I disagree. I am not Marxist at all...although I am aware of Marxist academic methodologies. If you read the man's work - especially History of Guyanese Working People - you will get a feel for his sincerity through scholarship. The man's politics were rooted in profound scholarship, even if you disagreed with his Marxist methodology. If you read his work you will find nowhere inside the notion of zero-sum distribution. This cannot be said for the African/Indian intellectuals associated with contemporary political parties. These people of today cannot figure out that the destiny of bauxite is intertwined with that of sugar, and so on. If one industry fails all will be worse off. They cannot figure out that we have to grow the sada roti to make everyone better off.

 

You might be able to critique Rodney on the policy proposals his Marxism would bring and the possible errors emanating, but it is not right to question his intentions as a genuine leader for unity and economic justice. An old dougla man (77 years old) told me yesterday that one of the first things Burnham did was to remove a fuel subsidy for rice farmers. He argues it was to spite Indian rice producers. I doubt Rodney would have ever gone for this kind of zero sum political economy.

Yes, and that was party of the history Walter taught us....that the races worked together before until the division.

VVP said:

"By the way, my brother was Vic Puran.  He left with Kawall Totaram and my brother-in-law Ramesh Deonarine.  Totaram never joined the PNC."

 

I know Vic at UG. Before he became a PNC soupie, he was UGPYO.  When we were served letters compelling us to do National Service, Vic came to me and said don't go.

 

Then Vic became a soupie.  I had gone to him for help at OP where he was special assistant to Burnham, but Soupie Vic could not help me.

 

Your info. is incorrect.  My relative Totaram was a PNC.  However, he went back to PPP.  His photo is up at Freedom House with some other higher ups in the group picture.

I was in England for most of the Rodney hey days - 1977 - 1980, and I'm not that intimate with his struggles. All I know was that when Mugabe was greeting foreign dignitaries following Zimbabwe's independence after a violent struggle, Burnham was chagrined that Walter Rodney was the "Leader" in Mugabe's office while he was kept waiting outside Mugabe's office. Further, Burnham wondered how Rodney was able to make the trip via a clandestine exit to Suriname.

Yes, they filmed the funeral.  Mostly from WPA headquarters to the burial ground.  I wonder where that footage is.  Funny that all the big wigs in the PNC knew that I was a WPA supporter.  Burnham had his spies all over.

Are you sure Totaram went to the PNC?  I know Burnham refused to have Guyana support him at UWI.  Vic used to help him out a bit financially.  I think you are wrong.  I used to talked to Totaram afterwards and he used to chastise Vic for going to the PNC.  Recheck and let me know. 

VVP:

 

I was in that funeral march from UG Road to Tiger Bay.

PNC filmed everyone.  They had people filming all along the way.

 

Later they replayed tapes and tried to identify people to put on a list.

A relative with the GDF told me I was on some PNC list.

 

A few years later my wife and I were retrenched at the same time. WE both had graduate degrees.

The Americans offered to pay for Rodney funeral. That was a puzzle to me. Why would they offer to pay funeral expenses of a person who was an anti-imperialist.

SO NOW YOU WANT OTHERS TO SUFFER THE SAME FAITH???  I guess you mean if you got screwed why not others!!!!

So no one will suspect they had a hand in the affair???

So you are a historian or did you study abroad?

VVP:

 

 I can't believe Vic is gone.  He was such a good lawyer.  Only recently I found out he had married a girl from Whim that I know.

Where the hell have you been chap? He was murdered by the PPP some time ago.

Not Whim, Mahaicony Creek.

HEHEHE Bharat confused or simply trying to fit in???

Nah bai I don't think so.  If he was murdered it was a family thing.

YOu had to answer ignorance???  Come on Bhai, it is better to leave ignorance alone!!!

VVP:

That girl originally is from Whim - one of the Sukhu's girls.

Ramona's daughter?

I don't know the history.  I think she used to live with someone in England name Ramona.