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by Ralph Ramkarran

"The great success of Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution lies not merely in its social achievements but in its inspiration to peoples all over the world oppressed by foreign domination, to the peoples of Latin America against the vestiges of the Monroe Doctrine, to the peoples of Southern Africa, particularly Angola, in which Cuban soldiers died, to the numerous countries like Guyana to which major assistance is being offered. Cuba’s mere survival is an inspiration to humanity by its modern replay of the victory of David over Goliath. And Fidel Castro is the symbol of that inspiration.

Cuba’s influence on Guyana’s recent political history has been significant but with no lasting impact. After years of hostility to Cuba and the Cuban Revolution, the Burnham Government opened diplomatic relations with Cuba in 1972. Close political relations quickly developed as the Guyana Government moved to the left. It appears as if the Cuban analysis of Guyana went something like this: The PNC is a friend of Cuba and is on the left. It is entrenched in power, which it will not share. Cuba’s fraternal party, the PPP, should therefore support the PNC and strengthen its capacity to resist imperialism.

The PPP’s fundamental objection to this analysis was that the PNC held power undemocratically and socialism cannot be built without democracy. Also, unconditional support to the PNC Government would have undermined its own support. The Cuban’s disapproval of the PPP’s posture was evidenced by Castro’s visit to Guyana in 1973, just after the egregious rigging of the 1973 elections in which the PNC gave itself a two-third majority and the brutal killing of three PPP supporters and not meeting with Cheddi Jagan.

The Cubans then sought to subvert the PPP. Ranji Chandisingh, seen as second in line to Cheddi Jagan and the PPP’s chief ideologue, and Feroze Mohamed, a rising star, visited Cuba in about 1975. It was believed, and later confirmed by Chandisingh to Billy Strachan, in a conversation in 1994/5 (unfortunately both has since passed and I have no way of proving this other than my word) that during that trip the Cuban Communist Party had persuaded him to leave the PPP and join the PNC, which Chandisingh did in 1976, creating a major division.

It is impossible not to believe that Feroze Mohamed did not know of the Cuban involvement in Chandisingh’s resignation. But he has remained silent; or that he was not also encouraged by the Cubans to leave the PPP and join the PNC. Burnham began at this time in Parliament to shower praises on him, maybe as encouragement to take the step across the floor. But if he was encouraged, he did not cross over. I know the whole story as told to me by senior PNC sources, but regrettably can say no more. Billy Strachan was a Jamaican-British labour activist and lawyer since the late 1940s. He and Chandisingh were extremely close friends and comrades from the 1950s.

Cheddi Jagan had long realised that it was necessary to show solidarity with the PNC’s progressive policies. He had offered ‘critical support’ in 1975 but finally concluded that something more was necessary, while remaining convinced that a solution not based on democracy would not endure. He may well have been further influenced by the Cuban view and feared a loss of their solidarity. Thus in 1977 the PPP offered the National Patriotic Front based on free and fair election in which the majority party would not field a candidate for president but for the second position of prime minister. Neither the Cubans nor the PNC was impressed but Cuban relations with the PPP, as well as the PNC, continued."

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RiffRaff posted:

ayuh need to move forward from de past....it's all BS

Why?  The history of Guyana tells the story of how we end up with a PNC government today.  Especially, the long lasting impact of Ranji Chandisingh crossing the floor to side with Burnham.  This is not an article for shallow minds.

Bibi Haniffa
Last edited by Bibi Haniffa
RiffRaff posted:

When it comes to Guyana, most of it's history should be scrapped...only keep the part when slaves and indentured servants arrived...

You will be robbing a couple generations valuable history.

FM
Nehru posted:

Bibi, if you want to know how Guyana ended up with a PNc Govt read the released CIA and MI5 records. Panty wearing Churchill and Kennedy and their GOONS had much to do with that!!!!

I have read it several times.  With deep interest.  This new bit of information with Castro and Chandisingh is new and shocking to me.  Information like this is not in history books.   They die with the people who once knew.

Bibi Haniffa
RiffRaff posted:

to describe this as new or shocking is to be naive about politics in Guyana...anyway, half this stuff could be wrong

Did you know that Castro encouraged Chandisingh to cross the floor?  And do you know the impact that had on Guyana's politics?  The two greatest minds in Guyana's politics were Chandisingh and Balram Singh Rai and they both departed from the PPP under mysterious circumstances and changed the history of Guyana forevermore.  You should be writing a history book about this subject for the benefit of future generations, since it's not new to you.

Bibi Haniffa
Nehru posted:

Chandisingh was a Namakaram Carbdaag just like our Uncle Tom!!!!

Except that Chandisingh was an educated one.  He was a student at Harvard University in 1946 at the age of 16.  Uncle Tom doesn't even qualify to clean his shoes.  The US chose the two brightest guys in the party to weaken the PPP.  And it worked.

Bibi Haniffa

But somebody got double crossed here big time.  Why would Castro support Chandisingh's crossing to the PNC, when the PNC was being orchestrated by the US?  There is some deep seated politics going on here.  In the US this would have been a movie!!!  Where is Steven Spielberg when we need him?

Bibi Haniffa
Last edited by Bibi Haniffa
Bibi Haniffa posted:

But somebody got double crossed here big time.  Why would Castro support Chandisingh's crossing to the PNC, when the PNC was being orchestrated by the US?  This is some deep seated politics going on here.  In the US this would have been a movie!!!

Burnham made a left turn away from the U.S. at this time. He was in cahoots with Castro and Jagan and they were all taking orders from their Soviet bosses. Castro was the facilitator used by the Russians to bring Burnham and Jagan together in an unholy alliance (Critical Support and later National Front Government) which was used to nationalize the main industries in Guyana.

Mars

Nothing new here, Bibi. Way back in 1977, at the yearly International Bar at Colgrain House, Derek Jagan told me the story. Ralph left out Vincent Teekah but Fidel had also urged Teekah to support Burnham.

FM
Last edited by Former Member

Did he say why Castro would encourage Chandisingh to be on the side of the PNC which was being backed by the US?  Or did the PNC break away from the US by this point?  Chandisingh was later Ambassador to Moscow under Burnham, after he had used the US to get power and then fell right back in the arms of the communists.  All of these guys outsmarted Cheddi.

Bibi Haniffa
Last edited by Bibi Haniffa

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