BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – GUYANA is into two days of mourning following the death of former President Janet Jagan who passed away on the morning of Saturday, March 28.
News coming out of the only English-speaking country on the South American Continent states that she would be cremated tomorrow (Mar. 31) at the Babu John Crematorium, Corentyne, Berbice, following a state funeral at Parliament Building at 8:30 a.m.
According to Stabroek News, a press release from the Office of the President stated that Mrs. Jagan, who succumbed to an abdominal aneurysm at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), wished for a “simple send-off” and, as a result, there would be no viewing of the body.
The 88-year-old former Head of State, who was ailing for sometime, was the wife of the late President Cheddi Bharrat Jagan. She was conferred with the Order of Excellence and served as President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana from December 19, 1997 to August 11, 1999.
Her husband died on March 6, 1997 and, following his funeral, Mrs. Jagan said before Cheddi passed away he had told her that he wanted her to continue his work, and she agreed to his wishes.
Eleven days after his funeral, Mrs. Jagan was sworn in as Prime Minister and first Vice-President of Guyana. In the same year, she was nominated as the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Presidential candidate for the general election. The PPP/C was triumphant in the highly controversial election and Mrs. Jagan became the first female Head of State of Guyana.
As stated by Stabroek News, “She triumphed in a highly controversial election and was sworn-in at a private ceremony attended by only a few persons amid reports that there was going to be a legal attempt to stop her swearing in. This was indeed the case as at the public ceremony that followed at State House, High Court marshals attempted to serve an order which would stop the swearing in. It led to the controversial incident in which she tossed the document disdainfully over her shoulder after it had been served on her. She would later explain that she meant no disrespect to the courts but had been moved to do this by what she felt had been decades of injustice meted out to her, her late husband, the PPP and their supporters. It was the type of action her supporters said typified the fighter in her.
“Mrs. Jagan’s period as President was marred by political unrest over the election results and the manner in which she was sworn in. The protests led mainly by the People’s National Congress resulted in the famous Herdmanston Accord of January 17, 1998 brokered by Caricom statesmen including Sir Shridath Ramphal which saw her agreeing to cut the term of office by two years and agreeing to other things. Unrest continued in various forms, with the PNC remaining out of Parliament and this led to the St. Lucia Statement of July 2, 1998 in Castries, St. Lucia where she shook hands with PNC Leader Desmond Hoyte on other commitments.”
In a public statement on August 11, 1999, three days prior to her resignation, Mrs. Jagan said, “I considered at length and consulted close colleagues on the question of my continuing in office as President. It is now my firm and studied conclusion that I can no longer offer to the nation the vigorous and strong leadership that I had sought to provide during my 20 months as the lawfully and duly elected President of the Republic of Guyana. I therefore wish to announce that I intend to resign my position as President and to fulfil the promise I made during the 1997 election campaign”.
Mrs. Jagan was replaced by President Bharrat Jagdeo, but she had still played an active role in politics as a member of the Central and Executive Committees of the PPP/C.
According to Stabroek News, she continued to be in the public eye playing an integral part in the preservation of her husband’s memory and legacy and being a patron of the arts.
“She showed up last week at a lecture in memory of Dr Jagan.”
Born Janet Rosalie Rosenburg in Chicago, Illnois on October 20, 1920, the late former President (who was involved in left-wing causes) met Cheddi while he was studying at the Northwestern University Dental School and she was a student nurse at the Cook County Hospital.
They were married in the USA on August 5, 1943, and some four months after she went with him to live in the then British Guiana and worked as a dental nurse in his clinic for over 10 years. She became involved, along with her husband, in the labour movement and was a co-founder of the British Guiana Labour Union.
Mrs. Jagan was also a co-founder of the Political Affairs Committee in 1947, as well as a co-founder of the People’s Progressive Party in 1950; a party in which her husband was the Leader, the late President Forbes Burnham as its Chairman and she as General Secretary - a position she held for 20 years.
According to a statement coming out of the PPP, “For many years she edited the Mirror newspapers particularly through the difficult 70’s and 80’s period. She was also the editor of the Thunder at the time of her death.
“Mrs. Jagan made a tremendous contribution to our Party and served the nation in several capacities, including being the first woman Town Councillor, first woman Deputy Speaker and among the first women in Parliament. She also served as Minister of Labour, Health and Housing and Minister of Home Affairs. She served as Prime Minister and President of the Republic.”
On receiving the news of her death, President Jagdeo cut short his two-week visit to the Middle East and returned to Guyana on Sunday (Mar. 29). He described her passing as a sad time for Guyana. Flags would be flown at half staff throughout the country during the two days of national mourning.
Among those left to mourn her death are her son, Dr. Cheddi ‘Joey’ Jagan Jnr., daughter Nadira Jagan-Brancier and five grandchildren.
Guyana News