If some of you ungrateful bastards hate this man, it was him who brought freedom in your life since 1992.

WATCHING THE FINAL ROUND by Odeen Ishmael (First published on March 22, 1997)

http://www.guyana.org/GuyNews/final_round.html

On December 10 last year Comrade Cheddi and I had returned to Miami from Bolivia   where we attended the hemispheric Summit on Sustainable Development. He was   billed to address the Miami Conference on the Caribbean and he took the opportunity   to speak to a gathering of Guyanese there two evenings after he arrived. I was   given the pleasurable task of introducing him to his audience and I did so by   referring to him as "His Excellency President Cheddi Jagan". In taking the microphone   he admonished me for referring to him as "His Excellency" and told me in the   hearing of the audience, "All through the years you and everyone else know me   as Comrade Cheddi. I don't like this "His Excellency" thing. I prefer to be   called Comrade Cheddi." 

I was in Guyana when Comrade Cheddi suffered the heart attack. I had returned   home to represent Guyana at the Sixth Meeting of the FTAA Working Group on the   Smaller Economies where we presented the paper on the Regional Integration Fund   (RIF), an initiative of Comrade Cheddi which had already won endorsement from   the countries of CARICOM and Central America. Comrade Cheddi delivered the feature   address to open the meeting on Thursday, February 13. It was his last public   engagement, and I had the distinct privilege of introducing him to his final   international audience. Just before he left the meeting, he told me to meet   him on Monday morning at his office to discuss "a few things" before my return   to Washington. 

I had telephoned Comrade Janet two days before at her office at the Mirror.   She did not know then that I was in Guyana, and when I explained that I had   come in for the FTAA meeting, she sounded very excited and said that she would   see me on Saturday morning at Freedom House where "all the comrades" would be. 

I arrived at Freedom House at nine o'clock on the morning of Saturday, February   15, and was greeted with the news that Comrade Cheddi had suffered a heart attack   during the night. No one knew how serious it was, but he was being examined   at the Georgetown Hospital. However, the US Government would be sending a Medivac   plane to fly him to the USA for further tests and treatment. 

I immediately contacted my residence in Washington and asked my wife to alert   the Embassy personnel in order that the necessary logistics for the Comrade   Cheddi's arrival be put in motion. 

Later that afternoon, Comrade Cheddi was flown out first to Panama where he   would stop over and would proceed on Sunday to the Walter Reed Army Medical   Center in Washington, D.C. 

He arrived at Andrews Air Force Base and was whisked away by helicopter to   the hospital. The Air Force Base is located just on the south eastern outer   edge of the Washington Metropolitan Area and is just about 15 miles by road   from the Walter Reed Army Medical Center which is within the Washington, D.C.   city limits on Georgia Avenue. 

On the morning of February 17 (Monday), Minister of Information Moses Nagamootoo   announced that during the previous evening Comrade Cheddi had an angioplasty   to clear a blocked artery. I decided that I was no longer going to follow my   original travel itinerary, and that afternoon I managed to get a seat on a BWIA   flight to New York. The flight departed at half past four, but due to a long   delay during a stop over in Port of Spain and later in Antigua, it did not arrive   in New York until half past three on Tuesday morning. There was no flight to   Washington at that time so I sat at the airport until six o'clock in the company   of Brentnol Evans, our Consul General in New York who had come there since eleven   o'clock the previous evening to meet me. I did, however, get the first Trans   World Express flight at seven o'clock and 90 minutes later I was home. 

At ten o'clock my wife Evangeline and I walked into the hospital. The Embassy   had alerted the hospital officials there that we were on our way and, immediately   on arrival, we were sent to the Coronary Ward (Ward 40) where Comrade Cheddi   was hospitalised. The US Secret Service detail greeted us and told us that Comrade   Cheddi was under intensive care. This was verified by Cheddi Jagan (Jnr.) and   his wife Nadia who were also there. Unfortunately, visitors were limited to   immediate family members at that time and so I could not get to see him. 

What I did learn was that Comrade Janet and her children, Nadira and Cheddi   and daughter-in-law Nadia were taking turns to sit outside the room. At that   time, both Comrade Janet and Nadira were resting in the Eisenhower suite on   the seventh floor. 

Nadira had flown in from Canada on Saturday, March 15, and she stayed with   my family until the following day when her father arrived at the hospital. 

