Remembering Cheddi Jagan

CHEDDI JAGAN:
STRIDING TALL IN THE GLOBAL CONSCIOUSNESS

On the 18th December l947 Dr. Cheddi Jagan entered the legislature of then British Guiana. It was neither a beginning nor an ending. His struggle had begun on a sugar plantation in Berbice and has yet to be culminated, because he yet lives on; and would forever do so, as long as democracy prevails in the nation, because there is no dynamic in the national developmental landscape on which he has not stamped his imprimatur.

Attaining entry into the legislature was a mere step in the struggle for eventual freedom and prosperity - initially for the Guyanese people, whom he loved more than his life; and generally for the entire human race; as propounded in his passionate treatise of a construct he entitled “A New Global Human Order.”

This great, good man always sought and strove for rapprochement and unity in this nation he so passionately loved, and he was deeply grieved at every consequence of disunity and disagreement in this nation, as any father would at instances of discord between siblings in his family. That this love was returned in full measure was palpable when the nation grieved in a spontaneously collective way when he died, and it is sad that only his death could have achieved the primary ideal for which he had endeavoured all his life – a united Guyanese nation.

Brother, friend, and comrade-in-struggle of Cheddi Jagan; and much beloved and very respected member of the civic component of the PPP/C, Honourable P.M. Sam Hinds, wrote in the 23rd December 2007 edition of the Sunday Stabroek: “Late into the night of Friday December 14th, 2007 one could have gotten the feeling in the National Assembly that we the politicians were in the mood to shake hands and turn the page. We politicians were giving the leadership that Guyana needs.

We need the help of our media to take our country and every one of our citizens along. May everyone watch the tape of that debate and get into a mood for healing and harmony.”

It is the spirit that Dr. Jagan had always espoused and promulgated; although not shunning nor retreating from the frontlines of battle whenever required during his long, hard years of struggle.

But although he was aggressively confrontational when the need arose, his preferred method of conflict resolution was dialogue and debate; and his limitless capacity for retaining facts and figures in his almost photographic memory made discussions with him engagements that were boundlessly instructive and convincing, because his passionate sincerity and dedication to the welfare of this nation, and humanity as a whole, overwhelmed even those who opposed him.

He always saw education as the primary key to eventual liberation of this people and when, after prevailing against opposing elements, the University of Guyana was inaugurated in l963, a landmark was created in tertiary education in the region, even though some dubbed it, in derogation, as “Jagan’s Night School.”

But that great visionary always saw beyond the realms of the ordinary. Those who today claim UG for their own had fought bitterly against its establishment, as they have always fought against and derogated every initiative that Dr Jagan, and his governments – past and present, have undertaken to actualize a better and more progressive and prosperous way of life for all the people of this land.

The posthumous adoption by an august global body such as the United Nations of Dr. Jagan’s New Global Human Order marks him as a globally recognised world-class statesman who will forever stride tall in the global consciousness, because the adoption of this nation’s foremost freedom-fighter’s proposition of a restructuring of the profiling and developmental processes of international social, political, economic and other constructs will forever mark him as a champion for humanity and social justice in the context of universal developmental structures.

The Order of Liberation, posthumously conferred on Dr. Jagan on l8th December 2007 at State House to commemorate the 60th anniversary of his entry to the legislature, although greatly merited, seems tame in comparison to his global stature.

December 18 2007 marks sixty years since the entry of Dr. Cheddi Jagan to Parliament. Dr. Jagan, at age 29, took the Oath as a Member of Parliament on December 18, 1947 after successfully winning the Central Demerara constituency. He remained active in the political arena until his death in March 1997 which in effect meant that he served the people of Guyana for some five decades at a leadership level.
                No other Guyanese can boast of such a record of service. The People’s Progressive Party which he founded in January 1, 1950 and led until his death has been marking his death and birth anniversaries in a variety of ways including an annual commemoration service at Babu John, Port Mourant where his body was cremated.
                This year, in honour of the 60th anniversary since his entry into Parliament, the Party submitted a Motion to have the National Assembly give due recognition to the work of the former President and longest serving Member of Parliament. The motion was unanimously passed with glowing tributes from speakers from both sides of the House.
                The Motion allows for a special collection of Dr. Jagan’s speeches to be displayed in the Library of Parliament. The Motion also allowed for speeches of the former President to be published as a collection for reference to the younger and future generations. This can only redound to the good of parliament and the parliamentary process given Dr. Jagan’s vast experience as a parliamentarian. Dr. Jagan was also a prolific writer which would be an asset to young people who aspire for a political career.
                Dr. Jagan’s entry into the Legislative Council began a long and illustrious career as a dedicated Parliamentarian extending for forty-five years until 1992 when he became ineligible to remain seated on being elected the Executive President of Guyana.
                As pointed out in the Motion, “Dr. Jagan brought a new dimension and style of parliamentarism to the Legislature and in doing so created his trade mark as a political leader, trade unionist, a Premier, a Leader of the Opposition and subsequently as President of the Nation.
                The motion added: “His career as a Parliamentarian spanning over four and a half decades was marked by his persistent and unrelenting struggle for the working people of the then British Guiana, for universal adult suffrage, for independence from British colonial rule, for fair and equitable trade relations for the end to colonial and imperialist rule globally and in the post independence period, for the return of democracy and free and fair elections.”
                His life-long desire for a just and equitable society found expression in his call for a New Global Human Order which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly shortly after his passing.
                As pointed out by Prime Minister Samuel Hinds in a recent letter to the press, the motion was passed unanimously with tributes from both the ruling party and the opposition parties. This historic moment unfortunately did not get the prominence of the media as it ought to, but its significance cannot be overemphasized. It speaks to the maturity of our politicians when it comes to recognition of contribution made by a great Guyanese leader.
                The whole of Guyana owe Dr. Jagan a debt of gratitude for the years of solid and dedicated service to the people of Guyana. Indeed, Dr. Jagan has left an indelible imprint on the political landscape of this country. In tribute to his struggle for a free and democratic Guyana, Dr. Jagan was conferred with the “Order of Liberation”, a fitting tribute to a great son of the soil. At a simple ceremony at State House last Tuesday, the widow of Dr.Jagan, Mrs. Janet Jagan, herself a political icon in Guyana’s politics, received the posthumous award from President Bharrat Jagdeo.
                Both President Jagdeo and Mrs. Jagan recalled the enormous contribution made by Dr.Jagan in the liberation of Guyana first against colonial bondage and subsequent to Guyana’s attainment of political independence for democracy which was subverted by the PNC after it was catapulted into power by Anglo-American vested interests. Dr. Jagan ideas continue to inspire people here and abroad who yearn for a better life free from bondage and want. His ideas are as relevant today as it ever were, a testimony of his visionary mind and intellectual prowess.