Remembering Cheddi Jagan

Remembering Cheddi Jagan

Cheddi Jagan In Our Future

by Navin Chandarpal

Excerpts from speeches made to staff, and students at secondary schools on the Essequibo Coast on Dr. Jagan’s birthday, March 22, 2000.

Today we observe the 82nd Birth Anniversary of the Father of our Nation, the late President Dr. Cheddi Jagan.

Dr. Jagan spent more than fifty years of his very productive life serving the people of our country. He initiated the struggle for political independence, established the first mass based political party, won the first general elections under universal adult suffrage, headed the government prior to independence for seven years, sustained, in very difficult conditions the struggle against the PNC dictatorship and served for the last four years of his life as the first democratically elected Executive President of Guyana.

Through all of these times, he displayed a tremendous capacity for reading, research, writing and public speaking at forums ranging from the street corners to official forums such as the United Nations. He was effective in convincing others not only by his charisma and smooth delivery of his speeches but also through his simple logical style and deep informed content of his message.

His message was always based on conviction. While he was indeed a superb academic, he spoke from the heart. And his greatest weapons were his honesty, consistency and persistence.

Dr. Jagan wrote and spoke profusely and profoundly on a wider range of issues. These will cover many volumes under several groupings. But in all that he said there were some common threads reflective of the principles for which he stood without wavering for more than half of a century.

His mission can be summarised as a desire on a global scale to have a world of peace in which the relations between states is based on justice and equality and at the national level to have a democratic state with an equitable system of distribution of the wealth generated from the efficient use of our resources.

During his short, but very fruitful period as Executive President, Dr. Jagan was able to further develop these ideals in a more comprehensive form through his advocacy at the international level of a New Global Human Order and his steering of the rebuilding process which began with the restoration of democracy on October 5, 1992 in the direction of building a National Democratic State.

Our celebration of Dr. Jagan’s birthday today is the last in this century and this millennium. The next March 22nd will be in the 21st century and the 3rd millennium. The change of century and millennium is indeed an occasion for stock taking and renewal of goals. It is most appropriate therefore for us to reflect today on some ideas which Dr. Jagan has left for our guidance as we seek to shape our future.

Half way in his Presidency - two years and two months after October l992 and two years and two months before he left for hospital in February 1997, the 25th Congress of the Peoples Progressive Party was held in December 1994. It was the only Party Congress which was held while he served as President. Dr. Jagan made two major speeches. He made the address at the opening session which was public and he delivered the report of the Central Committee. Congress is the highest level of decision making in the PPP. It sets out policy guidelines for the party. And the 25th Congress in l994 formally endorsed Dr. Jagan’s proposals for the Campaign for a New Global Human Order and the establishment of a National Democratic State.

There is no better way of understanding Dr. Jagan’s message than to consider his own words. The following are extracts from Comrade Cheddi’s opening address and the Central Committee Report to the l994 Congress of the PPP.

On the New Global Human Order:-

(1) "The world needs a new strategy, a new agenda for sustainable development. In doing so, we will not only have to analyse our concrete situation but also to take note of the world practice in this period of globalisation."

(2) "The trickle down process of modernised capitalism is not working. The gap between the rich .. ‘the haves’ and the poor ..’the have-nots’, the excluded’ .. is widening in both the North and the South. And the gap between the North and the South is ever widening. This is perverse, it must be stopped"

(3) "The PPP maintains that social justice must prevail in the relationship between states and also within the national state."

(4) Scientists tell us that it is possible to halve the incidence of global hunger by the year 2000.

It is necessary to shift from the treatment of the symptoms to the root causes and to demonstrate the political will to harness Science and Technology in the service of humanity.

(5) We need through the advancement and application of Science and Technology, not only to alleviate poverty worldwide, but also to guarantee a generally high material standard of living. But this would be possible only if an efficient and just system of allocation and distribution of wealth as well as resources was put in place both within and between nations.

(6) "I am assured that there exists the political goodwill to construct a new order where the privacy of human development is the guiding principle.

Preparing a peaceful and orderly transition to the twenty-first century is compelling."