I was informed then that Comrade Cheddi's heart function was being assisted   by a cardiac pump and that a respirator was helping him to breathe, but because   he had a tube down his throat he could not speak. But he was fully conscious   and aware of his condition and from time to time he would use a felt pen to   write short notes on sheets of printing paper. The doctors attending him said   that his condition was serious but this was not unusual considering he had an   angioplasty just two evenings before. 

I returned to the hospital every day. The general practice was for me to visit   Comrade Janet in the Eisenhower suite on the top floor from about nine o'clock   in the morning. She would be just off from her shift of keeping watch outside   Comrade Cheddi's room and she would brief me on his medical condition. She told   me that from time to time she made contact with Dr. Roger Luncheon, Head of   the Presidential Secretariat, to also brief him on the situation. However, within   a few days I began handling the medical bulletins which were based on my conversations   with the doctors and with Comrade Janet. At no time was anything hidden away   when the reports were prepared. We could not speculate; we had to give what   the doctors were telling us. 

From time to time I went to Ward 40 to meet with Comrade Janet. We met in a   nearby lounge which had comfortable sofas. Usually, relatives of other patients   in the ward would be seen sleeping there. On one occasion when I went to Ward   40 to see her, after I could not find her in the suite, I found her taking a   nap there while Nadira was keeping the watch outside of Comrade Cheddi's room. 

Comrade Janet and I talked about many matters -- the programme of the PPP/Civic   administration, the history of the PPP, the ideas of Comrade Cheddi, her own   childhood days, Comrade Cheddi's hobbies. But we also discussed with optimism   Comrade Cheddi's eventual recovery from this medical setback he was experiencing.   We talked about the notes that he was writing -- notes which indicated the alertness   of the mind of this great man. (Later when he was placed on heavier sedation,   he could no longer write). 

I did see some of the short notes he wrote. I guess these, which are in Comrade   Janet's possession, will be lasting mementos for her and her family, but at   the same time they give testimony to the fact that while he was suffering seriously,   he had his mind firmly set on the welfare of his country and also of the world   at large. One of these notes was a little joke he usually shared with Comrade   Janet, while in another he wrote that he would like to talk with the Canadian   Prime Minister whom he referred to as "my good friend Jean Chretien". He wrote   also that his throat was itching, no doubt caused by the respirator tube. 

While all this was happening, the Embassy and my residence were bombarded with   telephone calls from Guyanese from all parts of the world, including Guyana   itself, to get updates on the condition of the President. At first, we began   making a list of those who called, but after a few days had passed we found   this was impossible to maintain, since they were so numerous. But we did manage   very early to set up our information network, and through the   Guyana News and Information Page on the Internet, my son Safraz updated   the world with the latest information of Comrade Cheddi's medical situation.   At my residence, my wife Evangeline and daughter Nadeeza fielded phone calls   throughout the day and late into the night from Guyanese nationals in the USA   and Canada. On a daily basis I was also interviewed by the press and radio,   including the BBC, which also wanted to keep the world informed. 

The offices of the President of Suriname, Prime Minister Patterson of Jamaica   and Prime Minister Chretien of Canada and Prime Minister Ramgoolam of Mauritius   called every day. A number of Ambassadors also called for regular updates for   their governments, and various US State Department officials, who I met almost   every day during the period of Comrade Cheddi's illness, expressed their concerns   and hoped for his improvement. 

The Prime Minister of Canada was very touched by Comrade Cheddi's reference   to him in his short note. I had mentioned the reference to his personal assistant   who had called the hospital while I was there, and also to Canadian Embassy   personnel who telephoned me for updates. Prime Minister Chetrien did eventually   speak with Comrade Janet and he wanted to fly specially to Washington to speak   with Comrade Cheddi. However, she told him that he was not able to speak because   he was on the respirator, but hopefully this would be possible at a later time. 

I finally got the opportunity to see Comrade Cheddi on February 24. So far,   only his immediate family members were allowed by the doctors to visit him.   I arrived at the hospital at half past nine that morning and went to Ward 40   and found Comrade Janet sitting outside the room. At that time the doctors were   attending to him and when they left, Comrade Janet said that I should have a   look at him. Both of us went into the room and I saw him for the first time.   He was hooked up to a number of equipment and the respirator, with a tube down   his throat, prevented him from speaking. Comrade Janet told him, "This is Odeen.   Do you recognise him?" He looked at me and nodded in the affirmative. She asked   him if he was feeling hot, and he shook his head to say he was not. I leaned   over and felt his head and his temperature seemed normal. His arms and face   looked a bit puffed; Comrade Janet said that the doctors told her that it was   because of the amount of liquids he was absorbing. 

