Martyrdom – its relevance today

Jul 19, 2008 Letters

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DEAR EDITOR,
On Wednesday 16th and Thursday the 17th of July (today), Guyana, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and particularly the Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO) commemorates two important and historic events in our country’s political development: the martyrdom of Michael Forde along with Jagan Ramessar and Parmanand Bholanauth commonly known as the ballot box martyrs.

These events are two of many that marred our country’s history for the fight for independence and the restoration of democracy.

These two incidences, significant in their own period, played an important reminder to where we were and where we are today and was the catalysis for many struggles and victories to come.

As we reflect on the lives of these martyrs and of their selfless acts of heroism, patriotism and bravery, we must never forget the dark days of colonialism and dictatorship that so many were forced to endure, ending up in many being brutalized, wrongfully imprisoned, raped and many paid the ultimate price of being killed.

Michael Forde was born in 1942 within a humble family in Georgetown. Michael, or “Fordie” as he commonly known among his peers, belonged to the People’s Progressive Party as well as the Progressive Youth Organisation.

He participated in many PPP-led Freedom Marches which took place across Guiana. He spoke at many “whistle stop” meetings where he addressed and interacted with young people on a range on issues.

On the faithful morning of July 17, 1964, Michael came to work in the Progressive Book Shop, below the headquarters of the PPP at Freedom House, as he routinely did. However, this was not like any other morning as it would be Michael’s last.

A man entered the bookshop and made a purchase. He hurriedly left without collecting his change. After he left Michael saw a suspicious package left behind and immediately informed his supervisor, who thought they should leave the book shop immediately.

Michael knew that there were about 60 persons in Freedom House above, including executive and leading members of the party; he decided to remove the parcel.

He took the parcel to the adjacent empty lot near Metropole Cinema, where it exploded in his hands. He was killed immediately and his body parts flew in different directions into Robb Street.

His brave and heroic act would have saved former presidents Cheddi and Janet Jagan, both of whom were at Freedom House at the time.

It is important to note that at the same time of the explosion, a similar explosion occurred at the Guyana Import & Export Company (GIMPEX) on Brickdam; this was the PPP’s trading arm at the time.

This bomb was placed at this location a few blocks away, the timer had been synchronized with that of the Robb Street bomb.

This bomb had decapitated and instantly killed another comrade of the Party, Eddie Griffith, who was in the vicinity of the explosion.

During the period preceding 1992, the focus of the Party had shifted and all efforts were directed at fighting for free and fair elections and a democratic rule.

The PYO and its vibrant members were integrally involved in this process. Although meted by strong, fierce and deadly resistance, they persevered.

During the time period of the early 1970’s, the People’s National Congress (PNC) because of their many anti working class actions became very unpopular.

This was evident to them and was of grave concern; as such the PNC engaged in padding of the voters list and massively rigged every election until 1992.

The rigging had been so immense it was evident in most polling places across the country, in addition to the overseas balloting they had introduced.

The rigging of elections had become institutionalised since the PNC had control of the state election machinery as well as the ways and means of carrying it out.

At that time, the Joint Services had been highly politicized and strongly influenced by the PNC. These service men and women were utilised to carry out these acts, as well as to institute terror to anti PNC supporters. These tactics were used to ensure that the PNC won a two third majority in the Parliament.

It was the election of 1973, where the No. 63 school was used as a polling place for the election that the PPP was advocating for the ballot boxes to be counted at the place of poll, as to minimize the chance of the boxes being stuffed with pro PNC ballots.

On the evening of 16th July, the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) was involved in removing the ballot boxes from the school, and immediately Jagan Ramessar, who was a 17-year-old PYO member, and Parmanand Bholanauth, a member of the PPP, objected to this and voiced a protest.

The PNC had reneged on their position of having a ballot agent accompany the ballot box.

During this time about 100 persons had gathered to join the protest. During the vociferous protest, Parmanand Bholanauth was gunned down by the soldiers; several others were seriously injured from a hail of bullets from the GDF.

These comrades were dragged and thrown into an openback vehicle where the soldiers placed their feet upon them. Jagan Ramessar was seriously injured but instead of taking him to hospital, the police and GDF soldiers transported him to the No. 51 Police Station where they refused to provide him with medical attention.

He died there, after he was further physically brutalized by the police and soldiers.
Press Freedom and the access to information became very scarce; the Mirror newspapers and the Catholic Standard were the only other news to have stood up to the PNCR regime’s suppression of media and other freedoms. Mirror journalists and vendors were jailed, beaten and terrorized.

It was July 14th in 1979, where we saw the continuous blatant attacks on press freedom coming to a pinnacle when Fr. Bernard Drake, a photographer of the Catholic Standard, was stabbed and killed in the vicinity of the Ministry of Home Affairs on Brickdam while covering a story on an opposition’s demonstration.

The assassination was well planned by death agents of the regime. It was later revealed by the head of the House of Israel, Rabbi Washington, that the thugs mistook Fr. Darke for Fr. Morrison.

It is on occasions like these we remember the atrocities of the previous regime; it is incidents like these that make us aware and proud of the many strides we have taken to improve and better our political climate and goodwill that we now enjoy.

Democracy comes with a price, in some cases the ultimate price. Since the dawn of a new era in 1992, all civil minded and progressive Guyanese were involved in consolidating our gains.

However, we must be on guard for those forces that will continue to erode and annihilate our many efforts to a socially just, prosperous and democratic society.

Balram Khani was another PYO comrade that felt the brunt of this. It was July 23rd, 2002 while returning from the PPP congress in Port Mourant, Berbice, that Khani was shot and killed by a group of heavily armed men who were in search of the location of the PPP’s congress. He was brutally gunned down because of his political affiliation.

We must not forget policemen Pardat and Kissoon who were both unarmed and were dragged to a location and killed execution style. This slaying was designed to carry a message to the leaders and supporters of the PPP.

George Santayana, one of the world’s leading philosophers, once wrote: “Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it”. We must all be cognizant of this and never become complacent.

We must remain steadfast as it relates to our democratic convictions and traditions. We must all reflect and salute these heroic comrades. Long live the memory of our martyrs.
Ronald Harsawack

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