President Bharrat Jagdeo bestowing the Order
of Excellence on Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula Da Silva
President Bharrat Jagdeo expressed a number of sentiments in his description of Brazilian leader Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva, chief among which is his deep rooted leadership values.
The occasion was the conferral of Guyana’s highest national award, the Order of Excellence to President Lula this evening at the National Cultural Centre in the presence of a large gathering of officials and nationals from the Guyanese and Brazilian community.
The ceremony which preceded a well orchestrated cultural presentation came on the eve of the opening summit of the IV Regular Summit of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR).
President Jagdeo who performed the function of bestowing the award on President Lula described the Brazilian leader as a hero, global statesman, a champion of the developing world and a dear friend of Guyana.
“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,” President Jagdeo said before requesting a standing welcome for President Lula.
The Brazilian leader’s inspiring life story began at age 12 years when he was forced to leave school to work to assist his family to make ends meet and continued in 1969 when he joined in union activities.
In 1980 along with an eclectic group of social actors, he formed the Workers Party and was jailed for his role in several strikes in that same year. He began his first run for political office in Sao Paulo in 1982 and won a Congressional seat in 1986. His first bid for presidency took place in 1994.
In the year 2002 Lula won the Presidential election in a landslide vote and gained the same result in 2006.
Some of his well known contributions as leader include influencing the creation of UNASUR which enabled cooperation of the South American continent, reaching out to Africa and the Arab worlds building new bridges with regions and the establishment of the World Social Forum in 2003 to enable progressive global policies to be advanced.
Brazil is today the world’s eighth largest economy and President Jagdeo attributed the country’s achievement to President Lula’s conviction, leadership and compassion for others.
“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 Jagdeo said.
Reference was made to “Fome Zero” and “Zero Hunger,” two of President Lula’s flagship programmes which President Jagdeo said are creating new life opportunities for tens of millions of Brazilian citizens.
“His leadership means that Brazil’s flair and vibrancy will enrich the world in the 2014 world cup and the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro,” he said
In his words of gratitude, President Lula said he received the award with pride describing it as a symbol of the special friendship that ignites the peoples of Guyana and Brazil.
The Brazilian President’s visit to Guyana is the third such occasion and wished all success for Guyana in its chairmanship of the UNASUR.
“I’m sure that Guyana will perform its new role with great seriousness and competence. In this task it can rely and count on the support from Brazil,” President Lula assured.
Brazil’s leadership has also been an inspiration to Guyana on the common ground of forest preservation and the fight against climate change. President Jagdeo alluded to Brazil’s clean energy transportation system, its innovative approaches to agriculture and global leadership in the fight against deforestation.
“Its success in reversing historical deforestation trends in the amazon will benefit every citizen in this planet and stands as one of President Lula’s greatest legacies,” President Jagdeo said.
The partnership between Guyana and Brazil is stronger than ever according to President Jagdeo, pointing to the physical economic, social and personal links.
The Takutu Bridge was hailed as a potent symbol of the strengthening bonds between the two countries, particularly the realization of new economic opportunities.
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