MORE than fifty years have passed since the streets of Berbice were stained with the blood of men who dared to stand guard over democracy.
On July 16th, community members and activists gathered once again to honour the sacrifice of two men, 17-year-old Jagan Ramessar and 42-year-old Bholanauth Parmanand, who were shot and killed while defending the integrity of the 1973 General Elections.

Back then, Ramessar and Parmanand were ordinary men entrusted with an extraordinary duty: to safeguard ballot boxes on behalf of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP).
But their mission met a brutal end when the Guyana Defence Force, acting under orders from the then-ruling People’s National Congress (PNC), opened fire. Several others were wounded in that dark moment when bullets replaced ballots.

“They did not die from the gunshot wounds immediately. According to medical reports that we saw, if they had gotten medical attention, they would have still been alive,” said Dr. Vishwa Mahadeo, Director General of the Ministry of Health, who paid tribute at the simple wreath-laying ceremony. “They were tossed into the back of a vehicle and paraded through the streets of Berbice, a show of force. They bled out.”

The small gathering this year was a solemn reminder that these men were more than victims, they were symbols of a struggle that has shaped Guyana’s modern political landscape. The wreaths laid in their memory were not just floral tributes but a quiet promise that the fight for free and fair elections will never be forgotten.
As time passes, the wounds of that era remain etched into the collective memory of those who lived through it. For many, the Ballot Box Martyrs, as they have come to be known, serve as a testament to the cost of silence and the price of vigilance.

Today, their sacrifice calls out not only to those who remember but to a new generation that must guard against complacency. It reminds Guyanese that democracy, once betrayed, demands generations of courage to be restored.

And so, in the quiet moments by their modest memorial, the people of Berbice continue to stand witness, honouring two ordinary men who died an extraordinary death so that the voices of a nation could someday be truly heard.