A counterpart to Dr Jagan’s The West on Trial is needed

Dear Editor,

Some years ago, while discussing our country’s politics, I was very surprised to learn that my friend, who was no more than 10 years my junior, did not know that Dr Jagan had been elected to Guyana’s legislature in 1947. He was certain that Dr Jagan and Mr Burnham first became legislators in 1953, as members of the People’s Progressive Party.

The current discussion regarding the Abraham’s fire reminds me of my friend’s lack of knowledge.

I first read Dr.Jagan’s The West on Trial in 1967, as a student at UG and a few times more since then in order to reminisce on Guyana’s political history, as I lived through a lot of what he describes, growing-up in the metropolis of Buxton, and under the aegis of (Sidney King) Eusi Kwayana.

Of the glaring biases and omissions in Dr.Jagan’s writngs, I am very aware, and have concluded that what we sadly lack is an equivalent by someone who has been an outstanding member of the PNC’s hierarchy during that period.

I humbly submit that Mr Hamilton Green is the person best qualified to fill this vacuum as he was intimately involved in the party’s activities. I think a distinction needs to be made between an account of the party’s history and the experiences of someone who helped to chart it.

Yours faithfully,

Michael Parris