President Ali hails Janet Jagan as “greatest unifying force”

President Irfaan Ali hailed former President of Guyana, the late Janet Jagan as a unifying force for the country during her stride to bring about equity and harmony.
During the 100th birth anniversary of the late Head of State, organised by the Women’s Progressive Organisation (WPO) at Freedom House, Robb Street, on Friday, Ali said that “…more than anyone else, comrade Janet was the greatest unifying force we had nationally. She not only sought to bring the various ethnic groups together, she brought genders together. She worked among children, she worked among the vulnerable. She did much in the social services and the social sector.”

Jagan, he added, believed strongly that the social sector had the greatest potential of bringing people together. To ensure this type of harmony, she would have used the potential of arts and culture to execute this mandate.
At a time when a large cross-section was faced with societal and economic ills, he lauded the work of Jagan to create opportunities and an environment of equity, to alleviate these issues.
“The social sector had the greatest potential of breaking down inequality and that was the prime focus of her and the PPP at that time and still now. How we can bridge the gap of inequality, how we can ensure that the difference in our society are not layered in such an extent that the gap between the haves and have nots will pose special conditions that will create hardships for the poorer people in our society.”

Janet Rosenberg Jagan was married to former President and Founder of the PPP, Dr Cheddi Jagan. She served as President from December 1997 to August 1999. Some of the programmes she piloted under the Ministry of Human Services and Social security are continued today, including affordable housing.
“She saw affordable housing as a mean of bridging that inequality and more importantly as a means of bringing families and communities together and if you go to some of these housing schemes that she created since then, you will see the diversity of those who continue to live in those communities and that continues to be the trademark of the PPP housing programme,” the President highlighted.
Ali shared that these important initiatives were successful under the leadership of Jagan, who was also tasked with creating a space for herself in Guyana – having being viewed as an American initially. As such, Guyanese must have seen great potential in order to accept her.
“She had to impose herself in a society and in a culture that was different than the society and culture that she came from. Still, while imposing herself, create that confidence in the people that they would lift her up as their leader. There must have been something great, dynamic, visionary that they saw in her, although she was not from the same cultural makeup at that time.”
Meanwhile, Human Services Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud noted that Jagan did not only engage people at a superficial level, but ensured that they were part of the nation-building process. Through her drive for women empowerment, the WPO was formed – an organisation which remains steadfast. Persaud said Jagan was an avid teacher and there was always something new to learn when she interacted with people.
“She felt that young women must not be in the shadows. They must be empowered to have a voice and that is how the WPO was birthed. She never believed for a second that women were second class. She believed way back then that women should’ve had a voice. She empowered grassroot women,” the Minister shared.
Meanwhile, President of the WPO, Indra Chandrapal recognised the work of the former President in providing support to the Mirror Newspaper via her editorial and creative skills during the times of “oppression”. (G12)