March 22 marks 99 years since Cheddi Jagan’s birth
Dear Editor,
Dr Cheddi Jagan was highly regarded throughout the world. It is no exaggeration to say that it was Dr Jagan who placed this country on the world map way back in the early 1950s. British Guiana during the colonial period was hardly known outside the shores of Guyana, It was not until the emergence of Dr Jagan on the political stage that world attention began to focus on an otherwise sleepy and insignificant colony.
It was the suspension of the British Guiana constitution in October 1953 following the landslide victory of the PPP in the elections of April 1953 that catapulted the then colony into the international spotlight. Dr Jagan and his PPP, a leftist party, won office through constitutional means in a Western hemisphere country where this was uncommon, and it naturally generated much concern both in Britain and the United States.
The United States had long ago considered the Caribbean as its backyard and any rise of leftist regimes was seen not only as an unwelcome development but as a political aberration that needed, as it were, to be nipped in the bud. Of interest to note was that the historic victory of the PPP in the 1953 elections, the first under universal adult suffrage, preceded the Cuban Revolution of 1959.
Dr Jagan’s activism and strong advocacy for national independence further enhanced the colony’s image on the world stage. Indeed, he had the honour of being the first colonial leader to address the United Nations Committee on decolonization, much to the discomfort of Britain, the Mother country. The speech, however, resonated well with other leaders, particularly those from the Afro-Asian group of countries, many of whom were also at the time clamouring for independence.
Dr Jagan’s contribution to Guyana is monumental. March 22, 2017 marks ninetynine years since his birth and twenty years since his passing. It is therefore an opportune time to reflect on the life and work of this outstanding son of the soil.
Yours faithfully, Hydar Ally