Independence Jubilee Supplement

Stabroek News
Independence Jubilee Supplement

Thursday May 26, 2016
Starters Nursery and St

Margarets School celebrating
the Independence Jubilee
yesterday (Photo by Keno George)
Page 2A
STABROEK NEWS, Thursday, May 26, 2016
The nation of Guyana had to issue new stamps reflecting its status as an independent nation. Since it had many of the old British Guiana stamps in stock it
resorted as a temporary measure to overprints.
Coins and notes did not present the same problem, although some new notes, as will be seen below, were issued.
British Guiana stamps overprinted Guyana Independence 1966. One stamp in every block of 10 has an error overprint of 1966 Independence 1966. (Photos
courtesy of Fawaz Khan and Taffan Kerrett)
The first set of stamps issued

when Guyana gained Independence
in 1966 (Photos courtesy of
Fawaz Khan)
First series one dollar note issued in 1966. It carries the names of Horst
Bockelmann, the Governor of the Bank of Guyana, who was of German nationality, and Peter DAguiar, the Finance Minister. (Photo courtesy of Fawaz Khan)
British Guiana definitive issues with Guyana

Independence 1966
overprint (Photos
courtesy of Fawaz Khan)
British Guiana
stamp with an
error overprint
Guyana
Independence
1956 instead
of 1966
British Guiana definitive issues with Guyana Independence

1966) (Photos courtesy of Taffan Kerrett)
Page 3A
Independence:
A difficult road
The route to Independence was impeded by all manner of obstructions. It was Dr Cheddi Jagan who in the
1940s had initiated the call for independence, and in
1953 his party, the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP)
which enjoyed support from the two major ethnic
groups, came into office with a large majority under a
system of universal suffrage. However, the new government, which included Forbes Burnham in its complement, had barely got into its stride before the nervous British suspended the constitution because they
perceived the PPP as having communist leanings. The
unity which had characterized the PPP of 1953 was
never to be replicated again, and eventually two quite
distinct political entities were to emerge, the first the
PPP, associated largely with the Indian segment of the
population, and the other the Peoples National
Congress (PNC), representative of mostly the Africans.
Thereafter, the matter of independence became
bound up with who, at a political level, should inherit
the state. The Americans were determined that Dr
Jagan, whom they saw as communist, should not take
this country into independence, and the British, the
colonial power, co-operated with them in this matter.
As it was, US interference in the countrys politics
played a role in the violence which broke out between
1962 and 1964.
In 1957, the British government decided to restore a
limited form of self-government, and Jagan won the
election which followed. Thereafter, a constitutional
conference was held, representing the first of the formal discussions about independence. It was chaired by
Colonial Secretary Iain McLeod, and while Jagan led
the PPP delegation, Forbes Burnham led the opposition
PNC. There were also an independent and two nominated members of the Legislative Council in attendance. Even at this stage, ideas about independence did
not coincide; the PPP wanted independence in 1961,
while Burnham wanted full internal self-government
immediately and independence as part of the West
Indian Federation. Jagan, it might be noted, had
already refused to join the federation at the time of its
formation in 1958 and said that the country could
always join after independence.
There were various other points of dispute, but
where independence itself was concerned, McLeod did
not accommodate Jagans position, and instead
announced internal self-government on the basis of a
new constitution which would come into effect in
1961.
Owing to the disturbances, the next constitutional
conference, this time chaired by Colonial Secretary
Duncan Sandys, first had to be postponed, but eventually took place in 1962. Burnham on this occasion
pressed for independence, with the qualification that
elections should be held first. He was supported in this
by a new party in the mix the United Force (UF) led
by Peter DAguiar, whose delegation included Stephen
Campbell, an Amerindian who argued for Amerindian
land rights.
Jagans position remained immediate independence,
and he also disagreed with Burnham on the matter of
the voting age and the nature of the electoral system.
There was no bridging the gap between the two
sides, and the parties returned for the third conference
in 1963. Nothing had changed, but eventually all sides
signed on to placing the decision in the hands of
Sandys. The Colonial Secretary conceded everything
to the opposition, and nothing to the government.
Before independence was granted, there was to be an
election, and significantly, this election was to be held
not under the constituency system which then
obtained, but under proportional representation, or PR,
The Duke of Kent, who represented the Queen at Independence salutes as the Union Jack is lowered and the Golden Arrowhead is raised. (From left: Lady Luyt, Duchess of Kent, Prime
Minister Burnham and Governor-General Luyt)
The famous hug: After the Guyana flag was raised for the first time Cheddi Jagan and Forbes
Burnham the architects of Independence embraced.
as it is known.
While in the election which followed in 1964, the
PPP won a plurality of the votes, they did not secure an
overall majority, and it was Burnhams PNC which
was slated to take the country into independence following the formation of a coalition between that party
and the UF.
The last constitutional conference was held in 1965,

