Republicanism is about the exercise of sovereignty
Editorial
Guyana Chronicle
February 23, 2007
WE JOIN in extending Republic Day greetings to all Guyanese.
While thousands will take to the streets today to revel and enjoy Mashramani and especially the Costume and Float Parade, we hope that in it all, the political significance of February 23 will not be lost.
Feb. 23 is a day of special significance chosen as the day when Guyana became a Republic. The choice of this day was no means accidental since Feb. 23 is also associated with the historic slave uprising in 1763 in Berbice. Feb. 23 is therefore an important day not only in our cultural calendar but also in our country’s history.
In as much therefore as the Mashramani celebrations have become the focal point of Feb. 23, the political significance of Mashramani should not be lost on us as a nation.
Republican status was the logical extension of independence. Despite the fact that some nations have become independent but have held on to their constitutional ties to their former colonizers, it was only natural, given Guyana’s vigorous anti-colonial struggles and the political ideology of the early pioneers of independence struggles, for Guyana to have opted to become a Republic, only four years after being granted independence.
Independence and republicanism are, however, not to be confused with breaking all ties with our former foreign masters. The world today is an interdependent world and countries such as Guyana should use their status as republics to deepen its independence and use this as the basis for entering into an interdependent globalized economy and international political system from a position as a free and sovereign nation.
The true test of independence and, by extension republicanism, is not fanciful declarations about breaking the shackles of colonial rule but rather about what replaces the rule by the mother country. It is not about cliches but is to be found in the exercise of nationhood.
Breaking the final shackles of colonialism may be sweet sounding to the ears, but the true measure of Republicanism is not in distancing ourselves from our former oppressors, but in distancing ourselves in relationships based on a model on political inferiority/superiority.
It does not mean that we can simply be in a state of autarky. No independent nation can exist separate from the external world and therefore breaking the final shackles of colonialism should not lead to heady intentions about our ability to carve out a new Guyana regardless of the state of the world.
Republicanism is about the exercise of sovereignty. It is about engaging the energies of the people of Guyana towards the achievement of common goals and aspirations, foremost of which is the creation of a free, democratic united, secure, independent and peaceful nation.
It is not about disengaging from the world and from traditional relations but rather of engaging the world from an assured position as an independent and sovereign nation.
The challenge of republicanism was therefore the same challenge of independence. In being moulders of our own destiny, charters of our political and economic courses, we must do so out of a recognition that as a sovereign nation we are part of a global community many of whom share the same aspirations as we do.
This challenge is not something that we can ignore. And therefore, after Guyanese would have enjoyed themselves today in celebrating our rich and varied cultural mosaic, we should all ponder on the political significance of being a Republic and specifically about what it means to be a sovereign nation in an increasingly interdependent world.
There is no doubt that in pondering on the relationship between our sovereignty and our relations with the external world, we shall have to grapple with a host of concerns, not the least of which is the larger global political system and how it impacts on small states. The role of small states in the global agenda has increasingly been hitting the radar since it is recognized that in an increasingly interdependent and globalized world, small states face peculiar vulnerabilities related to their size, resources and their overall position in exercising global influence.
Whether it be global warming, the results of industrialized nations’ protectionism, unfair trade or the rolling back of donor and trade preferences, these are all issues that small states must take note of as they decide how best to exercise their sovereignty in today’s world. They are as crucial today as were considerations that were topical when Guyana became a Republic thirty seven years ago.
In confronting these “issue” challenges we shall be putting our sovereignty to the test and by extension our credibility as a Republic.