THE courage and sacrifice of the five sugar workers who were gunned down by colonial police on June 16, 1948 – Enmore Martyrs Day – have been hailed; and it has been underscored that the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) came into being as a significant consequence of their shooting deaths.“It was at the graveside of the slain sugar workers that Dr. Jagan made a silent pledge to dedicate his entire life to the cause of the working people of Guyana,” the PPP said in a statement.

Early on the morning of June 16, 1948, a crowd of about 400 workers gathered outside the factory at Enmore for a protest and picketing exercise. By 10:00hrs, the crowd had grown to between 500 and 600 persons. Several persons managed to enter the compound at the rear of the factory. The policemen tried to push back the crowd, but after this effort failed, they opened fire. Five workers were killed and 14 others were injured.

Lallabagee Kissoon, 30, was shot in the back; 19-year-old Pooran was shot in the leg and pelvis; Rambarran died from bullet wounds in his leg; Dookhie died in hospital later that day; and Harry died the following day from severe spinal injuries. These men, through the years, became known as the Enmore Martyrs.

The PPP acknowledged that, in current times, many are seeking to deny the role played by Dr. Jagan and the PPP in the struggle for better working and living conditions for sugar workers.

“Some are even trying to project the PPP and the legitimate and militant GAWU as ‘anti-worker’, in their desperate and vain attempt to deceive the workers by making outlandish promises and statements which they very well know are untrue and cannot be realistically met,” the PPP said in its statement.

However, the ruling party has said, the deaths of the Enmore Martyrs are a constant reminder to inspire and guide Guyanese in the pursuit of a better Guyana, where there is peace, progress and prosperity for all.
The PPP said, “The deaths of those sugar workers remain, until this day, a monument to the struggle of sugar workers for improved working and living conditions, and (is a reminder of) the brute force meted out to the workers at the hands of the planter class.

“Those five sugar workers are rightly referred to the Enmore Martyrs, but the cause for which they gave their lives triggered a much wider assault on the colonial status quo in the formation of the People’s Progressive Party in January 1950, a mere two years later.”

STRUGGLE CONTINUES
The ruling party also addressed the performance of the embattled sugar industry, and underscored its commitment to Guyana’s sugar workers, as evidenced by its continued support, the most recent being the injection of $6B to assist the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) in turning the industry around.

The $6B is expected to cover expenditures that include: mechanization — converting 2,500 hectares of land to make it suitable for mechanical operations, which will be done at a cost of $1.1B; tillage and replanting of 9,200 hectares — both efforts being consistent with improving cane production and yield, which will be done at a cost of $1B; factory upgrading at all sugar estates, including Skeldon – to be done at a cost of $2B; works to be done to field infrastructure — to improve field-to-factory access; and purchasing of equipment — excavators, bell loaders, tractors, etc. to account for the remainder of the allocation.

The PPP said, “The PPP/C administration, out of genuine concern for the wellbeing of sugar workers, intervened by putting billions of dollars into the industry in order to ensure its long-term viability, despite strong opposition from both the APNU and the AFC.

“…it is true that the sugar industry is currently experiencing some challenges, many of which are outside the manageable control of the Sugar Corporation. Among these are drastic cuts in the price of sugar, reduced and erratic labour supply, and changing weather patterns; which, coupled with technical problems experienced by the main sugar factory at Skeldon, resulted in less than anticipated sugar production and consequently a sharp decline in export earnings.

“However, the PPP is encouraged by the fact that the industry has reached, and even surpassed, its first crop target this year; and remains optimistic that the industry is now on the road to full recovery. This augurs well not only for our sugar workers, but for the country as a whole, since sugar continues to be the largest employer of labour and a major foreign exchange earner.”

The ruling party extended its congratulation to all sugar workers, as well as the management of GuySuCo, on the good performance during the first crop.

The Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) surpassed its 74,000-tonne target for the first crop, and the PPP/C has said that this trend will continue in the second crop and, indeed, in the years ahead.

Government says that despite its challenges, the sugar industry remains relevant to the health of the national economy. In 2013, sugar exports accounted for 8.3 percent of total exports valued at US$112.2M, and the industry contributed 3.9 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The first Enmore Martyrs’ Day also coincided with the struggle for democracy, including workers’ and industrial democracy. That major struggle of the sugar workers had the recognition of the Manpower Citizens’ Association (MPCA).
Written By Vanessa Narine