British Guiana’s Premier Dr. Cheddi Jagan wrote to the British Secretary of State for the Colonies Anthony Greenwood on 12th December 1964, five days after the elections of 7th December, warning the British Government that if it forced his removal from office, his party supporters might press for the ‘partition’ of the colony. He cautioned that there is “evidence of a rising tide of demand for ‘partition’ of this country” adding that, should Britain allow a Government that excluded the Peoples Progressive Party to be formed, “this demand will grow and create even further problems.”
Former President David Granger, speaking on the programme – The Public Interest – recalled that British Guiana’s Governor Sir Richard Luyt relied on the results of the elections of 7th December 1964 and decided to ask Mr. Forbes Burnham to be Premier. Mr. Burnham’s People’s National Congress and Mr. Peter D’Aguiar’s United Force gained 29 legislative seats compared with PPP’s 24 and agreed to form a coalition. Dr. Jagan refused to resign and resorted to threats of ‘partition’.
Mr. Granger explained that that election results showed that the PPP won 47 per cent of the vote and gained 64 per cent of legislative seats in the elections in 1957 and, with 42.6 per cent of the vote, gained 57 per cent of the seats in elections in 1961. The PNC won 41.0 per cent and gained 31 per cent of the seats and the United Force won 16.3 per cent and gained 12 per cent of the seats in 1961. The gross disparity in the allocation of legislative seats and the majority of the combined PNC and UF vote of 57 per cent exceeded the PPP’s vote and exposed the unbalanced basis of the First-Past-the-Post system. The PNC and UF demanded the introduction of the Proportional Representation system.
Mr. Granger pointed out that the major political parties agreed on the principle of Independence but disagreed on three issues — the electoral system, the voting age and the need for fresh elections before independence — at the constitutional conferences in March 1960, October 1962 and October 1963. The leaders agreed that the British Secretary of State for the Colonies should impose a solution to break this deadlock and, in so doing, imposed the PR system, retained the voting age of 21 years and directed that new elections be called before Independence.
The PPP refused to attend the British Guiana constitutional conference in November 1965 which determined the date for Independence and the principles of the Independence Constitution. The PPP boycotted sessions of the National Assembly up to April 1965; boycotted the visit of the International Commission of Jurists in August 1965; boycotted the visit of the Queen in February 1966; and, except for a token appearance, boycotted Independence celebrations in May 1966. The PPP declared ‘Independence yes…celebration, no’ and instructed its supporters to “…acknowledge but [do] not celebrate”. This initiated and perpetuated a policy of defying the will of the majority of the population, damaging the prospect of national unity, dividing ethnic groups and discouraging cooperation for the common good.
The former president pointed out that the PPP’s ‘Hurricane of Protest’ in 1964 was a murderous terrorist campaign to make the country ungovernable and to prevent the holding of elections under the PR system. The PPP’s shameful threat of ‘partition’ and directive to its supporters not to celebrate Independence contributed to keeping the country divided and to depriving generations of young Guyanese a sincere reverence for national independence.
