–PNCR says in emancipation message
The PNCR says that essential freedoms are under threat and it is necessary on an occasion as serious and momentous as Emancipation Day for the nation to take stock of where it stands and what must be done to restore the pride and freedom that African ancestors bequeathed to everyone.
In its Emancipation Day message, the PNCR said this event “must warrant sober reflection to determine whether the freedom gained at this critical point in our history has been effectively utilised to transform this country into a cohesive and prosperous nation.”
But the party asserted that more than four decades after independence, the nation “faces a situation in which the essential freedoms of our citizens are threatened. The right not to be tortured is repeatedly violated. The right to information remains elusive. The right to a peaceful and secure existence is clouded by the rise in criminality and the strengthening of the drug culture.”
Most of all, the PNCR said, the freedoms to which all Guyanese are heir, can be negated by the out of control violence in the society.
And the party stressed that freedom cannot flourish under the reign of guns and the lack of law and order.
Therefore, the PNCR contended, it is critical that if the nation wishes to overcome its formidable problems that Guyanese rekindle the spirit of their ancestors and rededicate themselves to building a society that is truly free and one where the talents of everyone are marshalled to ensure that the promise of prosperity and real freedom is not perennially deferred.
There cannot be any doubt, the PNCR maintained, “that our ancestors from Africa laid an excellent foundation for the development of Guyana. They engaged in the building of the massive infrastructural works which facilitated the creation of the drainage and irrigation system, purchased villages which are at the heart of the local government system, pioneered a number of vital institutions which improved the lives of their communities.” And most important of all, they took advantage of the education system to prepare themselves for the challenges of the various professions such as law and medicine, the PNCR added.
But most important of all, the party noted, the descendants of African slaves joined hands with other ethnic groups to engage in the grand enterprise of building a strong self-confident and prosperous nation. In this enterprise, the PNCR said further, it was clear that freedom was a precondition for the shaping of a successful nation as oppressed and shackled peoples do not build free societies.
The PNCR said that it wishes all the people of Guyana an enjoyable Emancipation Day and joins in celebrating the 170th anniversary of the freedom of slaves in Guyana and the rest of the English-speaking Caribbean.
