Tributes to Janet Jagan
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CDE. JANET
by Donald Ramotar
On Saturday October 20, 2001 Mrs Janet Jagan will celebrate her birthday. We express best wishes to her on this most happy occasion.
Janet Jagan has led an exemplary life and, like her late husband, Dr. Cheddi Jagan, played a leading role in the struggles of the Guyanese people for independence, democracy and social progress. Indeed, since the mid-1940s she stood at all the important historical junctures and helped to shape the direction of our movement and the country as a whole.
A Remarkable Woman
She has been a tremendous positive influence and together with Dr. Cheddi Jagan, was most responsible for the social progress we have made so far.Undoubtedly, she is a truly remarkable woman. A patriot of Guyana, a true internationalist and one of the outstanding fighters of the working and oppressed people in Guyana and the world.
The Great Depression inspired Janet to work for the poor
Mrs. Jagan was born in Chicago, in the United States. During her early life she lived through the period that was known as the Great Depression. No doubt, she must have witnessed a lot of sufferings, during that period. Chicago was one of the rapidly growing industrial states in the U.S. and the depression had hit it very hard.Thousands of workers lost their jobs. The struggle of the trade unions and the progressive political parties became intense as they tried to protect jobs and to work towards alleviating the suffering caused by the economic crisis.
That period made a great impact on young Janet and made her a friend and fighter for working people ever since.
After the outbreak of the Second World War, Janet, who was trained as a nurse contributed to the fight against fascism. She was active in the left movement and was a member of the Young Communist League in the U.S.
Among the jobs she did in the U.S. during that time was proofreading for the publications of the American Medical Association.
In 1943 she married the young Cheddi Jagan who was studying dentistry and economics in the U.S.
Janet and Cheddi had a lot in common
They had a lot in common, particularly in politics. By that time the young Jagan had a good grasp of the politics in the colonies and was already convinced that a fight had to be mounted against colonialism.Like other fighters for national and social liberation at that time, both Cheddi and Janet were greatly influenced by the major and leading role which the Soviet Union played in defeating Hitlerite fascism.
Joined her husband in BG in 1943
The young Janet Jagan came to join her husband in the then British Guiana at the end of 1943, fifty-eight years ago.
Together with Dr. Jagan, Janet quickly became deeply involved in the social, economic and political life of the colony.
Janet was a Founder Member of the PAC
In 1946 with Dr. Jagan, Ashton Chase and Joslyn Hubbard she founded the Political Affairs Committee (PAC), which was the forerunner of the People's Progressive Party (PPP). The PAC began publishing a weekly bulletin for circulation in the country. Janet's training as journalist came into good use, as she became the Editor of the PAC Bulletin.
WPEO formed -- Janet as General Secretary
In that very year, she founded the Women's Political and Economic Organisation (WPEO). Winifred Gaskin and Frances Stafford were the other founding members of this organisation, the first political women's organisation in our country.Janet became the General Secretary of the WPEO and mainly through her dedication and hard work, it made a great impact in the political life of the colony.
Those were not easy times. The political life was dominated by a British Governor and officials from the Sugar Producers Association, who were all British, and by a few rich local people who were closely tied to the colonial officials.
PAC leaders challenged Colonial Power
The young leaders in the PAC challenged the powers that be on every issue which related to national life and working people's interests. They boldly declared that one of their objectives was to win political independence for British Guiana.
The PAC made a great impact and the next year, 1947 Janet, Cheddi and Hubbard contested constituencies at the elections.
Janet won GT Constituency
Janet, who was extremely popular, contested the Georgetown seat. She was widely known and loved by workers and trade unionists. She was the Organising Secretary of the British Guiana Clerks Unions (BGCU).She was pitted against Percy Wight, who at that time owned the Argosy papers; he was Mayor of Georgetown and also a member of the Legislative and Executive Council of the colony and a staunch supporter of the colonial power.
When it became clear that Janet would beat him, the whole group that supported the establishment ganged up against Janet. They moved to get John Fernandes to contest after seeing the writing on the wall for Percy Wight.
They used everything against Janet, including invoking the anti-communist bogy, religion and money. Janet barely lost and that was no doubt partly due to the limited franchise.
Dr Jagan won EC Constituency
The Jagans and the PAC's reputation kept growing. Dr. Jagan had won a seat in the Legislative Assembly, representing the East Coast Constituency.Janet, by that time, had distinguished herself as a fighter, a very good organiser and an able administrator.
She was involved closely with the labour movement. She helped the Guiana Industrial Workers Union (GIWU) organise among the sugar workers.
Active in the Labour Movement
During the strike of 1948 she was very active in organising relief for the strikers and speaking at meetings to keep up their morale.When the workers were shot, Janet was one of the first prominent persons to arrive on the scene to give leadership and protect and comfort the workers. She, together with other leaders of the PAC and the GIWU, led the funeral procession from Enmore to Georgetown.
In 1980, she repeated a similar feat. In showing her and the PPP's revulsion at the PNC's murder of Dr Walter Rodney she marched from Buxton to Georgetown in the protest procession with his body.
General Secretary of PPP
By the time the People's Progressive Party was founded Janet was certainly one of the most outstanding leaders of our country. Because of her organising ability and her administrative skills Janet became the General Secretary of the Party.She held that position until 1970 when the organisational structure of the Party was changed.
Editor of Thunder
She also became the Editor for the Party's Organ, the Thunder. As a leader of the PPP Janet distinguished herself in several important struggles that brought credit to the Party and our country.
