fields so that her daughter could become a teacher and later a senior education official, and how that sacrifice cleared the way for his own journey.

“I stand on the shoulders of my parents, my grandparents, my grandmother who planted rice with her hands and ploughed the fields with her bare feet… On their sacrifice, my parents’ sacrifice, God has granted me this opportunity in this country,” he noted.

Reviewing six decades of independence, Dr Ali reminded worshippers that Guyana’s path had been marked by hardship, political division, and economic strain.

“Our nation’s journey has not always been easy. There were moments of hardship, political division and strife, economic difficulties, and social uncertainty… There were times when our democracy itself was tested,” he said.

However, he maintained that God’s presence carried the nation through.

ECONOMIC GROWTH

With Guyana now attracting unprecedented global attention and economic opportunities, Dr Ali cautioned that development, if detached from spiritual grounding and humility, could become destructive.

“As our country grows, and as the eyes of the world turn toward Guyana, we must never forget the source of our blessing,” he said.

Development, he insisted, is not enough on its own, Positioning true independence as more than political status, the President said it must be matched by spiritual maturity and social responsibility.

“Independence is not merely political freedom. True independence also requires spiritual maturity, national unity, and social responsibility,” he said, adding:-

“We must therefore strive to build a Guyana where justice prevails, where unity triumphs over division, and where love for country rises above selfishness and greed.”

Turning to the country’s long-term outlook, Dr Ali said Guyana’s security and prosperity will not ultimately rest on its natural resources, but on keeping God at the centre of national life.

“Our future will not be secured merely by resources beneath the sea, or wealth within the economy. Our future will be secured when we continue to place God at the centre of national life, family life and personal life,” he said adding:

“If we honour God,” he added, “if we walk in righteousness, if we care for the vulnerable, if we pursue justice, and if we remain united as one people, then no obstacle will be able to defeat this nation.”