– president’s appeal comes as Caribbean Union marks its centennial anniversary
President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali has called on the Guyana Conference of Seventh-day Adventists to stand alongside the state in protecting the nation’s values, which he said must outlast the country’s most consequential economic transformations in its history.
The president made the appeal while delivering congratulatory remarks at the centennial celebration of the Caribbean Union Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
The event was held on Saturday at the National Cultural Centre (NCC) on Homestretch Avenue, Georgetown.
The centennial marks 100 years since the Union was established in 1926 as the regional administrative body of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
At the heart of President Ali’s address was a profound call for the country to preserve its soul, emphasising that Guyana’s values and principles must be protected regardless of the rapid pace of national development.
“Those principles and values in the soul of a nation, I will say, without a shadow of a doubt: rest, faith, love, unity, and the will of God,” he told the congregation, urging, “together, let us find the soul of this nation.”
New industries, rising investment, expanding infrastructure, and growing employment are reshaping the country, the President acknowledged.
However, he pointed out that history offers repeated examples of nations that have grown “wealthier, but not necessarily stronger… richer, but not necessarily happier… more prosperous, but not necessarily more united.”
Rapid change, he warned, carries the risk of excessive materialism, where success is measured solely by what people own or earn.
For this reason, the president emphasised that institutions like the Church matter even more during periods of profound transformation, serving as “society’s moral compass.”
Building on this principle, President Ali highlighted a series of concrete government initiatives, such as a national consultation on children’s social media use and screen time, and invited the Church to take an active role in the process.
He described the normalisation of harmful online behaviour, noting instances where children gather to film fights and upload them to digital platforms.
The president warned that such conduct is now surfacing even in hinterland communities as internet access expands nationwide.
“I believe that we must work together on this first point. The Church [must] become more involved in our school system, in our healthcare system,” he underscored.
President Ali also announced that in the coming weeks, he intends to launch a national initiative to close Main Street, or another major Georgetown thoroughfare, on Sundays, turning the space over to families to share meals, play together and allow children to ride bicycles.
These are the kinds of moments, he said, that shape a nation and leave a lasting memory in its collective life.
He also asked the advintist church, a denomination long identified with healthy living, to partner with the government on what he called ‘pragmatic healthcare,’ teaching citizens not merely to examine their lives but to live healthier ones.
The president outlined these requests within a distinct five-point framework for national partnership: strengthening value-based education, supporting strong families, promoting ethical leadership in public life, deepening community service and social responsibility, and nurturing spiritual resilience and national unity.
As the Caribbean Union Conference enters its second century, the head of state cast the desired partnership not in terms of economic growth or numbers, but in terms of the character, people and communities it must build.
President Ali said, “We look forward to continuing partnerships with institutions such as the Seventh-day Adventist Church that help shape not only successful citizens but also good citizens, not only productive workers but also compassionate leaders. Not only prosperous communities but also righteous communities.”
Pastor Exton Clarke, president of the Guyana Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, who introduced the Head of State, pointed to President Ali’s consistent support for the work of churches across the country and the value he places on the denomination’s contribution to nation building.
Guyana, he reminded the congregation, is the birthplace of Adventism in the Caribbean.