THE inevitability of death has once again visited upon our dear land with the demise of former President Janet Jagan.

Earthly life is just a short stop in the journey of the soul, as Hindus believe. We all have to make this stop and this journey at some point in time.

Whatever we achieve in this material and physical life will determine the road on which the soul will continue its journey and, as Hindus, we believe our deeds on Earth will decide the next `vehicle’ for the soul.

As fate would have it, Mrs. Jagan left her native America in 1943, no doubt a hard decision at the time, to come and live with her husband Cheddi in then British Guiana.

British Guiana became her home and later she fought besides here indefatigable husband ensuring our country’s independence and independent Guyana.

Her strength of character never waned and wavered and she remained, up until her death, an extremely strong woman, the likes of whom this world has seldom seen.

As a happy, go-lucky country lad in the early seventies I have an indelibly memory of Mrs. Jagan addressing a meeting in my village of De Hoop, Mahaica around 1978.

At the meeting, during which time the Burnham dictatorship had a vice-like grip on Guyana , I clearly remembered Mrs. Jagan looking at us youngsters in the group and said that we are the future of the country and that we must get involved in the fight for free and fair elections. I vividly recall her telling us youngsters: “You must fight for what is right and you must take that fight to the end. Your country will be proud of you.”

Fourteen years after that memorable encounter in Mahaica we witnessed the return of free and fair elections and democracy in Guyana when Mrs. Jagan’s PPP/ Civic took office in 1992. This was achieved after a lifetime of fight, struggle and innumerable sacrifices for the Guyanese people led by Dr Cheddi and Mrs. Jagan.

Today, an icon has fallen, an era has come to an end and as we pay homage to the other half of Dr. Cheddi Jagan, let us use the opportunity to analyse from whence we came and how proud we are as Guyanese, mainly because of Cheddi and Janet.

Mrs. Jagan, like here revered husband, gave her time and dedicated her life to a Country she accepted as her own 66 years ago. For this alone she must be admired.

Life must go on and I wish to ask that we use the memory and achievements of Dr and Mrs Jagan to guide us along in these times of economic turbulence and social uneasiness.

May the soul of Mrs. Jagan find ever lasting peace.
MAHADEO PANCHU