Remembering Cheddi Jagan
WPO Remembers a Heroine and a Leader
March 6, 2004March 6th marks a very important event in the history of the WPO and PPP. Forty years ago Kowsillia a sugar worker became a martyr. Seven years ago on the same day a beloved leader Dr Cheddi Jagan left this world and the people who loved him.
What was symbolic about this occasion is that the stooges of the colonialist murdered Kowsilla; this leader who was then Premier of British Guiana was present at the funeral.
The PPP had won its third consecutive elections and the opposition PNC along with the reactionary forces who were anti-communist and anti-PPP was hell bent on getting the PPP out of power.
The political situation took a turn for the worst when a concerted effort was made by the combined opposition both internal and external to break the will of the workers who were fighting for the union of their choice. GAWU had submitted 14,000 notices signed by workers who no longer wanted union dues to be deducted from their wags for MPCA. This was an on-going problem; the Sugar Producers Association refused to take action because of their allegiance to MPCA, a company union, whose interest was more with the company than the workers.
Cane cutters at Leonora who went to the "back-dam" for work were told that there was work for only 50% of them. They pleaded that they had traveled a great distance and that they should be given work. The supervisor told them that they should go to Dr Jagan for work and "stay home and make placards for him."
The workers left and formed a delegation and went to the estate, but the management refused to negotiate with them. Next day GAWU called a strike and by February 17th work on all the plantations came to a standstill. The sugar planters employed scabs inexperienced in agricultural work, mostly from Georgetown. Most of them tried to terrorize the workers who had started a passive resistance campaign, particularly on the estates in West Demerara. The police assisted in terrorizing the strikers who squatted at strategic points; police vans were used at Leonora to transport the scabs.
On March 6th, at Leonora sugar estate, the strike was on and workers were notified that if they failed to return to work within 72 hours their services would be terminated. They ignored the ultimatum. Scabs were encouraged to work and led to believe that they would be permanently employed. Workers were guarding the different points at which scabs were entering the fields in an attempt to break the strike. Women workers were squatting peacefully on a bridge when a tractor driven by a scab drove straight into the women killing Kowsillia on the spot and injuring 14 others. On top of all this the Special Riot Unit moved in and tear-gassed the workers including those that were injured. Jagdai had a broken back, Kisson Dai had both of her hips broken and lost one of her kidneys and Daisee Sookram’s back was also injured. Two were permanently disabled.
On the day of her funeral more than six thousand persons braved the heat for more than four hours to pay their last respects to Kowsillia, also called Alice. Those present included Dr Cheddi Jagan the Premier, Ministers of the Government, legislators and other leaders.
Alice was an executive member of the WPO group at Leonora and a banner provided by the group read: "Leonora WPO honours a fallen comrade." From Cornelia Ida where the funeral procession began, they proceeded to Leonora, passed the scene of the incident and spent about 30 minutes at the home of Alice where a religious ceremony was performed. The mourners were highly emotional with many wailing and fainting during the funeral.
Dr Jagan described the day as a tragic one and added. "The history of British Guiana is the history of sugar and the history of sugar is the history of blood, sacrifice and suffering."
He said from the days of slavery, to the days of indentureship and of free labour, the story was the same. He referred to the killing of five sugar workers at Enmore, in 1948 and noted that the incident had sharpened the struggle of the Enmore workers and forced the sugar bosses to break down the logies. He added: "But as I walked around the estate today, I still see some logies existing. Let us hope that Kowsillia’s supreme sacrifice will remove those logies and exploitation in the country." Dr Jagan said the sugar bosses would never get off the backs of the workers until the got rid of the colonial masters. He said they did not want to give freedom because they wanted to continue to rob and exploit the people. He said the country was on the threshold of freedom and called upon the gathering to pledge to make sacrificed, so that tractors, lorries and cars will not be driven willfully over them. He observed that the days of the colonialist were numbered, but they were fighting back and needed to be resisted strongly.
As he stood at the house of Kowsillia and looked at the women, he said to himself, "It could have been one of you. Or it could have been my mother." He went on, "Comrades I am one of you. It is just fortunate that I am Premier. I pledge today that I and the other leaders of the Party are fully with you in this struggle."
Mrs Patricia Benn the Chairman of the WPO expressed feelings of solidarity from the women of the country. She noted many women the world over had made similar sacrifices for freedom and from exploitation she described the killing of Kowsillia as a shame against a defenseless woman and called upon the gathering to unite until the final struggle is won for this country.
Senator Hubbard described Kowsillia as a new Guyanese martyr. He recalled that it was the second time again the burial was being fertilized with the blood of sugar workers who were killed when fighting for their rights. He called upon the gathering to carry the struggle to the end. He said "Kowsillia, the working class seed for freedom must be watered until freedom is won." He appealed "Comrades, as we raise our hands above our heads in grief and as tears run down our cheeks, let us vow to give the last drop of our blood until freedom is won for this country."
Kowsillia was only 44 when she was killed. She left to mourn a husband who was unemployed and four children. She worked in the weeding gang in Leonora Estate in order to raise her family.
Forty years have passed since Kowsillia was killed. Those who were responsible for the events that occurred and followed after her death have tried to change their strategy towards the country. However, their accomplices are still bent on destroying the hard won successes of our country. We have to be ever vigilant to prevent such a situation from occurring again. Her sacrifice must not be in vain and it is necessary for us to push forward with an accelerated pace of development so that we cam lift our people from underdevelopment and poverty.
Dr Jagan’s wish has become a reality since sugar workers no longer have to live in logies but are living in decent homes. Our country and its people have made tremendous progress and as we pay homage to our leader and Kowsillia we do so knowing that their sacrifices have borne fruit and will continue to do so under the leadership of the Party that he founded and loved.