Georgetown: The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) this week announced that a month of activities have been planned to reflect on the stellar contributions made by its late founders, Dr Cheddi Jagan and his wife, Janet Jagan, both former Presidents.
According to PPP Executive Secretary Zulficar Mustapha, the activities were launched last weekend with the hosting of the West Demerara leg of the Cheddi Jagan Cycle Race.
The Berbice leg of the event will commence in New Amsterdam in the wee hours of the morning and conclude at the Babu John monument.
Mustapha underscored the importance of the activities planned while contending that Dr Jagan remains the “Father of the Nation” when one factors in the depth and importance of his contributions to the social and economic fibre of Guyanese society.
Activities have been planned for all 10 of the administrative regions and include the annual memorial service at Babu John, Port Mourant, the eagerly-anticipated Cheddi Jagan Fitness Walk, and the Family Fun Day and Picnic on the lawns of State House. A PPP office will also be launched in Aishalton, Region Nine.
Dr Jagan was born on March 22, 1918 on a sugar plantation in Port Mourant, Berbice, the son of indentured sugar workers.
His parents Jagan and Bachoni had arrived in the then British Guiana as infants with their mothers, who came as indentured immigrants from the district of Basti in Uttar Pradesh, India in 1901.
The young Jagan attended primary school and two years of secondary school in his area. At the age of 15, his father decided to send him to Queen’s College. After high school, he found it difficult to find a job, and went to the United States to study dentistry at Howard University in Washington, DC in September 1935.
After two years at Howard, he earned himself a place at Northwestern University, in Chicago, Illinois, where he would spend the next five years.
In 1942, he graduated with a degree in Dental Surgery (DDS), and a Bachelor of Sciences (BSc). One year later, on August 5, he married Janet Rosenberg without the consent of either parents.
In October 1943, he returned home without his wife, who arrived just before Christmas.
Dr Jagan then set about establishing a practice in Georgetown, with his wife assisting him as the hygienist and office assistant.
His low fees caused a public battle with the Dental Association, as Dr Jagan fought for his principle of non-exploitation of his patients.
According to his official website, www.jagan.org, while he liked his profession, Dr Jagan longed to become involved in “something more meaningful”. And he achieved that goal par excellence, after becoming involved in the fight to better workers’ lives. Dr Jagan and his wife would go on to help found the Political Affairs Committee (PAC), the forerunner of the PPP and the PPP itself.
In November 1947, Dr Jagan would be elected to political office for the first time, serving as a member of the Legislative Council of Guyana.
Despite British machinations and armed occupation over fears of communism, jail time and persecution, a split in the party he co-founded and hence popular support and race riots, Dr Jagan would persist in the fight for the poor and disenfranchised, becoming Chief Minister and later Premier of British Guiana (1961 to 1964), prior to independence.
He later was elected President of Guyana from 1992 to 1997, after 28 years in opposition against the People’s National Congress, persevering over vote-rigging, persecution, and unimaginable odds.
Dr Jagan died of a heart attack in Washington on March 6, 1997 while in office, leaving behind a formidable legacy.
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