Lionel Peters remained a true Jaganite

Dear Editor,
I first met Lionel Peters in July 1990 when as a little boy I went to Freedom House and asked to join the PYO. Lionel Peters took me immediately under his wings. I felt no tension being an African-Guyanese because he made me feel comfortable even though there weren’t many young African Guyanese around. No Kwame McCoy, or any of the others who run around Guyana today professing to be diehard PPP people. During that same month Cde Lionel took me to meet my party’s General Secretary, Dr Cheddi Jagan, and I remember how honoured I felt by this simple gesture.

From there a friendship developed between myself and Lionel, to the extent that I was invited to his home in Bel Air, on many occasions to have lunch and dinner with his family, who made me feel completely at home. I wish to mention that I had just moved to the capital city from Linden. Christine, Cde Lionel’s wife, made me my first Indo-Guyanese breakfast in my life; I remember it just like it was yesterday – roti and chicken curry with alu and baigan.
Through Lionel’s leadership in the PYO office, I was given the opportunity to be part of the planning and implementing of many PYO activities such as cricket competitions throughout Guyana, and many other sporting activities. It was Lionel who first introduced me to the remainder of the Jagan family: Joey and his kids, Nadira and her kids and also Clive Jagan. From there a friendship developed with Joey and his family also.

It was through Lionel Peters that the PYO finally had African faces to portray to Guyanese. In 1994 myself, Sase Narine Singh and Dr Frank Anthony were selected, on the recommendation of Lionel to represent the PYO and the Commonwealth Youth Exchange Programme. I was then selected to lead the Guyana delegation at that youth exchange for two weeks; on our return Lionel insisted that I compile a report about the programme which was to be presented to the central committee of the party.

It was Lionel Peters,  Neil Kumar and I,   who were instrumental in the setting up of the first ever PYO group in Linden, a place back then considered by many in the PPP as enemy quarters. Lionel Peters was truly devoted to the cause of the PPP and the vision of Cde Cheddi Jagan. He was passionate about racial equality and was eager to promote the true PPP to African Guyanese.

I must however mention that I was one of the many persons who were broken-hearted when he left to join the PNC.
Lionel Peters however remained a true ‘Jaganite’ and saw that our party (PPP) had been hijacked by men who disrespected the vision of our founder leader Cde Cheddi Jagan. It is my hope that Lionel would join in this new fight to return our party to its core values.

Yours faithfully,
Ossie Rogers
Former broadcaster
NCN Radio