Remembering Mrs Janet Jagan’s contributions to this great nation

Dear Editor,
Congratulations to Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo on the recognition of his contributions to our nation, culminating in the building and naming of the new Demerara River Bridge.
His years of service and dedication should be honoured and rewarded as he prepares for retirement. If we consider our Guyanese leaders of the past, we will also note with pride the significant contributions made by Mrs Janet Rosenberg Jagan. Born in the USA to Jewish parents and the granddaughter of Romanian and Hungarian Jewish immigrants, Ms Rosenberg grew up in Chicago and worked as a student nurse in her early twenties.
This is how she met Mr Jagan, who was also a student at the time, but in the field of dentistry. After being married shortly after, they moved to Guyana, where she became a major contributor and force in our country’s fight for independence. During that time, there was no antisemitism towards Jews in Guyana, and she embraced and was embraced by Christians, Hindus, and Muslims throughout our country.
She was a member of the British Guianese Labour Union and founded the Women’s Political and Economic Organization and co-founded the Political Affairs Committee (which later became the PPP after a merger), which was instrumental in introducing the call for universal suffrage, self-government, fair wage rules, and land reform.
This committee was essential in securing the right to vote for all Guyanese citizens. Mrs Janet Jagan faithfully and willingly served our nation from the 1940s up until her death in 2009.
During her more than 50 years of dedicated service to our grateful nation, she was an independence freedom fighter and hero; shaped the philosophy of the PPP and made it a party for the workers; suffered incarceration and became the longest-serving Parliamentarian in our country; built bridges with many nations around the world, including China and Russia; served as a Minister covering several portfolios, including labour, health, housing, and home affairs; represented Guyana at the United Nations; and served as first lady, Prime Minister, first Vice President, and the first female President of Guyana.
Thanks to Mrs Janet Jagan, we have oil and gas in our country today, and due to her naming of Jagdeo as her successor, we benefit from his recent contributions. Mrs Janet Jagan was a giant of a person upon whose shoulders many leaders of our country stand today. We must never forget her history, as it is intertwined with the freedom and history of our nation.
That which we see today and benefit from is thanks to her personal sacrifices, hard work, and steadfast leadership. Through her philosophy and actions, the mother of our nation has brought us freedom, liberty, and prosperity.
Her honesty and integrity kept our nation on a path that avoided corruption and wasteful spending. The party she helped create would not have survived during the many years of oppression without her faithful dedication to the people of Guyana.
For some, political convenience and religion may have led to a reduced appreciation for the mother of our nation, but for CRG and others, the mother of our nation and our first female President will never be forgotten nor side-lined. As she said in 1997, “May our country prosper as we work together.” (Reference: Cheddi Jagan Research Centre). May Mrs Janet Jagan never be forgotten!

Yours sincerely,
Jamil Changlee