Mrs Jagan, an incomparable patriot, nationalist, and extraordinary woman - President Jagdeo
- at State funeral ceremony at Parliament Buildings
Georgetown, GINA, March 31, 2009
In a stirring tribute to former President Mrs. Janet Jagan this morning at Parliament Buildings, during the State funeral ceremony, Head of State Bharrat Jagdeo described her as an outstanding citizen, one whose contributions have shaped this nation, who was a pioneer that fought for Guyana’s freedom, a crusader for the restoration of democracy and an advocate for human rights and human dignity.
“Time is not ours forever. Mortality is our common denominator; and death an inevitable and inescapable reality of human existence. And yet, accepting the loss of some one dear and close, someone whose imprints in the Guyanese sands of time are inerasable, is never easy. So it is with Janet Jagan. Death snatched from us an incomparable patriot and nationalist, an extraordinary woman who dedicated her life to the fight for freedom and for the social and economic advancement of all Guyanese,” the President noted.
President Bharrat Jagdeo paying tribute to the former President at Parliament Buildings.
Before a large gathering comprising members of the Diplomatic Corps, the former president’s family, People’s Progressive Party members, other Officials and overseas delegations, President Jagdeo stressed that her strongest legacy however, would be the party she co-founded.
“The PPP which she cultivated remains, as it was in 1950, a party wedded to national unity and working class solidarity,” he said as he hailed the former President first and foremost as an enlightened humanist.
“She was always deeply concerned about people. Throughout the many years that I have known her, she always showed a deep concern for the effects of public policy on the ordinary citizen. Her working class orientation was a product rather than a source of this humanism which placed the individual at the center of social relations. Janet Jagan remained, to her dying day, a very approachable person, always willing to listen to the problems of the ordinary person, and ever ready to offer whatever assistance she could muster. She helped thousands of Guyanese without ever craving attention or public accolades for her kindness.”
Immediate family members of the late President at the State funeral at Parliament Buildings.
The President also told the crowd that Mrs. Jagan was a radical and militant non-conformist. “She was not one to be found on the sidelines. She was an active protagonist on behalf of those on the margins of society,” he said.
“Life in the colony, except for a small privileged group, was below acceptable conditions of human decency. Social and political freedoms were limited, political agitation ineffectual and the existing political movements impotent and servile. Leadership and direction was needed. This was the situation that greeted the Jagans on their arrival in British Guiana. It would have been easier and convenient for Cheddi and Janet Jagan to fit snugly into the privileged elite which dominated life in the then depressed colony. The Jagans were however, extraordinary human beings imbued with a degree of social consciousness that would not allow them to ignore the plight of the poor, the exploited and the oppressed.”
The ideals for which they fought were the very ones proclaimed as the essential principles of liberal democracies: freedom, prosperity and equality, the Head of State explained, noting that they strove to end human want, exploitation and bondage, to promote the rights of all citizens and to create a free and independent Guyana where the potential of all its citizens could be realized.
He explained that in those days, and in the eyes of the plunderers of “our national patrimony, this amounted to political subversion and communism; and the Jagans were so branded. Firm in their commitment to the freedom of our people, it was a label they wore without a hint of shame or guilt,” President Jagdeo noted.
The casket bearing the remains of the later President at Parliament Buildings.
The President also praised Mrs. Jagan’s organizational skills, political stamina and strong character and stated that her legacy would live on in the political party of which she was a founding member.
Mrs. Jagan was particularly influential on two fronts: the struggle for women’s rights inclusive of the extension of the franchise to women; and the struggle for the rights of workers, President Jagdeo outlined.
In the case of the women’s rights, it was in great measure because of the struggle she and others waged that the colonial powers finally agreed to have the franchise extended.
Despite the constraints placed on the government, a great deal was achieved, the President said, as he went on to outline some of her achievements.
“Doors were opened and barriers broken down to provide greater opportunities to all Guyanese. Food production and exports increased; trade relations expanded; considerable strides were achieved in education, health, housing, electricity and water sectors,” he said.
As Minister of Labour, Health and Housing, significant steps were made; programmes were launched to eradicate malaria and filaria, a mass children’s vaccination against polio was undertaken, and several health centers and cottage hospitals were built, while water supply was extended to several unserved communities. Additionally, housing developed in both rural and urban areas.
Opposition Leader Robert Corbin paying tribute to the former President.
At the ceremony, Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee read the eulogy, while tributes were paid by PPP General Secretary Donald Ramoutar, Opposition Leader Robert Corbin, Nadira Brancier, daughter of Mrs. Jagan and Vrinda Jagan, grand daughter.
Mrs. Jagan, the first and only woman to be elected President of Guyana, passed away on March 28. She was 88 years old.
Janet Rosalie Jagan née Rosenberg was born on October 20, 1920 to a Jewish, middle-class family in Chicago, in the United States. She became the sixth and the first female President of the Republic of Guyana on December19, 1997. She served in that position up to August 11, 1999 when she retired for health reasons.
The casket bearing Mrs Janet Jagan being wheeled out for the journey to PPP's Freedom House Headquarters.
She served as Prime Minister from March 17 to December 19, 1997 in addition to holding several other elected offices some of which included, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly and Government Minister.
After migrating to Guyana with her husband Dr Cheddi Jagan whom she had met and married in 1943, while working as a student nurse at Cook County Hospital, she founded the Women's Political and Economic Organisation and co-founded the Political Affairs Committee in 1946, and later along with her husband Dr Cheddi Jagan and others, the People’s Progressive Party in 1950.
Janet Jagan is recipient of the Guyana's highest national honour - Order of Excellence (O.E.), Woman of Achievement award from the University of Guyana and in 1997, the Gandhi Gold Medal for Peace, Democracy and Women's Rights by UNECSO.
TOP
Labour Ministry to step up OS&H awareness, workplace inspections
-in observance of world Occupational Safety and Health month
Georgetown, GINA, March 31, 2009
Recognizing that the ‘worker’ is an important asset in the workplace, the world will be observing Occupational Safety and Health (OS&H) month 2009 in April under the theme “Health and Life at Work: a Basic Human Right”.
The Ministry of Labour has over the years been intensifying inspections of workplaces throughout Guyana and creating greater awareness through sensitization campaigns.
Chief Labour and OS&H officer Yoganand Persaud in a message to mark the month said that the Ministry of Labour in keeping with this theme has increased efforts to ensure compliance with the occupational safety and health act, No. 32 of 1997.
The Ministry holds occupational safety and health as a very important component of its portfolio, Persaud said.
The Ministry of Labour will continue to work with all stakeholders in a collective effort to reduce accidents at the work place, the message reads.
He said the Ministry’s emphasis would be through inspections and education utilizing seminars, however, if the need arises the Ministry is not averse to prosecution. “We have and would continue to accelerate the formation of Workplace Safety and Health Committees so as to empower workers to ensure their own safety,” he said.
During 2008, over 3000 inspections were conducted and LOSH completed 269 registrations. Work place accidents declined by 60% during last year.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the National Advisory Council on Occupational Safety and Health (NACOSH) Dale Beresford has issued an invitation to all government agencies, employers’ and workers’ organisations to implement the ‘Workplace Workers Health Promotion and Well Being at Work’ Programme.
This programme focuses on the promotion of health among all workers and their families and within the community through preventive and assistance programmes in the areas of drug and alcohol abuse, tobacco, HIV/AIDS, stress and violence at work.
Beresford in his statement said that “social dialogue serves to help form networks in the workplace and beyond which can include families, schools and public authorities on issues where lasting and effective progress can only be made through changes in social attitudes as it is valuable means of developing close and mutually beneficial partnerships which can be useful in many other areas of working life.
“A healthy worker is a productive worker who contributes significantly to the overall improvement of the economic status of the company and overall improvement of the country as a whole,” Beresford said.
The Ministry’s month of activities is designed to stimulate a rededication by all as it strives to achieve safer working environments.
TOP
Janet Jagan made an indelible mark on Guyana’s history
-PPP/C General Secretary
Georgetown, GINA, March 31, 2009
Mrs. Janet Jagan has made an indelible mark in the history of Guyana and throughout the history of the country her name and her work endure, General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP/C), Donald Ramoutar said today as he recounted the life of the late President during the State Funeral, Parliament Buildings.
Ramoutar said Mrs. Jagan and her husband Dr. Cheddi Jagan shared similar views that injustice, oppression and poverty should end.
Mrs. Jagan had a personality that many who knew her including her husband described her as someone being shy and who preferred to be in the background. Nevertheless, she thought that women must be part and parcel of the struggle for freedom to enhance the quality of life in Guyana and never shied away from her responsibilities in that regard, Ramoutar stated.
“In Guyana she sought out persons of similar views and very early she found, together with her husband, colleagues Ashton Chase and Jocelyn Hubbard to form the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) which saw independence as a stepping stone towards ending oppression in Guyana and bringing social justice to the people of the country In 1950 they formed the PPP and also saw that as an instrument and a tool to organize the people of this country to fight for the objectives that they set themselves,” he said
The General Secretary noted that despite opposition and constraints during her struggles, she withstood them with dignity.
General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP/C), Donald Ramoutar
“After the suspension of the constitution Mrs. Jagan was imprisoned and it was done in such a cruel way…but she bore all those things with dignity. The British colonialists were the first to try to demonize her…She was probably the most potent weapon in that regard and that is why they sought to do that but the people of this country loved her and she distinguished herself as the Minister of Labour, Health and Housing. Much of her work still stands today in the form of cottage hospitals and housing schemes in the Ruimveldt, Campbellville and other areas,” he said.
Mrs. Jagan, he said, was an outstanding journalist since the inception of her career in Guyana.
“She was one of the editors of the PAC, (Political Affairs Committee) bulletin. She edited the ‘Thunder’ from time to time and she also edited the ‘Mirror’ newspapers over many years. She was in Parliament again in 1973 and was the spokesperson on issues of health and social affairs. After the death of Dr. Cheddi Jagan she found herself in comfort and influence of people whose outpouring of grief was so great. She once again was at the leadership of the PPP who asked her to be the presidential candidate for that election which made her extremely busy.
She continued to work in this job until ill health in August 1999 which forced her to resign.
Despite this, she continued to work in the party, she wrote articles for the newspaper almost every week even when she was abroad…she outshone some of the younger comrades who held that position before because during this last period of her life she got out every single issue on ‘Thunder’ on time and her last issue was finished on the day before she passed away,” Ramoutar said.
TOP
Mrs. Janet Jagan - a woman of outstanding achievements
Georgetown, GINA, March 31, 2009
One of Guyana’s greatest leaders whose life was motivated by a strong, caring concern for people, particularly those of the poorer marginalized classes has passed on.
In a passionate eulogy today at the Parliament Buildings, Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee recalled the exceptional life that she led and noted that she was a perceptive, practical political strategist and visionary.
In 1992, following the victory of the PPP, Mrs. Jagan became First Lady, a role she filled with dignity, charm and simplicity, Minister Rohee said.
However, desirous of a change from the demands of the role of First Lady she went on to serve as Ambassador to the United Nations during the 48th Session of the UN General Assembly from 1993 to 1994.
Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee delivering the eulogy of former President Mrs. Janet Jagan at the Parliament Buildings.
In an extraordinary change of events, after the death of Dr. Cheddi Jagan on March 6, 1997, she was sworn in as Prime Minister of Guyana.
Later on with the advent of the 1997 elections, Mrs. Jagan became the Presidential Candidate of the PPP/C and won the elections receiving a larger percentage of the votes than in the elections of 1992 and with that victory she became Guyana’s first female to hold the highest office of the land from December 19, 1997.
Minister Rohee posited that this was one of the most painful periods in her political life, and that of the Party. “For it was during this period that the vilest and wickedest forms of protest including public recourse to obeah, political manoeuvres and subterfuges were used to dislodge her from Office, eventuating in the reduction of her term by two years. This undoubtedly contributed to her illness. But she bore the indignity with dignity, the insult with courage, and the gamut of indecency with resilience. Such was the nature of the woman!”
He was adamant that, “For a woman who struggled all her life for the advancement of our country, our people and for future generations, to have been treated in that manner, the only decent thing for those who are guilty of these acts to do would be for them to offer her, even in death, an apology in their quiet moments for what they did to her while she was alive.”
He noted that the Jagans did not have much time to settle as by 1945, two years after they arrived, they were already in the maelstrom of political debate and controversy.
Mrs. Jagan from the inception was fighting for the rights of women, as in the early days in Guyana she advocated for birth control and family planning.
A founding member of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) and the Women’s Political and Economic Organization (WPEO), she secured an increase in wages for town council watchmen, successfully defending the cause of town constables. She also fought for the rights of quarry workers to have meetings with their Union representatives at quarries and struggled for better conditions for domestics.
In 1950, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) was formally launched with Mrs. Jagan as General Secretary. Minister Rohee noted that at the first party Congress held one year after, she had this to say; “The aim of our Party is one firstly; to win for our country complete and absolute independence; secondly, to externally unite our country with people of other colonial and semi-colonial territories in a common struggle.”
History shows that at this stage in her life Mrs. Jagan contested and won several offices. In 1950 she became the first representative of the working class to enter the Georgetown Municipal Council and in 1953 General Elections; she won the Essequibo and West Demerara Constituency, thus contributing to the victory of the PPP. She was also the Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly following the 1953 elections.
Minister Rohee noted that the situation was drastically changed when the PPP was only in Office for only 133 days at which time the Constitution was suspended and the movements of Mrs. Jagan and other prominent leaders of the PPP were restricted to Georgetown.
Her love for her new country was tested in 1954 when she was imprisoned for six months. She was later released on January 18, 1955.
“Where lesser spirits would have been broken, this lady of substance, Janet, showed remarkable resilience and courage that would inspire and embolden Party colleagues nation-wide,” the Minister said.
The PPP foundation was rocked in 1955 when there was a split in the party; however, due to the work of the Jagans the party remained united.
In 1957, the PPP succeeded in winning the elections and during that term, she made her mark as Minister of Labour, Health and Housing. Later on after the 1961 elections she was appointed Minister of Home Affairs and remained there up to June 1, 1964 when she resigned in protest due to the non-cooperation of the local Police Force and the complicity of the Colonial authorities, Minister Rohee said.
He noted that from 1964 to 1992 with the PPP in the Opposition, Mrs. Jagan displayed much strength of character, grit and determination.
The Minister said her contribution to Parliamentary debate was “characterized by precision in language and practical wisdom.”
Mrs. Jagan served as a member of the Elections Commission from 1968 to 1979 and exposed the State-sponsored rigging of the 1968 and 1973 elections.
“It is no exaggeration to say that the People’s Progressive Party is a living monument to the vision, discipline, energy and organizational skills of Janet Jagan… As Executive Secretary of the Party she made a tremendous contribution to the strengthening and consolidation of the PPP while working for the unity and cohesion of the Party at all levels,” Minister Rohee declared.
Long before attaining the Presidency, she was International Secretary and due to her work was awarded the Golden Medal for Peace, Democracy and Women’s Rights.
Mrs. Jagan, a native of the United States of America was born on October 20, 1920. She married on August 5, 1943 to one of Guyana’s founding fathers, Dr. Cheddi Jagan who brought her to the then British Guiana in December 1943.
Mrs. Jagan leaves to mourn her two children Cheddi Jagan Jnr. and Nadira Brancier, her party and country.
TOP
The loss of an icon
Georgetown, GINA, March 31, 2009
Former President Mrs. Janet Jagan who died after a brief illness on March 28 was given fittingly, a State funeral held at Parliament Buildings. She was cremated at the Babu John Crematorium today in the presence of thousands of Guyanese, government officials, her party members and members of the Diplomatic Corps.
The Government Information Agency (GINA) today spoke with persons from around the country who expressed their views on the passing of the former President.
Peter Atkinson
Riverview
The other night I was looking at an interview on her 50th wedding anniversary and from that I draw conclusion and to me from that interview I said she was a role model. She was very good.
George Edwards
Annandale, ECD
At least she was a very good person and I am sorry for her passing. It was a very good role she played in helping Guyana to get independence. I am very sorry.
Anand Dharampaul
Annandale, ECD
I would always say good things about her since she fought for this country and made people understand the full nature of life. Every young person should adopt the principles of her and know exactly what life has to offer. She had done well in her life.
Allan Burnett
Georgetown
I feel very sad personally for her death because from the time I knew her she fought for this country. She did so much especially for women. She formed good organisations and she took off where her husband left off and I am very thankful they way she treated the country and what she tried to do when she was alive. Let’s hope that somewhere along the line we could have another woman and be a role model and keep doing the good work.
Zenia Carter
Linden
I came to bid Cde JJ a send off and a welcome to her new home. I know I will miss her dearly. She is the cause of me having my own home in Linden, in providing my materials and I can boast to the world, to Guyana, that Mrs. Jagan was a very pleasant person. She was very nice and may God grant her eternal peace and rest. I feel very sad. She has done her best for the country. She give up her home to be in Guyana to fight for women and she did it with all her might and all her heart.
Shanta Springer
Essequibo Coast
I think that Cde. Janet Jagan deserve my presence because of the things that she has done in Guyana. She has made a great contribution since she had an input in Guyana. In fact, she was a visionary. Her passing has caused an entire gloom over Guyana and we have lost a mother of the nation. She is gone and we will all miss her. She leaves a legacy that we can pattern so we could pattern and we can stand and fight for democracy and equality for women.
Badewattie Kandial
Georgetown
It is a great loss to us. She was so active and she was an inspiration. We loved her. We learned from her. She was always a guiding light to us. She is gone. Nobody is gone in a sense because she will live on for us. She will always be there. We will always have a legacy. We will look at her teachings as guidance. I would like to express condolences to the immediate family and country as a whole. Everybody learnt from her views.
Myrtlene McLennan
Plaisance
It is so sad you know but I mean to say we all have to go someday and she has done a lot of good. No one is perfect. We all have our “buts” but at least she fight for the women and she was a very thoughtful woman.
Anita Thorne
Parika
I felt very sad because you could come to her and tell her your problem and she would make sure you get help. She didn’t turn down anyone. Everyone should miss her because she was a mother and she always played a mother role in Guyana, a hard working struggler and I am proud because she is a woman. She made us dignified and we are recognised. We could stop violence from our husband, no man can take advantage of us because of Cde. Janet. She has empowered women and proud women of today, dignified women that we could stand up as women, anywhere we go. We miss her and love her.
Bibi Safiran Bajan, Berbice
I think that she was a woman of the people and her passing is like saying farewell to a matriarch of the nation. She was so kind in her ways to everyone. She was approachable and she made a contribution to this country. She really felt for the working class and fought for the elimination of prejudice, not only for the working people but class prejudice also.
She has done so much for us especially working side by side with Dr. Jagan. You know that they say behind every successful man there is a woman. I think that she really came to this earth to do a job and everything that she has done impacted on all of our live.
Vasco Jardine,
Crabwood Creek
Comrade Janet has paid an ultimate price for all of us Guyanese. She has sacrificed her entire life, she and her husband and if it wasn’t for her, her husband would not have achieved what he did. They worked collectively for the benefit of all Guyanese.
What we are inheriting today is what they have worked for and they have paid for it with their life.
Omar Dowlat,
Triumph, East Coast Demerara
Janet has fought for freedom and adult suffrage in this country that every woman and everybody must have their right. No matter what religion you are from, you must have access to school and job. She was good, she was the live wire of this country.
Leila Mahabar,
Success, East Coast Demerara
It is indeed a sad day, but yet we are also proud of the most powerful fighter Janet Jagan. We are very saddened by her passing, but we so very proud of her. We share the nation’s sorrow, but I want to say that her legacy will live on because we love her. She made us proud.
Sandra Tilaram,
Enmore
It was sad to lose a hero, she was a mother and she dedicated herself to Guyanese people so much. Her contribution was numerous, especially for women. She taught us how to be strong and I don’t think that there is another Guyanese that can fight the way she fought for us.
It is really sad to lose a great person like Janet Jagan. We are going to miss her very much; her absence means much to us.
Sasenarine Singh,
Enmore
I feel more of a personal loss. She was much more than a leader of the country, she was like a mother to me as well and I am deeply hurt inside.
I think Guyana has gained a lot from her contribution. We must all remember, she was from the United States initially and when she started her fighting in the 1940s I don’t think that anybody would do the things that she did, besides her husband, and that is a great loss not only for Guyana but internationally as well.
Ivy Dindial,
Auchlyne, Berbice
She has impressed me and I will always use her work in my education programme. She has done a lot for children in terms of story telling and her views on the news and I will never forget that.
She has shown us women what we can do, she has left a legacy for me and in my women’s group; I will share what she has done.
I hope women, who would have read about her, can take a leaf out of her life and do something for this country.
Roy Rajman
Herstelling, East Bank Demerara
I feel it is a great loss to the nation. I don’t know how the nation will be able to recover from the loss. I know that although she was not a person who was in the forefront of recent, I know that many of the ideas, ideologies and principles shared were her knowledge.
Tajram Persaud,
Blairmont, West Coast Berbice
We cannot have asked for more than what she has done for us and Guyana. She has gone and I hope that the legacy is there and what she fought for in this country and that is the most important thing.
She fought for many things more to make us free, she fought for democracy for Guyana and to free our people and our country.
TOP
Glowing tributes dominate at State funeral for late President
Georgetown, GINA, March 31, 2009
Guyana today bid farewell to former President Janet Jagan with an official State funeral at Parliament Buildings, Georgetown. The former President who celebrated her 88th birth anniversary October last, passed away on Saturday following a brief illness.
The day’s proceedings began at about 6:00h with the body of the late former President being removed from the Newburg Funeral Home, Bent Street to the New Haven residence, which she shared with her late husband and President Cheddi Jagan for many years, for a private viewing for relatives and close comrades.
The cortège proceeded to the Castellani House, Vlissengen Road, the official Art Gallery of Guyana and where she served as Chairperson of the Board up until her death. There it was joined by a military detachment complete with officers, honour guard, military band, and escorts on foot, motorcycles and horses, including the ‘riderless horse’ with boots reversed (the symbol of a fallen Commander-In-Chief ).
The cortège proceeded, with the military slow march with weapons in reversed order, south along Vlissengen Road, before turning west into Brickdam and onwards to Parliament Buildings.
There the body was received by comrades of the ruling Party including Cecil Belgrave, Minister within the Ministry of Health Dr Bheri Ramsaran, Minister of Amerindian Affairs Pauline Sukhai, the son-in-law of the late President, Mark Brancier, his son Alexander Brancier and Personal Assistant to the late President Bernard Veersammy.
The Official ceremony chaired by Presidential Advisor on Governance Gail Teixeira saw tributes interspersed with renditions from the Military Band.
The eulogy was presented by Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee while tributes were given by President Bharrat Jagdeo, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Robert Corbin, General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Donald Ramoutar, daughter Nadira Jagan-Brancier and a granddaughter Vrinda Jagan.
Teixeira said that the former President’s life was so inextricably intertwined in the history of Guyana that the two could never be severed. She posited that Janet Jagan belonged to Guyana and Guyana gave her its recognition when it elected her its first female President in 1997.
Minister Rohee during the eulogy traced the sacrifices made and commitment displayed for Guyana, her adopted homeland.
She was elected to the Georgetown Town Council and later the National Assembly and served as the Deputy Speaker following the 1957 elections. Following the 1992 electoral victory, she represented Guyana at the United Nations General Assembly and was appointed Prime Minister in 1997 following the death of President Cheddi Jagan. She successfully led the PPP/C to the 1997 election and served as President from 1997 to 1999 when she retired.
Highlighting her humanitarian side, he said that it was common for her to give her last to someone in need often leaving herself without. He spoke of her love for the arts and literature which saw the establishment of the National Art Gallery at Castellani House and her supporting local artists by purchasing their works to encourage them.
President Jagdeo spoke of her strength of character which saw her rebounding from insults, indignities and other hardships she suffered as a result of her involvement in struggles first for Guyana’s independence and later for democracy in Guyana.
He posited that she was an extraordinary woman who dedicated her life towards the advancement of Guyana as she brought an enlightened humanism which was her guiding philosophy from which she never departed or wavered.
He recalled her concern for people in that she paid keen attention on the impact of public policy on the lives of ordinary citizens.
Opposition Leader Robert Corbin in his tribute on behalf of the Opposition Parties in the National Assembly said that the late former President has left a lasting legacy of rich service. He posited that she gave of herself to the Party, her beliefs, and the working class struggles of Guyana and that she distinguished herself working for the rights and liberation of women and in the independence struggles of Guyana.
Donald Ramoutar said that her struggles for independence were to achieve social justice for the poor and bettering the conditions of the working class.
Identifying some of the hardships faced during the struggle, he reminded of her being barred from returning to her native United States of America to visit her sick father and to later attend his funeral.
Outlining her achievements as a Minister following the 1957 election, he pointed to the strides in conditions of service of workers, the malaria eradication programme, the construction of cottage hospitals and the establishment of housing schemes in Ruimveldt and Campbellville.
Describing her as a person who never shied away from responsibility, he said that she willingly accepted to serve as Prime Minister following her husband’s death and later to lead the party in the 1997 elections.
The Late President’s daughter and granddaughter Nadira Jagan-Brancier and Vrindra Jagan respectively both portrayed her as a person who showered her family with love and care. They reminisced about outings in the Zoo and creeks as she juggled her political and family life.
Following the tributes, the cortège departed the Parliament Buildings Compound for Freedom House where party supporters had gathered from early in the morning to bid farewell to their icon.
At Freedom House, the Party supporters draped the coffin with the Party flag and placed flowers around the coffin before joining the procession to the Babu John Crematorium for the final farewell.
TOP
Thousands bid final farewell to former President
- legacy of the Jagans will live on - President Jagdeo assures
Georgetown, GINA, March 31, 2009
Following a well orchestrated funeral procession for Mrs. Janet Jagan O.E, the nation said a final farewell to the former President at Babu John, Port Mourant, in the same manner that her late husband and former President Dr. Cheddi Jagan was cremated.
President Bharrat Jagdeo was among the many who looked on as members of the Jagan family performed the honours of beginning the cremation ceremony for the former First Lady.
The final military rites were performed with the removal of the Golden Arrowhead by the Guyana Defence Force (GDF). It was then handed over to members of the Jagan family after which the casket was removed, while the GDF performed the 21 gun salute.
President Bharrat Jagdeo in discussion with Nadira Brancier, daughter of the late Mrs Janet Jagan.
Only recently the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) assembled at the same venue to honour the 12th death anniversary of its founder leader and former President of Guyana, Dr. Cheddi Jagan.
President Bharrat Jagdeo who delivered his final farewell speech, considers Babu John a holy place.
He described the large gathering as people who had profound love for the two stalwarts.
“You have been coming here year after year to pay tribute and to remember Cheddi Jagan and I hope that from now on we will continue to do so but we will also come here to pay tribute to Janet Jagan,” President Jagan said.
Although the party has lost its founder leaders, President Jagdeo said their ideas and principles remain and will continue to guide the PPP long into the future.
In this regard, he called on the dedicated supporters of today to be resilient in ensuring that the legacy of the Jagans is perpetuated
“Janet Jagan gave over 60 years of her life in service to this nation. What are you prepared to give so that her memories and the memories of Cheddi Jagan remain evergreen? How are you going to help so that their legacy to the people of this country is never forgotten?” President Jagdeo challenged.
President Jagdeo assured that the party will grow from strength to strength and will continue to serve the Guyanese people as it fulfils the legacy of the Jagans.
Joey Jagan lighting his mother's pyre at Babu John.
“This enterprise of nation building was started by Dr. Cheddi Jagan and Janet Jagan but it has not ended and we have to make sure that we move it forward and the only way it could move forward is if all of us work at it together. This party will never become parochial,” President Jagdeo said.
Son of the late President Dr. Cheddi Jagan (jr) began his tribute by extending appreciation to President Jagdeo and the leadership of the PPP for the overwhelming support given through the state funeral of his mother.
He recalled how proud he felt to have sung the party song “Oh Fighting Men” and proudly waved his hands in the same manner his mother and father did as he reminisced on how they embodied the gesture.
He described his mother as someone who gave her all for Guyana noting that her contributions are unmatched.
“Sixty five years of service is like a world record, no one can beat that. In the 1960s Mrs Jagan held two ministries; the Ministries of Labour, Health and Housing… when desperation and trying times hit this country Mrs Jagan accepted the role of Home Affairs Minister and handled that quite capably,” Dr Jagan (Jr) said.
The gathering at Babu John for the last ceremony as the body of Mrs Janet Jagan was cremated.
Granddaughter Natasha Brancier, in her tribute, recalled some of the fondest memories of her grandmother although the relationship was mostly of a long-distance nature.
“Although she didn’t spend an infinite amount of time with us, she always seemed to find the time to show us the true beauty of Guyana. as a young child, I remember her as a kind but soft spoken woman and someone who you could talk to with ease,” Brancier said.
The ceremony ended at around 16:00 h with President Jagdeo joining government officials, other party members and other cohorts in singing the party song “Oh Fighting Men.”
Joey Jagan, his children and other family members as the body of the former President Janet Jagan is being cremated.
Mrs. Jagan an American, became linked to Guyana after she married Dr Cheddi Jagan in 1943.
She was instrumental in the formation of the Women’s Political and Economic Organisation (WPO) and the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) in 1946, and along with Dr. Jagan formed the PPP.
She held the position of Deputy Speaker in the National Assembly and Minister of Labour Health and Housing during the period 1953 to 1963.
In 1997 Mrs. Jagan climbed to greater heights by becoming the first female President of Guyana in 1997.
TOP
|
