26/05/2026
𝐌𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐀𝐆𝐄 𝐁𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐑 (𝐑𝐄𝐓'𝐃) 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐏𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐏𝐒 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐂𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝟔𝟎𝐓𝐇 𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐀𝐑𝐘 𝐎𝐅 𝐆𝐔𝐘𝐀𝐍𝐀: 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐃 𝐉𝐔𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐄
My Fellow Guyanese,
What an honour it is to extend Independence Anniversary greetings on this, our Diamond Jubilee. Sixty years! Today, as we mark the 60th anniversary of the Independence of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, we stand firmly in the belief that Guyana has always been a country destined for prosperity. We can safely say that belief is now our reality.
The diamond, a powerful symbol of a 60th anniversary, inherently signifies strength and permanence. As one of the most durable natural gems on earth, it embodies a nation that has endured testing and pressure, emerging as a brilliant, resilient, and unwavering country.
When the Golden Arrowhead was raised for the first time in 1966, our founding fathers could not have foreseen all the challenges that lay ahead. However, what they knew was that a free Guyana, governed by its own people, would find its way. It is a proud moment to look back and know with certainty that we have achieved that. Through economic hardships, political turbulence, and challenges to our territorial integrity, we have endured. But beyond that, Guyana has risen above those challenges.
When we reflect on how the past six years alone have been transformative for Guyana in ways that history will remember, we can certainly be proud of it as a nation. The responsible development of our oil and gas resources has driven the fastest economic growth Guyana has ever experienced. What is equally important to highlight is that we have not wasted this opportunity. We have utilised our resources to build roads connecting long-neglected communities, hospitals that deliver quality care closer to home, schools that provide our children with a solid foundation, and infrastructure that demonstrates to the world that Guyana is open, prepared, and progressing. Our coastlands are being modernised.
Our hinterland communities are being included. The promise of development for every Guyanese, regardless of where they reside or their background, is being fulfilled, one project at a time.But we are sober in our celebration, because we are reminded that oil is a resource, not a crutch. We are acutely aware that true, lasting prosperity cannot rest on a single industry. That is why, even as we reap the benefits of our energy sector, we continue to invest in agriculture, tourism, technology, in our creative industries, and, most critically, in our people. The Guyanese people remain our greatest and most renewable resource.
People of Guyana, sustaining the success we have achieved requires the same determination that built our beautiful country, which has stood 60 years strong: discipline, unity, our commitment to the common good, and our determination to continue succeeding. We must build institutions that outlast administrations, develop human capital, and nurture an economy diversified enough to weather whatever tomorrow brings.
As we enter our seventh decade of independence, let us carry forward the spirit of those who came before us and the ambitions of those who will come after us. Guyana has proven what small nations are capable of. We are just getting started.
Happy 60th Independence Anniversary, Guyana! The best is still ahead.
