IN honour of the life and contributions of former Presidents Cheddi and Janet Jagan, the facilitators of the Cheddi Jagan Research Institute (Red House) yesterday hosted its annual fun day which attracts many families.
Commonly known as the ‘Red House’, the Cheddi Jagan Research Institute is dedicated to chronicling the life, contributions, struggles and achievements of the Jagans’ in their pursuit to ensure that all Guyanese live better lives.
President Bharrat Jagdeo, in a short address at the event,  stated ,“Most of you would have known Cheddi and Janet Jagan, and most of you would have seen them working diligently to change our country… first of all in returning democracy to Guyana and initiating development.”
However, “Very few people actually know about the early struggles of these two exceptional people,” he added.
He emphasized,  “Every freedom that Guyanese enjoy today, every right that we take for granted, can somehow be linked to their early struggles – the struggle to create an independent Guyana and to give dignity to the people; the struggle to ensure that we had freedom of choice.”
This was not always the case since “most people who didn’t have property or didn’t achieve a particular age could vote and they (the Jagans) sought and struggled to give us that right – the right to choose.”
President Jagdeo noted the importance of the Jagans’ contribution and urged for their legacy to be remembered and maintained. “They stood for an independent, strong, united Guyana. A Guyana that does not have bigotry in its midst, a Guyana that is important and brings benefits and opportunities to all its people, regardless of their race and religion.”
He noted that the “ party that they founded is strongly built on these principles and today we (the Party) have a clear vision of where we are taking our country, a country that is seeing difficult times but has great hopes for a brighter future.”
With the run-up to general elections in sight, President Jagdeo stated that “next year would be a critical year for us (the Party) and we are counting on your support, not just passive support, but active support as we seek to continue to change our country.”

The audience was entertained by the melodies of the Shakti Strings Band, dances by the Shivani dance group, the National School of Dance, and the Let’s Dance group. The patrons were also able to visit several booths and the proceeds of the events will be used to maintain the Institute.
President Bharrat Jagdeo interacts with the crowd at the Cheddi Jagan Research Institute fun day.