Dear Editor,
In a letter captioned ‘Dr Jagan’s legacy is alive and well’ in the Stabroek News (9.7.08), none other that Mr Mohamed Sattaur Administrator, Cheddi Jagan Research Centre and the CEO of NCN replied. Has he assumed the position of spokesperson for the party by virtue of the fact that he is the head of the centre? Did my letter question the centre’s role in preserving Jagan’s legacy? Is there some understanding on his part that this was the central theme of my letter? I am glad to hear that the President, the General Secretary of the party and none other than the Civic Prime Minister support the efforts of the centre. However, these efforts seem to be in vain as Mr Sattaur mentions in the penultimate paragraph that the letter writer, “must be excused as he may not be in the forefront of these organized efforts to preserve the work of Dr Jagan.” If one has to be in the forefront of these organized efforts to know about them, then indeed a very bad job is being done in getting the message out.
The last paragraph is typical of some sections of the PPP leadership. The writer makes a point and so he is up to no good. First, not everyone is a member of the PPP and so people are free to ventilate themselves in the media. By the way, where are the members of Jagan’s party supposed to ventilate themselves? Is there any standing forum where members can express their grievances or disagreement with the decisions and modus operandi of the government’s policies? Is it functioning?
Where is Jagan’s legacy, considering that he used to have periodic meetings to educate leading members and to listen to what they had to say and discuss issues with them? Did Janet Jagan hold these forums? Does President Bharrat Jagdeo hold these forums? Do you think that the once a year regional conferences or the once every three years congress is sufficient? And the PPP leadership has changed the three days duration of congress to two days, providing even less time for proper discussion. Are the members just to shut up because the leadership does not provide a forum? And you know what happens to those who dare speak out, those who exhibit any independence in thinking?
The big question is what is being done to promote Jagan’s ideology? Does the centre teach Marxism Leninism?
Does the centre teach materialistic dialectics or historical materialism? Tell me about the education programme of the PPP? Is there a thrust to educate with regard to the teachings of Marx and Lenin? Tell me about the cadre development programme of the PPP?
When Khemraj Ramjattan’s party group put a resolution to congress to remove Marxism Leninism from the constitution there was a lot of emotive condemnation of the gentleman and those who supported him. After all, you cannot remove Jagan’s legacy! How many of the newcomers who have entered the central committee are Marxist Leninists? How many are even socialist? How many of the older ones speak of Marxism Leninism and the dialectical methodology.
Mr Sattaur did not question the idea posited in my letter that the President’s credibility is at an all time low.
He did not question my pronouncement that the party’s leadership is being taken over by friends and favourites who have no understanding much less internalization of Jagan’s ideology. He did not refute my understanding of the politics of Mr Jagdeo’s rise to power. He did not question the aspect that genuine party members who have been in the trenches are being marginalized. He did not respond to the question of why the decision by the PPP congress to have 20% Civic is being flaunted. Maybe he would like to explain why Moses Nagamootoo was marginalized. Why is it that we are discussing the possibility of Mr Robert Persaud as president and not Mr Navin Chandarpal, or Ms Gail Teixeira?
Has Mr Sattaur internalized Dr Jagan’s legacy of Marxism Leninism? Is he a Marxist Leninist? A positive admission from him may very well influence some of the newcomers to follow that path and so ensure that not only Jagan’s name but his real legacy lives on.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address provided)
