The West on Trial by
Cheddi Jagan
Reviewed by Krishna Persaud
The long-awaited and much-anticipated
reprint of Cheddi Jagan's autobiographical work "The West on Trial:
My Fight for Guyana's Freedom" has finally hit the bookshelves. It
is a monumental study of the social, political and economic history of
Guyana from the time of European colonization to 1964, when it was first
published. There is an additional epilogue in the latest edition
released in 1997.
Although Dr Jagan has
written voluminously, "The West on Trial" remains his most
enduring work, and it is his political testament. It is the unrivalled
and definitive study of Guyana's fight for self-determination, against
overwhelming odds. But it is also an invaluable resource for students of
Guyana's early history. The rivalry among the Dutch, French and British
for control of the territory is chronicled with the flair and
intellectual rigour of a consummate historian.
Included in the early part of the book is a vignette of plantation life,
providing a snapshot of its vicissitudes and privations, which no doubt
occasioned the early stirrings of protest and resistance which
eventually led to Cheddi Jagan's challenge to the British for the right
of Guyanese to be masters of their own destiny.
It also captures the atmosphere, tone and tenor of the early postwar
years, with the excitement and sense of impending change being palpable.
Its sweep spans a time when legendary and well-known figures graced, or
blighted, the political landscape. Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow, Frederick
J. Seaford and Colonial Treasurer Frank McDavid were part of the gallery
of heroes and villains who had an impact, adversely or not, on Guyanese
history. It is part of the considerable appeal of this study that we are
given a glimpse of rare moments in Guyanese history. We can almost see
the cynical smile on McDavid's face as he swaggered out of the
legislature during a speech by the young Cheddi Jagan.
It is precisely this attitude and the motives which undergirded it, that
identified the early struggle, for Cheddi Jagan, as one in which the
historical imperative consisted of breaking the grip of the planters and
the Chamber of Commerce, on the economy and the legislature. Moreover,
these circumstances gave rise to the need for a political party which
was faithful to the emerging creed of "political unionism".
While Cheddi Jagan accurately gauged the configuration of historical and
social forces which were transforming Guyana, his analysis of the impact
that World War Two had on the international system indicated a firm
grasp of the circumstances which gave rise to the postwar world, Guyana
included. However, the main thrust of the book centres on the political
events which spanned the 1940s, 1950s, and the early to mid-60s, with
these decades being the most pivotal years in Guyana's history.
The major portion of the study therefore, concerns itself with the
efforts of British and American governments to harass and destabilize
Cheddi Jagan's government. The suspension of the Waddington Constitution
in 1953, the machinations against the PPP governments formed in 1957 and
1961, the riot in February, 1962 and the refusal of British forces to
aid the civil power, the opposition inspired strikes of 1963 and C.I.A
support for them, the hair-raising accounts of the internecine violence,
Forbes Burnham's unbridled campaign for power at any cost and
proportional representation as the plan hatched to attain it, Kennedy's
fear of another "Cuba" in Latin America, and Harold MacMillan's
eagerness to assist Kennedy, are all meticulously documented and
situated in their respective contexts.
It is probably no accident that the book was named "The West on
Trial". It indicts the West, as well as the opportunist Burnham and
the comprador d'Aguiar as willing and able accomplices who subscribed to
their nation's demise.
The epilogue of the current edition includes a virtual manifesto of
policies which the PPP/Civic government will pursue. The ideas advanced
are enlightened and far-reaching, and of course are guided by the
principles that promote social justice, which is the overarching concern
of this comprehensive study. And it is in this spirit of fostering
social justice that Cheddi Jagan has outlined his proposal for a New
Global Human Order to remedy the inequities occasioned by the present
neo-colonial order.
"The West on Trial" is compulsory reading for any student of
Guyanese politics, the decolonialization process and the Cold War. The
scholarship and prescience evident in the reportage and analysis of the
momentous events which the study addresses, ensure that it will have a
place of honour among the autobiographies of twentieth-century giants.
Cheddi Jagan has placed The West on Trial for offences committed against
the people of Guyana. The case for the prosecution is compelling. There
are few mitigating circumstances. The reader, and history, will render
their verdicts.
All profits from the sale of this book
will be donated to the Cheddi Jagan Research Center.
Cheddi
Jagan: My Fight for Guyana's Freedom.
