Dear Editor,
March 6 marks 28 years since the passing of the Father of the Nation, former President Dr. Cheddi Jagan.
Dr. Jagan is my personal hero, his life and struggles serving as a guiding light in my own journey. From being the son of estate workers to attending dental school in the United States, to travelling all the way to the halls of the United Nations to present his New Global Human Order, his is a story of sacrifice, struggle, and awe-inspiring triumph – all in the mission to serve humanity.
Around this very time a mere five years ago, the nation had been subjected to the first “spreadsheet” declaration by Mingo. I was seventeen years old then. Many of us waited with bated breath, wondering what was yet to come. At that moment, I was reminded of Cheddi’s silent pledge at the gravesite of the Enmore Martyrs, and I made a vow to advocate for the principles of truth, justice, freedom, prosperity, and democracy for all.
Let us all commit ourselves to these principles. Whatever challenges lie ahead in the story of Guyana, let us be reminded of the perennial words of Comrade Cheddi, taken from 1961: “I have never made any secret of my views. I have been thrown out of office. I have been subjected to violence, indignity and jail. I am willing to face these things again, and gladly, in the fight to free my people and aid them. Here I stand. Here I will stand until I die.”
Yours faithfully,
Nikhil Sankar
