The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) extends best wishes to the Guyanese people, indeed the people of the Caribbean, as we once again celebrate CARICOM Day. The regional bloc which stretches from Bahamas in the North, to Guyana and Suriname in the South, remains a critical voice on behalf of the 6.5 million Caribbean citizens.
The GAWU recognizes recent press reports which brought once again into focus the current state of our efforts to foster closer co-operation and collaboration. Considerably, the time span since the Caribbean Community was launched 45 years ago, we feel that, at this point in time, we should be further along the road than we are at this time.
Though the Region has faced obstacles in its quest to become more integrated, we hold too that we have also come a far way. Today, our people are able to move more freely; several barriers to intra-regional trade have been broken down; we celebrate our achievements in togetherness and unity; and we stand together in tough and difficult times. When we consider from whence we came, the GAWU believes we have moved a great way.
We continue to recognise the importance of integration today, especially, too, as we face several new challenges and continue to face up to those persistent difficulties. There is also now greater need to redouble our efforts to reach the goals our leaders of the past envisioned. This is ever important as we confront a harsher world which for many is looking more inward. We are aware that differences will be ever-present and that our conditions may not always be the same and that circumstances continue to evolve which sometimes push us in other directions. At the same time, we should recall that we stand stronger together and we record our greatest successes when we speak with one collective voice in a democratic environment.
The GAWU again extends sincere wishes as we observe CARICOM Day.
