Here are my thoughts and recollections of Cheddi Jagan.
I grew up in a very PPP supportive home where Jagan was king. Jagan was in the opposition from the time I was born so I don't know his previous history as premier other than what I heard and read. I always viewed Jagan as an honest person and I always supported his candidacy in all elections I voted in Guyana. I viewed him as a socialist who had Guyana's interest at heart. I think even though he could have been a Marxist at heart he was a socialist in practice. For example, he never called for seizure of property from the wealthy as Fidel Castro had done.
I think back in those days the vast majority of Guyanese were socialists. The multi nationals were seen as robbers and most people favored nationalism of major industries.
Cheddi always wanted to be the leader of Guyana. He also always wanted unity among the races. However, he understood the Indian numerical advantage and his ability to corner that voting block and used it to his advantage.
During the days of rigged elections he always wanted a peaceful struggle as opposed to military struggle to gain power. He did try to bring the Burnham government down through industrial unrest including favoring the burning of sugar cane fields.
During the WPA struggle he gave Walter Rodney distant support.. Even during the struggle he told supporters at a Kitty meeting that he would win a free and fair election.
Cheddi might have been a strong leader of the PPP, but he was a terrible leader of the country post 1992. He surrounded himself with square pegs in round holes and failed to institute changes to the Constitution. These were the two main concerns he had with the Burnham government and he failed in both.
I think Cheddi as a person had great vision for Guyana. He was not prepared to see Guyana raped by the multi-nationals. His economic policies while not very much different from Hoyte resulted in continued growth for Guyana during his Presidency. Unfortunately, he did not prepare his party to take over after him.
I have heard people claim that Cheddi deliberately undermined the Indians working class to keep them "stupid" so that he could control them. The cane cutters were used as an example. I have never seen this and I do not believe it.
His view of western politics could have been his downfall but why did the west accept him in 1992? Was it just because the cold war ended? Or was it because he became less radical?