Salutations

I was deeply honoured to receive the invitation extended by President James to be the guest speaker at this important event in the Rotary calendar. I was especially pleased to learn that the theme was: “Lead the Way”, since leadership means having the opportunity to serve people in a special way.

Andrew Carnegie once stated: “Take away my people, but leave my factories, and soon grass will grow on the factory floors. Take away my factories, but leave my people, and soon we will have a new and better factory”.

Tonight, the baton of leadership will be formally handed over to the new executive tasked with the responsibility of leading the way for the next year. Rotary International President William Boyd, in commenting on his choice of the theme “Lead the Way” for the 2006-07 Rotary year, notes that it reflects his belief in the power of Rotarians to change the world.

It is the practical expression of this belief, demonstrated in the way Rotarians have, over the years, set about the important task of human development that has always won my admiration for the work of Rotary. I was particularly moved by one remark made by President Boyd when he wrote “Today’s world needs heroes, not celebrities. All of us in Rotary are ordinary people with busy lives, striving to do our best.”

This reminds us that change and development do not depend in the end upon aid or international investment. They do not depend upon inspirational and charismatic political leaders or dramatic international initiatives. They depend on people, people with a sense of purpose, responsibility and commitment to the growth and development of their communities their countries and their region. I believe that that, in essence, describes the rotary family around the world and, most certainly, the rotary family here represented tonight.

The task of improving the quality of life of people is the central focus of attention in our Region. In January of this year, the CARICOM Single Market was launched in Jamaica and the Community continues to work assiduously to ensure that the legal and administrative arrangements are put in place in order to give effect to the Single Economy. However, the successful operation of the Single Market depends as much on human skills, attitudes and perceptions as it does on those trade and economic arrangements.

One of the most frequent mistakes one tends to make is to believe that the success of these important initiatives depends exclusively, or primarily, upon the work and commitment of a small group of political leaders, locked away in their solemn meetings, issuing resolutions, draft treaties and press releases. The reality is that the world has come to recognise that development and transformation are more related to the commitment and understandings of the man and woman in the street and their willingness and capacity to solve local problems and recognise development opportunities.

We in the Caribbean need to become even more competitive, more confident and more innovative. At the same time, we must understand the need to bring along those who are in danger of being left behind in the changes which are taking place in our world, those whose educational standards, level of literacy, nutritional status, skill levels and attitudes are not appropriate for the world of open markets and globalisation.

It is in that context that the civil society comes into play. It is not the job of governments only, to identify and implement solutions to these issues and dilemmas; it is also the concern of voluntary, civil organisations to bring solutions, skills and energy to these problems. Indeed, it is now recognised that an important characteristic of the developed countries, to whose standards of living we aspire and whose social standards we admire, is not just their technology and political systems but also their volunteerism and community participation.

Voluntary action is at the core of the building of social capital and underpins most social action in civil society. This is most frequently recognised in the work of volunteers during natural disasters as was so aptly demonstrated during the floods of 2004 right here in Guyana. People volunteer in many other ways. People volunteer to serve in the governance structures of organizations and through membership, in innumerable grassroots associations found in every part of the globe. In many ways, the tradition of sharing skills, time, ideas and energy, the full alignment of volunteer action through community groups is as old as civilisation itself.

It is for these and similar reasons that the support and promotion of the role of civil society and voluntary organisations, including organisations working among youth and women, play an important part in the work programmes of the CARICOM Secretariat.

The development of the Caribbean region and its economy can only be achieved with the full involvement of all the people of the Region. And there is a cornucopia of innovative ways to ensure that our people take ownership of their development and use their ingenuity and creativity if the CSME and its goals are to be realised. Citizen involvement is both an imperative and an opportunity, and volunteerism - when adequately supported and promoted - can be a highly effective channel through which such action can be mobilised.

For the Caribbean to achieve its goals, we need to tackle the grave shortage of skills which afflicts so may of our societies and so many of our young people. The global economic environment extracts a harsh toll on those societies which are not yet competitive in the global marketplace. We need to deal in urgent and comprehensive ways with the health challenges of our people. In addition to the traditional problem of nutrition, pre- and ante-natal care and non-communicable disease, we have had to come to terms with the scourge of HIV/AIDS which, if left unchecked, will create havoc and desolation in our economies and societies.

We need to reengage our young people, their communities and societies, as we see more and more the alienation of our youth from positive attitudes to alien models, many of which are destructive to them and those around them. In particular, we are afflicted by the scourge of drug abuse and drug trafficking which in many Caribbean countries has created nightmares previously unheard of in our societies. A not unrelated phenomenon is the crime waves and gun violence which is part of the dysfunctional environment in which our youth must exist and attempt to make sense and use of their lives.

I note that in recent years the Rotary Club of Georgetown Central has sought to lead the way, through its projects designed to address some of these challenges. To name a few:

• involvement of the residents of East Ruimveldt in the planning and execution of projects geared to enhance the literacy and other employability skills of adult residents,
• focus on children’s literacy through the ‘Just Read to me’ programme,
• sessions on healthy lifestyles and provided opportunities for career guidance and work study for secondary students,
• support for students at the University of Guyana,
• medical outreach and HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns, and
• support and cheer for senior citizens and differently-abled children.

I would like to commend also, the leadership which this club has provided to the Rotaract and Interact clubs as it prepares the young persons of these generations for the quality of volunteerism which will serve to enhance the lives of our less fortunate citizens.

The Rotary Clubs in our Region have played and continue to play an important role in fostering a spirit of regionalism as they undertake collaborative work to address common challenges, putting their members in contact with each other in the execution of projects, and providing increased opportunities for the youth across Member States to interact with each other in both face to face and virtual fora.

In this context, the Secretariat was pleased to facilitate earlier in this Rotary year, the participation of youth from Interact clubs sponsored by Georgetown Central, in the Regional Youth Parliament held in Trinidad and Tobago.

The Rotary Club of Georgetown Central can look back with pride at its success this year in the sponsorship of the recently chartered Rotary Club of Georgetown Stabroek. I am sure that even as you provide guidance and lead the way initially for Georgetown Stabroek, you will strengthen your own membership for the challenging tasks that lie ahead, as you seek to improve the human condition.

I would like to encourage you as an organisation and to commend your efforts to contribute even more, for the needs are great and the challenges are urgent. The partnerships which are part of the standard operating procedure of the Rotary organisation are important elements of a model which needs to be understood and replicated elsewhere in Caribbean society.

Governments cannot do it alone. Politicians cannot do it alone. Volunteerism in civil society is a key element and we at the CARICOM Secretariat stand ready as we have done in the past, to work with you and support your efforts within the limit of our capacity and our remit.

Cynical people often challenge the motives of volunteers and community activists. One young volunteer is alleged to have remarked to his friend: "Let us do voluntary work so that our resumes would be longer than one page". The story also goes that another volunteer in a community project said after his first day on the project: "You said that when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Well, it's starting to get tough, so I am going."

But I know that the members of this rotary club and of rotary cubs around the world are not here to lengthen their resumes, nor do they intend to run away from the challenges of service. Therefore I commend you, I wish you a successful new Rotary year, and I remind you that the reward for good work is always more work.

I congratulate President Ian and his Board of Directors and extend good wishes for a successful term of office.

In closing, let us remember that leadership is service; leadership is volunteerism; leadership is all about involvement in our communities, at work and at home. You are part of the 1.2 million Rotarians leading the way and the Caribbean can only be the better for it.

Thank you.