As Guyana prepares to mark its 60th Independence Anniversary, President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali issued a pointed reminder to the nation – prosperity without humility and gratitude is meaningless.
He made the remarks on Sunday morning while joining the Thanksgiving Service and Culture (Living in Unity) in honour of the nation’s 60th Independence celebrations at Better Hope Assembly of God Church.
Reflecting on six decades of nationhood, President Ali said Guyana’s journey has been marked by trials, triumphs, and moments when the country’s survival hung in the balance, but the nation endured through it all.
“Thus far, the Lord has helped us,” President Ali told those gathered. “He helped us through political unrest, through economic challenges, through plots and tragedies, and through moments when our people became discouraged and weary.”
With Guyana standing at what he described as “a place of unprecedented opportunity” and the eyes of the world turning toward the country, President Ali warned that the lure of arrogance poses a real and dangerous threat.
“Prosperity without gratitude can become arrogance, and success without humility can become dysfunction,” he cautioned. “We must never be a country that enjoys prosperity without gratitude.”
He was equally unambiguous about what he believes true independence demands, arguing that political freedom is not enough.
“True independence also requires spiritual maturity, national unity, and social responsibility,” he said, before adding that wealth, infrastructure, and development alone cannot build a just society.
“A nation must also possess moral strength, spiritual values, and compassion for one another.”
Making scriptural references, the Guyanese leader called on citizens to honour the sacrifices of those who came before, the enslaved, the indentured, the teachers, the preachers, and the ordinary men and women who laid the foundation on which the country now stands.
“We stand today on the shoulders of men and women who sacrificed for the world. We honour them best not merely through speeches, but by building a nation worthy of their sacrifice. Our future will only be secure if we continue to place God at the centre of national, family, and personal lives…If we remain united as one, then no obstacle will be too great.”