Reflecting on the life and legacy of Former President Mrs Janet Jagan, President Dr Irfaan Ali declared that people were the centre of everything she did throughout her political career during which he said she was a champion of the working class in Guyana.
The Head of State was at the time delivering remarks on Thursday evening at an event hosted by the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre to celebrate the ‘Life and Work of Former President Mrs Janet Jagan, O.E. and her contributions to the return of democracy to Guyana.’ The night of reflection was held to commemorate her 102nd birth anniversary.
During his address, President Ali posited that Janet Jagan’s name is forever embedded in the history of Guyana and her contributions to this country cannot be erased. Describing her as a phenomenal woman, he recalled that she was a bastion in the fight for the restoration of democracy, a champion of the working class, and one of Guyana’s foremost advocates for women’s rights and freedoms.
In fact, the Head of State said people were one of the most foundational pillars for what Janet Jagan stood for.
“She believed that people were: one, the output – whatever she was doing, the output must be the betterment of people. And whatever she was approaching to do, the input was people because she mobilised people to help her to achieve the output. So, people were the centre of everything she did,” he stated.
According to Ali, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) – which was founded by her husband, Dr Cheddi Jagan – is still to this day committed to ideals that Mrs Jagan devoted her life to including equality for women and improvement of the working class.
“Janet Jagan was a constant and consistent agitator for women’s rights. One year after arriving in Guyana, she took up the challenge in support of women’s rights. The Political Affairs Committee and the Women’s Political and Economic Organisation, which she founded, led strident and sustained agitation for universal adult suffrage and for women’s rights and empowerment,” he noted.
President Ali added that Mrs Jagan was far ahead of time in her fight for justice and empowerment of women. He said she was not only looking to impose women’s right to vote but empowering women politically.
Against this backdrop, she helped pilot and support legislation that secured betterment for women. In fact, during her tenure as Minister with responsibility for Health, Labour and Housing, she promulgated legislation that reduced the hours of work for store workers, most of whom were women, and extended protection for domestics in the face of difficulties from landlordism and poor living conditions, and established housing for working-class families.
“Janet Jagan expanded our understanding of women’s rights. She saw women’s rights as going beyond something that is enacted in law and the Constitution. For her women’s rights were not paper rights, but must have social and economic dimensions,” he stated.
The Guyanese Leader further noted that many of the issues that Mrs Jagan fought for back then are still relevant in today’s societies and fundamental to the advancement of women, and extension, the development of society.
“This is a philosophy which guides us, our party and our government. We are committed wholeheartedly to ensuring not just the political rights, but social and economic rights of women and to especially ensuring that they receive equal treatment,” the President asserted.
Moreover, Ali stated that Mrs Jagan was not only part of Guyana’s historic struggle for independence but was a political vanguard in the country’s epic campaign for the restoration of democracy. In fact, Ali said politics was a practice for Mrs Jagan, who was the first female President (December 1997 to August 1999) and Prime Minister (March 1997 to December 1997) to serve in Guyana to date.
“She was no book politician. She believed and insisted on going out into the communities to meet, listen, learn and organise. This experience allowed her to have a firsthand grasp and understanding of the struggles of ordinary people. When she spoke, whether it was in the legislature or party meetings, she spoke from experience. She understood the reality on the ground, and she identified with the suffering of the working class.”
“Her approach to politics was a practical approach. She was the unfaltering champion of the working class. While her commitment to the working class may have been influenced by her ideological stance, no one could dispute that first and foremost, she was a profound humanitarian… She was always willing to help ordinary people and to right whatever wrongs they have suffered. She was a fervent defender of the poor and powerless. Janet Jagan worked relentlessly to improve their well-being. It was through her exertions that the party was able to build the party’s support base at the grassroots. She was one of the ablest party organisers. Her ability to connect with ordinary citizens endeared the public to her and to the PPP,” the President declared.
Mrs Jagan, an American-born, died in March 2009 – almost a decade after she stepped down from office, which she took over following the death of her husband in March 1999, because of her ill health.
Also present at Thursday’s celebration were several senior PPP members including Governance and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Gail Teixeira, Head of PPP’s Women’s Arm Indra Chanderpaul, former President Donald Ramotar, former PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee and former PPP Member Ralph Ramkarran, among others.
