Manning wins award on eve of departure

Prime Minister Patrick Manning has won the Guyana Institute for Democracy’s (GDI) prestigious “Democracy Prize.” Manning was selected from among a pool of nominees by an independent panel headed by Brooklyn lawyer Wayne Turner, who reviewed the nominations. The Democracy Prize was established by the GID to honour and celebrate the incomparable contribution of Caribbean Nationals to the promotion and practice of good governance, democratic values, human freedoms and national development in the Caribbean region. The announcement of the Prime Minister’s achievement was made yesterday via a release issued by the GID’s New York department. According to the release, the historic prize will be presented on Friday December 12 at the Grand Prospect Hall in Brooklyn. Commenting on the establishment of the prize and Manning’s selection, the GID President, Rickford Burke, stressed that “democracy is vital to the well-being of a people. It was in recognition of the importance of this dynamic way of life that the prize was established to reward a person or organisation most deserving of its prestige.”

Speaking of Manning’s nomination, the GID President opined that Mr Manning has been on the cutting edge of globalisation. “He foresaw the benefits of global, strategic alliances and integrated societies way before other leaders began to grasp the full impact of geo-political and economic blocks, free-trade zones and multi-literalism.” Burke said “the Manning Initiative which he conceptualised and proposed during his previous tenure as Prime Minister, embodied the core ideals and values which are now at the forefront of CARICOM’s agenda.” Burke said he hopes Manning’s selection for the GID prize will inspire other regional leaders to fully and genuinely embrace democratic principles as well as virtues of functional integration. The Prime Minister will depart for Nigeria today to attend the 2003 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, which is carded to take place from December 5 to 8. The Prime Minister will be accompanied by a delegation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The theme of the meeting is “Development and Democracy: Partnership for Peace and Prosperity.” The meeting brings together almost one third of the world’s leaders to discuss matters of common interest including global economic developments, trade liberalisation, and poverty eradication strategies.