PPP says challenges to nationhood no less severe
Stabroek News
May 26, 2004

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The PPP says that unlike the pre-independence period, Guyanese are today the masters of their own destiny but the challenges to nationhood and for economic and social justice are no less severe.

The ruling party in its statement on Guyana's 38th Independence anniversary said: "We still have to confront the challenges of an international environment that is fiercely competitive and stacked against the poorer countries."

At the local level, the PPP said, the ethnic scars of the pre-independence period are still to be fully healed.

The party charged that the situation is made even more difficult by incessant appeals to race and ethnicity by those who prey on the country's ethnic diversity to stir up strife and discord out of narrow political self-interest. It cited opposition forces and their affiliated "talk show hosts".

"The PPP calls on these elements to desist forthwith from such actions which are not only inimical to the national interests, but serve to negate the sacrifices of our ancestors who gave their lives so that their dreams of a prosperous and cohesive society could be realised," the statement noted.

According to the PPP, at the political level there are fresh attempts to reverse the democratic and social gains set in train by the October 1992 elections which saw democracy restored to Guyana after an absence of nearly three decades.

However, the PPP noted that it remains optimistic that the nation will continue to rise to the challenges, not withstanding the odds.

The party also stated that it is proud of the role it has been playing in the creation of an independent, just and prosperous society. The PPP contended that its special emphasis on human development is manifested in such areas as better schools, improved health care delivery, homes for the homeless, enhanced supply of potable water, and better roads. All of these, according to the PPP, translate into a better quality of life for the Guyanese people.

Moreover, the statement said, at the governance level tremendous progress was made in terms of greater inclusivity and participatory democracy at the parliamentary and sector-committee levels.

The party pointed out that a number of Constitutional Commissions have been set up, such as the Ethnic Relations Commission, the Indigenous People's Commission, among others, to protect minority interests and to end, or discourage discriminatory practices.