(To be continued)

Dr J Stood For Equality, Justice For All
by Philomena Sahoye-Shury

March is very significant and historical for Guyana in that many important things usually take place during the month. Allow me to mention a few - International Women’s Day, World Consumers Day, International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, Birth and Death Anniversaries of President Cheddi Jagan. Also this year, the PPP is celebrating its 50th Anniversary. A political movement under the leadership of that dynamic leader, Dr Cheddi Jagan, the PPP is witness to Dr Jagan's outstanding contribution to Guyana, socially and economically. No one can deny that this son of the soil was responsible for the political enlightenment of all Guyanese; he left no stone unturned to bring together all races and forge the welding of the masses together on sound basic principles: Equity, Justice, Equality and Human Rights.

His skills in using the power of persuasion and his untiring determination for the liberation of Guyana placed him as a man among men. He stood out for reason, honesty and sincerity of purpose.

He has left a legacy, the PPP/Civic, which all of us cherish, and are proud to maintain and retain. as for International Women’s Day, Dr Jagan not only raised and voiced his concerns, but was directly involved in the implementation of programmes to assist in the alleviation of poverty and of the insensitivity to women's issues by certain sections of our population. He championed women’s call for equality, equal pay for equal work and for reason to prevail in women taking their rightful place in society, and for them to be partners in controlling the commanding heights of our economy.

On the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, he stood firm on the theory that all men are created equal and unto his dying day maintained that the PPP/Civic is a People’s Party, a party for all.

His roots were grounded in the working class, for he treated and regarded all Guyanese as one, irrespective of race, colour, or religious or economic standing.

This year 2000, therefore, is a remarkable year for Guyana and its people, for on the brink of the 21st Century we will all have to let reason prevail and ask ourselves, 'are we not one people with one common destiny?' The answer lies in our hands and the ultimate results on our shoulders.

On the PPP's 50th Anniversary, I desire to recite this poem.

Fifty Years

F - Fighting oppression and humiliation
I - Inside British Guiana, we slaved and toiled
F - Forgetting race, class, religion and colour
T - Together we moulded a nation of honour
Y - Yes! For fifty years the PPP struggled

Y - Yielding not an inch in our determination for independence
E - Every man, woman and child had this feeling, it was really intense
A - At last independence came through a strange alliance
R - Resulting in a rather queer type of allegiance
S - Sending several messages to our nation

P - People en masse cried out for fair elections
P - Prejudicial dictatorship ruled through corrupt decisions
P - Peacefully in 1992, there was a resounding change

C - Cheddi Jagan was elected President, and he did arrange
      To have a real democracy
      He had truly rewritten history
      Yes! No one could his history misconstrue
      His dream of democracy had definitely come true.

(Done by: Mrs Philomena Sahoye-Shury, Parliamentary Secretary)

Remembering my Father
by Nadira Jagan-Brancier

March is a month that brings back many happy memories – of celebrating my father’s birthday on March 22. But March is also a month that holds my saddest memories – my father’s illness and finally his death on March 6, 1997.

As we remember my father this month, I would like us not to dwell on his death, but to remember and celebrate his birth and his life and how this has impacted on our own lives.

In Guyana, on March 5, 2000, we will commemorate his 3^rd death anniversary with special tributes at Babu John – the site where he was cremated, and on March 22, 2000, we will celebrate his life, teachings and struggles when we finally open up the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre.

The Cheddi Jagan Research Centre will be located temporarily at Red House in Georgetown, Guyana – his residence from 1961-1964 while he was Premier of British Guiana. The Centre will house his archives - his writings and speeches; there will also be a photographic exhibition of his life and his role in the struggle for Independence and the restoration of democracy in Guyana.

Young and old will have a chance to become better acquainted with his work, his ideals, his life and the man he was by viewing videos on his life, reading his articles, listening to taped speeches delivered at various forum in and out of Guyana, during the over 50 year period of his political life. Because Cheddi Jagan made such an impact on every phase of our history, the photographic exhibition will not only allow the viewer a closer look at his life, but also the history of Guyana.

I am very proud to have had such a wonderful father. He was a warm and loving, kind and sometimes stern parent. Although he was a very busy person, he made time to spend quality time with us. He was not the kind of father that would sit around with you for hours and chat or watch TV –unless it was about the news or politics, but whenever I was home, especially at night, while he was working (he always worked late into the night), he would stop, and I would sit by his side and talk about all kinds of things. If I had a problem, he would always come up with all sorts of solutions. Some of the best times spent with my father were those evening talks, just us, alone together.

