Feroze’s contributions to country forever appreciated

May 09, 2020 Letters

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DEAR EDITOR,

I join others in paying tribute to Feroze Mohammed, a stalwart in the struggle against colonialism (1960s) and against the dictatorship (1966 to 1992). He was hard working as a PPP activist and as Minister of government. Perhaps Ministry of Home Affairs was not ideal for him. His appointment attracted a lot of discussion with critics saying although he had a lot of power, he lacked the skills to effectuate it. Truthfully, he lacked the required resources to do better; Jagan was stingy on funds for security preferring to focus on human development. But Feroze tried his best with limited resources a most difficult ministry which was replete with corruption. He did try to clean it up and to de-institutionalize thuggery end brutality against citizens. He had to transform personnel, re-training them to become professional, to obey laws, and follow democratic concepts. After his term ended in December 1997, he had enough and did not wish to serve in government again.
Feroze brought infectious energy to his work. He was very modest, extremely honest, and caring putting other people before self. He was never arrogant, treating people right. And he was fair not judging people by party affiliation. He was a man of principles, uncompromising on opposing racism and championing issues pertaining to the working class. He was a socialist to the point of perfection in the mould of Jagan and Janet determined to make Guyana a better place and championing the fight against poverty. But like Jagan, he apparently did not quite understand the implication of socialism in Guyana’s geo-politics and or the concept of realpolitik vis-à-vis the West. I will share two anecdotes below.
I did not know Feroze as well as his other PPP comrades. But I interacted with him during the struggle against the dictatorship and for several years after the restoration of democracy. He was very modest and good-natured. Unlike most other Ministers of government, he was a man of integrity, decency, and honesty. No rumour of corruption was ever uttered against his good name. He would do anything to fulfill requests of others except breaking laws. Unlike several other officials, he did not seek or accept bribes to approve gun licenses. I heard countless stories of people who revealed to me who they paid bribes to get approval for gun licenses pre and post-Feroze.
During the 1980s thru 1990s, whenever I had teaching holidays in New York, I would journey to Guyana to join the freedom struggle or engage in academic research, visiting Freedom House or Michael Forde bookshop to acquire materials. I used to notice Feroze (as well as other PPP stalwarts) but did not interact with him. However, for the 1992, 1997, and 2001 elections, I engaged him quite a lot for research materials and that exercise continued thereafter but with less frequency. I believed he ran or played leading roles in those campaigns. He was very helpful directing me to Thunder, Mirror, various PPP publications, and the works of Jagan and Janet. Feroze himself wrote a few articles in PPP organs. I was on the picket line with him a few times and experienced first hand harassment and intimidation. And I faintly recall his coming to Port Mourant to offer support for the 1977 teachers and students strike of which I was a student leader.
On his commitment to socialism, I remember an interaction I had with Feroze (December 1991 or early 1992). I had returned from a 1991 summer travel tour for research purposes of the former Soviet Union (Republics) and several east bloc countries, and interacted with Feroze about difficult living conditions in those countries. I met many foreign students in Moscow and near Lumumba University. It was hard to get basic foods, including in the rural areas, akin to the experience in Guyana during the 1980s. Feroze was very defensive about the Soviet Union blaming some of its problems on the West. In another anecdotal encounter in 1996, I was more interested in engaging him about the PPP administration and the coming elections in Guyana. He spent an inordinate amount of time discussing the elections in Russia on how the communist candidate Gennady Zyuganov was cheated barely losing to Boris Yeltsin. Indeed the international press said there was fraud. Other left wing candidates, including the ultra-nationalist Vladimir Zhirnovsky, got some 32% of the votes. As Feroze pointed out, if the votes had not split, Zyuganov would have won. What bothered me was his obsession with communists and his focus on Russia. Of course as he noted, communists or socialists, including those in Guyana, were not a threat to the West or the business community and were only motivated by their commitment to fight for a better life for the working class. As those of us who study at universities in America can attest, Washington (or even London) fear socialists and don’t distinguish between good or bad intentioned ones.
On his commitment to socialist ideals, I remember arriving at parliament building to hear his eulogy on Jagan laced with quotes from Marx and Lenin and even likening him with them. Those of us did graduate studies in political science and or history was required to study Marx, Lenin, and other outstanding communists in depth. It seemed that Feroze studied Marx and Lenin well although he never discussed Marxism/Leninism with me. Apparently, he did not recognize that socialism was the root cause of Guyana’s political and socio-economic problem. I later found out how the Cheddi Jagan tribute was put together including inputs from an excommunicated member. Feroze was also at the Jagan cremation at Babu Jaan cheering his then close colleague Ralph Ramkarran who gave a magnificent stirring final farewell to Jagan.
Not many are aware that Feroze, like several of his comrades in opposition to the PNC, suffered scarring physical abuse at the hands of the Burnham and Hoyte dictatorships. Feroze was held in high esteem among colleagues including by those who left (like Moses, Khemraj, Joey, Ralph, among others) the PPP. Those he helped trained and with whom he worked spoke fondly of him while he was ailing. He was a very good parliamentarian. It was noted that he inspired the youths to serve the party with dedication. At one time, he held leadership position in the PPP’s youth organization. His death comes a month after that of his bosom friend Komal Chand who also served the party well.
Feroze’s contributions to the country are enormous and will forever be appreciated.

Yours truly,
Dr. Vishnu Bisram

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