Dear Editor,
I refer to three letters in your paper, ‘Remembering Adeshina’ (Jan 21), ‘Wendell George was an outstanding freedom fighter’ (March 8) and `Former Region Three Chairman, Pariag Sukhai served humanity’ (March 10). Adeshena and Wendell were relatively unknown WPA activists who made significant contributions to the post-colonial struggle for human rights in our country and who died recently. I did not know of the death and funeral of Wendell. I really regret this. I gave the graveside eulogy for Adeshina and was in anger. He was a simple, modest man who didn’t care about race and ethnicity but was concerned about freedom and justice in his country.
He belonged to a fantastic young group in the WPA that helped to weaken the PNC dictatorship. The list includes Sase Omo, Tacuma Ogunseye, David Hinds, Nkofi (deceased), Nigel Westmaas, John Williams (deceased), Osaze, Mobotu, Todd, Haslyn Cadogan, Karen de Souza, Victor Kerstin, Derek Gravesande, among others (an apology if I left out some names. These were African young men (Nigel and Karen are of mixed race, Victor is Amerindian)) who fought an African-led government where race was never a factor in their emotions, sentiments, thinking and attitudes.
My anger stemmed from the fact that Adeshina fought for free and fair elections and democracy in his country and died in semi-poverty. He was not from the ruling party so he couldn’t easily get a house lot or a secure job. I was raging with anger as I delivered that eulogy because Adeshina deserved better. The history of people like Adeshina (he came from ASCRIA into the WPA) needs to be written just as that of Wendell does.
I didn’t know Wendell George was dead until I read about it in a letter in this newspaper by Paul Tennassee. I met Wendell in the WPA in the seventies and we immediately struck up a friendship. He also sold goods to my mother-in-law’s supermarket at the time. He was a small trader. His lifelong friend was Brother Bissoon from Grove. Together they were a formidable combination. Two persons with boundless energy.
Wendell was a staunch brother in the struggle during the reign of the PNC’s autocracy. One of the top qualities of Wendell is that he was not intimidated by name and position. He would speak his mind and would refuse to be silenced. After the demise of the PNC government to which he made a significant contribution, he gravitated towards the Rickey Singh syndrome and that alienated me from him.
He became a quiet supporter of the PPP government and it had to do with the fact that he couldn’t accept a role for the PNC in a national government. That was unfortunate in that no matter how much you disliked the PNC as Wendell did, the facts of the PPP government being worse could not have missed the eyes and minds of any decent human being. But when all was said and done he was a very decent human unlike a few from the WPA who gave Jagdeo critical support and have benefited from his largesse and still do benefit from their relationship with the PPP government.
Though a quiet supporter of the PPP government, Wendell I doubt would have joined them. To Adeshina and Wendell, I say thanks for the moments of friendship. Thanks for the joy and emotions we shared as brothers in the struggle. But most of all, thanks for fighting for our country. I will always remember your contributions. The time is not right to honour you for your selflessness because forces are at work that will fight us in our struggle to do that. But a time will come when people like Adeshina and Wendell and their colleagues Brian Rodway, Josh Ramsammy and others will have their bravery written on the pages of this country’s history. Once again, thanks for the memories.
Finally, I read in the Sunday Stabroek that former Region Three Chairman, Pariag Sukhai has died. I knew Pariag a long time ago. I met him through Boyo Ramsaroop when I was in the Guyana East German Friendship Society. If there was a decent PPP member I have met it was Pariag. I remember working with him selling German magazines for the Friendship Society and got to know him better. This was a fine, decent politician that anyone would have liked
If ever there was a human being that because of his personality structure was incapable of being an authoritarian person it was Pariag. He always came across as too quiet for politics and someone who would never harm a fly. I lost contact with him after the PPP came to power but years later turned up at his office when he was the Region 3 Chairman to make representation on behalf of a worker. He was delighted to see me. His treatment was as if I was his buddy pal. Such was the nature of the man. Rest in peace, my brother. You did your part for your country.
Yours faithfully,
Frederick Kissoon
