President Dr Irfaan Ali has touted Guyana as a happy, multi-cultural society, with tolerance levels the rest of the world could learn from.
He made this assertion today during a special interview on the UK-based podcast, The Rest is Politics: Leading with Alastair Campbell. President Ali encouraged visitors to see Guyana as a society bridging divides despite its diverse and complex make-up.
“You can come to Guyana and you can see religious intermarriages… you can see the coexistence of all religions of all our people,” the president stated.
He noted that, “The only time you see strong sentiments that are ethnic in nature is when we are approaching elections… because the main opposition… primarily use race and ethnicity as their main mobilisation tool,” adding that “We (People’s Progressive Party) use national development, national policy and a unity platform.”
The fact that a minority Muslim person could be elected president tells a lot about the level of tolerance and the acceptance of humanity, the president continued. He said that Guyana has a clear demonstration of humanity and how it values its human assets. This could be a benefit of the country being in South America, yet very much connected to the Caribbean, and meshed further through music, art, and food that reflect the merger of a cultural fusion.
“We have been able, through all the difficulties, from slavery, colonisation and a long period; 28 years of dictatorship… to keep that level of tolerance, togetherness and understanding at a manageable level where today it is totally integrated… with a seamless transition between the different cultures, religions and ethnicity and the new generation coming up,” he said.
The president highlighted that if one were to visit Guyana, they would find it difficult to feel racial tension or religious pressure; rather, one would feel that they are in a very happy environment. He noted that Guyanese are life-oriented and strive to strike such a balance.
President Dr. Irfaan Ali
