Dear Editor,
As Guyanese observe the 55th anniversary of the attainment of Independence status, after over 150 years of British colonial rule, we need to do some serious introspection on the road we have travelled thus far and the challenges that still confront us as a relatively young nation-state.
The vast majority of Guyanese would not have experienced life in pre-colonial Guyana and would therefore not be in a position to make any comparison with what life was like in pre-independence Guyana.
Many people, including myself, only have vague recollections of life during that period. What is however not in dispute is the fact that Guyana today is at a much better place in terms of our national sovereignty and our overall sense of dignity and self-respect. We are no longer subjected to the rule and dictation of a ‘mother country’.
Regrettably, the initial joy and euphoria of being free from colonial rule as manifested in the lowering of the Union Jack and the hoisting of the Golden Arrowhead was tempered by the events that preceded the conferral of Independence. It is an established fact that independence for the colony was deliberately withheld by Britain, mainly out of Cold War considerations. It was not until after the PPP was ‘engineered’ out of office through constitutional changes and the PNC-UF Coalition government assumed office in 1964 that the British Government finally agreed to grant independence to the then colony of British Guiana.
During the immediate pre-independence years, the country experienced severe political trauma which continued well into the post-independence period following a rupture of the democratic fabric of the country.
All of that is now ‘water under the bridge.’ The best way to celebrate our independence is to put in place the necessary mechanisms to consolidate and further deepen our democracy and the democratic processes.
As our past experience has demonstrated, democracy is indispensable for social and economic development. I believe that our best days are ahead of us. Let us learn from the lessons of our past and work together to create a socially just and prosperous Guyana. The objective conditions for economic advancement are much more favourable today than at any other time in our history.
I take this opportunity to extend happy independence greetings to all Guyanese.
Yours faithfully,
Hydar Ally
