Put aside old grudges
- Prime Minister


Guyana Chronicle
December 25, 1999


PRIME Minister Sam Hinds has called for the putting aside of old grouses as Guyanese celebrate the holiday season, stressing that those who nurse old chips on their shoulders will be left behind in the new century.

In a Christmas message, the Prime Minister said now is the time to "contemplate new relationships, (enter) into partnerships and (find) common cause with many with whom we struggled before at the personal, at the national and international levels."

"We must strive to participate fully in this new global liberalised world whilst being conscious of the dangers. We can and must welcome foreign investors; at the same time in the various fora where the rules are set, we will continue to argue for fair arrangements which provide us not merely handouts, but reasonable opportunities for success of our earnest work," Mr Hinds said.

"But this is now the Christmas season; may we all across Guyana enjoy ourselves during this Christmas and New Year season in the traditional delights of the season."

The Prime Minister extended a warm welcome to some 20,000 visiting Guyanese "who are here to rejoin us even if only for a few weeks."

He said the century now ending saw Guyanese embarking together on the struggle for independence, social justice for workers, respect and opportunities.

"We have won great victories in this century but to build on and reap the full benefits of these victories we must put the old battle lines behind us," Prime Minister Hinds said.

According to Mr Hinds, he is looking forward to a number of new programmes and initiatives which will begin in the New Year, and a "prevailing theme will be for us to focus on our work and working so that production and productivity would increase even more rapidly and our expectations and aspirations realised more fully and sustainably so."

"1999 has not been a marvellous year but it has been a year of recovery and a number of achievements; the largest production of rice; the best production of sugar for many years; there were increases in timber production and non traditional crops; gold production by local producers is expected to show an increase on last year's but export prices have not been favourable," the Prime Minister said.

"But such is life each day - presenting us new challenges; but we can be assured that working together in harmony we can survive, we can succeed."

"We can't help but think of the new century as a time that will bring changes; particularly changes in the way we see things. Seeing things in new ways, turning to clean new pages. This is the challenge before us in the new century and millennium", he said.


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