[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 95 (Tuesday, June 10, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1180]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   GUYANA'S 42ND BIRTHDAY: MUCH TO CELEBRATE, QUITE A LOT TO HOPE FOR

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                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 10, 2008

  Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Guyana's 
42nd anniversary of independence.
  Guyana achieved independence on May 26, 1966, and became the Co-
operative Republic of Guyana on February 23, 1970, with a new 
constitution. Guyana is a located on the northern coast of South 
America between Venezuela, Brazil, and Suriname. It is the lone 
English-speaking nation on the South American mainland, a country of 
83,000 square miles, dense tropical forests, and 800,000 people.
  This former British colony is rich in human resources, bauxite, gold 
and arable land. The young country had promising expectations but 
success was not immediately attained. In fact, Guyana, at times, is 
described as one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere and 
qualifies for debt concessions through the global initiative to reduce 
burden on the world's highly indebted poor countries.
  After years of economic decline, failure to maintain its 
infrastructure, political conflict between Afro and Indo Guyanese, 
Guyana's largest ethnic groups, and factors that fueled an exodus of 
its brightest, the country needed reform. Today, it is rebuilding both 
its economy and infrastructure and with prospects of finding large 
deposits of oil, Guyana now has the potential for growth and prosperity 
expected of it since the 1960s.
  Guyana still faces many obstacles today. Earlier this year, two 
massacres took the lives of more than 20 men, women and children but a 
period of relative calm has followed. Yes, crime and violence remain a 
serious problem as they do elsewhere in the Caribbean.
  The latter is the dichotomous image that Guyana presents to the world 
as it celebrates its 42nd anniversary of independence.
  As a member of the international community, Guyana has made important 
contributions to the resolutions of major conflicts around the world 
through its participation in the United Nations Security Council, in 
the Organization of American States, on the World Court and in other 
global bodies.
  This anniversary offers us an occasion to thank the people of Guyana 
for their strength, their courage, and their contributions to our 
global community. So, on this anniversary of independence, I stand in 
camaraderie with the Guyanese people to celebrate and appreciate the 
growth and change of Guyana.

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