At Enmore Martyrs’ Commemoration event
‘”The Enmore tragedy affected me greatly. I was personally acquainted with all the young men killed and injured. The funeral procession, which was led by my wife, other leaders and myself to the city, 16 miles away, became a tremendous mass protest demonstration. At the graveside the emotional outbursts of the widows and relatives of the deceased had been intensely distressing, and I could with difficulty restrain my tears. There was to be no turning back. There and then I made a silent pledge – I would dedicate my entire life to the cause of the struggle of the Guyanese people against bondage and exploitation.” Cheddi Jagan.’
By 1948, most sugar workers in Guyana were giving support to the Guyana Industrial Workers Union (GIWU). On 22 April 1948, cane cutters, backed by the union, went on strike demanding the abolishment of the existing “cut and load” system in the fields. This reaping system which forced cane cutters to load the sugar punts with the cane they cut, was not popular among cane cutters. It was introduced in 1945, and from time to time workers had gone on strike to demand that it be changed. As part of the demands of the 1948 strike, the cane cutters called for the replacement of “cut and load” with a “cut and drop” system by which the cane cutters should cut the cane, but other workers would load the cut cane into the punts for shipment to the factory.
In addition to this particular issue, the workers demanded higher wages and improved living conditions on the sugar estates. However, the real aim of the strike was to demand recognition of the GIWU as the bargaining union for the field and factory workers on all the sugar estates in the country.
The strike obtained political support from the Political Affairs Committee (PAC), and the workers were addressed at numerous public meetings by Dr. Cheddi Jagan, Janet Jagan and leaders of the GIWU. The PAC bulletins were widely distributed at these meetings. Dr. Jagan himself was personally involved in the organization of the strike, and helped to raise funds across the country to support the striking workers. Janet Jagan was also in the forefront in operating soup kitchens for the striking workers and their families on the sugar estates.
Then, on June 15, 1948, the Guyanese police, under the direction of Colonial estate managers, fired on the striking workers, killing five and injuring 14, precipitating a dynamism in militancy that transformed the labour movement and the political culture of the land.
The Enmore tragedy is not, in and of itself, the worst act of violence perpetuated against the labour force of then British Guiana by the colonial overlords.  However, it was the turning point that triggered a dynamic militancy in the working class, spearheaded by the young and idealistic Dr. Cheddi Jagan, in partnership with his equally young and idealistic American-born wife, Janet.
The martyrdom of the five sugar workers is symbolically commemorated every year at the monument site in Enmore.  That they should occasion such pomp and ceremony would have been an alien concept to their simple minds; but today, year after year, their proud descendants bask in the reflection of their posthumous glory as they join dignitaries of the land in laying wreaths at the base of the monument that is an ode to their sacrifice – a martyrdom that heralded transformational changes in the labour environment and political, social and cultural dynamics in the nation.
The serene, ethereal ambience of the site of the monument erected to honour the five simple sugar workers who have straddled the history of Guyana with the towering nomenclature of the ‘Enmore Martyrs’, is certainly not reflective of the horrifying violence that precipitated the chain of events leading to the involuntary martyrdom of Rambarran, Pooran, Lallabajie, Surujballi and Harry.
During this year’s commemorative activities at the Enmore monument site yesterday, President Bharrat Jagdeo, in his feature address, joined with President of GAWU, Mr. Komal Chand and General Secretary of FITUG, Mr. Kenneth Joseph, in recognizing the magnitude of sacrifice made by many ancestors so that we could today enjoy the gains they wrested, often at the expense of their lives.
The President said that it is absolutely necessary that sacrifices be made by this generation so that future generations would not be burdened by astronomical debt burdens such as was inherited by the PPP/C administration, which impeded development in the country in every way that mattered.
He explained that investments are being made in every sector so as to enable better standards of living for Guyanese, but because of the constraints of resources, tough choices have to be made, which often incur dissatisfaction on many fronts.  However, he called on the unions to partner with Government in helping to develop the various sectors in the country so that the lives of the people are improved, because the PPP/C administration is still a working-class Government.
In his address, Komal Chand said that this annual, national event serves not only to keep the memory of the martyrs alive, but also must be a reminder that the strides in terms of growth and improvements have been fertilized with the blood and heroic struggles of our working class, historically.