Comrade Janet spoke with him and mentioned the numerous messages of support   that were being received. I also told him of the messages from all over the   world that we have been getting at the Embassy and that I would have to send   "thank you" notes to all of these persons on his behalf. "Do you think I should   begin to do that now?" I asked. He nodded in the affirmative. His eyes were   bright and there was an eagerness in them as if he was telling us that he wanted   to get out from that bed and out of the hospital. 

The attending physician, Dr. Jennifer Callagan, came in and did some tests   on his heart pressure while we were there. She said that the procedure entailed   the pumping of a small amount of liquid into his heart and then the heart response   was measured to give the indication of muscle repairs. She told us that with   every passing day his chances were improving and that later in the day they   would most likely remove the cardiac balloon pump. Over the past few days, the   size of the balloon was reduced, she said. Of course, the removal would be a   critical moment, since it would determine if they had to put it on again. 

Later that afternoon it was removed and was never put back since the heart   was able to function without any assistance. However, the respirator was kept   on to assist in breathing. There was only one time that the respirator was removed   and this was just for a period of 45 minutes on the evening of February 26. 

In the course of Comrade Cheddi's hospitalisation, I did get to meet with many   members of the medical team assigned to him. The Cardiology department had a   team of 23 specialists headed by Dr. Marina Vernalis. They were also assisted   by a number of consultants from various other hospitals which included the Johns   Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore. In addition there was a team of nurses   and medical technicians who were monitoring his condition round the clock. Dr.   Callagan and Dr. Vernalis seemed to be there all the time. I afterwards learned   that they shared a room next to Comrade Cheddi's room so that at least one of   them could check on him constantly. 

I have no doubt that Comrade Cheddi could not have received better medical   care and attention anywhere else. 

There were visible peaks when we thought that Comrade Cheddi would pull through.   On the afternoon of Friday, February 21 he had contracted a fever which rang   our alarm bells, but by late evening, he had overcome that problem. That weekend   his condition improved so much that he was allowed to see his grandchildren.   Nadira had told me a few days before that her husband and children would be   flying in from Toronto for the weekend but would be travelling back on Sunday   evening (February 23). This they did, but unfortunately their presence in Washington   was construed by a section of the Guyanese press to mean that Comrade Cheddi   was on his last gasp. 

At the same period there were also some rumours circulating that the army was   already planning for the state funeral. The irony of it all was that at that   very time, I had begun to put contingencies in operation for Comrade Cheddi   to recuperate in Florida before returning to Guyana. However, I do not think   this was the kind of news that rumour mongers would have liked to spread. 

It was at this time Cheddi (Jnr.) returned to Guyana. (He came back to Washington   on the evening of March 5). 

In all of this Comrade Janet stood out as a beacon of dignity, grace and courage.   She never wilted under the stress that the situation presented, and she was   the one who continuously inspired us with hope that despite the odds Comrade   Cheddi would win this battle. She also showed a great concern for the members   of her immediate family by urging them to "get some sleep" while she herself   would sit for long hours to keep watch over her husband. Her children, Cheddi   and Nadira, daughter-in-law Nadia and son-in-law Mark gave solid support to   her. She never broke down under the pressure. The five grandchildren played   their part, too, by preparing colourful posters which were then pinned up in   Comrade Cheddi's room. 

We began to face the inevitable after Monday, March 3 when his lung complications,   which had arisen earlier, grew worse. On Tuesday the doctors told me that his   situation was very critical and there was little that they could do for him.   By this time he was under heavy sedation and was asleep all the time. I returned   to the hospital that evening and Dr. Vernalis told me that he was hanging on   stubbornly and that the doctors were amazed at his resilience and his determination   to survive. "President Jagan is defying the laws of medical science," she told   me. Significantly, the doctors and other medical staff in Ward 40 never at any   time abandoned their charge, regardless of the negative signs, and stayed with   Comrade Cheddi to the end. 

Despite the situation, Comrade Janet never surrendered hope. "If the chances   are one to a million for survival, Cheddi is that one," she told us. 

Wednesday, March 5 came. Comrade Cheddi was still hanging on. His breathing   was softer but he continued to fight the claws of death. His blood pressure   was fluctuating and we expected him to go at any time. Here was a man never   refusing to give up, even in his final hour. Here was a true warrior -- a fighter   to the very end. 

