We should have an appreciation day for Dr Jagan:
Written by MOHAMED KHAN
Thursday, 22 September 2011 01:42
FOURTEEN years ago, Dr. Cheddi Jagan breathed his last. He departed this life after he had made a colossal contribution to the Guyanese people's struggle for freedom, justice and social progress. His contributions to end colonial rule in our country and to uplift our people from the vestiges of slavery, indentureship and colonialism itself, to a new life in an independent Guyana is especially noteworthy. He distinguished himself as a true Guyanese leader; never flinching in his resolve to bring political independence to Guyana; He never succumbed to pressures or temptation in his commitment to the Guyanese people.
Dr Jagan’s personal manifesto dealt with constitutional change, agriculture, education, medical service, housing and labour legislation. With respect to labour legislation, he called for a 40 -hour week without reduction -in-pay, a minimum wage law for all working people, portal-to-portal pay in certain industries, e.g., sugar, bauxite and timber industries; two weeks annual holiday -with-pay, time -and-a-half for over-time and double time for Sundays and holidays, equal pay for equal work, and improvement of working conditions with regard to health standards.
A major event which contributed to the struggle at the time was the formation of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) which later became the People's Progressive Party (PPP).Those of us who worked alongside him at all levels, know well that he was never tired of repeating that our party must always consult with its members, must always involve the members in the course of making a decision.
This is an important lesson he left with the party which was very much respected. He had a number of strengths which distinguished him. Above all he had a brilliant analytical mind and a capacity to retain facts and figures.
Professor Sharma, a distinguished, young academic who has contributed a great deal to the study of African and Asian-Pacific development, referred to Dr Cheddi Jagan as a Mahatma and he made an important point, I thought, because the nature of a Mahatma is not a reflection upon, or someone who is being simply deified; it really is a notion of a recognition of people with noble ideals.
And he put Dr Jagan in that category because he remembered that when Mandela was doing his first public visit to India, on arrival there, one of his most famous comments was that "you sent us Mohandas Gandhi and we sent you back Mahatma Gandhi.” In doing that he was symbolising the transformation that had occurred from the visit of Mohandas Gandhi to Africa and the concept of the Mahatma.
I strongly believe that we should have an “Appreciation Day” for the late Dr Cheddi Jagan.
Source:Guyana Chronicle
Written by MOHAMED KHAN
Thursday, 22 September 2011 01:42
FOURTEEN years ago, Dr. Cheddi Jagan breathed his last. He departed this life after he had made a colossal contribution to the Guyanese people's struggle for freedom, justice and social progress. His contributions to end colonial rule in our country and to uplift our people from the vestiges of slavery, indentureship and colonialism itself, to a new life in an independent Guyana is especially noteworthy. He distinguished himself as a true Guyanese leader; never flinching in his resolve to bring political independence to Guyana; He never succumbed to pressures or temptation in his commitment to the Guyanese people.
Dr Jagan’s personal manifesto dealt with constitutional change, agriculture, education, medical service, housing and labour legislation. With respect to labour legislation, he called for a 40 -hour week without reduction -in-pay, a minimum wage law for all working people, portal-to-portal pay in certain industries, e.g., sugar, bauxite and timber industries; two weeks annual holiday -with-pay, time -and-a-half for over-time and double time for Sundays and holidays, equal pay for equal work, and improvement of working conditions with regard to health standards.
A major event which contributed to the struggle at the time was the formation of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) which later became the People's Progressive Party (PPP).Those of us who worked alongside him at all levels, know well that he was never tired of repeating that our party must always consult with its members, must always involve the members in the course of making a decision.
This is an important lesson he left with the party which was very much respected. He had a number of strengths which distinguished him. Above all he had a brilliant analytical mind and a capacity to retain facts and figures.
Professor Sharma, a distinguished, young academic who has contributed a great deal to the study of African and Asian-Pacific development, referred to Dr Cheddi Jagan as a Mahatma and he made an important point, I thought, because the nature of a Mahatma is not a reflection upon, or someone who is being simply deified; it really is a notion of a recognition of people with noble ideals.
And he put Dr Jagan in that category because he remembered that when Mandela was doing his first public visit to India, on arrival there, one of his most famous comments was that "you sent us Mohandas Gandhi and we sent you back Mahatma Gandhi.” In doing that he was symbolising the transformation that had occurred from the visit of Mohandas Gandhi to Africa and the concept of the Mahatma.
I strongly believe that we should have an “Appreciation Day” for the late Dr Cheddi Jagan.
Source:Guyana Chronicle
