President Jagdeo joins global debt cancellation fast
PRESIDENT Bharrat Jagdeo will be joining Archbishop Desmond Tutu and President Mkapa of Tanzania in a fast tomorrow to focus on the need for debt cancellation for the world’s poorest nations.

The Guyanese head of state gave this commitment, following an invitation to participate by Mr. David Golding, Development Coordinator of the UK-based ‘Make Poverty History’, to join the ‘Drop the Debt Fast’ campaign.
In a letter responding to Golding’s request, President Jagdeo declared: “In Solidarity with your movement and its countless supporters, I shall be honoured to forego all water and solid food as proposed from 8.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m. (08:00 hrs to 20:00 hrs) on Friday May 16, 2008, as part of your Drop the Debt Fast.”

President Jagdeo also noted: “I am extremely delighted to have been invited to be part of the ‘Drop the Debt Fast.’ I whole-heartedly endorse this initiative which your organisation is promoting to mark the tenth anniversary of the ‘Human Chain’ for debt relief which took place in Birmingham in 1998.”

“I was privileged to be part of that event. The experience is permanently emblazoned in my memory. At the time I was my country’s Minister of Finance. My country had been pressing for greater debt relief so as to provide more resources for national development,” Mr. Jagdeo said in his letter yesterday to Golding.

President Jagdeo said, “For me, Birmingham 1998 was a tremendous inspiration. I consider that particular event as a defining moment in history. Such was the impact that then British Prime Minister Tony Blair who was chairing the G-7, requested a meeting with a small delegation representing the campaign for debt forgiveness.”

“The immensely successful public advocacy for debt relief at Birmingham precipitated a chain reaction throughout the global community hastening debt relief for many highly indebted poor countries, including my country, Guyana.”

President Jagdeo noted that while not all of the reforms have been on ideal terms, Birmingham shifted the momentum in global reforms towards the debt problem.

“We in the developing world are deeply indebted to the Jubilee Movement and to its successor organisations that have continued to insist on a more just, humane and equitable international system,” the Guyanese Head of State asserted.

The “Drop the debt Fast” movement is running a 36-day rolling fast (Apri12-May18) to demand debt cancellation for 36 poor countries.

The movement observed that the rich world needs to “pick up the pace” as these countries are still suffering under a huge debt burden, while millions of their people live in extreme poverty.