When I think of my father (and that’s allot of the time), I always remember his happy and cheerful face, with that wonderful and beautiful smile. As you know that smile was not only for his family, but for the world. He had a great sense of humour and loved a good clean joke.

As I look back on my life, I wish I had listened to most of my father’s suggestions and advice, but like most other children, I did not. I am sure that many of you also wish now, that you had listened to some of his advice, and followed them.

Its my hope that many more people will learn about my father’s life in the near future. Here in Canada, you will of course not have access to the Centre, but there are several other ways to read and learn about his work. There are now available for sale, six publications of his written works – Forbidden Freedom; The West on Trial; Selected Speeches; My Fight for Guyana’s Freedom; The USA in South America and A New Global Human Order. Once the Centre is up and running we hope to publish several more publications on his writings and speeches.

I also run a web site on the Internet – Cheddi Jagan Guyana’s Hero which I update every two weeks (time permitting). I try to offer a close up view of the work that he did over the period of his entire life, by allowing you insight into many articles and speeches never before published. I also try to use many of his photographs. You will also have a chance to listen to him speak on different issues as I continue to develop the web site.

Those of you who are not too familiar with who he was, will find the section on Tributes most revealing, for they are viewpoints from all sections of the population – from his supporters to non-supporters, from the man in the street to heads of governments – and they express many of his noble qualities like his honesty, his integrity and his dedication to make the world better for all. And I quote him: "By people, we mean ALL the people of this country across the barriers of race/ethnicity, religion, gender, political affiliation; whether they live in the hinterland or on the coast; whether they are able-bodied or handicapped; rich or poor."

There is also a section that deals with his published works, reviews on most of the publications and how to order these books. Last but not least is a section on my mother –Janet Jagan. You may not know it, but without her help and support throughout all those years, my father may not have been able to accomplish all that he did.

Please join me this March in remembering my father by finding out more about his life and struggles. With this in mind I invite you to visit my father’s web site and send me feedback on your thoughts. I also urge you to purchase his books, for there is much to learn about Guyana’s history and also your heritage, if you are Guyanese, in them. I would also ask you at this time to go to the libraries in your areas and request books by Cheddi Jagan, give them my name and number ( 905 –876-4367) so they can obtain them for your reading pleasure. Also visit book stores in you areas and request that they sell his books, and again give them my name and number, or contact me by phone or on the web site to buy directly from me.

It is my hope that through all these methods – the Centre, the web site, reading his books, etc. - more people the world over, will come to know about this great but humble man, who has made such an impact on our lives. In Guyana and the Caribbean his contributions have been recognized and I think appreciated.

But I have always felt that because he came from a small country, his contributions to world peace and his fight not only to overcome poverty and hunger in Guyana, but the world at large, have not been fully acknowledged by the world. I am sure that one day in the near future he will be fully recognized, and will take his rightful place in world history, alongside Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela.

My father said in 1995 and I quote: "I don’t think I have reached the pinnacle of my life, for the Presidency is only a means to an end, to attain the end is to attain a sane and safe world, to bring an end to exploitation, suffering and misery, to construct a New Global Human Order. The struggle will continue."

My father has left a great mark on world history – his call for a New Global Human Order is gaining support everyday around the globe.

Plant a tree in honour of Dr Jagan - PPP urges

AS PART of its activities planned for the 82nd birth anniversary of Dr Cheddi Jagan, late President of the Republic, the People's Progressive Party (PPP) is encouraging all Guyanese to plant a fruit or flower tree in their yards.

This tree planting exercise will cover the period March 19-26, it said.

Fruit trees can be purchased at National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) outlets at reasonable prices.

"The aim of this tree planting exercise is to ensure that all those who admire our great leader, whether at home or overseas, create their very own symbol, which will always remind them of a man who cared for his Guyanese brothers and sisters", the PPP said in a statement.

It said the tree-planting concept is most appropriate, especially since Dr Jagan was a lover of nature and loved flowers and fruits.

"Through this initiative, it is envisaged that all Guyanese will be able to share their personal symbol of Dr Jagan with others, while reminiscing on his life's work and achievements", the PPP said.

