March is the month of poignant reminders and legacies for Guyana. It is the month to recall the rich history contributed to our homeland by the extraordinary struggle and hard work at nation-building by Dr Cheddi Jagan and Mrs Janet Jagan.
March 6 marked the 20th anniversary since Dr Jagan’s passing. On March 18, he would have celebrated his 99th birthday. Also coming to the end of this month, on March 28, it will be eight years since Mrs Jagan passed away.
It is more than appropriate to mark these anniversaries, and at the same time pay tribute and celebrate the achievements and contributions of these two Guyanese stalwarts, now the Father and Mother of the Nation.
Happily, this is what the Jagans Commemorative Committee has been doing.
We are in agreement with the Committee – it is time to pay tribute and homage to the Father and Mother of the Nation, and it should happen now since this month is seeing the confluence of important anniversary moments for the homeland. So come April 2, the Committee will host a tribute luncheon here in Toronto, with its theme, “A luncheon marking 20 years with lessons from remarkable lives”.
Coming to Toronto for this celebratory event will be Guyana’s former Prime Minister Sam Hinds. As we all know, he served ably alongside Dr. Jagan in 1992, and then with Mrs. Jagan in 1997. Former PM Hinds’ contribution to the event would be to offer unique and first-hand insights into the courage and leadership of both Dr Jagan and Mrs Jagan.
Recalling the raison d’être for the event, Committee Chair and former Consul General to Toronto, Sattie Sawh, said: “It is definitely timely. Both Dr. Cheddi and Mrs. Janet Jagan have been inspirations. When other members of our Committee and I realised 2017 will be 20 years [since Dr. Jagan passed away], we felt moved to do something. This is an important milestone… The Jagan name should never be forgotten.”
Former Consul General to Toronto, Danny Doobay, was also cognisant of the need for the diaspora to pay tribute to both leaders, saying: “The Jagans have meant a lot to the community here, and the event will be good. There will be various tributes, poetry, songs, and excellent material on display.”
Daughter of the Jagans, Nadira Jagan-Brancier, also a Committee member, has indicated the funds raised at this April 2 event would be going to the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre.
Said Jagan-Brancier: “The [Research Centre] needs support. It does tremendous work, and there are all sorts of documents and records from my parents’ lives. I think people should come out in their numbers.”
We agree – such a worthy tribute for two of Guyana’s foremost and revered leaders deserves our fullest support.

Over the weekend Trinidad and Tobago saw the murders for the year so far hit triple digits with 100 persons killed. The majority of these are yet to be solved by police.
Yet we note, with disappointment, National Security Minister Edmund Dillon blaming the Opposition for crime, saying it failed to support extension of the controversial Bail (Amendment) Act in 2011 which allowed for up to 120 days pre-trial detention of citizens.
In his politicising of the rampant and severe criminality, Dillon appears to have forgotten the now-defunct amendment was deemed unconstitutional by the High Court. According to the court, it has a duty to protect the fundamental constitutional rights of citizens, noting the legislation removed the presumption of innocence, adding an accused person should not be punished by being kept in inhumane remand conditions for three months after being charged.
Trinidad and Tobago does not need such political finger-pointing. Instead, government officials as Dillon should focus on bringing the murder rate down.