AT THE 13th Congress of the PPP, Cheddi Jagan declared in his address: “We must carry out a relentless struggle against the government in defence of the people’s vital interests…we must concentrate on day-to-day work in every front to achieve racial integration and unity of the working class.”He referred to the unemployment figure which was 17% in the city and 23% in the rural areas and to the cost of living which had jumped 5 points in only 1½ years compared to 10 points in the 7 previous years of the PPP government. He also noted that when the PPP left office at the end of 1964 there was $5.4 M in the Treasury but at the end of 1965 this was reduced to $0.6 M with a debt of $8 M.
This is a famous quote made by Dr. Jagan in 1966: “Those who say that we are irrelevant, that we are finished, should be reminded that the same tune was sung after the dark days following the rape of our constitution in 1953 and the breakaway by the right and left opportunists in 1955 and 1956. But we won in 1957 and 1961. Today, though defrauded and cheated, we remain the strongest force in the country. Difficulties there will be; the battle will be long and hard. But win again we will. History and time are on our side!”
Pictured are PPP members protesting the budget advanced by the coalition of the People’s National Congress and the United Force (PNC+UF).