President Dr Irfaan Ali on Tuesday evening engaged with members of the Guyanese diaspora in New York where he outlined the massive transformation taking place back home.
President Ali told the Guyanese living abroad that their homeland is no longer the country they once knew; now it is globally recognised.
President Ali is currently in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly.
He told Tuesday night’s gathering of a brief interaction he had with United States President Donald Trump.
“Tonight, as I walked towards President Trump, he looked at me and he said, ‘you are from the great country Guyana’. Every single person in the room knows who we are,” President Ali noted.
The President also recalled a conversation he had with a pilot on his way to New York.
“On my way to New York for the UN meeting, the pilot asked to see me, and I went to the front of the plane, and he wanted to express to me the Guyana that he’s seeing unfolding, and he wanted me to know that the region is proud of the Guyana that is unfolding, and that people in every corner of the world are speaking of the Guyana that is unfolding,” President Ali highlighted.
According to President Ali, not only is Guyana the fastest growing economy in the world but a leader in climate change, energy security and food security.
“It will be a country that is driven on a technological backbone like you have never seen before. It’s a country that is embracing AI for rapid transformation. It is a country that we want to be among the best in tourism,” President Ali added.
In this regard, he underscored the need for Guyanese all over the world to be ambassadors of Guyana.
“We have a responsibility to help to promote this story…We have to first demonstrate to the world that we love who we are,” he expressed.
President Ali also expressed gratitude to the Guyanese diaspora “for always helping and keeping Guyana alive in your hearts”.
“…even while you have built lives in this great city of New York,” he said.
“I know how strong your connection to your homeland remains. Many of you left decades for greater pastures, for the sake of your children, for better opportunities, or simply to reunite with family who had already migrated. You’ve built good lives here. You’re settled, successful, contributing to your communities. And while you may have planted roots in New York or elsewhere here in the US, I know a large part of your heart still beats to the rhythm of Guyana,” President Ali said.
As such, he assured the diaspora that “the Guyana we are building is one that is ready and willing to welcome you with open arms”.
“…whether you decide to return permanently or whether you simply want to invest, mentor, share expertise or visit for a few months each year, we are ready for you,” he added.
Moreover, President Ali emphasised that every member of the diaspora is entitled to be part of “our present and our future”.
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