Dr Jagan, Basdeo Panday & Race Politics 

Feb 19, 2024 Letters

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Dear Editor,

A recent letter asserted that Dr Jagan’s politics transcended race, he didn’t appeal to Indians, and that he tried to bring the two major races together. Evidence suggested otherwise.

It is not a political crime for politicians to appeal to race or ethnicity in a ‘bifurcated’ or racially divided society. In fact, a politician could well be considered a traitor to his or her ethnicity or race or if he or she does not champion the interests of his or her ethnic or racial group or appeal for racial (ethnic) solidarity. Racial appeals bring votes needed to win seats and by extension government. Those not supportive of the race are considered as outcasts and ostracized. Anecdotal evidence in Trinidad suggested that Dr Jagan made remarks about and or was tied to racial solidarity not different from other politicians on that island or in his home country. All politicians and community leaders — Indians, Africans, Mixed, Europeans, Creoles, French Creoles, among others, in both countries tend to pursue racial solidarity to capture the government.

In a racially polarized society such as Guyana or Trinidad, in which political parties are ethnic base, race politics is inevitable. People are identified with a race based party. No political party, without an ethnic base, has been known to be victorious at an election. Non-ethnic, including minor ethnic parties are crushed. People vote ‘race’, that is, for a political party they feel represents their ethnic group’s interests. And all politicians have been known to appeal to race for political support.

The subjects of both colonies of the common imperial power Britain were divided by ethnicity — divide and rule. The racial or ethnic division was deep rooted and not surprisingly has persisted post independence. Appeal to vote race in both colonies started during the period of the introduction of self rule in the 1950s and has continued till this day, over half a century after independence. Eric Williams, Forbes Burnham, Patrick Manning, and other African politicians appealed on race for support. Ditto Indian politicians.

Over the last few decades, I went to Trinidad almost annually for the Diwali season and met Indian Trinis who related accounts of their encounters with Cheddi and or Panday. After he was toppled from office in December 1964, Jagan made regular visits to Trinidad annually addressing gatherings in the North and Central. Many of the meetings were in Tunapuna and St Augustine. Lutch was the main organizer of Cheddi’s meetings. The crowds were more than 99% Indian and hardly any communists. Lutch and Cheddi appealed for donations. One hundred percent of the funds or donations Cheddi received were from Indians.

Cheddi also met with Hindu groups including the Maha Sabha and its Secretary General Sat Maharaj. Cheddi met Sat multiple times. Mr Maharaj related to me that he and other pandits appealed to Cheddi to ditch communism, a move they felt would endear him to America leading to free and fair elections. Cheddi rebuffed them, holding on to his communist ideology. Maharaj increasingly became close with Desmond Hoyte to win his confidence so as to convince him to return Guyana to democratic rule. Hoyte was invited to the wedding of Maharaj’s daughter, evoking anger in the Indian communities in Guyana, Trinidad, and the Indo Caribbean diaspora. At the ceremony in St Augustine, Hoyte was feted with all the food items (dhal puri, channa, potatoes, dhal, kharhi, bara, sahena, kachori, onion, garlic, canned milk, among others) that were banned by the Burnham dictatorship. It was hoped that the delicious Indian foods Hoyte consumed would help to soften him to end the ban on foods that constituted the Indian diet. Maharaj appealed to Hoyte to end the ban on basic foods and Hindu religious paraphernalia, pointing out that such a move would endear him with Indians. Hoyte agreed to re-examine the food ban but told Maharaj that the country lacked foreign exchange to purchase them. Maharaj assured him that the private sector would use their own foreign currency and that visits would bring the banned foods. On his return to Guyana, Hoyte removed the ban on all imports and nullified laws imprisoning and fining those caught with banned goods. Later, he would allow organizations and parties to hold public meetings.

Last November I was invited as a special guest at a Diwali celebration hosted by Member of Parliament Dinesh Rambally in Chaguanas. At chai percha (drinking Indian chai or tea and feting know delicacies) with several Pandits and the Dharmacharya (head of all Pandits), discussion gravitated towards life in Guyana during the period of Burnham and Hoyte presidencies and their ill-treatment of Cheddi. The Pandits narrated an account of an encounter with Cheddi, Basdeo Panday and several Pandits at a meeting in St Augustine. They said Cheddi urged the (pandits) to support Panday. And he implored Panday to never betray his Indian supporters. While they supported Panday, they noted that Panday did not take Cheddi’s advice. Panday turned his back on his base and lost power in 2001, never to return. Later, Kamla would also neglect her base and lose power in 2015 never to return.

One pandit related how on several occasions at official government functions in Guyana where Trinidad Pandits were guests of the Guyana Maha Sabha, Cheddi was disrespected. At one particular program held at the cultural center under the Hoyte Presidency, seating arrangements were not made for Janet and Cheddi on the podium. Janet was given a seat a few rows from the front and Cheddi in the back of the auditorium. Their presence was never acknowledged. The Leader of the Opposition was seated at the back and not accorded a proper welcome, unheard of in any country. On the podium were two Indians supportive of the government and a dozen Africans with no opposition PPP presence.

On another race oriented appeals, when Dr Jagan came to New York in 1988 and 1989 for Indian conferences that I helped to organize, in his remarks at both, he appealed for racial support. He referred to the Burnham/Hoyte regime as ‘apartheid’, and pleaded with Dr Thomas Abraham, leader of GOPIO, for sanctions on Hoyte regime to force free and fair elections. “Guyana is an apartheid regime. You all need to do something about it”, he pleaded to Dr Abraham.

Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram

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