THERE were reminiscences on the greatness of the late former Presidents, Dr. Cheddi Jagan and Mrs. Janet Jagan, on Wednesday evening by members of the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) on the lawns of the Cheddi Jagan Heritage Home, Bel Air Village.A number of persons were reminded of and enlightened on the work and life of the late Mr. and Mrs. Jagan, by members of the PPP/C.

Among them were the PPP/C’s Prime Ministerial candidate, Mrs. Elisabeth Harper; leader of the Women’s Progressive Organisation (WPO), Sheila Verasammy; Member of the Executive Committee of the PPP/C, Mr. Hydar Ally; and Chairman of the Bel Air/Prashad Nagar PPP/C group, Colin Croal.
Mrs. Harper reflected on her experience working with both Mr. and Mrs. Jagan, noting that it was a pleasure working along with those outstanding patriots.
“They both did not stand on ceremony,” she said, “as their principles were ones that should remain with all of us who want a better life for our family and children… They stood for better livelihood, equality regardless of race, ethnicity, colour, creed, religion…”
Mrs. Harper also recalled that when Dr. Jagan took office, one of the first initiatives he advocated was that there should be a new order in the world that would recognize equality, and confront the growing challenges of inequality in countries, so as to promote human development.
Since the year 1992 to now, she underscored that the Foreign Ministry has been promoting that initiative, stating that it is promoted now as the “New Global Human Order”.
“Last year December at the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN), a resolution was passed emphasising the importance of efforts to address all aspects and dimensions of inequality… that resolution called upon the member states of the international community to pursue ambitious efforts to address this, particularly in the context of the post 2015 development agenda,” she said.
This, Mrs. Harper highlighted, is the legacy left by Dr. Jagan, as he made member states recognise the need to address inequalities and promote economic equity and social justice.
She added, “I had the privilege of serving those great people, and we should continue to promote and work for what they lived for so that we can secure the future of generations to come.”
Meanwhile also speaking at the event, Ms. Verasammy spoke about the great work of Mrs. Jagan, and her role in promoting women’s rights in Guyana.
Moreover, Mrs. Jagan struggled for the betterment of all Guyanese for about 60 years, as she was even labeled as one of the 16 most rebellious women in the world.
She further noted that both of these distinguished persons worked intensely, campaigning and struggling against the Burnham regime to ensure that the citizens of Guyana had a better livelihood.
Also sharing his experiences, Mr. Ali talked about the goodness and simplicity of both of these idolized persons, who fought for the betterment of Guyana in many ways.
The greatness and works of Mr. and Mrs. Jagan are too much to mention, as they did quite a handful for Guyana, bringing the motherland back from destruction to a land of betterment where Guyanese have a better life.