One fact that must be recognised is that the PPP from the time of its formation in 1953 never lost a democratic election in Guyana and has consistently won a plurality if not an absolute majority of the votes. These victories are not the result of ethnic voting as is so often made out to be by detractors and opposition elements. Rather, it is the result of a proven record of gains made by the Party for the people of Guyana and its embrace of universalistic values which transcended ethnic and cultural considerations.
ONE distinguishing characteristic of this current PPP/C administration, quite apart from its democratic credentials, is the fact that it has over the decades consistently in its programmes and policies put people at the centre of its development agenda.

This is precisely so because of the nature of the Party which evolved out of a history of struggle for and on behalf of the people of Guyana, in particular the working people

For those who are unfamiliar with the history of the Party and in particular for those who pretended not to remember the heroic and epic battles fought for and won on behalf of the people, it is prudent to refresh the minds of Guyanese on some historic facts which are downplayed by the media, in particular the opposition media.

It was the PPP that fought for and won the right to vote and in so doing be given a voice in the determination of the policies and programmes of the country.

As Dr. Jagan mentioned, laws were made prior to 1947 not in the legislature, but in the exclusive Georgetown Club.

It was only after the entry of Dr. Jagan to the Legislative Assembly in the elections of 1947 that the rules of political engagement changed somewhat.

For the first time the working people of Guyana had a genuine voice in the Legislature. Dr. Jagan, as it were, upset the apple cart and provided a new dimension in the politics of the country, one of exposure and agitation for the enhancement of the quality of life of the underprivileged.

The struggle was taken to a higher level with the formation of the Political Affairs Committee in 1946 and four years later in the formation of the People’s Progressive Party which from the inception took a class position in the way it treated with issues affecting the people of Guyana.

The PPP was and continue to be first and foremost a workers party putting the interest of the people on the front burner. Because of its working class orientation, the Party faced opposition from a number of vested interests which included the rich and powerful sugar lords who in collaboration with the colonial office schemed to overthrow the PPP from office as was the case in 1953 when the constitution was suspended and an interim administration which comprised in the main of defeated candidates in the elections of 1953.

The PPP again won elections in 1957 despite a split in the PPP engineered by the colonial office in collaboration with local reactionaries which included Forbes Burnham who at the time was Chairman of the Party.

Dr. Jagan was elected as Party Leader and Forbes Burnham Party Chairman when the Party was formed on January 1, 1950.

Burnham however, encouraged by vested interests, sought unsuccessfully to take over the leadership of the Party. Having failed in his bid to so do, he eventually formed his own party in 1955.

Interestingly, Burnham named his breakaway faction PPP and retained the name of Thunder as his official theoretical organ until after the elections of 1957 when he changed the name of his party to the People’s National Congress after his party suffered a humiliating defeat in the 1957 elections. The PPP went on to win successive election victories in the elections of 1961 and 1964 but was cheated and manipulated out of office in the 1964 elections due to what former British Prime Minister Harold Wilson described as a fiddled constitutional arrangement.

One fact that must be recognised is that the PPP from the time of its formation in 1953 never lost a democratic election in Guyana and has consistently won a plurality if not an absolute majority of the votes.

These victories are not the result of ethnic voting as is so often made out to be by detractors and opposition elements.

Rather, it is the result of a proven record of gains made by the Party for the people of Guyana and its embrace of universalistic values which transcended ethnic and cultural considerations.

The PPP has demonstrated – as the results of the last elections showed – that it is the only truly national party in the country drawing on the support of people right across the ethnic and cultural spectrum of the country.

There are those who are making all kinds of wild and unsubstantiated allegations against the Party and the PPP/C administration.

They are accusing the current administration of corruption, incompetence and discrimination. They speak of “elected “dictatorships, which in itself is a contradiction of terms.

A government is either democratic as in the case of the PPP/C which has consistently won office in certified free and fair elections or dictatorial and undemocratic as in the case of the former PNC regime which never won a free and fair elections.

Interestingly, there are allegations of attempts to even rig their own internal party elections at the upcoming party Congress.

The PPP has a long and proud history of struggle for the people of Guyana. The gains and achievements are substantial and could be seen in every facet of life. It would take much more than allegations and mud-slinging on the part of opposition elements to change this fact.