President Jagdeo’s rebuff to Mrs Jagan was surprising

Dear Editor,

I read the letter headed “Gail Teixeira is losing her credibility, her present job appears to have shifted her loyalty from the party to the President” (07.10.21), about the withholding of ads from SN. The letter mentions that “Mrs Janet Jagan broke her silence on this grave and distressing matter and dissociated herself and the party from Jagdeo’s dictatorial and retrogressive step. Teixeira is aware that because of Mrs. Jagan’s principled position she was publicly ridiculed by Jagdeo who reminded her that she was no longer Guyana’s Head of State and as a private citizen, she should shut up and not meddle in the State’s business.” How rude.

Of course, both Mr Jagdeo and Miss Teixeira are too young to remember the heyday of the Jagans.

Whatever else is said, let us not forget that the Jagans were responsible for bringing politics to the people, for awakening us from our torpor and making us aware of the ills of the ‘society’ in which we lived at that time. Even as teenagers at secondary school, we sat up and took notice.

Decades later, in the early 1990s, I vividly remember when Dr Jagan, as newly-elected President, visited Lon-don. A small party of us attended two public indoor meetings held to welcome him, and to hear his proposals for a revived Guyana. A young Mr Jagdeo was always at his side, sharing the platform, seemingly enjoying the President’s full confidence. I now find it incredible that that same man would be so disrespectful to the widow of his former ‘comrade mentor’. Indeed, I agree “Cheddi Jagan must be turning in his grave/resting place wherever that may be…”.

As the present-day rapper would probably say: “Don’t dis your granny”.

Yours faithfully,

Geralda Dennison