In a break from state to state, protocol on independence messages, President Joseph has notably extricated his name from message to the Government of Guyana. On May 26 2022 at 9:12, the US State Department issued the following statement:
“On behalf of the Government of the United States, I congratulate the people of Guyana on your 56th anniversary of independence. We value the close partnership between the United States and the Co-operative Republic of Guyana. We have partnered on health security to provide hundreds of thousands of vaccines to the Guyanese people to fight COVID-19. We continue to develop a robust bilateral trade relationship, focusing on high standards and transparency. We look forward to collaborating with Guyana on energy and food security and strengthening our broad ties going forward. As you mark this cheerful occasion, we join you in celebrating your Independence Day”-Secretary Blinken.
The message carried the name of the Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken, and did not, as is customary, include the name of the US President. This is a notable change. During the Trump Administration, the independence messages between 2016-2020, included the following opening lines:
“On behalf of President Trump and the people of the United States, I congratulate the people of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana on 52 years of independence on May 26”
Those who are familiar with the importance of communication between states and the nuances of diplomatic language have argued that what is included and what is omitted, should never be taken for granted. As well as that, experts submit that governments use these opportunities to quietly indicate their dissatisfaction.
Further, sources who are well experienced in these affairs, have noted to this publication that the absence of Biden’s name from this year’s Independence message, might be due to successive US Reports of massive human rights violations and corruption associated with the PPP/C government.
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