THE South African government may have found itself in a rather difficult position of having to ‘defer indefinitely’ the conferral of a posthumous award to Guyana’s former Executive President Forbes Burnham following a petition against him. No less embarrassing was that, according to media reports, the daughter and son-in-law of the late Burnham had already made their way to South Africa to receive the award, only to be subsequently informed that the award had been deferred “ indefinitely”.
So far, the PNC has not made any official statement on the decision taken by the South African government to cancel the award, but it must have been a severe body blow to that Party as well, which is today trying feverishly to distance itself from the excesses of the Burnham past, only to be reminded once again of the atrocities committed by Burnham during his tenure in office as Head of State.
It is public knowledge that Burnham was linked to the murder of Guyanese historian and revolutionary Dr. Walter Rodney who was killed in a car bomb in 1980. Presumably, it was this stain on Burnham that influenced the decision by the South African Government to rescind the conferral of the posthumous award to Burnham. The award, “Award of the Companions of OR Tambo” was part of that country’s celebrations of Freedom Day on April 27.
The WPA, of which both Dr. Walter Rodney and Dr. Rupert Roopnarine were founding members, was at the receiving end of the PNC dictatorship during the Burnham years. Burnham boasted that “his steel was sharper” and did everything possible to humiliate and intimidate the political opposition more particularly leaders and activists of the WPA. The WPA has now found itself in an uncomfortable position on the issue having now become a partner in the PNC-dominated APNU alliance. It is a shame that the initiative to stop the award to Burnham came from individuals external to the WPA of which, as mentioned before, Rodney was a leader and founding member.
According to media reports, Burnham, through his daughter Roxanne Van West Charles was set to receive the award only to be told of the decision of the South African authorities to rescind the award. An e-mail purportedly sent by Diedre Vijoen, Minister (Plenipotentiary) of the South African High Commission in Canada to the Van West family indicated that the South African Government has decided to defer the award “indefinitely”.
The instructions came from from Mandla Feni, Protocol and Ceremonial Services of the South African Presidency. This is a complete reversal of an earlier decision taken to honour Burnham for his “ dedication to the liberation of his country Guyana as well as the African continent.”
Burnham, it will be recalled, established diplomatic relations with many African countries and expressed solidarity with the liberation movement and freedom fighters in South Africa. However, his ruthless and dictatorial methods drew wide criticism from democratic forces at home and abroad which resulted in the deaths of several persons including that of Rodney and Jesuit Priest Father Darke who was knifed to death by members of the House of Israel cult, a close ally of the then PNC. Two supporters of the PPP were also shot to death on elections day in 1973 as the army was transporting ballot boxes from a Corentyne polling station to an unknown destination.
The award has drawn objections from Jamaican scholars Dr. Rupert Lewis and Dr. Horace Cambell. The change.org website hosted a petition to President Jacob Zuma condemning the choice of Burnham as the intended recipient of the OR Tambo Award. It stated inter alia, ‘that even a cursory investigation reveals that Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham, a late President of Guyana, was disastrous for Guyana and its people, as head of a corrupt, brutal and murderous regime, replete with electronic rigging, illegal referendum and an imposed constitution in 1980.’
‘Internationally’, it went on, ‘it is also known that Burnham was an agent of imperialism, associated with the foreign policy goals of the US, France and other colonial powers . It is an embarrassment that the Government of South Africa made the decision to confer this award. The award is an affront to the legacy and memory of Walter Rodney, Father Darke, Ohene Koama, Edward Dublin and the numerous others who paid with their lives or liberty for challenging the increasing repression of the Burnham government.”
Guyana’s former President Dr. Cheddi Jagan was the recipient of a similar posthumous award a few years ago for his contribution to the liberation struggle in South Africa. The award was received on his behalf by PPP General Secretary and now HIS Excellency President Donald Ramotar.
So far, the PNC has not made any official statement on the decision taken by the South African government to cancel the award, but it must have been a severe body blow to that Party as well, which is today trying feverishly to distance itself from the excesses of the Burnham past, only to be reminded once again of the atrocities committed by Burnham during his tenure in office as Head of State.
It is public knowledge that Burnham was linked to the murder of Guyanese historian and revolutionary Dr. Walter Rodney who was killed in a car bomb in 1980. Presumably, it was this stain on Burnham that influenced the decision by the South African Government to rescind the conferral of the posthumous award to Burnham. The award, “Award of the Companions of OR Tambo” was part of that country’s celebrations of Freedom Day on April 27.
The WPA, of which both Dr. Walter Rodney and Dr. Rupert Roopnarine were founding members, was at the receiving end of the PNC dictatorship during the Burnham years. Burnham boasted that “his steel was sharper” and did everything possible to humiliate and intimidate the political opposition more particularly leaders and activists of the WPA. The WPA has now found itself in an uncomfortable position on the issue having now become a partner in the PNC-dominated APNU alliance. It is a shame that the initiative to stop the award to Burnham came from individuals external to the WPA of which, as mentioned before, Rodney was a leader and founding member.
According to media reports, Burnham, through his daughter Roxanne Van West Charles was set to receive the award only to be told of the decision of the South African authorities to rescind the award. An e-mail purportedly sent by Diedre Vijoen, Minister (Plenipotentiary) of the South African High Commission in Canada to the Van West family indicated that the South African Government has decided to defer the award “indefinitely”.
The instructions came from from Mandla Feni, Protocol and Ceremonial Services of the South African Presidency. This is a complete reversal of an earlier decision taken to honour Burnham for his “ dedication to the liberation of his country Guyana as well as the African continent.”
Burnham, it will be recalled, established diplomatic relations with many African countries and expressed solidarity with the liberation movement and freedom fighters in South Africa. However, his ruthless and dictatorial methods drew wide criticism from democratic forces at home and abroad which resulted in the deaths of several persons including that of Rodney and Jesuit Priest Father Darke who was knifed to death by members of the House of Israel cult, a close ally of the then PNC. Two supporters of the PPP were also shot to death on elections day in 1973 as the army was transporting ballot boxes from a Corentyne polling station to an unknown destination.
The award has drawn objections from Jamaican scholars Dr. Rupert Lewis and Dr. Horace Cambell. The change.org website hosted a petition to President Jacob Zuma condemning the choice of Burnham as the intended recipient of the OR Tambo Award. It stated inter alia, ‘that even a cursory investigation reveals that Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham, a late President of Guyana, was disastrous for Guyana and its people, as head of a corrupt, brutal and murderous regime, replete with electronic rigging, illegal referendum and an imposed constitution in 1980.’
‘Internationally’, it went on, ‘it is also known that Burnham was an agent of imperialism, associated with the foreign policy goals of the US, France and other colonial powers . It is an embarrassment that the Government of South Africa made the decision to confer this award. The award is an affront to the legacy and memory of Walter Rodney, Father Darke, Ohene Koama, Edward Dublin and the numerous others who paid with their lives or liberty for challenging the increasing repression of the Burnham government.”
Guyana’s former President Dr. Cheddi Jagan was the recipient of a similar posthumous award a few years ago for his contribution to the liberation struggle in South Africa. The award was received on his behalf by PPP General Secretary and now HIS Excellency President Donald Ramotar.
