Dear Editor,
Friday, December 5, 1919 was a very important day in Guyanese history. Yet none of our historians and none of our history books have made this public knowledge.
The day marks the 95th anniversary of British Guiana (Guyana) being offered by the British Government to India as an Indian colony. Known as the British Guiana Colonisation Scheme, it was based on “free immigration of Indian agricultural families.” Much of this plan can be found in the pioneer ‘Colonising British Guiana. Inducement to Indians: Facility for Land,’ Thursday December 11, 1919, page 6 and in the Liberal (Lahore) Indian National Congress Special Number Monday, December 29, 1919.
The scheme, among other inducements to Indian settlers, was to provide them with free passage and guaranteed employment for an equitable wage. For those who do not believe this hidden part of our history, the Guyana Reparations Committee suggest as further reading the Combined Court Proceedings No 14/1923 CSO 4399/23 nag Georgetown, page 20 where it is written: “As our population is now about 45 % Indian (145,000) and our Constitution involves equally of all races, we are really offering India a Colony of its own on the North Eastern Coast of South America, with fertile soil and a healthier climate than that of India or of any large tropical Colony.” Through the colonisation scheme it was argued by Dr Nunan that India was being offered a colony of its own in distant South America.
This offer to India was debated for 10 years from 1919 to 1929. Many delegations visited Guyana, India and Britain during this time. Delegations such as the Nunan-Luckhoo delegation investigated the offer.
The Indian Government named Mahatma Gandhi as the final arbiter of the offer. Gandhi viewed the offer with great caution and suspicion and was only willing to consider the offer if the Indian immigrants would be granted equal rights. Many leading figures such as C F Andrews and Benrisdas Chaturvedi were involved in this decade long assessment. The Indian Government established many groups to assess the offer. There was a select committee of the Central Legislative Council. There was a three-man commission comprised of Dewan Bahdur, P Kesava Pillay and V N Tiwary. This was called the Pillay Commission.
Ultimately Gandhi said no to the offer. He saw it as Britian seeking cheap labour to exploit. His views were that “Englishmen in South Africa are no worse than in India or Fiji or British Guiana.” Some sections of the Indian press were also opposed to the idea as well as other prominent Indian voices.
Many things were tried by the British to the encourage Indian colonisation of Guyana. In 1928, Governor Sir Gordon Guggisberg proposed a model land settlement in the colony and so in 1929 Bush Lot Essequibo came into being. The end of the scheme came about after a visit by C F Andrews in 1929.
Much of Guyana’s history has been hidden from the man in the street. Both former President Cheddi Jagan (born in 1918) and former President Forbes Burnham (born 1923) spent their early years while this debate was hot.
Yours faithfully,
Eric Phillips
