The country is currently experiencing monumental transformation

May 26, 2022 Letters

Dear Editor,

As Guyanese observe yet another Independence anniversary, it is perhaps necessary to look back at some of the highlights of that moment 56 years ago when the Union Jack was replaced by the Golden Arrowhead on May 26, 1966.
Many Guyanese living today were not around during that eventful moment when Guyanese became, as it were, ‘masters’ of their own destiny. What most Guyanese may not be aware of, however, are the intrigues and political machinations that took place prior to, and during the course of the conferral of independence status to the then colony of British Guiana.
Guyana was promised independence by Britain much earlier but political and ideological considerations stood in the way. The records will show that the colony was promised independence since the early 1960’s but the British Government, under pressure from the United States, reneged on that promise. As pointed out by Arthur Schlesinger (Jnr.) then Advisor to US President Kennedy, the US administration was under the impression that ‘an independent British Guiana under Cheddi Jagan would pose fewer problems to the United States than an independent Guiana under Forbes Burnham.
To say that Kennedy erred in his assessment of the situation in Guyana would be an understatement. This acknowledgement was made by Schlesinger himself when he later apologised to Dr. Jagan for an injustice done to him. It is a fact that the very opposite took place in Guyana after Burnham was catapulted to office in 1964 following the introduction of Proportional Representation (PR) which replaced the First-Past-the Post electoral model which, it must be said was common to the entire British Commonwealth. The move to amend the electoral formula was described by former British Prime Minister Harold Wilson as a ‘fiddled constitutional arrangement designed to remove Dr. Jagan from power, a move unknown in the history of Commonwealth politics.’
What followed during the post-independence period was a history of rigged elections which lasted for nearly three decades until the United States, through the Carter Centre, intervened which allowed for some sweeping electoral reforms, including a more balanced Elections Commission, a new voters list and the counting of votes at the place of poll. This latter demand by the political opposition was vehemently resisted by then President Hoyte who described it as a ‘logistical’ nightmare. After much ‘arm twisting’ on the part of President Carter and the International donor community, Hoyte finally conceded and Guyana recorded its first free and fair elections in nearly three decades.
The above, notwithstanding, Guyana has come a long way since independence and despite the ‘lost years’ under PNC dictatorial and incompetent rule, it is my belief that our moment has now arrived as the country is currently experiencing monumental transformation never before experienced in our history. As we celebrate 56 years of political independence, let us spare a thought to our independence heroes, in particular former President Dr. Cheddi Jagan who is widely regarded as the architect of our independence struggle.

Hydar Ally

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