It said this activity is also intended to help young Guyanese who have not had the opportunity of knowing Dr Jagan to be constantly reminded that there was an "indomitable Guyanese leader and President."

Dr Jagan "never gave up the fight for the rights of the poor, oppressed and working class people of this great land of ours".

The PPP said the exercise is being carried out "in recognition of the selfless service that this great son of Guyana dedicated to this country in the fight against colonialism and for the restoration of democracy."

PPP Dedicates 50th Anniversary Celebrations To Cheddi Jagan

Guyana’s first and biggest political party is dedicating its 50th anniversary celebrations to founder leader Dr. Cheddi Jagan.

"As part of a fitting tribute to outstanding leadership and guidance," says PPP General Secretary Donald Ramotar, "the Party’s 50th anniversary celebrations are dedicated to founder member the late Dr. Cheddi Jagan and the many fighters and stalwarts who have given unmatched dedicated and selfless service to the Guyanese nation."

The PPP is celebrating half a century of service to the Guyanese people as one of the first political parties in modern history to have made freedom and an end to colonialism part of its initial goals.

In a statement Dr. Jagan made on the occasion of the Party’s 25th anniversary, the late Guyanese Leader recalled that the PPP was born in struggle and rooted in the working class. "The bullets, which snuffed out the lives of the Enmore Martyrs," he said then, "acted as a catalyst agent. And the betrayal of the workers by the opportunists and band-wagoners of the labour party set the seal for the birth of the PPP in 1950."

The Party late last year named Dr. Jagan its Man of the Century.

Cheddi Jagan named Caribbean Person of the Century
- by Canadian newspaper readers

The late President Cheddi Jagan has been named Caribbean Person of the Century by readers of The Caribbean Camera, Canada's leading newspaper on Caribbean affairs.

Dr Jagan led the field of 30 top West Indians selected by a panel of editors at the newspaper after the votes were counted at the close of the poll on December 17.
The late Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister, Dr Eric Williams placed second, while Jamaican singer Bob Marley ran third, the newspaper said in a release yesterday.
The pioneers of the steel pan, the only acoustical instrument developed in the 20th century, finished fourth with Cuba's Fidel Castro in fifth place.

The poll is the only one of its kind to be conducted in North America, the newspaper said.

It was conducted from September 15 to December 17 and was strictly a readers' survey. More than 10,000 people cast their votes via regular mail and e-mail.
Readers were given 30 candidates from across the Caribbean from which to choose.
Among the candidates were VS Naipaul, Albert Gomes, Grenada's TA Marryshow, Barbados' Grantley Adams, Jamaica's Norman and Michael Manley, Dominica's Eugenia Charles, St Lucians Derek Walcott and Arthur Lewis, and Shridath Ramphal, also of Guyana.

"We selected candidates from across the Caribbean who made an impact both on Caribbean life and on global affairs during the 20th century," Caribbean Camera's Managing Editor Raynier Maharaj said.

"The weekly paper's year-end edition featured profiles on the Top Five candidates, with the cover entirely devoted to a beautiful picture of Dr Jagan", the newspaper said.
The poll attracted the attention of readers around the world, with e-mail responses coming from as far as Sweden and Australia.

It also generated tremendous interest within the Canadian education system, where the profiles on all the candidates were included in teaching material at several high schools, the weekly reported.

Dr Jagan won the approval of more than 40 per cent of the voters who saw his struggle for freedom for Guyanese as well as his impact on the labour movement and politics in the wider Caribbean as being the most significant achievement by a Caribbean person in the 20th century.

Dr Williams, who ran a close second, was seen as a great intellect and visionary whose role in both Trinidad and Tobago as well as the wider Caribbean tremendously raised the profile of the region around the globe.

Maharaj said the Steel Pan Pioneers were included as a category as opposed to a single person as "we could not properly identify any individual as being responsible for the creation of the instrument. In fact, the category was suggested to us for inclusion by David Rudder, and we are surprised as well as thrilled to see this group place so high on the list."

Rounding off the top 10 are Trinidadians Mighty Sparrow and Stokeley Carmichael (Kwame Toure), and Jamaicans Michael Manley, Louise `Miss Lou' Bennett and Marcus Garvey.