US Ambassador Perry Holloway retires

Days before his final day as Ambassador to Guyana, United States Diplomat, Perry Holloway joked about the elderliness of the country’s leaders in Government.

“This country [Guyana] has lots of young people. Half the population is under the age of 26, so pretty much everywhere I go in Guyana I feel very old.

“Maybe if I went to a Cabinet meeting I wouldn’t feel so old,” he said at his farewell reception which was hosted at his residence at Cummings Lodge, Greater Georgetown on Friday evening.

Ambassador Holloway was at the time urging Guyanese to put aside their political affiliations and ethnicity to work together to address issues such as poverty and security sector reform, especially on the heels of massive oil wealth.

The US Diplomat was sworn in as Ambassador to Guyana on September 18, 2015 by President David Granger and he will be departing on December 9, 2018.

Not only will he be ending his term as Ambassador to Guyana, but the envoy plans to retire completely after almost 30 years with the US State Department.

Holloway says he will be joining a “large” private company in January and he will be based in Miami, Florida.
In his farewell speech, the US Ambassador reflected on the strides made by the country and the deepened relations between Guyana and the United States of America.

He used to opportunity to point out that there are some areas of concern with regards to the economy.
“Macro-economic growth continues well under this Government, not to say there aren’t areas where people should be concerned but there are also areas where people should be very happy,” he stated.

During the Ambassador’s three years in Guyana, he has welcomed 73 Peace Corp Volunteers and opened the first Drug Enforcement Administration Office (DEA) in the country, which to date has provided crucial support to Guyana’s law enforcement agencies.