SPEECH ON THE CONFERRAL OF THE ORDER OF
EXCELLENCE (O.E.) ON HIS EXCELLENCY LUIZ INACIO LULA DA SILVA
His
Excellency, President Bharrat Jagdeo
President
of the Republic of Guyana
Georgetown
November
25, 2010
His Excellency Luiz Inacio
Lula da Silva, President of the Federative Republic of Brazil
********* Her Excellency
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, President of the Argentine Republic
********** President-elect
Her Excellency Dilma Rousseff
Honorable Samuel Hinds,
Prime Minister
Chancellor of the Judiciary
Speaker of the National
Assembly
Members of the Cabinet
Members of Parliament
Distinguished Foreign
Ministers
Members of the Diplomatic
Corps
Delegates
Ladies and Gentlemen
There
are certain duties that fall to me as President which give me great pleasure.
Tonight
is one of those occasions, and I am delighted to welcome you all to witness the
award of Guyana’s highest national honour to a true South American hero.
He
is a global statesman.
He
is a champion of the developing world.
He is
a dear friend of Guyana.
But
above all, he is a leader of deep values, who is driven by a sincere conviction
that the actions of each of us can create a better world.
Your
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, please join with me in giving a true
Guyanese welcome to our friend, the President of Brazil, His Excellency Luiz
Inacio Lula da Silva.
President
Lula’s life story is an inspiration. He left school at the age of 12 to shine
shoes so that he could earn money, and provide for his family. He got a job in
a factory two years later, and by the time he reached his twenties, he was an
activist campaigning for better treatment in hospitals for poor people.
The
activist became a trade unionist, who recognized that the combined, collective
action that is possible through the labour movement could be a force for
justice.
And
then the trade unionist became the progressive political leader – who formed a
party to campaign for democracy when Brazil still suffered from the tyranny of
dictatorship. He became a Congressman and then in 2002, he used the democratic
system - which he had done so much to establish - to become the President of
his country.
A
remarkable story, which demonstrates that even though his individual
circumstances changed immeasurably, President Lula stayed true to a deep,
enduring conviction that it is possible to change circumstances and help others
in the face of tremendous odds.
This
conviction is what drove the twelve year old boy to go out and earn an income
to take care of his family. It is also what drove the President whose
leadership and compassion for others led to Brazil becoming the world’s eighth
largest economy, a Brazil where more than 20 million people have been lifted
out of extreme poverty, and a Brazil that is getting closer to meeting the goal
of eradicating hunger. President Lula’s flagship programmes - Fome Zero and
Bolsa Familia – are creating new life opportunities for tens of millions of
Brazilian citizens. And his leadership means that Brazilian flair and vibrancy
will enrich the world in the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics in Rio de
Janeiro.
But
President Lula has also dedicated himself to making an immense positive contribution
that reached far beyond the borders of Brazil. Alongside his deep-seated love
for, and dedication to, his own country, his leadership and compassion saw him
deploy his personal influence and national position to advance the lives of
millions of people across the world.
Partly
because of his actions, the G20 now exists and ensures greater influence for
the peoples of the developing world in shaping the decisions that impact on
them. He helped to create Unasur, which is enabling the nations of our
continent - now all democratic – to work together to improve the lives of our
citizens. He reached out to our brothers and sisters in Africa, the Arab world
and elsewhere, helping to build new bridges with those regions and bring our
peoples closer together. The World Social Forum which President Lula
established in 2003 enables progressive global policies to be advanced. And at every international forum - whether it
relates to combating trade injustice, addressing international crime, or
fighting global poverty - Brazil leads in a way that advances the needs of the
less powerful across the world. It is this leadership that influenced Guyana’s
early decision to support Brazil’s bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.
And
it is this leadership that is also addressing the most global challenge our
planet has ever faced – the fight against climate change. Brazil’s
transportation system is the world’s largest to be powered by clean energy.
Brazil is finding new ways to create global food security through innovative
approaches to agriculture. And Brazil has led the world in the fight against
deforestation – its success in reversing historical deforestation trends in the
Amazon will benefit every citizen on this planet and stands as one of President
Lula’s greatest legacies.
In
Guyana, we have benefited from President Lula’s solidarity over many years. The
physical, economic, social and personal links between our countries are
stronger than ever, and are laying the foundations for the full realization of
Guyana’s South American destiny.
For
years in Guyana, we worked within our society to reach a point where our
democratic institutions are firmly in place, our public finances are under
control, our health, education and other social services are being continuously
improved for the benefit of our people, and our public infrastructure and
national policies have been reformed to enable the private sector to take
advantage of the many opportunities presented by the modern world.
But
we are also excited by the new potential t we can reach as the bridge between
South America and the Caribbean.
President
Lula and I opened the Takutu Bridge last year – this is a potent symbol of the
strengthening bonds between our peoples and in particular, the new economic
opportunities that can be realized by citizens and businesses in both Guyana
and Northern Brazil. These new opportunities are in no small part thanks to
President Lula.
We
are also working closely with Brazil in international fora, including those
that address climate change. In particular Guyana and Brazil are working
together to advance a global solution to addressing deforestation. The peoples
of our two countries, along with those of just six other nations, are the
stewards of over 40% of the world’s tropical forest.
As
we deepen our ties yet further in the years ahead, we will miss President
Lula’s wise counsel, but we are also delighted to see in President-elect Rousseff
someone who shares President Lula’s commitment to creating a better continent
and world for us all. ********** Madame President-elect, we are honoured that
you took the time to come to Guyana, and we very much look forward to working
with you in the years ahead.
To
conclude, distinguished ladies and gentlemen:
Progress
for a family, a community, a country or the world is not pre-determined. It is
the direct result of the choices and the actions of individuals. The boy who
left home to earn money improved the opportunities of his family. The President
who lifted millions out of poverty transformed the destiny of his country. And
the global statesman who fought to put billions of poor people at the centre of
international decision-making has laid the foundations for a world that is
freer, fairer and more prosperous.
Few
people on this planet have contributed as much to human progress as His
Excellency, President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva. History will record him as a
titan of our age. Guyana will remember him as a true friend.
And
so, Mr. President, I speak for all the citizens of our country when I say
thank-you for everything you have done. I am proud to have worked alongside you
over these past years, and everyone in Guyana wishes you every happiness as you
move to the next stage in a life of outstanding accomplishment.
We
have few ways to show the depth of our appreciation. But as a symbol of our profound gratitude and
admiration as a nation, it gives me great pleasure to now confer on you the
greatest honour our country can give – the Order of Excellence of the Republic
of Guyana.
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