Dr. CHEDDI Jagan, father of the nation, founder of the People’s Progressive Party and late Executive President of the Republic of Guyana, was remembered at a moving wreath-laying ceremony at the Cheddi Jagan children’s play park at Anna Regina on Saturday.

Speaking at the memorial ceremony, Chairman of Region 2, Mr. Parmanand Persaud said the life and work of the late great leader must be remembered.

Mr. Persaud said that Dr. Jagan who had Guyana at heart was a humble man who had great visions for the development of the country. He said the great leader can be compared to other great leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela because of his humility, great leadership and visions.

Mr. Persaud said the late Jagan in his fight to free Guyana from colonialism formed the Political Affairs Committee, then the People’s Progressive Party [PPP] and together with his wife, Janet Jagan formed the Women’s Progressive Organisation [WPO].

He said the late leader also brought youths together in Guyana and formed the Progressive Youth Organisation [ WPO].

The Regional Chairman also noted that Cheddi who represented all Guyanese also formed the Rice Producers Association [RPA} to represent farmers’ interest. He said the late leader who was Premier of Guyana during the fifties and early sixties put Guyana on the road of development but when the PPP lost power in 1964 due to a coalition between the PNC and UF, the country entered a dark phase of destruction and rigged elections.

  REBUILDING GUYANA FROM 1992

Mr. Persaud said Dr. Cheddi Jagan who fought and struggled in the Opposition for 28 years maintained a powerful party structure and always met with people at the grass root level. He said the PPP/C led by Dr. Jagan won the National and Regional elections on October 5th, 1992 and started to rebuild the country.

He said the great leader took over a country that owed a foreign debt of some US$2.1 billion, had poor roads, food shortages, dilapidated government buildings, blackouts, poor ferry services, a broken rice industry, poor drainage and irrigation, but through his great leadership and visions he rebuilt Guyana.

Mr. Persaud said Dr. Jagan died while rebuilding the country but his ideas and visions were implemented by other leaders he had trained and today Guyana is on the path of rapid development again.

Chairman of the District PPP committee on the Essequibo Coast, Mr. Basil Bryan Persaud said the name of Cheddi will always be remembered because of his humility and great leadership.

He said Cheddi who was a leader for all the people of Guyana wrote ‘The West on Trial’ and called on all young people to read the book.

Wreaths were laid at the monument built in memory of Cheddi Jagan by Region 2 Chairman, Mr. Parmanand Persaud, Vice Chairman Mr. Vishnu Samaroo, Rice Producers Association [RPA], Women’s Progressive Organisation and the Progressive Youth Organisation and the PPP Freedom House office at Anna Regina.