[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 68 (Monday, June 1, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S5522]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO GUYANESE INDEPENDENCE

 Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I rise to commemorate the May 
26, 1997 thirty-second anniversary of the independence of the Republic 
of Guyana. To the people indigenous to the region, the word ``Guyana'' 
means land of many waters. But Guyana is also a land of many peoples--
Guyanese count East Indians, Africans, Chinese, Amer-Indians, and 
Europeans counted among their ancestors. Now there is also a growing 
community of Guyanese-Americans, many of whom make their home in New 
Jersey.
  My colleagues may be aware that Guyana achieved independence and 
observed its first free and fair election in 1992, after more than 
three centuries of British, French, and Dutch colonialism. Guyana's 
first Constitution bore the influence of British legal traditions, and 
former President Jimmy Carter supervised the team of international 
observers to guarantee the fairness of the 1992 elections.
  Guyana's three decades of unpopular and repressive rule slowed 
progress in the nation, but Guyanese are working to overcome these 
hurdles. I hope that they will succeed. Guyanese-Americans have much to 
be proud of. Their history is rich, and I hope the future of Guyana 
will be bright.

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