Grand Opening Speech
Mr. Hamilton Green, Mayor of Georgetown, Guyana
Introduction
So far this evening, you've heard the impact of The Way to Happiness across communities and even entire cities.
Our next speaker comes to speak of even broader influence: What it means to introduce the 21 precepts to an entire nation.
This distinguished gentleman hails from the South American country of Guyana. Indeed, he has been his nation's prime minister in the 1980's and 90's and presently serves his people as the Mayor of the Capital city, Georgetown.
He has been a long time advocate of policies to improve moral standards throughout his society and has helped lead interfaith projects with the International World Federation for Peace.
It follows then that so ardent a proponent of positive values has become a vigorous supporter of The Way to Happiness when it arrived in his country.
Please welcome the Mayor of Georgetown, Guyana, Mr. Hamilton Green.
Speech
Thank you very much.
I bring fraternal greetings from our head of state, His Excellency, President Bharrat Jagdeo, the citizens of our Capital City, Georgetown, and all Guyana.
And I extend to this foundation my heartiest congratulations on the establishment of your new International Headquarters.
When last year a group of your keen young people came to our country with The Way to Happiness, they were like a breath of fresh air blowing through our land. They exuded a sincere concern and commitment to helping the people of our nation.
Our citizens found the widely distributed book to be precisely as declared, a common sense guide to better living.
I know that those laudable efforts have been inspired by the thoughts and writings of that amazing explorer and thinker, L. Ron Hubbard.
And it is safe to assume that much of your inspiration and spiritual energy flows from his profound analyses.
With your support, we made this book available to every household in Guyana.
We initiated campaigns to improve public conduct and morality — one on manners and courtesy, another based on the precept, "Safeguard and Improve Your Environment."
These efforts combined with this book helped mitigate a situation where ethnic violence tended to tear the social fabric of our society.
It was a new and welcome development.
The importance of your work, both in Guyana and more broadly, need to be seen against the background where the world is at a cross roads, a transition in our civilization.
The exhortation in your book is relevant and cannot be overstated.
True and lasting change requires both moral and spiritual revival.
Your "Way to Happiness" is an appropriate prescription.
Let us have it dispensed in generous doses worldwide.
Finally, let's all remember an important lesson of history:
Every era of civilization requires a group, or a personality to be the catalyst for change. It is my belief that you are a crucial part of that great catalysis.
I commend this Foundation for its fine work, and pray that this new building will be both a symbol and an inspiration to help take us forward to establish the ideal of true love and happiness God envisioned at the creation of the world — and so bequeath to our descendants a caring, peaceful, world of happiness.
Thank you very much.
