[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 67 (Thursday, May 25, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E851]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


   IN HONOR OF THE NEW JERSEY ARYA SAMAJ MANDIR, INC., AND ITS FIFTH 
               ANNUAL COMMEMORATIVE FLAG-RAISING CEREMONY

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                          HON. ROBERT MENENDEZ

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 25, 2000

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. Speaker, today I recognize the New Jersey Arya 
Samaj Mandir, Inc., and the fifth annual commemorative flag-raising 
ceremony in celebration of the 34th Anniversary of the Independence of 
the Republic of Guyana.
  This fine organization was incorporated in 1988 to promote Indian 
culture, while also assisting with the sometimes trying period of 
adjustment that immigrant families experience upon entering, settling, 
and residing in a foreign land. Arya Samaj Mandir, Inc., serves the 
educational, cultural, religious, and social needs of New Jersey's Arya 
and Hindu immigrants in a way that improves the quality of their 
American experience.
  Guyana's independence is the primary reason for this flag-raising 
ceremony, and in honor of Guyana's Independence and its many years of 
struggle to realize that independence, it is important to provide 
overview of its history.
  `Guyana' is an indigenous Indian word that means land of many waters. 
In 1622, the Dutch began colonizing Guyana and in 1640, the first group 
of slaves arrived. Following the 1763 Berbice Slave Rebellion, British 
captured the colony in 1781, were ousted a year later, and they 
returned in 1812. Laborers were brought from Portugal in 1935, from 
India in 1838, and from China in 1853.
  Under universal suffrage, the first elections were held in 1953. The 
People's Progressive Party (PPP) won the election, but it was removed 
133 days later by the British. The PPP was reelected in 1957 and again 
in 1961. In 1966, Guyana became an independent nation. However, corrupt 
elections led to 28 years of unpopular rule. It was not until 1992 that 
the Republic of Guyana held free and open elections. Today, the PPP-
Civic government is in power under the Presidency of Dr. Cheddi Jagan.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the New Jersey Arya 
Samaj Mandir, Inc., and the fifth annual flag-raising ceremony in honor 
of Guyana's independence.

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