…President, PM, Ministers no-show; Opposition not invited
By Samuel Sukhnandan
The commemorative stamps to mark the 100th birth anniversary of late President Dr Cheddi Jagan were launched on Wednesday at the Ministry of the Presidency, but senior Government officials were a no-show.
Relatives of the late President pose for a picture at the unveiling ceremony
Some close relatives of Dr Jagan and staff of the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre (CJRC) were the only ones present for the launch of the commemorative stamp. They included Dr Jagan’s sister, Dr Barbara Jagan and other relatives, including Dr Dionne Jagan-Fries and Dr Kyle Jagan.
Also in attendance were other representatives from the CJRC; the Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC); the Guyana Philatelic Society, and the Ministry of the Presidency. However, not a single senior Government official, Minister of Government nor a representative from the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), the Party he founded, were present for this auspicious event.
Hydar Ally of the CJRC said he was representing the Centre and not the party. He reflected on the life and work of the late President and expressed his gratitude. “It was his steadfast determination and resolve to free his people from the yolk of colonialism and poverty that really distinguished him from others of his time. He played the leading role in the struggle for Independence,” he said.
On the sidelines of the event, Ally was asked whether he deemed the absence of Government officials a slap in the face to the legacy and work of the late President, and he responded in the negative. “I don’t see it that way in any kind. We have a good relationship with the Centre and the Party,” he explained.
Ally did say, however, that the CJRC was disappointed that the stamp was not launched at the appropriate time.
Lieutenant Colonel Francis Abraham, the Office of the President’s Director of Protocol, who chaired the event in the small Mazaruni Room at the Ministry of the Presidency, also reflected on Dr Jagan’s legacy.
With the clear absence of members of the PPP, the Government was questioned on this matter, but responded in a press statement on Wednesday evening that Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo and other PPP executive members were invited not by the Government but the CJRC to be part of the event.
According to the Ministry, as part of the agreement with the Centre, Zulfikar Mustapha, Hydar Ally, Indra Chandarpal, Komal Chand and Neil Kumar were invited whereby they would have been provided with printed invitations by the Ministry of the Presidency. However, none of them turned up. However, Jagdeo had said that neither the PPP nor the Opposition was invited to attend the event.
Public Telecommunications Minister Cathy Hughes had announced last month that the GPOC would be issuing commemorative stamps to celebrate the late President’s 100th birth anniversary, following an arrangement with the Research Centre. However, on the day of Jagan’s birth anniversary, March 21, the Research Centre did not receive the stamps from the Post Office.
Following questions, the GPOC referred the media to the Ministry of the Presidency. President Granger later said that Cabinet had taken a decision that commemorative stamps, which are national symbols, must adhere to national criteria. It was, however, argued that the GPOC is a statutory body corporate managed by a Board of Directors and possesses its own persona.
The four collectable stamps, two printed in black and white and two in colour, feature portraits of Dr Jagan at various stages throughout is his political career. Printed on them is the text “Dr Cheddi Jagan, Man of the People, former President of Guyana” and also included are his birth and 100th birth anniversary dates, March 22, 1918 and March 22, 2018. The limited edition stamps will be available at all post offices today.
