The PNCR last evening launched a month of activities commemorating the 25th death anniversary of party founder and Guyana’s first executive president LFS Burnham with a call for the membership to stand united.
Addressing the party faithful and invitees at the National Congress of Women’s headquarters in Kitty, PNCR Chairman Bishwaishwar “Cammie” Ramsaroop said Burnham’s greatest legacy was the party he built to champion the cause of the people.
“At this juncture of our history of our party he would have advised and admonished us as he did in … October 1980 to be disciplined, to be dedicated, to be committed, to be confident, to be humble, to be mobilised, but above all to be united.”
Ramsaroop continued that the late leader would have reminded them of the lessons of the 1763 slave rebellion and the necessity of having only one leader.
The month of activities is being held with the theme of celebrating Burnham’s life and legacy and the chairman set the tone with a recital of the party founder’s contribution to Guyana’s development and education in particular.
“Forbes Burnham passionately believed that education was the cornerstone of equality and one of the means for the abolition of snobbery and discrimination. His magnum opus of the administration was free education from nursery to university,” Ramsaroop said.
He added that the “real tragedy” in Guyana now was that “90 percent of UG graduates” were migrating thereby depriving the country of the knowledge needed for national development. Ramsaroop also touched on Burnham’s push for Guyana to be self sufficient in the area of food production saying his recognition of the importance of food security to national development was visionary.
“He realised that a nation that can feed itself can survive in today’s world and not have to compromise its sovereignty. His timing may have been premature but the principle of food security was correct,” the chairman said.
Yesterday’s programme also included several cultural items and a reflection by party stalwart and former administrator of the Women Affairs Bureau Faustina Ward-Osborne who now resides overseas. The rest of the month’s activities include a symposium at Queen’s College on August 13; a variety concert at the National Cultural Centre on August 30; and a “cultural finale” at the Square of the Revolution on September 4.
