Jagdeo’s attempt to whitewash PPP’s radical past fools no one

By Pt.Ubraj Narine, JP, COA- Eevery Thursday, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo holds his press conferences at Freedom House, where he often takes the opportunity to share his views on the political landscape of Guyana and beyond.

However, his speeches frequently involve rewriting history to align with his narrative, casting historical figures and events in a light that suits his agenda. One example of this is the consistent downplaying or omission of the past actions of his own political forebears, particularly those of former President Cheddi Jagan and the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) during the 1950s.

As Jagdeo continues to assert his party’s legacy, it is vital that the Guyanese people are reminded of some stories, especially the parts he would prefer to leave out. A key moment in this history was in 1951, when Cheddi Jagan, then the leader of the PPP, sought to introduce himself—and British Guiana—into the sphere of the Czechoslovak Communist Party.

Jagan asked the Czechoslovakian leadership for large quantities of Communist reading material, which the PPP could use to raise funds. However, the request was not merely for literature; Jagan also sought arms to bolster the party’s activities, signalling his willingness to secure support from Communist powers for his political ambitions.

This was not an isolated incident but part of a larger strategy to align the PPP with international Communist movements. In the 1950s, the party’s executive committee included not only the Jagans—Cheddi and his wife Janet—but also key radical figures such as Cheddi’s brother Naipaul, Rory Westmaas, Martin Carter, George Robertson, Fred Bowman, and Lionel Jeffrey.

These were the individuals Jagdeo would have us forget when recounting the “communist” inclinations of the party. It is clear that the party’s leadership at the time was far more radical than it has often been portrayed by Jagdeo and his allies.

Despite this radical agenda, Jagdeo and others within the PPP today often paint a picture of a more moderate, nationalist movement, glossing over its links with global Communist forces. While Cheddi Jagan’s anti-colonial stance was undeniable, it is equally undeniable that he was prepared to compromise Guyana’s sovereignty in his pursuit of power, even if it meant aligning with ideologies that many would consider inimical to the nation’s democratic values.

The people of Guyana should know the full scope of their PPP’s history, not just the parts that serve the political aspirations of the present government. Bharrat Jagdeo, in his many press conferences, may continue to attempt to rewrite this history, but the truth remains.

Guyanese citizens deserve to understand the complexities of the past, especially when the choices of their leaders had the potential to alter the course of their country’s future.

Rather than rewriting history, Jagdeo should be truthful with the public, acknowledging the radical elements of the PPP’s early years and still is and its complex relationship with Communist regimes.

Let me remind him that on December 7, 1964, the PPP lost the election to an opposition coalition under a new constitution aimed at removing Jagan democratically. Jagan’s successor, Forbes Burnham, initially severed ties with Czechoslovakia and other Communist nations but shifted to the Left in 1970, if wasn’t for Forbes Burnham and the Americans we should have been a communist nation.