Through her popularity, she won a seat in the Municipal Council
In 1950 she won a seat in the Municipal Council of Georgetown. She was the first representative of the working people to grace those chambers. She was the only successful candidate of the three PPP candidates. The other two were Burnham and Cheddi Jagan. This showed how popular Janet had become and her reputation for hard work was already becoming legendary.
Universal Adult Suffrage Under Janet
She was part of the PPP's delegation to the Waddington Constitutional Commission which gave us an advanced constitution in 1953. It was here among other places that the PPP pressed hard for Universal Adult Suffrage. This was a major victory.
Janet became Member of Legislative Council
Recognising her dint of hard work, the Party put her in charge of and the Candidate for the West Demerara, Essequibo Coast in the 1953 Elections. She won handsomely and became a member of the Legislative Council in 1953. She won that seat again in the 1957 Elections and made those areas PPP strongholds.
Great achievements in three Ministries
Janet's portfolio as Minister of Labour, Health and Housing between 1957 to 1961 was indeed outstanding. It was the achievements which she made in that period that helped the Party to win the 1961 Elections.Under her leadership, malaria was practically wiped out in the colony. A mass campaign was launched to wipe out filaria and children throughout our country were inoculated with anti-polio vaccine. An anti-typhoid scheme was also launched. New health centres were constructed. Cottage Hospitals along with maternity and child welfare clinics were established in all parts of our country.
It was under her guidance that pure water supply was spread throughout the countryside.
In housing great progress was made both in towns and country areas. The logies on the sugar estates were eliminated. The Rent Restriction Ordinance covered the whole country.
Under her leadership working people made rapid progress both in wages and conditions of work. Domestics, watchmen, quarry workers, rural cinemas, groceries, etc., were protected by the Ministry. People, to this day, continue to speak of her phenomenal performance in that period.
She fought against all odds
All was not smooth sailing in her political life in Guyana. Janet had to fight against tremendous odds. She was attacked because of her race. The League of Coloured People (LCP) had launched a racist campaign against Whites as early as the 1947 Elections. Joyclyn Hubbard who had done quite a lot for Labour faced a terrible racist campaign led by the League. He lost the 1947 elections to Dr. Nicolson as a result.Ms. Frances Stafford, one of the founders of the WPEO, was also attacked by the LCP. They spread the lie that she, a White Guyanese woman, had kicked an African Guyanese servant down her stairs.
Janet, Cheddi banned from the Caribbean
Of course, Janet faced the same attack by those who wanted to exploit the working people. In 1949 she was declared a prohibited immigrant in St. Vincent. In 1952 she and Cheddi were the first post-war prohibited immigrants in the Caribbean. Trinidad and Grenada banned them.
Jailed in 1954 through fabrication
The British press had launched a campaign to demonise her and they jailed her in 1954 under fabricated charges.In the 1960s, the PNC, following the tradition of the LCP also heaped slander upon her. They spread rumours of all sorts trying also to demonise her. They repeated their strong racism tactic after the 1997 General Elections. Racism had always been among the PNC's most effective tool in its politics.
But, of course, Janet the fighter brushed those attacks aside. During the anti-dictatorial struggle she fought on several fronts.
Editor of Mirror
She was the Editor of Mirror and played a leading role in the defence of the press. She led protests against the banning of flour and other essential food items among other struggles.She returned to Parliament in 1980 at a time when the Party was sending its best to take up the fight in Parliament, after the third successive rigged elections by the PNC regime.
Her book exposed PNC rigged elections
She also used her pen to expose the PNC government. Her book on the 1973 rigged elections is still the best exposé of violence perpetrated on the Guyanese people by the PNC. In the opening sentence she stated frankly and dramatically, "in Guyana the word "elections" has become synonymous with "fraud."Another notable feat was her examination of National Service in Guyana. This was at the time that the PNC was flirting with socialism. Janet showed that under the PNC regime, National Service was used to oppress, discriminate and to militarise the country.
Throughout all her struggles she has always been a great caring and loving human being with tremendous strength and courage. Events have often pushed her to the fore even though she would like to be more private. In the West on Trial Dr. Jagan captured her personality when he wrote. "...(Janet) (is) somewhat of an introvert. She does not like being in the limelight. Nor does she care about possessions and is always willing to go out of her way to help others ... It took a great deal of persuasion before she consented to stand for the Georgetown seat ..." (referring to the 1947 Elections).
It also took a great deal of persuasion to get her to be our Presidential Candidate in the 1997 Elections. Party leaders worked hard in days of meetings to get her to stand. She never craved power, for its own sake, but only to advance the cause of the working people.
New era in Caribbean politics
It was therefore not difficult for her to handover the Presidency to Bharrat Jagdeo when she felt that due to her health she could not discharge her duty to the country to the maximum, as she would like. In so doing, she opened a new era in Caribbean politics.
First female Parliamentarian, Prime Minister and President
Despite the tremendous achievements for the people of our country and personally being among the first female Parliamentarian, the first female Prime Minister and the first female President in Guyana, she is still extremely modest and very easy to talk to.
Janet is loved by her party; has no personal envy
The political struggles she led sometimes created a lot of hostility mainly engineered by the PNC. However, I do not think that she has a single personal enemy. She is loved by the whole Party and the overwhelming majority of people in Guyana.There are many other facets of Janet Jagan's life that can be dealt with, her internationalism for instance. But all cannot be told in a short article.
Today, I wish Comrade Janet Best of Health and a very Happy Birthday!
