Desecration, Disrespectful, and Disgraceful

Mar 25, 2025 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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Peeping Tom…

Kaieteur News- The solemnity of Babu Jaan, a site meant to commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. Cheddi Jagan, was desecrated last Sunday by an event that bore little resemblance to the ideals of the man it purported to honour. The annual pilgrimage to Jagan’s final resting place has long since ceased to be a moment of reflection. It has instead devolved into a spectacle of partisanship, vanity, and political theatrics. What should have been a commemoration was transformed into an extravagant exercise, one that would have been repugnant to the man in whose name it was held.

Dr. Cheddi Jagan, for all his political militancy, was not a man given to the kind of vitriolic attacks that have become synonymous with the People’s Progressive Party’s modern-day political rhetoric. He was known for engaging in rigorous political and ideological debates, preferring to take an analytical approach to national issues rather than engaging in attacks against his rivals. And yet, what we witnessed at Babu John was a continuation of the crude political posturing that has become the hallmark of the PPP’s weekly press conferences hosted by its General Secretary.

While the General Secretary exercised more restraint in his public invective this time around, his tenor still betrayed a combative disposition that was at odds with the more analytical approach of Jagan. The fundamental difference between the two men is clear: where Jagan sought to persuade through argument, the present leadership seeks to dominate through bluster.

The second form of desecration and one of the most unsettling moments of the rally was the tribute paid by a particular organization, which, instead of honoring Cheddi Jagan in a neutral and dignified manner, used the occasion to heap partisan praise on both the late leader and the ruling PPP. This blatant alignment with the party, was a troubling display of political fawning.

Jagan’s politics were never about grand spectacles or indulgent public displays; he was a man of the people, and his gatherings were built on the sweat and dedication of those who truly believed in his cause. To see his name invoked by such an extravagant rally was not a tribute—it was a betrayal.

Adding to the dishonour of the occasion was the breach of protocol by the President himself. No sitting head of state should allow himself to be relegated to a supporting role behind a party functionary. That President Irfaan Ali allowed himself to be slotted as the penultimate speaker—giving way to the party’s General Secretary, who also serves as Vice President—only lends credence to the growing perception about true power residing elsewhere. The optics of this moment were disastrous. It suggested that the party hierarchy holds more sway than the office of the President itself.

The event was further marred by the sight of senior government officials, bedecked in party colours, attending what was an overtly partisan political gathering. Regardless of whether they are political appointees, senior public officials should not be seen at events that blur the lines between state and party. Their attendance compromises the neutrality and integrity of their positions, making a mockery of the very bureaucracy they are meant to serve.

The precedent for such behaviour is not new—during the days of the PNC government, Cheddi Jagan himself vociferously condemned the practice of state officials appearing at party congresses and meetings of the PNC General Council. That the PPP now engages in the very behaviour Jagan abhorred is the height of hypocrisy.

Perhaps the most disgraceful aspect of the event was the presence of school children, in their uniforms, at a partisan political rally. The use of children as political props is unconscionable. It was a stark reminder of the growing politicization of education in Guyana, a trend that should alarm every right-thinking citizen.

This is not an isolated incident; it comes on the heels of party propaganda being inserted into a Grade 3 school textbook, another troubling indication that political indoctrination is creeping into our educational institutions. The deliberate exposure of children to partisan politics is an act of moral corruption, and it is one that Cheddi Jagan, were he alive, would have categorically condemned.

If the purpose of last Sunday’s event was to honour Cheddi Jagan, then it failed spectacularly. The man who stood for analytical discourse was instead posthumously used as a sequel of the new General Secretary’s press conference. The man who rejected bourgeois excess was commemorated with an extravagant spectacle. The man who believed in the independence of government institutions had his memory tarnished by the blatant politicization of public officials. And most egregiously, the man who fought for the betterment of young people saw his legacy trampled upon with the disgraceful use of school children for partisan ends.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)   

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