Freedom fighters should be recognised by the PPP/C and the Government
July 6, 2015 By
Dear Editor,
I write to acknowledge and thank journalist and rights activist Dr Vishnu Bisram for recommending that myself, Pandit Rampersaud Tiwari, Pandit Birbal Singh, former Attorney General Sir Fenton Ramsahoye, and former Home Affairs Minister Balram Singh Rai be recognised with national honours for our contribution to the independence movement of Guyana (published in Guyana Times, June 15). We are deeply humbled by this recommendation.
Dr Bisram also recommended national honours for several other distinguished personalities living abroad (Arjune Karshan, Chuck Mohan, Vassan Ramracha, Dr Baytoram Ramharack) who consistently laboured for the freedom of Guyana from the clutches of the PNC dictatorship. Dr Bisram himself is deserving of national honours given his life-long history of struggle for Guyana while in the country and abroad. Few contributed as much as Dr Bisram in the Guyanese Diaspora for the struggle for the restoration of democracy during the dictatorship. He is well-known for his exceptional service, volunteerism, advocacy, and activism in community affairs long after the others have abandoned community development. And his journalistic contributions to Guyana are unmatched by anyone in the Diaspora.
I remember the work and the struggles of Pandits Tiwari and Birbal Singh as well as Balram Singh Rai and Dr Fenton and the humiliation they suffered at the hands of the British. I worked with them. I was a PPP activist for national independence. It is well-known that I was imprisoned at Sibley Hall due to my political activism. I was physically abused and as a vegetarian almost starved as consideration was not given to my religious diet. Let me point out that Moses Nagamootoo was trained as a youth activist under my tutelage and he knows of the roles these individuals played.
These gentlemen were committed to the struggle for restoration of democracy in Guyana during the dictatorship and were regular visitors at my Arya Samaj Mandir near Hillside Avenue and 145 Street in Jamaica and at other religious affairs as well as at public events educating the public about abuses in Guyana and soliciting support for their struggle to liberate Guyana from the throes of dictatorship. Ramharack, Ramracha and Bisram penned countless articles exposing the oppression of the Guyanese nation. They internationalised the struggle for free and fair elections the way few did. They even advocated abroad for the oppressed in Guyana.
They were among a handful of political activists who took time off their jobs and abandoned their families to carry out countless protests including in front of the UN and at different places in America against the illegal Government of Guyana. They contributed personal funds to the struggle for the restoration of democracy in Guyana. In addition, they strongly influenced the US State Department to force Desmond Hoyte to hold free and fair elections in October 1992 resulting in the PPP returning to office after 28 years. Because of the struggle of these honourable figures, Guyana became free and the people gained economically, socially and politically. Presently, some of these same political activists are in forefront to save and ensure democracy in Guyana following the May 11 elections amid allegations of rigging. It is an injustice that these prominent and distinguished Guyanese were never recognised for their work. The PPP owes them an apology and the new government should correct this injustice by honouring these heroes.
All of the nominees and more, such as Melvin Carpen, Ravi Dev and Joe Kanhai, among others, are worthy of national recognition devoting countless hours in grassroots activism for free and fair elections. It should also be noted that Vishnu Bandhu participated in the anti-dictatorial struggle for several years in NY before re-migrating to Guyana to launch a political party, and he is also worthy of honours. I would also like to add Moses Bhagwan to that list of deserving nominees and a few others who are still alive who fought the colonial power for our independence. The contributions of all the activists to Guyana are immeasurable in supporting free and fair elections, transforming the lives of the nation. Those who struggled for Guyana should be recognised for the important roles they played in our freedom and the restoration of democracy as we can never thank them enough for their service to the nation.
Yours truly,
Pandit Ramlall
