President meets Guyanese in Atlanta, Georgia

-consulate to be established

President Donald Ramotar says the lack of cooperation from opposition parties is hindering progress on development projects vital for Guyana’s transformation and vowed to bring them to fruition, at a town hall style meeting held in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

According to a report from the Government Information Agency (GINA) Ramotar and a team comprising First Lady Deolatchmee Ramotar, Minister of Foreign Affairs Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett and Guyana’s Ambassador to the United States, Bayney Karran visited the state where they met with local officials, civil rights leaders including Martin Luther King III and members of the Guyanese Diaspora.

Regarding the Amaila Fall Hydroelectric project, Ramotar said, “We have not spent US$30 million to build a road to nowhere. I am determined that Guyana will produce hydroelectricity sooner rather than later.” The president also spoke on other issues including developments in the social sector, energy and infrastructure, security, city sanitation and air links at the four-hour meeting, GINA said.

Meanwhile, the foreign minister told the gathering that government will establish a Consulate in Atlanta to address the needs of Guyanese nationals there.

The presidential delegation was welcomed by performances from the Guyana Queh Queh Company and the Radha Krishna Mandir dance troupe at the Redan Party Rental and Cultural Center in Stone Mountain, Georgia. At the close of the meeting Dr Vincent Adams of the Linden Fund thanked the president and team for visiting the community.

GINA said the president and his team also visited the former church and paid respects at the gravesite, of slain civil rights icon Reverend Dr Martin Luther King where he met with King’s son, Martin Luther King III. King, along with leading historians, academic and civil rights figures interacted with the president on the course of the international struggle for civil rights. Ramotar and his team also visited the Walter Rodney Foundation which is housed in the Woodruff Library at Atlanta University.