Dear Editor,
SN’s 2011-04-06 edition carried in its insert, The Guyana Review, April – June 2011 Volume 18, Issue No 2, an article by Shaun Michael Samaroo captioned, `Healing the Burnham/Jagan Schism’ on the Alliance For Change Presidential Candidate Mr. Ramjattan. The article stated, “Ramjattan has come a long way since he joined the PPP/C in 1990. Prior to that he served as leader of the Progressive Youth Organiza-tion (PYO), the youth arm of the Party. He ended his stint there with a revolutionary change that stamped him as a party radical. Defying Dr. Cheddi and Janet Jagan, he deleted references to Communism and Marxism/ Leninism from the PYO Constitution and inserted the phrase “national democratic principles.” Both highlighted prongs are principally doctored versions of an historical reality, patently misleading and does not reflect the truth, whole truth and nothing but the truth!
Mr. Ramjattan was never “Leader” of the PYO” prior to joining the PPP/C. Rather, it was Mr. Rohan Singh who was the First Secretary, a designation which effectively made him the Head and Leader of the Organization. Ramjattan was the Chairman or “Second Secretary,” with Lionel Peters and Annan Boodram being the Organizing and Propaganda Secretaries respectively. (Mr. Lionel Peters himself stated this in an article). These were the epitome of a new political breed; talented, intelligent, vibrant and creative young people both with a vision and a mission.
They initially followed a path blazed by Former First Secretary (The Little Bearded Giant) Navin Chandarpal, which threatened the old order of thinking.
The articulation of a new and expansive vision for aggressive work among youths in the non-traditional areas of support necessitated adjustments in the PYO’s Constitution. Marxism/ Leninism and Communism hung like an albatross around the neck of the Organization not because of inherent ideological deformities and irrelevancies but more of a lack of appeal to young people outside of the PPP and PYO. (This was the prevailing view at the time).
The “Isms” among young people, were of no consequential value in reality. Whatever had to be done, had to be reflective of a Guyanese reality. Why therefore, create any brand of ideological roadblock for that matter which would stultify organizational growth and development?
It was felt that the Youth arm needed greater flexibility without the kind of rigid ideological platform that would lend greater appeal to young people across the Political, Race, Class and Religious divides.
It was as revolutionary as it was futuristic; a pragmatic approach which precipitated an intensification of the PYO’s involvement in various sports discipline – football, cycling – not traditionally associated with supporters of the PPP and an expansion of Soft Ball Cricket Competitions country wide. In fact the largest countrywide soft ball competition was held by the PYO in those days. If my memory serves me right, the biggest saw over one hundred and thirty odd teams across the racial spectrum participating. Mr Ramjattan, like the other members of the PYO Central Committee, was an extremely important part of these developments.
He was however, not the architect of these developments. It was a collective effort led by Mr. Rohan Singh who was never afraid to chart new courses, make decisions or defy the citadels of uncertainties and doubts. His creativity matched his optimism and belief in his team. Maybe these were collective/common attributes that made them such great team players and buddies. (Not so sure of the “buddy part” in today’s context).
Mr. Singh’s world outlook would have been defined by his humble grounding in Rosignol, work among the people stretching from Black Bush Polder, Corentyne, Canje, Berbice River, West Berbice, etc, before being transferred to Georgetown; and participation and experience garnered at various International Youth Conferences in mainly Latin America and Europe. He was in Berlin just after the fall of the Berlin Wall; in Moscow during Gorbachev’s Glasnost and Perestroika, and in Argentina before its economic collapse.
As Leader of the PYO, he travelled extensively, representing the Organization at various conferences in Latin America, Europe and Asia. In 1990, despite immense pressure from the Cuban Delegation in Moscow, he was able to have a resolution passed and included in the final document calling for “free and fair elections in Guyana.” This was a great success for the PYO which could only have been achieved by skillful negotiations through bilateral and multi-lateral meetings with Caribbean and Latin American delegates. It was a death blow for the YSM delegation.
After returning from an International Conference held in Moscow under the banner of the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) in 1990 Mr. Singh intensified his work on the PYO Constitution, which in actual fact was not “radically” changed with the exception of Marxism/Leninism and Communism which were deleted. Strange? No! Mr. Singh replaced those with words less frightening and more appealing ones rooted in a Guyanese reality, but in effect meaning the same.
This concept he had already discussed with Dr. Jagan, who never objected. The proposed change therefore, contrary, to any kind of reported defiance of Dr. Jagan, was a figment of someone’s colossal imagination. It was never intended to be an act of defiance against the Party.
While the completed document – with the deletion of Marxism/Leninism and Communism – was discussed and circulated among the top PYOites, it was finally left in the hands of Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan and Mr. Lionel Peters for their final thoughts and comments for presentation to the PPP’s Leadership of which only Mr. Singh was a part.
Events were moving at a pace. 1992 General Elections were in the air. Mr. Singh was asked by Dr. Jagan to be Manager of Freedom House in the process leading up to the Elections.
This meant dealing with the administrative and financial matters of the organization which were then under the control of Mr. Mike Persaud whom he replaced. Reluctantly, he agreed and juggled his time between two full time jobs, wearing two hats as both Manager of Freedom House and First Secretary of the PYO.
(Just prior to and after the elections, he had to take on an additional security role with Mr. Paul Dhanraj as his main support). It was during this period, that the “invisible hand” stepped in.
The document disappeared. Neither Mr. Ramjattan nor Mr. Peters could have accounted for it. I can remember the shock, disappointment and disbelief on Mr. Singh’s face. We tumbled his entire office in Freedom House to no avail.
The document could not have been found. Something changed there and then. He knew the document could not have disappeared into thin air. As prophetic as his words were, I remember them up to today. He said to me, “Look for when that document will turn up and see who will be using it to propagate himself by claiming the glory.”
By dint of a decision making process I guess we will never know, after the General Elections, Mr. Singh’s political career came to a previously unimaginable end. He was banished to the Guyana Police Force as designated Head of the Presidential Guard with the rank of a Corporal! Unbelievable for any intelligent, rationally thinking being! A Man of this Calibre!! A tragicomedy beyond all imagination, engineered by one of the weakest Home Ministers in the annals of Guyanese history, who himself is now history! This was later to be followed with accusations and investigation of an alleged threat to “assassinate” an official. The political intrigues were well underway that would lead to the decapitation of the entire top leadership of the PYO, starting with its First Secretary.
When the charade was first presented a few years later hailing Mr Ramjattan as the Champion of Change for the radical changes in the PYO’s constitution, 1 was shocked to say the least. The dishonesty was miasmic and glaring to me.
Before I departed the shores of Guyana to pursue my studies 1 had my farewell drinks with Mr. Singh and a few friends. Despite my urgings, he refused to set the record straight. He was too disillusioned with politicians and politics after twenty-odd years of involvement. He was terribly hurt, but as testimony to his strength of character, not bitter.
He continued to defend the PPP in his usual combative style. I later learnt he did speak to Mr. Ramjattan on the issue one night at what used to be their favourite “watering hole.”
Now that this matter has once again come full circle from the belly of the past, with the present offering Mr. Ramjattan as Presidential Candidate for the Alliance For Change, it is time that the record be set straight. After all, when we speak of honesty and integrity, we are all equally accountable, be it the commoner or Presidential Candidate. Unlike the commoner however, it is incumbent on the Presidential candidate to come clean, really clean.
Yours faithfully,
Taramchand H. Veerasammy MSc
BBP, Corentyne, Berbice
Former PYOite
