Georgetown : Prime Minister Samuel Hinds reflected on the life of the late Dr. Cheddi Jagan and his commitment towards making Guyana a better place for all citizens, ensuring the country’s growth through national unity and development.
In his lecture to the audience at the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre, (Red House) Prime Minister Hinds noted that it was indeed an honour to deliver the annual 2014 lecture on such a great human being.
Focusing on Dr. Jagan’s lifelong work for national unity and national development, the Prime Minister said, “ever closer unity and steadily further development are concerns for every nation, and these tasks have been particularly challenging for us.”
The Prime Minister noted that it is critical that every Guyanese irrespective of race, colour or creed, makes the best of working with others.
According to Prime Minister Hinds, Dr. Jagan in his time was faced with more challenges than are being experienced today, but that did not stop his work for unity amongst the people.
“He was a first generation Guyanese when he left to go to school. He would have been living in a community of immigrants, he came up against clash of cultures when he attended school, and even when he went abroad to study, but he used the challenges he faced to fight for our independence.”
He alluded to the fact that Dr. Jagan, wanted to see change for Guyana, and he took on the task for change, for national unity and national development until the day of his death.
“He paid his dues and was ever ready to pay the price and pick up the pieces and try again. The challenges to national unity are wide and deep and we must all mark that journey along a road which has been marked out with event in which intense feelings are inherent.”
Further, the Prime Minster added that there was still much to be sorted out, and much work to be done to make all Guyanese one people and one nation.
“It is my view that part of our problem has been that whilst all of us accept this idea to national unity, I think that we think of it in our own terms, in our own experiences, and that’s where the challenge is, and that makes it more difficult.”
Meanwhile PPP Executive Member Navin Chandarpal who chaired the programme also hailed the works of the late Dr. Jagan.
“We are aware of the fact that he made a contribution to the freedom of our country, to its development, economic, social, political terms for the betterment of Guyanese people. He did this in a period of political activities that spanned from the mid 40s to 1997 until the time of his death.”
Chandarpal described Dr Jagan as the first democratically elected president, who today still stands out as having made a contribution that is unequal. He said it is for this reason a research centre was established, so that his life and work can live on.
“He was described in the category of Latin American presidents, he was an undisputable giant among pygmies; it is no overstatement to say that he was a towering figure in the 20th century and one of the few authentic contemporary democratic figures”.
The Dr. Cheddi Jagan lecture was started after the research centre was established.
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