AN emphatic ‘Granger is danger’ caution from the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary, Clement Rohee, was met with thunderous cheers from a gathering of thousands who supported Dr Cheddi Jagan and turned out at his death anniversary memorial yesterday at Babu John, Port Mourant.Rohee waded into the Alliance — the coalesced A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and Alliance for Change (AFC) — for attempting to hoodwink the nation with falsehoods and misrepresentation.

At what is being seen as the unofficial launch of the Party’s campaign, in line with the aim of fulfilling Dr Jagan’s vision of an ever-progressing nation, he charged that what APNU-AFC represents is clear.
Reworking the acronym for the parties’ names, Rohee said: ‘A’ represents arms that have gone missing; ‘P’ represents pedophiles; ‘N’ represents nimakaram; and ‘U’ represents upside down.
Turning his attention to AFC, he said: ‘A’ stands for angry people; ‘F’ for frantic fakes; and ‘C’ for confusion.
The latter, the PPP General Secretary charges, is the sum total of the Alliance: Confusion; a confusion that the ruling Party with the support of the electorate must prevent from taking its tool on the Guyanese people.
“Forward ever, backward never,” he charged.
The entry of the Progressive Youth Organisation’s (PYO) march past at the pavilion – 1,000 strong – added tangibly to what was already a charged atmosphere as they shouted, ‘Together with the PYO, hail the PPP’.

REPEAT OF ‘61
Continuing with his call to the massive gathering, Rohee noted that there must be recognition that the ruling Party is facing a similar situation as they did in 1961, when The United Force (TUF) aligned itself with the People’s National Congress (PNC), which now forms the majority of APNU to get the PPP out of office.
He recalled that while the effort was successful, TUF was subsequently marginalized by the PNC, whose administration from 1964 to 1992, when the PPP regained office, was characterised by negativity.
The upcoming May 11 General and Regional elections, Rohee stressed, must ensure that history is not repeated.
“Everyone must be a soldier; every vote counts, and we must win the votes we lost. I appeal to everyone, we have no time to lose; we must keep the spirit of Dr Cheddi Jagan alive, and ensure that what we worked hard for is not lost,” he stressed.
The PPP General Secretary called for the total abandonment of the ‘we already win’ mindset and pointed out that the upcoming polls will largely be a two-way race between the ruling Party and the Alliance.
“Every vote counts…no one wants a change for the worse,” he said, assuring that under the PPP/C, Guyana will continue to move forward, from good, to better to best.

REAL STRUGGLES
The PPP General Secretary stated too that the Guyanese youth have to be educated about the struggles of Dr Cheddi Jagan, his wife, Mrs Janet Jagan – both former presidents – as well as other party stalwarts.
“We must also talk to them about the struggle of the future,” he said, adding that on the road ahead the PPP will show that it “still has its sting.”
Acknowledging that change tales time, he also underscored that Guyanese today are living the change that has been advanced in the last two decades.
On that note, Rohee reminded that Dr Jagan’s legacy is one of struggle, sacrifice and doing all that is needed to improve the lives of Guyanese.
“We are at a crucial time in our country…crucial because we have to decide whether we continue to go forward or backward,” he said, to which the crowd screamed that progress is what they want to see.
The energy of the people’s response was maintained throughout the proceedings, which also featured dramatizations, recitals, and a Cheddi Jagan themed song from ‘Kendingo’, as well as covers of Bob Marley’s hits ‘One love’ from Rohee, and none less than President Ramotar, as well as other Party leaders.
The largest gathering seen in recent years at Dr Jagan’s memorial also witnessed the laying of wreaths at Babu John, when by and large, as has been the tradition for years, the life and struggles of Dr. Jagan, who died on March 6, 1997, after a brief period of illness, was remembered and celebrated.

(By Vanessa Narine)