Biography of Cheddi Jagan
Victory and 133 Days in Office
From its inception, the colonialists attacked the Party but they maintained a clear focus on the 1953 general elections when, for the first time people came out in large numbers to demand a better deal and against the colonial masters in an organised way. Practically, all the forces ganged up against the PPP.
Janet Jagan with members of the 1953 Cabinet
The anti-Communist bogey became a main weapon against the Party. The church entered the fray mainly because of PPP policy to bring education under government control. These attacks failed to have much impact on the PPP"s support and at the end of the polls, the PPP won 18 of the 24 seats in the 1953 general elections.
The PPP had succeeded in rallying all sections of the population to stand up for a free Guiana. Trouble began when it was time to select ministers.
Burnham demanded to be "leader or nothing." The party was plunged into a crisis for nearly a week. It ended with a compromise in the naming of ministers, including Janet Jagan being dropped. The new government was formed, headed by Cheddi Jagan as Chief Minister. Real power, however, continued to reside in the hands of the British. The PPP were in office but not in power.
In spite of constitutional limitations, the government introduced progressive measures to ease the plight of the working people. They implemented changes in the educational system, reform to local government, giving more rights to farmers, increased rates for workers and improved drainage and irrigation to boost agriculture. These changes seemed modest given the many demands of the people but these drove fear in the British. Every move was deemed communist by the British and local reaction. The planters were angered when they introduced the Labour Relations Bill, fashioned after American and Canadian legislation, that provided a poll to determine the union of the workers’ choice.
Suspension of the Constitution
It became very clear that the British were not prepared to allow the PPP to govern. Thus, the British sent troops into British Guiana on October 9, 1953, suspended the constitution, dismissed the government and created a nominated legislative council made up mainly of stooges who were rejected by the people at the polls. Cheddi Jagan in his book "Forbidden Freedom" (published in 1954 while he was in prison) recorded this episode thus: "Our 133 days in office had demonstrated our concept of democracy. Now the British and our opponents in Guiana demonstrated theirs." The Americans also gave their blessings to the British gunboat action.
The PPP called on its supporters to remain calm, quiet but firm. They called for civil disobedience and passive resistance.
In October 1953, Cheddi Jagan and Forbes Burnham attended the House of Commons debate on the Suspension of the Constitution in London and later visited India at the invitation of Prime Minister Nehru.
A wave of terror against the PPP, its leaders and the working people ensued. Cheddi Jagan's movements were restricted. As part of the Party's civil disobedience campaign he broke the restriction order by the colonialists, was arrested and sent to jail for six months. But not before he had his say in the dock.
Cheddi Jagan being arrested in1954
"Today," he declared, "Guyana is a vast prison. Whether I am outside or inside matters little. Prisons hold no terror for me. I expect no justice from this or any other Court. Justice has been dead since the British troops landed. I am hoping for the day when there will be greater justice in Guiana."
At this juncture, Guyana experienced a bitter period in its history and many of its current problems can find their roots in the sad days of British occupation. The British used all its experience at subversion and division to maintain its rule. It did everything possible to break the PPP and its mass support. And there were many willing opportunists of the local brand ready to do their bidding. The most significant success of the British was the split in the PPP in 1955. At a time when the people needed a united national front against colonialism, it was the same time that Forbes Burnham and others saw it fit to split the movement in pursuit of personal ambitions. It was clear that the British engendered the spilt.
When the British thought it had everything under control, and had manipulated the constituency boundaries, it held general elections in 1957. The results astonished them and proved to all who had the support of the people. The PPP won 9 of the fourteen seats, the PNC three. In fact the votes received by Cheddi Jagan were more than the combined support of the 5 opposition seats.
Read more about this period: A Piece Of Guyana's History by Janet Jagan
