CHEDDI JAGAN: A FLAWED POLITICIAN

Dec 18, 2021 Letters

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Dear Editor,

Kaieteur News – During the last two weeks, the nation witnessed a proliferation of letters in Guyana’s two dailies analyzing, defending, and extolling the life of the late Dr. Cheddi Jagan. None other than ex-President Donald Ramotar has stepped into the fray and has attributed the slogan middle class to Dr. Ramharrack. Professor Ramharrack needs no assistance to defend himself but there is one phenomenon which is associated to the ex-President: Dr. Jagan. As President, Dr. Jagan did not offer any positions in the government to his two children, but Mr. Ramotar did at the Gold Board and with the fiber optic cable project. But the politics practiced by Dr. Jagan, must be carefully analysed to highlight some of his inconsistencies that reached the heights of perversion and hypocrisy.

Having been elected to Guyana’s Legislature in 1947, Jagan formed the PPP in 1950 and was subsequently elected as Premier of British Guiana. However, his belief in the Communist doctrine and his close ties to Moscow precipitated the suspension of the country’s Constitution in 1953. At the time, Dr, Jagan knew full well that his Marxist/Leninist dogma would not be tolerated by the British/American alliance. Yet he continued his hardline Marxist/Leninist ideology during the height of the Cold War. Dr. Jagan was told by President John Kennedy that the United States would not allow a second Cuba in its backyard. Therefore, the United States collaborated with the British to keep him out of power. They realised that Forbes Burnham was the lesser of two evils and supported him instead.

Several studies have shown that Dr. Jagan, who had the massive support of the majority of Indians in Guyana was not a smart politician. For example, at the Independence Conference in London in 1963, Dr. Jagan was advised by his Attorney General, Dr. Fenton Ramsahoye, not to accept the British proposal of a constitutional change from “First Past the Post” to a “Proportional Representation system.” unless it was accompanied by Independence. He ignored the advice of his learned Attorney General (AG), and signed the document that was handed to him by Mr. Duncan Sandys, unknowing to his AG. News quickly reached Guyana that Forbes Burnham and Duncan Sandys, along with Peter D’Augiar had out-smarted Jagan. Upon his return to Guyana, an embarrassed Dr. Jagan realising that he made a major mistake at the Conference that would keep him out of power, concocted a story that his hotel room was bugged, but it was an excuse to appease his supporters.

After the alleged rigged elections in 1968, Dr. Jagan had enough leverage to pressure Burnham to conduct fair and free elections because his supporters had incisive control of the entire agriculture sector, including the sugar and rice industries, dairy farming, private transportation, fishing, and lumber manufacturing. In other words, they had control of the economy. This was more than enough to break the hegemonic control of the Burnham regime; instead, Dr. Jagan continued to preach his Marxism/Leninist verbiage.

In August 1969, the world condemned Russia when it was discovered that it had invaded Czechoslovakia. Yet Dr. Jagan supported Russia. The invasion, later known as the Prague Spring, usurped the many freedoms that had existed in Czechoslovakia. Instead of criticizing the Russian invasion, Dr. Jagan ascribed it to a class struggle.

When Forbes Burnham nationalised the sugar and bauxite industries in the late 1970’s, Jagan was ecstatic. Not only did he give the Burnham government critical support, but he defined it as power of the proletariat—the panacea for development! He urged the further nationalisation of other industries which perpetuated a spectre of doom over the financial institutions. Being idolised by his supporters, who at the time were more than half of the country’s population, Dr. Jagan proclaimed: “We have forced the PNC to accept Socialism, so while they will be pulling the cart, the PPP will be holding the reins of power.”

As a learned and dedicated politician, Dr. Jagan made many blunders. It seems that he was more interested in the Marxist/Leninist ideology than in the development of Guyana. He was anostalgic, self-centered, narcissistic and a misty politician whose Communist philosophy contributed to Guyana’s slothful development. Even though most of his supporters were from the capitalist class, yet they hugged a man whose philosophy embraced state control of the economy. They did not realise that their sawmills, rice mills, manufacturing and fishing plants, stores etc., would have become state-owned enterprises. It is a profound paradox that most of Guyana’s population at the time had perpetually gravitated towards Dr. Jagan who juxtaposed the Marxism/Leninism philosophy with personal aggrandizement against capitalism. Had he been elected the Head of State in 1964 Guyana, it was likely that Dr, Jagan would have attempted to turn Guyana into another Cuba. But many had believed that the United States would not have allowed it.

Regards
Leyland ChitlallRoopnarine
(New York)

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