Dear Editor,
Former President Bharrat Jagdeo should stick to the old adage: if you don’t have anything good to say, keep quiet. Whether well intended as justification for the new dispensation of lifestyles for some of the ruling class or not, Mr Jagdeo should not invoke Dr Cheddi Jagan’s way of life. To compare Dr Jagan’s simple life and his home in Bel Air to what obtains today is absurd. Dr Jagan and Mrs Janet Jagan were way above reproach when it comes to modesty in both public and private life.
There’s no need to reiterate what Mr Ralph Ramkarran and Ms Nadira Jagan-Brancier said, however some things with regard to Mrs Jagan will clarify how both the Jagans lived and led by example.
There’s a funny story about Cheddi’s legendary frugality. Apparently the roof of the house leaked and Janet would use the pots and pans to catch the drips. It was only when she ran out of drip pans that Cheddi reluctantly agreed to have the roof fixed.
I worked with Mrs Jagan for almost 10 years and never once could the label ‘fancy lifestyle’ apply. As president, Mrs Jagan chose to live at Bel Air instead of State House. The presidential guards complained that their assigned space was inadequate. She loathed the use of outriders and sirens when she travelled. Mrs Jagan was a security nightmare for those responsible for that assignment. She frequently made unscheduled stops to go to the market, visit a sick person, etc.
Mrs Jagan and I took a few overseas vacations. We always stayed at moderately priced hotels with kitchenette-style facilities. No Marriott for us and all expenses were split equally. Mrs Jagan’s only extravagance was the purchase of local art. It got to the point where ‘starving artists’ would leave their pieces at the Office of the President (OP) for her to buy. Desmond Alli was one such artist.
When she resigned from the presidency, Mrs Jagan didn’t want to inconvenience the staff of OP as it was a Sunday, and she did it from the enclosed stairwell of her house. I remember scrambling to organize the small space to hold the podium, national flag and other equipment. Such was her modesty.
One can criticize Dr and Mrs Jagan for their political views and their tenure as presidents but when it came to humility, simplicity and integrity with the public purse, only the unconscionable among us can cast even a pebble. Mr Jagdeo’s comparison is chalk to cheese.
Yours faithfully,
Sadie Amin
