‘Democracy first, humanity first’: PM Modi in Guyana's parliament on two countries' similarities

Georgetown: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that India and Guyana have struggled to achieve their independence from colonisation while asserting that both countries believe in the creed of 'Democracy first, humanity first'.

“Democracy first, humanity first is our mantra. Democracy teaches us that everyone should be treated equally and everyone should be taken on board while ‘humanity first’ determines the direction of our decisions. When we make ‘humanity first’ the basis of our decisions, the results are also in the interest of humanity," PM Modi said while addressing the Special Session of the Guyanese Parliament during his visit to the South American country on the third and final leg of his three-nation tour.

He said when India and Guyana gained freedom, the world faced different challenges, and today, in the 21st century, the challenges are entirely different.

"The systems and institutions created after World War 2 are now being destroyed. While the world was supposed to move forward towards a new world order, countries got tangled up in other things. In these situations, the most powerful mantra to move forward for the world is ‘democracy first’, ‘humanity first’," PM Modi said in his address.

He said that there is no greater medium than democracy to create an inclusive society, adding that democracy is in India’s DNA.

“The democracy is in our vision and in our behaviour. So when it came to uniting the world, India gave the mantra of one earth, one family, one future during its G20 Presidency. When the Corona crisis came, a challenge came before the entire humanity, then India gave the message of one earth, one health,” PM Modi said.

PM Modi said that this is not a time for conflict for the world but this is the time to identify the conditions that create conflict and remove them.

"Today there are so many challenges like terrorism, drugs, cybercrime… only by fighting them we will be able to shape the future of our coming generations," he said.

In his opening remarks, PM Modi said Guyana gave him its highest honour on Wednesday. "I express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you, to every citizen of Guyana, for this honour. Thank you very much to all the citizens here. I dedicate this honour to every citizen of India."

Earlier, PM Modi met the top leaders of Caribbean nations such as St. Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Barbados, Bahamas, Trinidad & Tobago, Suriname, and Dominica on the sidelines of the second India-CARICOM Summit here and discussed strengthening bilateral ties and enhancing cooperation across several key areas.

Prime Minister Modi met his Barbados counterpart Mia Amor Mottley on Wednesday.