Around half past four that afternoon I returned to the hospital. Outside his   room were Nadira, Mark, two doctors and two nurses talking quietly. Shortly   after, Comrade Janet joined us and at about half past five Nadia came in. Cheddi   (Jnr.) was expected at Washington National Airport at six o'clock and a member   of my staff had volunteered to pick him up and rush him to the hospital. 

I looked in on Comrade Cheddi. His eyes were closed and he was breathing quietly.   A nurse was checking the monitors in the room and from time to time the doctors   would go in to have a look at him. Comrade Janet and Nadira went into the room   and held his hands and rubbed his feet for a while. 

At about half past six I thought that I should leave the family to be together   by themselves for the final moments. I went into the room alone, held Comrade   Cheddi's right hand, and looked at him as he continued to breathe quietly while   his life ebbed away from him. The flame that lit the torch for freedom and democracy   in Guyana was flickering low. Here was the father of our nation, dying in front   of me, and I who, from since childhood days, have been nourished with his ideas,   could do nothing to save him. I could not help being choked up with emotion   as I looked in the living face of Cheddi Jagan for the last time. 

I walked away from that room with feet of lead. 

I exited the automatic doors of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center into the   cold winter night and went home to wait for the telephone call from Mark to   tell me that the legendary life was over. 

It came just after 12.23 a.m.

some more stuff here

http://www.guyana.org/GuyNews/president_death.htm

i hear is last words was bar-bar--bar rat is a thief

Cheddi Jagan was Moses Nagamootoo hero, yet he was reluctant to pay his respect to his fallen hero to save face in the AFC. History taught us one thing that a man's position is greater than his loyalty.

Today Cheddie Jagan legacy lives on, a pack of thieves at Freedom House.

Cheddie Jagan was the architect for the destruction of Guyana.

 shut you rass you stupid snake,when jagan die Moses was still in the ppp party in fact Moses was infront with the funeral.i was there from GT ALL THE WAY TO BUBU JOHN .i was treated as one of the family 

Shut up!!

Jagan and his wife shafted Moses.

Another Jagan Legacy!!

Embassies, civil society reiterate calls for early Local Govt. Elections

The pressure is piling up for Guyana to hold local government elections early with a joint statement from civil society and three embassies yesterday signaling a growing unhappiness over the current situation.

General Secretary for PPP, Clement Rohee

Everything seems to be in place for votes to be cast as early as August 1st, the strong statement said.
It has not been the first time that such has been issued, with the last a year ago.
This time, the British High Commission, Embassy of the United States of America and the High Commission of Canada made it clear that with new laws in place and the elections machinery ready, August 1st seems a very possible time.
“The political parties have reaffirmed their desire to hold local elections and are making campaign preparations.  It is therefore our hope, as the PPP/C, APNU, and AFC pledged in their 2011 election manifestos, that local government elections will be held…”
Also endorsing the statement are the Berbice Chamber of Commerce; Consultative Association of Guyanese Industry; Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Guyana Association of Women Lawyers; Guyana Bar Association, Guyana Manufacturing and Service Association,
Guyana Trades Union Congress, Justice Institute, Private Sector Commission and the Transparency Institute Guyana Inc.
With many of the 65 Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) replaced by Interim Management Committees after members either died or passed away, the absence of elections because of a political agreement for reforms has led to an intolerable situation. Corruption and mismanagement have been blamed on the breakdown in infrastructure with garbage and rates and taxes collection highly criticised.
The statement said that one year ago, a similar call for 2013 to be the year in which Guyana would move forward to ensure its citizens benefit from strong and effective local governance was made.
GECOM ready
“While 2013 passed without local government elections being held, significant progress was made to set the stage for these historic elections in 2014.”
The bodies pointed out that four bills establishing a “reinvigorated framework” for local governance were approved by the National Assembly with three receiving Presidential assent.  “Together with the 2010 Local Authorities Act establishing the electoral framework for local elections, the legislative path to elections has been cleared. In anticipation of local government elections, the Guyana Elections Commission has been intensifying its preparations and expanding voter education outreach to familiarize people with the voting process.”
It was also noted that the Ministry of Local Government has been hosting seminars and workshops with stakeholders to promote voter education.
Even the Guyana Election Commission (GECOM) has said it is fully equipped and ready to stage the elections. Already, GECOM has demarcated the boundaries and constituencies in 69 of 71 districts, and each district has been targeted for voter education.
“Once a date for elections is announced, GECOM can begin the statutory steps required by law to hold local government elections. By all accounts, GECOM is well prepared and poised to ensure free, fair and transparent local elections whenever called upon by the government to do so.”
The organizations and embassies also said it recognized the statements of President Donald Ramotar in July that local government elections are “badly needed because many of the problems we face are due to the fact that we did not have local government elections.”
“The PPP/C, APNU, and the AFC have all begun campaigning in many Regions in anticipation of these historic elections. All of this augurs well for 2014 as the year of local government elections.”
The statement yesterday, stressing the importance of elections, said that as international development agencies have long recognized, the tangible benefits of local democracy go far beyond the act of casting a vote.
“Effective and efficient public administration coupled with healthy local governance can drive development efforts.  Local government institutions bring government closer to the people, fostering greater inclusion, civic responsibility, empowerment and participation…”
Strange Opposition
Under the Constitution, local government elections should be held every three years.
The joint statement also pointed out that Commonwealth Charter to which Guyana subscribes refers to an individual’s “inalienable right to participate in democratic processes, in particular through free and fair elections in shaping the society in which he or she lives. Parliaments and representatives of local governments and other forms of local governance are essential elements in the exercise of democratic governance.”
The call yesterday would come about two weeks after General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Clement Rohee, said that his party will not support the Opposition request to hold Local Government Elections by August 1.
It would also come after the Opposition called for early elections.
According to Rohee, their reasons for not agreeing to the Opposition requests of holding Local Government elections, among other things, is because the power to decide the readiness for such elections resides with GECOM and not with the Opposition.
During a press conference, he said that from his information GECOM is not ready for elections. “We get the distinct impression from our commissioners that they are not ready for local government elections. That’s why we found it strange because APNU also have representatives on the GECOM.”

