A few days ago, it was reported that former president Donald Ramotar stridently objected to Red House, the home of the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre (CJRC), being used as a state-funded research centre for all past presidents. Given my understanding of the PPP’s perception of the political nature of Guyana and its efforts in government to dominate the political space, I was not surprised by his statement (`Find somewhere else for Burnham & Hoyte – Ramotar on Red House deal’ SN 29/10/2015).
Although I agree that the way the PPP attempted to combine the use of state assets with its perennial control of the CJRC is unusual, I do not consider it a conspiracy to steal state resources. I believe that Cheddi Jagan is sufficiently important for Red House to be given and/or maintained as a centre by the state in his honour. Indeed, I have good reason to believe that if the PPP had been more open about its intention to organise the centre in the manner it did, there would have been very little public objection.
Don’t forget that on 13 December 2007, a motion was unanimously passed in the National Assembly to create a national honour, The Order of Liberation, to pay tribute to Dr. Jagan’s struggle for a free and democratic Guyana. ‘The Order of Liberation is the foremost highest national award that can be presented upon any individual, who by a lifetime of honourable achievements bestowed one’s life on the improvement of his fellow humankind.’
For me the creation of this award is much more important than the issues surrounding the PPP’s hijacking of Red House. Note that it took place with unanimous agreement in the legislature, and as far as I can remember, without any significant public protest or demands for similar treatment for Forbes Burnham!
It is not clear what Attorney General Basil Williams had in mind when he made his proposal that Mr. Ramotar has dismissed out of hand, but although the former president was at pains to state that he was expressing a personal (as opposed to his party’s) position, as a long-time advocate of some such arrangement, his objection and admonition to the government ‘not to lay a finger on Red House’ caught my attention.
In an ethnically divided country with extremely limited resources, it appeared to me that bringing together all the past presidents who had tried but failed to mould our various ethnicities into a nation in one place, so that their efforts might inspire others to succeed where they failed, is a worthy enterprise.
Furthermore, properly organised, this approach could lead to economies in the sharing of important staff, such as archivists/librarians, and facilities, lecture halls, theatres, etc. It would be easier for visitors who want to research or only view the works of all the presidents and proximity would encourage those initially interested in the work of only one president to view the contributions of the others. Most importantly, it would be an easily organised trip for schoolchildren who should be encouraged to visit and appreciate the work of all our presidents.
It appears to me that Mr. Ramotar’s outlook on the matter portrayed a kind of mindset that is unbecoming of a former president who is still firmly located in the corridors of political power. ‘If they want somewhere for Forbes Burnham and Desmond Hoyte, let them find another building.’ As if in establishing such an institution the major issue is one of space, he claimed that there is no shortage of space and that Castellani House or the University of Guyana would do just as well!
It should also be noted that although the suggestion from Mr. Williams is that the facility honour all past presidents, Mr. Ramotar did not include Messrs. Samuel Hinds, Bharrat Jagdeo or himself, suggesting that the present regime, with the PNC as the major partner, should really look after PNC presidents and the PPP will take care of its own! The extrapolation of this kind of vision could, and perhaps in his time in government did, have serious consequences!
Mr. Ramotar also laid a tenuous historic claim for Red House continuing to exclusively honour the Jagans because they once lived there. The Jagans did live in the building for about three years when Cheddi was premier in the 1960s. I remember the place as housing the Public Service Ministry and long before Cheddi and his family, many Colonial Secretaries had lived there.
By the time the PPP came to office the building was derelict and the PPP/C government should be congratulated for restoring and maintaining a property that is of some national historic interest. Rather than objecting to the inclusion of others at the centre, the party should seek to take credit for their initiative and help to develop it into a significant national institution.
But I believe that the knee jerk response of the former president contains two important elements, neither of which can be helpful to Guyana or the PPP. Firstly, he may genuinely believe that the Jagans are something special and should be kept apart from the wicked Burnham and Hoyte. This is an essential part of PPP historiography but it is certainly not shared, particularly in the case of Janet Jagan, by those of other ethnicities.
Secondly and more importantly, in its quest to establish political dominance, the PPP tried to control or destroy all the institutions, e.g., the trade unions and the Georgetown City Council, of those traditionally supportive of the PNC. Anticipating that it might one day be out of government and that reprisals could follow it must have felt and apparently still feels that its legacy would only be safe in its own hands.
That said, unless we want to contribute to the growth of ethnic animosity, as the PPP did when against the wishes of the leadership of the African community, it placed the 1823 monument where it thought it should be, the present government should avoid proceeding with its plans to create a single national centre for all presidents without first gaining the support of the PPP. The PPP’s approach to the establishment of the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre is simply another of the conundrums of its efforts to establish political dominance.
henryjeffrey@yahoo.com
