Dear Editor
JUNE 16, 2020, marks the 72nd anniversary of the shooting to death of five sugar workers at Enmore, East Coast Demerara in 1948. The five – Rambarran, Pooran, Lallabagee, Surajballi, and Harry – are national martyrs whose lives were snuffed out during the struggle by sugar workers for better working and living conditions and higher wages on the sugar estates. Their fearless and selfless sacrifices have not only remained relevant at present and a source of inspiration, but also led the late Dr. Cheddi Jagan to make a silent pledge at the gravesite of the five slain workers at Le Repentir Cemetery in Georgetown, to dedicate his entire life to the cause of the struggle of the Guyanese people against bondage and exploitation. Dr. Jagan subsequently founded the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) in 1950, This incident added motivation and propelled Dr. Jagan and the PPP to fight against colonialism and for the betterment of the lives of all Guyanese. Those unrelenting struggles, during which he became a political prisoner, have characterised the PPP in their efforts to advance Guyana and the lives of Guyanese as is evident from the unprecedented growth and development that hallmarked the various periods while it was in government.
Today, those struggles continue as the PPP, along with law-abiding Guyanese and well-wishers, are fighting for the preservation of our hard-fought democracy.
The sacrifices of the Enmore Martyrs, therefore, have tremendous relevance in today’s context, given renewed and unremitting struggles that intensified following the historic no-confidence motion (NCM) against the APNU+AFC government on December 21, 2018; struggles which continue to prevent a most uncaring regime from subverting democracy. The PPP wishes to state that it will not only continue to honour the memory of the five martyrs so that their sacrifices will not be forgotten, but it will remain steadfast in dedicating its efforts to oppose all attempts by the illegal APNU+AFC Coalition regime to oppress Guyanese and to strangle democracy. As we remember the Enmore Martyrs 72 years after their horrendous deaths, let us be inspired by the fact that hope will never be lost and that we will endeavour together to safeguard our freedoms and rights. Over the past 100-plus days, we have persisted together and the People’s Progressive Party wishes to thank the opposition political parties, civil society, and our regional and international partners for standing with us in the fight to preserve our democratic gains.
Regards
People’s Progressive Party
Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_epaper_06_16_2020