PPP to participate in Independence Anniversary Flag Raising

Last Updated on Wednesday, 18 May 2016, 22:15 by Denis Chabrol

The People’s Progressive Party (PPP), which played a significantly leading role in fighting for Guyana’s independence from Britain, will be participating in the 50th Independence Anniversary Flag Raising Ceremony.

“We will be attending the Flag Raising ceremony because we believe that will be a very important event,” Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo announced at a news conference at his party’s headquarters, Freedom House.

The event is billed for May 25 at D’urban Park aback the 1763 Slave Rebellion ‘Cuffy’ Monument.

At the same time, Jagdeo hopes that President David Granger will use the opportunity to pay tribute to the architects of Guyana’s independence- the PPP’s Cheddi Jagan and the breakaway People’s National Congress’ (PNC) Forbes Burnham.

Following the split in the PPP in 1955, the Americans and the British had conspired to ensure that British Guiana was granted independence under Burnham’s PNC because of fears that Jagan would have facilitated independent Guyana becoming another communist satellite state in the Western Hemisphere second to Cuba.

Jagdeo expects that Granger will use his speech to announce a clear pathway for social cohesion,  a green economy and tackling racial and ethnic discrimination. “We will be listening carefully to that speech to see if it addresses all of these issues and many more that I am sure that our people are waiting to hear answers for,” he said.

Guyana attained independence from Britain in 1966.