Dr Jagan and Burnham were complete opposites

Dear Editor,
Almost instantaneously after the celebration of the birth and life of the late Dr Cheddi Jagan on March 22nd at Babu Jaan, a ridiculously small number of letter writers and columnists have taken umbrage at the honorific title of the Father of the Nation which is bestowed upon Jagan by the Guyanese masses.
These misanthropists are so full of hate that they have failed to recognise the great struggles which both Dr Jagan and Janet Jagan had to endure in being relentlessly persecuted for the stance which they took against the colonial masters to liberate the Guyanese people. These bitter and envious people should read Jagan’s “The West on Trial” to fully appreciate the daily struggles which the Jagans and the members of the PPP had to bravely endure. They were beaten, tortured and jailed for what they believed in: dignity, self-respect, democracy and freedom.
One columnist seemed to believe that this title should be shared between Dr Jagan and LFS Burnham, but then he did not stop there. He insulted, vilified and poured scorn on the Guyanese people by asking two rhetorical questions: ‘Who would want children like these?  Which father in his right senses, with some residual dignity, would own up to be the ancestor of Guyanese, both of yesterday and especially today?’ The writer, being a US citizen by naturalization, has bluntly declared that Guyanese are not worthy of being the ‘children’ of the Father of the Nation. If his argument holds true, then the question must be asked: Are Trinidadians worthy of the late Dr Eric Williams? Are Indians worthy of Mahatma Gandhi? Are Americans worthy of the Founding Fathers (George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, et al)? And the list goes on.
However, the most relevant question the columnist should ask is: Are we worthy of our Father, who is in Heaven?
It is a historical fact that whilst Dr Jagan struggled against the horrors of the colonial system, Burnham supported the oppression against the Guyanese people, and orchestrated the first division of the Guyanese people, which his Party, the PNC, has kept alive even today.
Even when Guyana’s Independence was achieved, he began a dictatorial rule which saw the continued deprivations and sufferings of the Guyanese masses. Life became worse than under the colonial rule, and the exodus of Guyanese to all parts of the globe began in earnest.
I am positive that some of these malcontents fled to the US under the PNC, only to return and glorify the very evil monster which continued on its destructive path, spewing racial disharmony and acrimony in its bid to get into Government.
It is also a historical fact that, during the 28 years of the PNC dictatorial rule, Guyana became worse when compared to Haiti. However, after the PPP/C took office in 1992 under Dr Cheddi Jagan, socio-economic development began with great intensity, and even after his demise, his successors never flinched or strayed from the Jaganite ideals, and took the PPP and Guyana to greater heights.
There are so many great achievements by this great man, but one which I truly admired was his Job-like patience and perseverance in putting up with the rigged elections from 1968 onwards, but kept his Gandhi-like ideals aloft in fighting the PNC dictatorship.
I recall a famous quote from Gandhi: “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” Dr Jagan was the rightful Prime Minister/ President, but was kept out of office by a nefarious tyrant, whose band of corruptors wants to now label him as the Father of the Nation. This is a gross insult to all that a father stands for. Which father would assassinate, impoverish and deprive his children of basic food and medicines? A father must be assessed on the life he provided for his children, and Dr Jagan and the PPP always strove to bring the better life for all Guyanese; not the elusive ‘good life’ preached by the PNC-dominated Coalition.
Dr Jagan never wanted to be in Government for the sake of power, but for the uplifting of his people, unlike Burnham. They were complete opposites.

Yours sincerely,
Haseef Yusuf