President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali has expressed his disapproval and dismay at the verbal attack launched against the Guyanese diaspora who engaged him during his recent visit to New York, USA.
In a live broadcast Sunday evening, the head of state pointed to a release issued by the Rickford Burke-run Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy (CGID), which attempted to disparage the diaspora for its interactions with the president.
The organisation even sought to boycott those businesses because of what it termed as ‘an egregious betrayal of black people.’
In response, President Ali lambasted the institute for its divisive agenda.
He asserted that such separatist propaganda would not deter his government from achieving shared prosperity and national unity.
The president recalled the hospitality and benevolence demonstrated by the diaspora in Brooklyn and Queens and said this represents the true Guyanese culture.
He rejected CGID’s attempts to condemn ‘innocent and hardworking’ Guyanese and assured that the diaspora did nothing wrong.
“I assure you that I left strengthened in my resolve, and the government’s resolve to achieve the agenda of One Guyana. No detractors, haters or racists, or anyone who seeks selfishly to derail this agenda will be allowed to shake my strong belief in the Guyanese people and in our ability to achieve One Guyana,” he said.
He lauded the diaspora successes in the United States in areas such as healthcare and education, and the willingness to work alongside the government to promote a future of enhanced inclusivity and massive development in Guyana.
“You are an important part of our future. You are an important part of building a stronger Guyana. You are an important part of building prosperity in every home. Do not lose heart,” he encouraged.
The president continued, “It hurts me to know that people and organisations who claim to love can be so divisive, so self-centred and selfish so that they can issue statements calling for the boycott of business, for a boycott of your economic wellbeing.”
The head of state called on US Congressman, Hakeem Jeffries and other elected officials to examine the actions of the group and the narratives that it is perpetuating against Afro-Guyanese.
“To belittle these people, to attack them by saying that they were paid stooges…This cannot be the type of people who put their hands up into the air and call themselves leaders. This cannot be people of dignity and integrity. This cannot be people who claim to represent the truth,” he stated.
According to President Ali, the organisation’s comments speak volumes about its character, noting the ‘shallow’ standpoint from which it makes pronouncements.
“We are committed to working with you in and out of government. Our messages are not founded on hate or racism. It is founded on national unity, and our collective desire to see our beautiful country prosper,” the president affirmed.
President was recently in New York to receive the Legacy Award from the American Foundation for the University of the West Indies (AFUWI). [DPI]
