The theme for this year's observances is `A decade of democracy, development and good governance'.

The PPP/C won the historic October 5, 1992 elections which marked Guyana's return to the fold of democratic nations, ending almost 30 years of fraudulent elections.

Teixeira yesterday reflected on the 10 years in governance, saying today's anniversary is one of great importance in Guyana's history, since it "signals the beginning of the restoration of Guyana and the restoration of the country's democratic institutions and practices."

The minister said that during the 10 years, Guyana has grown and Guyanese have grown to recognise what a complex task it was to reconstruct a nation in which public infrastructure and social services were on the verge of collapse.

The Administration, which was faced with this dilemma, had to invest most of its time and energies in restructuring physical infrastructure, reforming Parliament to make it a deliberative forum and restoring democracy.

According to the minister, one of the important events that took place during the 10 years was the election of Local Government organs in the country in 1994.

The election, which was the first in 24 years, brought significant changes to governance at the local level.

"Over the 10 years we can say that the reconstruction process of Guyana, its physical infrastructure, in all sectors has gone a long way," she said.

"The construction and building of democracy has also taken quantum leaps forward, but it is still in its embryonic stages and so we have Constitutional amendments, the struggle of how to ensure using the Constitution as a means to enlighten our people to strengthen their rights, their duties and responsibilities as citizens of this country."

Teixeira pointed out that as citizens people should not just be aware of their rights, but should be able to recognise that they have a responsibility to their families, communities and the nation as a whole.

"I think over the 10 years we have made amazing strides as a young nation, as a newly emerging democracy in this region," she said.

She urged Guyanese to be proud of Guyana, noting that this is a beautiful country and that Guyana will continue to forge ahead.

The minister also urged Guyanese to find ways to help in the rebuilding of Guyana.

"Looking back over the 10 years we have to remember we have come a far way; we have made tremendous strides, but we have a long way still to go.

"I don't think that we should fool ourselves that there is any quick-fix in the process of building a nation and institutionalising and consolidating democracy."

She compared the democratic status of Guyana to that of the more developed countries, mainly the United Kingdom and the United States of America, saying that those countries have had their democracies defined for nearly 200 years, but the achievements of Guyana need to be recognised, since it has come a far way in developing its democracy.

PPP General Secretary, Mr. Donald Ramotar said, "October 5th marks the beginning of a democratic renewal in our society."

He referred to a report, which was completed in 1992 with funding from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), but was not released by the former administration to the public, mainly because of its contents. The report stated that 86 per cent of the population in Guyana was living in poverty at that time.

This situation has since been changed with the provision of proper infrastructure and development in all sectors, he said.

Today the poverty rate hovers around 35 per cent from what it was in 1992, he said.

Ramotar highlighted some of the freedoms established by the Government, including freedom of speech and movement, which he said serve as the foundation for social and economic development.

He said that the celebration of the 10th anniversary falls at a complicated and difficult time in the country's history due to the current crime situation gripping the nation, but it is evident that Guyana has indeed moved forward.

He said that persons have linked the crime rate to the level of poverty, but stated that this is not so, noting that prior to 1992, the poverty rate was higher.