Minister Todd promises to put every effort into ensuring Linden is developed

In his feature address at the flag raising ceremony in Mackenzie Linden, on Tuesday, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development Hugh Todd, assured residents that every opportunity will be taken to develop the mining town. He said “I will put all of my efforts to ensure that the Linden that you and I want, that we can achieve it going forward.”

Todd reminded citizens that the anniversary represents Guyana being a democratic nation.

“This is a very special moment for us as Guyanese as one people, one nation, one destiny. An anniversary is a very special moment in anyone’s life whether you are celebrating a wedding anniversary, your birth anniversary or an anniversary for any other special achievement that you may have attained during your journey this is our journey as a people, as a nation, as a country this is a journey that we are taking together, as ten regions all under one umbrella.”

The minister called on citizens to maintain a united front as a sovereign nation experiencing triumph and steadfast economic growth for a greater tomorrow. He said this cause is being championed by His Excellency, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, under the “One Guyana” initiative.

“We are a people that have to chart our own course, we cannot depend on any other country; we can work in partnership, but we are a nation state, that means that we as a people we have to determine our future and we have to chronicle all that we have done and ensure that the future for us would only get better.”

Also addressing the audience was Member of Parliament Jermaine Figueira, who said citizens must be responsible for chartering their own course as a free and independent nation. “It must be stated, that political independence as posited by the founding Father of this nation LFS Burnham, is not an end in itself, but rather, it represents an opportunity to create a society which all citizens are assured of social and economic justice.” This justice he said is not presently realised as well as a ‘One Guyana’, when 49 percent of the population is intentionally denied a seat at the table, where those decisions are made for this ‘One Guyana.’
“We will not have a ‘One Guyana’, when communities who participated in the democratic process to choose their leaders are purposefully and intentionally denied of the much needed resources to effectively serve the people of those communities, only the basis of them democratically supporting a different political organization, from the powers that be.”
The Opposition MP called on the present administration to do better for healthcare workers and for senior citizens, amongst other categories of the populace.
“Residents of Region Ten, we will not have a ‘One Guyana’, when our nurses, police officers, teachers, fellow public servants, who on a daily basis, keep the engine of government running, are forgotten and intentionally robbed of benefiting from the states resources, their resources to cushion this dreadfully high cost of living. We cannot have a ‘One Guyana’, when the budgetary allocated resources for regions do not reflect the will of those people and moreover do not benefit the people of those respective regions.”

He further chided the administration for awarding contracts on the basis of political affiliation or association and posited that the distribution of state resources, must be done in an equitable, fair and just manner to the benefit of all Guyanese, if we are to achieve ‘One Guyana.’
For this ideal of a ‘One Guyana’, to come into being, it must be supported by deliberate and intentional actions to match those words, with the aim of bettering the lives of our people in the pursuit of a good life.

The anniversary celebration under the theme “Let’s cooperate and collaborate as we celebrate ‘ONE GUYANA’” saw a plethora of cultural performances such a steelpan, songs and dances from epic dance group, among others.

Following the performances was a mini parade conducted by the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and the hoisting of national flag in front of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC).

Also in attendance were Mayor of Linden, Waneka Arrindell; CEO of Go-Invest, Dr. Peter Ramsaroop; among others.