Reflections on her father by Nadira Jagan-Brancier
Reviewed by Krishna Persaud
In his book The Middle Passage, V.S. Naipaul wrote: "After dinner Dr
Jagan's mother showed me the photograph album. It had been extensively
rifled. The only photograph of interest was one Dr Jagan had sent back
from America while he was a student. A studio portrait by an
unimaginative photographer of a dazzlingly handsome young man looking
over his shoulder, not unaware of his looks."
The reader will find that photograph on page 28 of Cheddi Jagan: My
Fight for Guyana's Freedom, compiled and annotated by Nadira
Jagan-Brancier.
The publication consists of over 350 photographs in juxtaposition with
text from the antecedent volume, The West on Trial, that
definitive study of Guyanese politics written by the author's father.
In essence, this is a photographic biography, depicting the life and
times of Cheddi Jagan. It is a handsome, well-bound book, in hardcover,
with a striking photograph of a young and sartorially splendid Cheddi
Jagan on the dust jacket, which contains a synopsis of both The West
on Trial and Cheddi Jagan, My Fight for Guyana's Freedom, written
by Dr Odeen Ishmael, Guyana's ambassador to The United States.
The author, in her introduction, wrote that she had tried on many
occasions to get her father to write a more personal autobiography. His
response was that he had already done so in The West on Trial.
In Ms Jagan-Brancier's words, her book "allows the reader a closer and
more intimate look into my father's life... Photographs tell a story all
by themselves!... and my wish was to share my father's life with
everyone."
Guyana owes Nadira Jagan-Brancier a debt of gratitude, because she has
so generously chosen to share these rare and hitherto private
photographs and moments with us. Time will not diminish Cheddi Jagan's
stature.
On the contrary, time will enhance it. And with the passage of time, one
envisages that this work will be regarded as a family heirloom, and will
be handed down from generation to generation.
For those born in the early postwar years, it will be a retrospective on
those momentous events which gripped and absorbed the nation, and gave
the occupants of the White House and Whitehall, anxious moments.
And for their children, it will help to explain the events which so
inflamed the passions of their parents.
These photographs and the accompanying text, represent the odyssey of Dr
Jagan's life, a life of epic proportions. They portray triumph, glory,
(though it was unsolicited), betrayal, success and finally, vindication.
This new genre, text wrapped around photographs, is admirably suited to
the formidable task of giving substance, shape, form, as it were, to the
events and personalities that spanned half-a-century.
The pages of this riveting volume are graced with photographs of Cheddi
Jagan in the company of world leaders, among whom are Pope John Paul II,
Jawaharlal Nehru, Julius Nyerere, Kwame Nkrumah, Fidel Castro, John
Kennedy, U Thant, Indira Gandhi, and Queen Elizabeth II, to mention a
few. And there is previously unpublished correspondence between Dr Jagan
and other well-known figures, among whom are former British Prime
Minister Harold Wilson and the great baritone and actor Paul Robeson,
the latter being Dr Jagan's friend.
And it should be added that the reader will be privy to a poem written
by Cheddi Jagan when he was in prison, the only one he was known to
write.
Moreover, in the absence of television reportage in Guyana in the
fifties, sixties, seventies and early eighties, these photographs are a
valuable record of the other Guyanese personalities who were part of our
political landscape. Among others, there are pictures of Forbes Burnham,
Peter d'Aguiar, Sidney King, Walter Rodney, Rupert Roopnarine and
Brindley Benn, who once served as deputy premier.
But Dr Jagan was also a devoted family man, and there are shots of his
wife, now President Janet Jagan, their children and grandchildren, as
well as Dr Jagan's siblings and parents.
And while these photographs generate great interest, one suspects that
the reader will keep returning to the text of, The West on Trial, which
has great appeal in its own right. The concept of the ideal man, liberal
and intellectual in outlook, flawess and unassailable in character, and
indomitable in spirit, found its apogee in Cheddi Jagan. And the great
strength and charm of this book lies in its ability to portray the
grace, dignity and fullness of his life.
We are indeed very fortunate that we have been given the chance to have
such a personal glimpse of the man who has left such an indelible
impression on the Guyanese psyche.
The pictures chosen by
Nadira Jagan-Brancier for her book, have helped to define her father's
irreducible and essential humanity. This collection of photographs
represent more than the miracle of light and shadow, more than looking
through the glass darkly with a passionate eye, they constitute a work
of art. But more than anything else, they are a labour of love.
All profits
from the sale of this book will be donated to the Cheddi Jagan Research
Center.
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