Dear Editor,

I am following up on Minister Clement Rohee’s letter (‘From the outset the PPP/C and government made sure that democracy was not reduced to citizen participation only at election time’ SN, August 29) asserting that the late Dr Jagan “principally and painstakingly organized the Guyanese diaspora in the struggle for the restoration of democracy.”  It cannot be disputed that Dr Jagan organized support groups of the PPP in Canada, US and England to help in the struggle for free and fair elections in Guyana. He was admired and well respected by diaspora groups. However, other groups in the diaspora, not organized by Jagan, also played critical roles in the anti-dictatorial struggle. I am familiar with the important role played by the support groups of WPA, DLM, TUF, and URP, among other parties that joined the PPP support group (ACG) in the battle against the dictatorship.

Also, the CPG, Jaguar Committee for Democracy, Guyana United Democratic Movement, World Union of Guyanese led by Dr Fenton Ramsahoye, temples, student groups, and several prominent individuals (independent of associations and affiliations), etc, made invaluable contributions for the restoration of democracy in our former homeland. I went to several protests in front of the Guyana Consulate on 3rd Avenue and marches around NY city that were organized by groups not linked to the PPP.  Also, GOPIO lobbied the late Senator Kennedy and the late Chairman of the Democratic Party, Ron Brown, urging them to pressure the Bush administration to demand free and fair elections in Guyana. I believe that GOPIO’s lobbying led to Kennedy’s press release which snowballed into Guyana’s first free and fair elections in 1992 resulting in the return of the PPP to office.

Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram