By Baytoram Ramharack
Cheddi Jagan (1918-1997) was a complex political character. Comprehending Cheddi, the man, his mission, and his legacy is virtually impossible without a profound understanding of the supportive role of Janet Jagan (1920-2009), his lifelong political partner. Cheddi and Janet Jagan were politically inseparable. Yet, despite Janet’s towering omnipresence and historical appendage to Cheddi’s political legacy, she remains relatively unknown today, largely overshadowed by the enduring charismatic appeals and sentimental memories of a husband turned grass-root politician. But Janet was more than an inconsequential appendage to the legacy of Cheddi Jagan. She has earned a permanent niche in Guyanese historiography. Yet, to date, very little independent or critical analytical narrative exists on Janet’s legacy and contribution to our political development. What, then, should Guyanese make of the venerable Chicago-born “Jewish grandmother” who became a naturalized Guyanese in 1966 and rose to the pinnacle of political power in what was considered an underpopulated South American backwater country?