He warned that although several successes in various fields have been scored, vigilance must be maintained so that the gains are not reversed, and that the lessons that these martyrs have left – among which is workers’ militancy and unity and firmness in just demands, must not be forgotten.
Chand said that certain voices have been raised that seek to downplay what really transpired at this fateful juncture of our history, but advised that it would be good to remember, for the current generation and to the benefit of younger generations, that it was the Political Affairs Committee and the GIWU and sugar workers which started the observances since June 1948, and subsequently the People’s Progressive Party and GAWU with the sugar workers, which  have been observing the Martyrs’ sacrifice and contribution when others shunned them. He reminded the gathering that two of the foremost and prominent promoters of the yearly observances at the Le Repentir Cemetery and at Enmore were Dr Cheddi Jagan and his wife Janet Jagan.
Chand told the audience that the martyrdom of Rambarran, Pooran, Lallabagee, Surujballi and Harry must be seen in the context of the wider anti-colonial struggle, led primarily by the then still young Cheddi Jagan, the inspiration behind GAWU and that sugar workers’ struggles, urban protests led by H.N. Critchlow, and the political agitation, which took strength and courage from workers’ sacrifices, all spiralled into a national working-class/political movement to end colonial rule with political independence, which is the ultimate goal.
He urged that whether one’s perspective was Dr Jagan’s graveside pledge or the improvements following the Venn Commission’s recommendations, or the rare unity in the early fifties enjoyed in the wake of Enmore, the conclusion must be that Enmore remained an enduring symbol of early Guyanese commitment to self-rule, even if it meant making the ultimate sacrifice.
According to Chand, sugar was the bitter-sweet product which resulted in numerous sacrifices by all Guyanese sugar workers – Indo Guyanese, Afro Guyanese and others, in a wider nationalistic insurgency against industrial and economic oppression perpetuated by the sugar plantocracy, its local and foreign allies and colonial masters.
He said: “Sugar workers never failed to engage frontally in the struggles against their oppression and exploitation. The system of slavery suffered immensely from slave revolts and the system itself became uneconomical to maintain. T
he resistance by indentured workers, although costly, brought a number of changes in their working and living conditions. Sugar workers participated tirelessly in the struggles for Guyana’s independence and later for the restoration of democracy in 1992.
“Comrades, sugar’s past is significant to Guyana. It was this industry that caused thousands of slaves and indentured labourers to be brought to our country and their descendants to becoming its economic lifeline. Sugar played a pivotal role in building our economy and helped to enrich our colonial masters in Europe.
“The sugar industry continues to be a major pillar of our country’s economy. Should the industry be allowed to fail, its impact will be nothing short of devastation. If, indeed, the resident population in Guyana is 750,000 persons, then one-sixth of our population is directly dependent on the industry, taking into account the 20,000 person workforce, the 1500 cane farmers and their respective dependents, and this does not include the hundreds of other Guyanese who do business or provide services to the Corporation. Those figures underline the central importance and significance of the sugar industry to the economy and society of Guyana as a whole.
“Towards making the industry viable, Guysuco has commenced the process of creating a modern Agricultural Industrial Complex right here at Enmore. As a result, the factory will be upgraded and a new packaging plant installed. The contract was signed on June 05, last year and the project is expected to be commissioned by February of next year. Initially, we are told 40,000 tonnes of packaged sugar will be produced and with the installation of an additional module the production of another 40,000 tonnes is possible. It is estimated that the Corporation will receive about forty-five per cent more per pound of packaged sugar than what it receives for bulk sugar. We look forward to the contribution of this project, and given the experience with the Skeldon Project, we urge the Management of the Corporation to ensure that timelines are adhered to.
Our Union seeks the Corporation’s immediate focus on the following:-
1. Before the commencement of the second crop later this year, to remedy the defects which are inhibiting the full and proper performance of the new Skeldon Factory
2. By February next year, ensure the Enmore Packaging Plant becomes operational
3. The production of over 400,000 tonnes sugar by the end of 2012
4. The eventual construction of a refinery.
The President, in his address, endorsed Chand’s recommendations.
Chand concluded his presentation by requesting that the enduring message of the Enmore Martyrs sacrifice should not be forgotten, and that the working class must be always vigilant, militant, organizationally strong and united, and must raise the banner of solidarity always.