I want to comment on the recent correspondence between Mr. Rashleigh Jackson, distinguished former Foreign Minister; and Dr Prem Misir, hard-working and prolific academic and a fast rising star.

Both Dr Misir and Mr Jackson are correct in the positions they have propounded.

That is, by British constitutional practice and the Law of Guyana, Dr Jagan should have been asked by the Governor to form a government after the elections of 1965.

By Cold War imperatives, however, the Governor had to disregard this time-honoured convention and the Law, and engineer a coalition between Mr D’Aguiar’s UF and Mr Burnham’s PNC. The aim of the British and American ‘Cold Warriors’ was to keep Jagan out of office by any means, even if immoral.

Burnham did not like the UF or Mr D’Aguiar but went into a marriage of convenience to secure power and office for himself irrespective of the negative national consequences.

Prof. Accabre Nkofi, years ago, told me that had Burnham been a true nationalist and less a self-seeker, he would have opted for a coalition between the PPP and PNC, shared power and brought about permanent unity and cooperation between the two parties and Blacks and Indians.

Burnham did not care about broader political and social unity of Guyana; he did not care about the nation and its interests, he only cared about Burnham and his personal gain and glory. Burnham’s self-serving action was the genesis of many headaches and troubles which later befell Black people.

Prof. Nkofi in his book “Rebirth of the Blackman” has pointed out many of Burnham’s self-serving actions which brought so much disaster to Black people. It is good that Mr. Rashleigh Jackson and Dr Prem Misir have taken the time to go back into history and educate the young.
LINDON S. CAREW