1 year since Hugo Chavez died 05 march 2013

Good man!!

Good riddance to bad rubbish. He transformed Venezuela into a shithole with no toilet paper available.

May I remind some of you that Jagan was not a thief and he died a poor man. Therefore, he is not responsible for the thiefing that's taking place today. May he rest in peace, please!

Why you guys chose to overshadow Jagan's death anniversary with Chavez death. Yall pack up and go where there is no toilet paper to wipe allyou BT.

But he line up the thieves. And no decent man can remove dem. That is cORRUPTION TO THE ULTIMATE.

Nehru is right to call a bunch of you neemakharam low lives. He knew what he was saying.

Gerhard was like a grandson to Cheddi Jagan, yet he was never seen at Babu John paying his respect to his grandfather Cheddi. History taught us that politics does make a decent child grow up to be hypocrite.

how the rass you know the man was not there,i was there and i did not see no snake

You are a disgrace to the human race.

I believe you, but please tell us why you were there for thank you?

It is good that we are remembering Dr Cheddi Jagan on the 17th anniversary of his passing.

Thank you for posting, Cobra.

I have to agree with the Bookman here.  It is good that Dr. Cheddi's death anniversary is being remembered.  Regardless of what some of us may think of the man's political leadership of the PPP party he always remained a very simple and humble man.  I met him many times over the years, sometimes in the streets, and he always took the time regardless of how busy he was to stop and speak to me.  That was the type of man he was

dummy no snake first of all i was a PYO MEMBER,i grow up in front of jagan,i was fighting the pnc when you was hiding under a rock,i went to jail protecting jagan so how you think he will treat me 

Hats off to a great man and a great Guyanese.

Big up to Cde Cheddi.

You were special to me and many other in Guyana.

Unfortunately you left a gang of thieves and drunkees in your place and that was not the legacy you should have enjoyed.

Thank You!!!

Why pick on Gerhard?

What about Joey cussing his parents?

Good point Chief, why pick on Gerhard, he is one of the good one who came out of the PPP?

Probably to Pee!

So because he stopped to speak to you that makes a difference.

He was a communist stooge and today look at what he leaft behind a pack of thieves!!

They should have kept you in jail for protecting that communist/atheist  man who allowed his people to be injured and killed and he and his wife were always safe.

Kishan,

Please check history and see the legacy of all the communist leaders, none of them left anyone or anything good.

The PPP said they will observe Cheddi Jagan death anniversary for three consecutive months. I hope they will consider a national holiday on his birthday. Who will support a national holiday in Jagan's memory?

 MORE HOLIDAYS??

If it is for Jagan, yes more holidays.  

 The people's champion!

If we will have a holiday  for Pa , what about one for Mai.

After all she used to wear the pants.

One holiday for both of them.

LOL, you mother scrubing board mad???  Blue eye boujie got to rest she self.  She is no Cheddi!  WUK PUN SHE!

Chief always get cranked up when he hear about mr & mrs Jagan.