PLEASE permit me space in your newspaper to make ‘homage’ to someone who, though not from (Guyana) British Guiana, was an individual of great courage and national pride. This is a woman who I knew when I was about 12 years of age and I was living in the ‘Nigger Yard’ of Lot D, Durban and Louisa Row.

Here I am speaking of Janet Jagan. My father was as ‘political’ as I am and on weekends Cheddi and Janet would pick us up at our residence and we would venture to the East Coast where they would hold several ‘bottom house’ meetings – my father, was as Black as I am and a staunch PPP supporter. In fact the whole ‘Nigger yard’ at Durban and Louisa Row was PPP; that corner of Durban and Louisa Row was a mecca for political meetings. If I mention the politicians of that era, you of today’s alliance would not know what I am speaking of or about, but back to Janet. D Durban and Louisa Row was a tenement yard full of school children and Janet and her then partner, Jane Phillips Gaye, would come in the yard to help bathe and prepare the children for school. I would know, hence because I was the eldest at the age of 11 years, I was the eldest of seven children of my parents. I enjoyed those political outings with Cheddi, Janet, Jane Phillips Gaye and others. We travelled all over the West Coast, East Coast and East Bank sensitising our people about self-governance and independence. I guess that is where my political curiousness is attached.

This letter is not about me but about a ‘Mother of Guyana’ Janet. Guyana at that period in 1951 – 53 was all about one party, the PPP lead by Cheddi and Janet with Burnham as Chairman – the rest is history.

I would relate an incident in 1963 – 64 when the British soldiers were here. There was a curfew stating that we Guyanese must be in our homes from 18:00 hours to 6:00 hours. (There was no Covid-19 pandemic at that time). We, the youths of the three main political parties PPP, PNC and UF, defied the British and their regiments that they had stationed in our country, then British Guiana. We would mobilise ourselves together and gather in numbers at several parts in our city, Georgetown. One night we were on Regent and Wellington Streets, opposite the gas station at the corner where a drug store was on the north eastern corner. The British soldiers were there and we kept riding up and down Regent Street going around the block and back. The British army took it upon themselves to shoot one of our youths; his name was Julian Hyderkhan. All hell broke loose and the army stood with their long guns and bayonets affixed stood ready and waiting to mow us down, but suddenly there was this white figure coming around Wellington Street from Freedom House shouting you all white bastards, you are killing my people. The person was Janet Jagan. The soldiers then got into their vehicles and departed. Yes, she was an extraordinary leader and as they claimed she was a Communist. I now reflect that, had we gained communism, the State would have paid for my higher education and where are the Jagans, where are the Janet Jagans? No, I am not going to jump on any bandwagon after 67 years of politics, I am concerned that I was in the right political party, one that racially dominate the party when the United Force lead by Peter D’Aguiar and Manzoor Nadir, now Speaker of the Parliament. As I emphasise on Janet, I could, like other female politicians of today, understand that I am in no way suggesting, criticising their activities. I is just that in the era of Janet’s activities, we were one people seeking one destiny ‘Independence’.

My fellow Guyanese, the more divided we are the more our adversaries would cheat us from our natural resources that are in abundance. I feel our President Irfaan Ali is heading in the right direction when he speaks of national unity and his wife, our First lady reminds me of Janet’s reaching out to the less fortunate. Keep it up President Irfaan and First Lady! We elders are watching!

Yours sincerely,
Murtland Williams