‘Democracy first, humanity first’: PM at Guyana House

India has never moved forward with an expansionist mindset, it has stayed away from usurping the resources of others, been driven by the principles of trust and transparency and has always made an honest effort to help any country that’s facing a crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday, adding that it has been guided by the philosophy of “democracy and humanity first” while discharging its duties as a Vishwa Bandhu or friend to the world.

Delivering his address at the special session of the Parliament of Guyana in Georgetown, Modi urged the world to move ahead with the mantra of “democracy and humanity first” to tackle complex challenges, stressing that this meant taking everyone along, and taking decisions that are for the larger good of humankind.

“The spirit of ‘democracy first’ teaches us to take everyone along and become a partner in one another’s progress. ‘Humanity first’ guides our decision-making. When we make ‘humanity first’ the basis of our decision-making, the results also benefit humanity.”

Modi is the first Indian PM to visit the South American country in 56 years.

“For the world, this is not a time for conflict. This is the time to identify and eliminate the conditions that lead to conflict...Whether it’s space or the seas, these should be subjects of universal cooperation, not universal conflict,” he said in the 30-minute address.

Every nation matters and if any is left behind, then global goals cannot be achieved, he said.

“That’s why India doesn’t consider island nations as small ones but regards them as large ocean countries.” The address came a day after India and Guyana signed a raft of memoranda of understanding across several key sectors including health, hydrocarbons, agriculture and banking to deepen their bilateral relationship, while agreeing to strengthen their cooperation in areas such as defence, urban development, education and food security.

“Whenever any country has faced crisis, India has reached first. These are our values. We have never moved ahead with a selfish approach, and we have never had an expansionist mindset,” Modi said, referring to help extended to Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Nepal, Turkey and Syria.

Modi recalled the longstanding historical ties between India and Guyana, noting that despite the geographical distance between the two countries, shared heritage and democratic ethos brought them together and helped them progress on an inclusive path.

“There is no greater tool than democracy for building an inclusive society. India and Guyana have shown democracy is not just a law or arrangement. It is in our DNA, our vision, and in our conduct,” he said.

In his address, Modi highlighted India’s role as a first responder and its propensity to reach out to help any country facing a crisis, be it conflict situations, natural disasters or the help extended to more than 150 nations during the Covid-19 pandemic by supplying them with vaccines and medicines.

“After the pandemic, we had to move towards a new world order, but the world got entangled in other things. In these circumstances, the world must move ahead with the mantra ‘democracy first, humanity first’.”

He said it was critical for the world to deal with challenges including terrorism drugs and cybercrimes for the bright future of the coming generations. “This is possible only if the mantra of ‘democracy first, humanity first’ takes centrestage.”

Modi said a united voice of the Global South is crucial. “This is the time for the awakening of the Global South,” he said, adding that India’s mantra of ‘humanity first’ inspires it to amplify the voice of the Global South, including at the recent G-20 Summit in Brazil.

He also said women will play a pivotal role in ensuring global prosperity in the 21st century, highlighting how India made women-led development a big agenda during its G-20 presidency last year.

He called for greater exchanges between India and Guyana in the fields of education and innovation so that the potential of the youth can be fully realised. Underscoring India’s deep commitment to further strengthening India-Guyana ties, he said that Guyana could become the bridge of opportunities between India and the Latin American continent.

Conveying India’s steadfast support to the Caribbean region, he thanked Guyana President Mohamed Irfaan Ali for hosting the 2nd India-Caricom Summit.

Speaking at the summit on Wednesday, Modi said India plans to deepen its cooperation with Caricom (Caribbean Community) countries, with focus on seven key areas including capacity building, agriculture and food security, renewable energy and climate change, innovation, technology and trade, cricket and culture, ocean economy and maritime security, and medicine and healthcare.

The seven areas identified by Modi form the acronym Caricom, a style associated with the PM. Caricom is a grouping of 21 countries including 15 member states and six associate members.