Guyana remembers Rose Hall Estate Martyrs 102 years later

Mar 28, 2015 News

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The 15 lives that were lost on March 13, 1913 at Rose Hall Estate, Canje were

honoured on Wednesday with a wreath-laying and tribute ceremony by President Donald Ramotar, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, and other officials.
The event took place at the monument site where the fallen sugar workers were buried, Plantation Rose Hall, East Canje.
The workers were all shot by the colonial police on the high bridge leading to the Rose Hall Estate, because they protested and refused to work on days for which they were granted leave.
Harvesting ended on January 27, 1913 and the Administrative Manager told the immigrant workers that they were to clean their surroundings.
On January 28, the Manager reportedly changed his mind and ordered them to go to work because he had some planting to do. Some were inclined to while others were dissuaded from following the orders. Seven men were served summonses to attend court. The Manager asked that they pay for the cost of the summons. The workers agreed to pay it in installments, but the Manager rejected the suggestion. The problem escalated from this point.

And it so happened that 15 workers—14 men and one woman— were killed. The dead were Badri, 26; Bholay, 33; Durga, 72; Gafur, 27; Jugai, 30; Juggoo, 37; Hulas, 25; Lalji, 45; Motey Khan, 26; Nibur, 75; Roopan, 25; Sadulla, 23; Sarjoo, 21; Sohan, 33; and the lone female, Gobindei, 32.
Their bodies were transported in jute bags on donkey carts to the New Amsterdam Hospital. Forty-one workers were injured.
Among those paying tribute on the occasion of the 102nd anniversary of the dead were President Donald Ramotar; Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU)’s Seepaul Narine; the East Canje Humanitarian Society (ECHS), Regional Chairman, Mr. Permaul Armogan; Regional Executive Officer, Mr. Paul Ramrattan; Deputy Regional Executive Officer, Mr. Imran Ally; Former MP, Dr. Vishwa Mahadeo; Minister of Agriculture,

Dr. Leslie Ramsammy; Minister of Culture, Youth & Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony as well as only living descendant of one of the 15 killed, Mrs. Pamela Badley Sukdeo.
Mr. Armogan noted Guyana’s history in sugar is replete with many examples of brutality and murder. He recalled the words of renowned Caribbean historian, Dr. Eric Williams, former Trinidad Prime Minister which read, “It is rather paradoxical that a substance so sweet and necessary for human existence as sugar should have occasioned so much blood-shed and horror.”
He alluded to the instances when sugar planters, in an effort to extract maximum profits, “did not stop to exploit the workers to the fullest.” Those who decided to react, to protest and to stand up to the plantocracy “were murdered, brutalized or injured. Sometimes, they were sent to jail.”
Guyana Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU) General Secretary, Mr. Seepaul Narine’s remarks, reflected on the killing of the 15 sugar workers, which included a female, who was shot in the stomach.
“GAWU pays tribute to these men and women who…stood up against the injustices of the plantation system, which thrived on the exploitation of its workers.”
The history of the sugar industry, he said, is more than the production of sugar; rather it is a history of workers’ heroism. “As we turn back the pages of history, we see the exploitation of countries’ riches.
“This exploitation was the driving force that led to slavery and indentureship…for unspeakable crimes, even genocide.”
The fighting spirit showed by the Rose Hall Estate Martyrs, offers invaluable lessons that the workers of today can embody. “It is widely known that the sugar industry has fallen into difficult times; there are several reasons for this,” he said. Yet there is the recognition that the price paid for in workers’ lives and hardships, ensure the commitment to make contributions to turn around the industry to a more profitable state.
He said that GAWU believes that it is possible. “We believe management and the workers…can make a worthy and decisive contribution towards this end.”
The 15 killed, he added, have enriched history by their dignified council.
Minister Dr Frank Anthony noted how proud he was at the attendance of the event, a testimony to persons being interested in the history of the country.
“When we speak of the history of sugar, many of us would not have been here,” he asserted. He recalled the misconception by the planters of the plantation that workers appeared to have been very docile. He recalled other notable standoffs between workers and the planters, at Devonshire Castle, Skeldon, etc.
He urged the gathering to honour the memory of the ancestors, “because (of) what they stood for, we are here today.”
President Donald Ramotar waxed political. He criticized the Opposition for stalling developmental projects in the country over the past years. He mentioned the struggles of the industry and posited his expectations of a full recovery and desire to pump $20B into the industry should he be re- elected.
He continued to attack the Opposition for what he said was their wanting to close down the sugar industry. “They (the Combined Opposition) were voting together all the time in the Parliament, together—some people said they were having intercourse in the toilets.”
The programme was chaired by the National Trust’s Mrs. Nirvana Persaud. President Ramotar also honoured the oldest living pensioner employed currently at the Rose Hall Estate, 95-year-old, Bissoon. The officials then proceeded to the monument where each laid a wreath.

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