Dear Editor,
It is with a great deal of sadness that I read of the death of Pariag Sukhai, a political stalwart in the PPP with the unique ability to reach across the aisle and relate comfortably with his opponents. Cde Pariag was from a simple and humble background and as such was not accustomed to any privileges or special treatment. Cde Pariag as he was popularly known, spent his entire life in the mainstream of politics, starting as an organizer in the PPP in what is now Region Three in the ’50s. He was responsible for the recruitment of Vincent Teekah into the PYO. Vincent Teekah would later rise to become the General Secretary of the PYO and Shadow Minister of Education in the 1968 Parliament. He became the Minister of Education in 1977 after defecting to the PNC in 1975. Vincent Teekah’s mysterious death is now history.
Cde Pariag himself became a Member of Parliament in July 1978, replacing Lalbachan Lalbahadur during the period of the famous referendum for a new constitution. Cde Pariag’s most memorable contribution was upholding the banner of the Rice Producers’ Association in the difficult period after it was disbanded by the PNC administration in favour of the Rice Action Committee in the late ’60s. Despite being starved of funds and thrown out as the legitimate farmer representative on the rice board, the RPA successfully transferred the battleground to the field and trenches. The relentless work of foot soldiers like Ramlakan, Earl Maxwell Gladstone Wilson, Dindial, Boodram Mahadeo, Carl Douglas, Bashir and Pariag Sukhai marshalled the struggle of the farmers for decades, rendering the Rice Action Committee a spineless paper organization despite the financial and capital resources at its disposal.
Cde Pariag would eventually succeed EMG Wilson as the General Secretary of the RPA after he retired in the mid ’80s. EMG Wilson was a PPP stalwart from Beterverwagting and a former headmaster as well as an able Minister of Communications in the first period of the PPP government in 1961. He was popularly known as the ‘Admiral’ after manning the MV Torani and Makouria during the 80-day strike.
Cde Pariag eventually resigned as general secretary of the RPA to become the Chairman of Region Three in November 1992. He served as Regional Chairman for two terms under the presidency of both Jagans, Cheddi and Janet. I wrote before following the demise of Dr Motielall early last year that Cde Pariag along with his erstwhile comrade, Sonny Dalchand were responsible for turning Region Three into a powerful fortress for the PPP in the field of electoral politics.
Cde Pariag also studied for a short period in Moscow along with the late Premchand Dass, Roy Bissember, Sidney Joseph and his close friend Rohit Persaud, himself a former regional chairman during the ’90s. Rohit told me that Cde Pariag was the elderly person in that group but had the capacity to read for long hours. Both Rohit and Pariag shared similar traits in their selfless commitment and passion for work, building the foundation of the PPP as a powerful political institution. Most important, no one can ever point a finger at them for any corrupt practice, not even as a joke.
It is impossible to expound fully on the contribution of Cde Pariag in a short letter; hopefully some day history will do justice to his contributions. However, Cde Pariag’s political activism and sincerity of purpose is responsible for Dr Jagan and the PPP’s success. Political activists like Pariag Sukhai are irreplaceable in the contemporary era.
May his soul rest in peace.
Yours faithfully,
Rajendra Rampersaud
