All must work together for nationhood - Jagdeo Stabroek News May 6, 2000 President Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday reminded his countrymen that they were all Guyanese before anything else and that they should work together for the common good of the nation. The Head of State, delivering the feature address at the Indian Immigration Monument to commemorate the 162nd anniversary of the arrival of the East Indians, told those gathered that it was a celebration for all Guyanese since this was a land of peoples of different races and religions working together as one. In the Guyana Information Services (GIS) press release the President was also quoted as stating that the day was significant and historic in the life of the Guyanese nation. Many Indians, he stated, had left the shores of India for unknown destinations with conditions that were unfamiliar to them. These Indians, President Jagdeo further stated, were pioneers and risk takers who maintained those two characteristics which had served to help them in developing a sense of entrepreneurship and the pioneering spirit. This spirit, he stated, had allowed them to carve out a niche in this country which had left an indelible mark on its development in every sphere of activity. The President added "as a Guyanese, my history did not start 162 years ago; rather my history is also the history of the Amerindians, the Africans, the Indians and all the other groups who came here. That is our history as Guyanese people. We must all be extremely proud of our connections with India and our Indian ancestry".