Some Guyanese once wanted to be ‘more British than Guyanese’ after Independence — Ramotar

Former President Donald Ramotar says one of Guyana’s biggest struggles in the years surrounding Independence was overcoming a deeply entrenched colonial mindset, with some citizens identifying more with Britain than with their own country.

Ramotar made the remarks on Monday during a panel discussion commemorating Guyana’s 60th Independence Anniversary celebrations at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel in Georgetown.

Speaking on the theme of education and decolonisation, Ramotar argued that colonial education systems were deliberately designed to produce “loyal colonial subjects” rather than independent-minded Guyanese.

“For more than a century, the education system was guided to produce loyal subjects,” he said.

Ramotar recalled that during his school days, children repeatedly sang “God Save the Queen” and were taught British history from the perspective of the colonial powers.

“We read about the 1763 Revolution, but Cuffy and his comrades were described as rebels,” he noted.

According to Ramotar, many senior public servants in the years leading up to and after Independence were more loyal to British colonial administrators than to Guyana itself.

“The most senior local staff saw themselves as being more loyal to the British bosses than the PPP,” he said.

“They all aspired to be more British than Guyanese at that time.”

Ramotar argued that colonial powers used education and scholarships as tools to preserve influence even as independence movements grew across the Caribbean and other former colonies after World War II.

“The colonial and imperialist powers put a lot of emphasis on ideological domination,” he stated.

He said the early People’s Progressive Party government recognised the need to “decolonise” the minds of Guyanese and place greater emphasis on local culture, history and identity.

“That anti-colonial struggle was not just for economic and political freedom,” Ramotar declared. “Just as important was the ideological struggle.”

The former President highlighted efforts in the late 1950s and early 1960s to promote Guyanese history, literature, music and art through the establishment of cultural councils and community programmes.

He credited those initiatives with helping Guyanese embrace a stronger national identity and cultural pride.

Ramotar also praised the push to expand education access during the pre-Independence years, noting that many children previously had no access to schooling because there were simply not enough schools.

“The challenges were enormous,” he said, while describing how communities worked alongside government to build schools and expand opportunities for young people.

The Independence anniversary discussion also featured Christopher “Kit” Nascimento, Stanley Ming, and Kamal Ramkarran, and was moderated by Clement J. Rohee.