The month of activities in observance of the 22nd death anniversary of the founding leader of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Dr Cheddi Jagan continues, this time in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).
The youth arm of the PPP – the Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO) – on Sunday held a lecture on the life of Dr Jagan at Freedom House in Anna Regina. It was attended by the PYO members in Essequibo.
PPP/C Member of Parliament, Vickram Bharrat, in his presentation, pointed out that the PYO was the reservoir of the Party.
He told the young audience that they were the leaders of tomorrow and the purpose of the Organisation was to engage young people and mould them into becoming stronger and brave leaders.
Bharrat mentioned Party leaders like former President Bharrat Jagdeo and current Presidential Candidate Irfaan Ali, among others, who all started off as members of the PYO. He told the youths that they too could become successful if they followed suit in the path of such leaders.
The PPP/C parliamentarian then went on to speak on journey of Dr Jagan, recounting that the party founder started his political career as a young man on the sugar plantation where he saw poor and helpless people being taken advantage of by the colonial rulers. This, Bharrat noted, motivated Dr Jagan to fight for a free and just Guyana for all.
After graduating as a dentist and economist in the United States, Dr Jagan returned to Guyana with his young wife, Janet, whom he married in the US. Thereafter, the struggle started.
Bharrat, during his presentation, pointed out that the journey was not without challenges as both Dr Jagan and his wife were jailed many times, but that did not deter him from continuing fighting the colonial rulers. This fight, he noted, was eventually successful and after independence in 1966, the PPP, in its fight for a democratic Guyana, restored hope for the people.
After much struggle in the political arena, the PPP/C parliamentarian reminded, Dr Jagan was victorious at the 1992 elections and became the President of Guyana as “free and fair” elections were held for the first time.
“He restored democracy and hope for the nation and started to rebuild a new Guyana for all,” Bharrat stated.
The parliamentarian noted that Dr Jagan’s death in 1997 was a shock to not just Guyanese but the world as well.
“It was a great loss to the Guyanese nation and his funeral was a testimony to this. It was the only time Guyanese came together, all came out to mourn the death of this great man,” Bharrat noted.
