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NY Guyanese Mourn Passing of U.S. Congressman
Dear Editor,
Former Congressman Elliot Engel, who worked closely with a few of us when we were deeply involved in the struggle for the restoration of democracy in Guyana, died a few days ago. He was a consistent friend of Guyana and Guyanese New Yorkers and the Caribbean. He was a tireless advocate for democracy in other countries and immigrants in USA. He played a very important role in Guyana’s affairs going back to the late 1980s. We mourned his passing, remembering his role in helping to restore democratic governance in Guyana and in championing causes of the greater Caribbean and its diaspora (immigrants) in America.
Engel was elected from Westchester and the Bronx where large numbers of Guyanese have been settled going back to the 1970s; this writer also lived in the Bronx for over six years while studying Bio-Chemistry at the nearby (CUNY) CCNY campus which produced the likes of Henry Kissinger and several Nobel laureates in the sciences.
Engel also studied at CUNY, and like me, taught for several years. He entered politics. He served in NYS legislature before being elected to Congress where he served for 32 years. Community advocate Mike Persaud and I lobbied Engel around 1989 to assist in the struggle for restoration of democracy. There was a Guyanese program on one Saturday in the Spring of 1990 at a cinematic hall (owned by realtor Herman Singh and insurance broker Ram Jodha) on Jamaica Ave in Queens Village and both gave permission to me to invite Engel as a guest speaker. Mike Persaud, who was living in Bronx at the time, visited Engel’s office multiple times seeking assistance for our struggle. Engel accepted Mike’s invitation to attend the Queens event and he addressed the gathering.
The Congressman spoke passionately about the importance of democratic governance and criticized history of election rigging in Guyana. I interviewed him for an article in the local community newspaper. As a leading Member of Congress in Foreign Affairs, he committed to tying future aid to Guyana with the holding of democratic elections. And he subsequently issued a statement calling for FFE in Guyana, joining Congressman Stephen Solarz and Senator Ted Kennedy both of whom had also issued statements on Guyana at the urging of Mike and I. Mike and I met Solarz at his office in Williamsburg in Brooklyn, pleading on him to issue a statement. We also penned letters to other Members of Congress who also issued statements on Guyana. Mike and others drove to Washington and met Members of Congress as well Assist Secretary for Latin America & Caribbean Affairs Sally Cowal who called for FFE in Guyana.
Engel was not motivated by ethnicity or District (local) politics, but by righteousness. At times when other politicians were quiet about lack of democracy and human rights violations, he chose to act. He and his staff were available to discuss what mattered to Guyanese in NYC. He set a standard in politics worthy of emulation. He did champion a law calling for closer relations (economic engagement and security arrangements) with Guyana and the Caribbean. Our regret was our inability to consistently raise funds for his re-election; other left wing Guyanese groups were not supportive viewing America government as imperialistic even when Washington sided with us on democracy in Guyana. Mike and I and others remember Engel for addressing issues (justice, equality, democracy, etc.) that concerned NY Guyanese and Guyana.
Yours truly,
Vishnu Bisram
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