September 1957 – November 1958

Preface by Hon. Raphael G.C. Trotman, M.P.

Speaker of the National Assembly of the 10th Parliament of Guyana

The Hon. Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham, O.E. S.C, M.P, L.L.B, had a long and illustrious legislative career which began in 1957 when he served as Leader of the Opposition and as leader of the People’s National Congress, and ended in 1980 when he metamorphosed from Prime Minister into Guyana’s first Executive President. His speeches, interventions and statements in the Legislative Assembly, and later the National Assembly of the Parliament of Guyana, are as many as they are legendary. In reading these speeches the reader will immediately identify the following: that Forbes Burnham was an extraordinary orator and debater; that he revelled in his role as a legislator; and that he treated his parliamentary colleagues, and especially his political

opponents, with respect and dignity deserving of their offices. I highlight these qualities because they are important traits and characteristics that every elected Member of Parliament, and those aspiring to be, should possess.
Reading the spoken words of the fathers and mothers of our nation inevitably causes one to imagine the life of those times and to want to rekindle their dreams. So it was for me as I read and thoroughly enjoyed, speeches and presentations made by Mr. Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham, O.E, S.C in the Legislative Assembly of British Guiana. In the Legislative Assembly, Forbes Burnham deployed every literary and emotive device to masterfully drive home his points like a skilled swordsman; dissecting, cutting and parrying, lunging, attacking and counterattacking; all of which is done without the ridicule, rancour, or the rigmarole that sometimes characterises the debates in the National Assembly; more frequently than is desired.
In reading these manuscripts many thoughts entered my mind as was revealed by the words themselves. Firstly, there was a high degree of respect and camaraderie between political opponents Forbes Burnham and Dr. Cheddi Jagan. Secondly, the passion and zeal to put the country and its people first, was very evident. Thirdly, the sittings and deliberations with the Legislative Assembly were not only of an extraordinary high standard, they were relevant to the happenings of the day. This can be seen in the debates on the provision and distribution of Government lands and housing for the poor and needy; the regulation of private schools; the care and welfare of housekeepers leaving for Canada; or the protection of hire purchasers. Fourthly, and lastly, the Members of the Legislative Assembly so obviously recognised and relished the privilege bestowed on them as elected custodians of the people’s trust, that they approached their work with remarkable dignity; respected the instruction of the Legislative Assembly; and understood the importance of the vocation of parliamentarians. I implore the readers of these fine speeches therefore not to read them for entertainment only, but for learning and edification.
The great civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King (Jr), famously, and rightly proclaimed many years ago that: “We are not makers of history. We are made by history.”
This history being unveiled of the political lives and works of Dr. Cheddi Jagan and Mr. Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham must be used to shape our lives and destinies so that we may pass on a rich legacy to our inheritors. The interwoven, and interdependent lives of these two men must be revisited; not individually and in isolation of each other, but rather together. Theirs was a symbiotic relationship on which the nation’s hopes and aspirations of a united and free Guyana rested. But alas, became imperilled on the rocks of misfortune, mistrust and mistakes. Is it too simplistic to ask whether the dream can be sewn together and restarted? I think not.
In Burnham’s eloquent speeches much is revealed, and contextualised, about the man and his politics. His presentations cover a wide gamut of subjects and issues; many of which are still extant today. Forbes Burnham was fiercely independent of mind and patriotic of spirit, as could be clearly seen in his words expressed during the debate on the Federal Supreme Court
(Appeals) Bill on the 15th April, 1958, or in his celebrated Motion on Federation with the West Indies in August, when a marathon and epic debate ensued over many days on the benefits and potential pitfalls of political independence and federation. Burnham implored his colleagues of the day quite emphatically thus:
“Do we want the doubtful reputation of being independent and unknown?”
“Therefore if it is the ambition of British Guiana to enjoy independence similar to that of those places and to be unknown or perhaps to beindependent and be the recipients of charity from Britain or elsewhere, let us say that and let us be prepared in this 20th century to be a parasitical nation.”

Of course the West Indies Federation failed, but what remains a subject for argument and debate is whether Guyana became, and remains, a parasitic state given its heavy dependence on donor and institutional support and aid.
Another sterling characteristic of Mr. Burnham’s was his willingness and sincerity to embrace worthwhile suggestions and proposals of the then Minister of Trade and Industry, the indefatigable Dr. Cheddi Jagan, his political opponent. Many examples of this can be seen as when he stated during the debate on the West Indian Court of Appeal:
“I am not in the habit of opposing for opposition sake. This one measure of the Government which commends itself to me, and for which I commend the Government or when during the debate on a Motion on the Delegation travelling to the United Kingdom to discuss constitutional reform, nationalism trumped partisan politics in these words:

“There are some subjects which are above the pettiness of party differences, and there are some Motions which are so momentous, so far as our country is concerned, that to bandy words across the table is so sacrilegious. Such a debate, such a Motion is the present one. Again, on the occasion of a debate of a Motion on racial disturbances in the United Kingdom (September, 1958), Mr. Burnham began his contribution by saying:
“I beg to second the Motion moved by the Hon. Minister of Trade and Industry, and I desire to congratulate him on having moved it.”

Magnanimous gestures such as this have become all too rare in our present political construct, and my sanguine wish is that they do not disappear altogether. It is a great honour for me to be able to express my thoughts on the publication of the outstanding speeches of one of Guyana’s national heroes, and it is my earnest desire that every reader, every student of history, and every practitioner of statecraft, will find knowledge and experience, immense feelings of joy, admiration, and patriotism as I have, as one word flows into another.