— Party honours fallen hero whose sacrifice saved lives and shaped Guyana’s political legacy

SIXTY-ONE years after his tragic death, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), on Thursday, commemorated the life and legacy of Michael Forde, one of its most revered martyrs, during a solemn wreath-laying ceremony at the Memorial Gardens and Crematorium in Le Repentir Cemetery.
Forde, a young party activist, was killed in a bomb explosion at the Progressive Bookshop located within Freedom House, then the headquarters of the PPP.
His death is remembered not only as a personal tragedy but as a pivotal moment in the struggle for democracy and political survival in Guyana.
Among those in attendance were senior executives of the ruling party, representatives from the Women’s Progressive Organisation (WPO), the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU) and members of the Forde family.

Delivering remarks at the ceremony, PPP/C Executive Secretary and Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, described Forde’s death as a defining act of courage that preserved the party’s leadership and mission at a time of grave danger.
Speaking at the ceremony, Executive Secretary of the PPP/C, Zulfikar Mustapha, reflected on Forde’s legacy, describing his sacrifice as one that saved the lives of several party executives.
“He was one of the fallen heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that the freedom we are enjoying today didn’t come on a platter.
“We know that many of the comrades from the party’s leadership were in the building at the time when the bomb was placed in Michael Forde’s bookshop. Because of his brave act, our party was able to survive, and today, once again, we are seeing that our country is on a progressive path,” Mustapha stated.
Forde was killed in 1963 when an explosive device was brought into the Progressive Bookshop, located at the time in the Freedom House building.
According to reports made to the police, a young man entered the shop with a small carton, placed it on a bookshelf, purchased a book and left hastily without waiting for his change leaving the box behind. The explosion that followed claimed Forde’s life.
Forde is remembered by the party as a hero whose death played a critical role in preserving the PPP’s leadership during a turbulent political era.