when Secretary of State Anthony Greenwood presided.
It settled technical matters such as the date of independence. The PPP refused to attend because the state of
emergency had not been lifted and some of its members were still in jail as political prisoners, among other
things.
Page 4A
Motto
Guyanas motto One People One Nation One
Destiny was approved by Brindley Benn in 1958 when
the PPP was in office.
The Pledge
I pledge myself to honour always the Flag of Guyana,
and to be loyal to my country,
to be obedient to the laws of Guyana,
to love my fellow citizens,
and to dedicate my energies towards
the happiness and prosperity of Guyana.
National Anthem
According to Vibert Cambridge (Musical Life in
Guyana: History and Politics of Controlling Creativity,
2015), a special committee of the legislature invited
submissions for the National Anthem in 1960. Although
there had been 212 entries, he writes, no decision had
been made, so the matter was handed over to a National
History and Arts Committee. That too produced nothing.
By 1965, a note of urgency had been injected into the
process, and on the instructions of the then Minister of
Education, Winifred Gaskin, it was passed to Lynette
Dolphin of the National History and Arts Council.
Cambridge writes that a new competition was held and
a small committee of persons of broad literary and
poetic backgrounds was appointed to choose the winning entry. Among the criteria which were laid down
was one that the words should not make undue references to ideology and political party slogans, and
should avoid religious references.
On this occasion there were 266 entries, and these
were pruned in stages until the winner was settled upon.
This was Rev Archibald Leonard Luker, an English
teacher at the New Amsterdam In-Service Teachers
Training programme.
Luker was, in fact, just responsible for the lyrics, and
Cambridge reports Lynette Dolphin as recording that
copies of these were sent to Guyanese musicians both
locally and overseas. Following that, there were, it
seems, more than 100 entries, and it was those by
William H L Bill Pilgrim, Robert Cyril Gladstone
Potter and Valerie Rodway which came to form the
short list.
Cambridge goes on to quote Cleveland Hamilton for
what happened next:
A committee of one hundred persons representing
schools, youth groups, religious groups and political
parties was established, and the three submissions were
recorded with Evelyn John (soprano), Stanley Ridley
(baritone) Bishops High School Junior Choir and the
Police Force Band. The committee met at the
Government Technical Institute and were given score
sheets, although they were not told the names of the
three composers. They chose RCG Potters submission.
The PNC delegation to the 1962 Constitutional Conference at Lancaster House in London. Front left seated are Forbes Burnham, Neville Bissember Sr and W O R Kendall. Back row from left are advisors
Claude Merriman, H M E Cholmondeley and Eugene Correia (partly hidden). British officials are standing at left. (Photo courtesy of the Bissember family)
Cheddi Jagan (front right) turns to speak to Fenton Ramsahoye seated behind him. Front left is Ranji
Chandisingh and next to him, Chitlall, Jagans driver/bodyguard. Back row from left: Rudy Luck, Mrs
Luck, Mrs Ramsahoye, Fenton Ramsahoye, a Mexican delegate and Eusi Kwayana.
The National Anthem

Dear land of Guyana, of rivers and plains,
Made rich by the sunshine, and lush by the rains.
Set gem-like and fair, between mountains and sea,
Your children salute you, dear land of the free.
Green land of Guyana, our heroes of yore,
Both bondsmen and free, laid their bones on your shore.
This soil so they hallowed, and from them are we,
All sons of one mother, Guyana the free.
Great land of Guyana, diverse though our strains,
We are born of their sacrifice, heirs of their pains.
And ours is the glory their eyes did not see,
One land of six peoples, united and free.
Dear land of Guyana, to you will we give,
Our homage, our service, each day that we live.
God guard you, Great Mother, and make us to be
More worthy our heritage, land of the free.
Independence conference, London, 1962 with Burnham centre and Neville Bissember at left.
(Photo courtesy of the Bissember family)
Page 5A
Remembering independence
Organizing Independence Night

A Soldiers story- raising the flag
Ulric Pilgrim (retired) was present
when the Golden Arrowhead was hoisted for the first time, and he recalls both
the occasion itself, and the rehearsals
which went into it.
(Reprinted from the Sunday
Stabroek, May 26, 1996)
For a long while ahead of the night
of flag-raising in the National Park there
was much preparation. If you look at
photographs of the night of the
Independence celebration you will see
three officers attending to the raising of
the flag. Two tall ones and a short one in
the middle. I was the short one.
I was one of the three officers who
trained in Britain, at the Mons training
school in Aldershot, outside London,
1965. The other two were Ramesh who
died (as an army Captain) in a car crash
on the East Bank highway and the other
was Carl Morgan.
When we returned soldiers Desmond
Roberts, Assad Ishoof and Vibert
Boodhoo went to be trained. We were in
the Special Service unit, a paramilitary
unit administered by the police.
I was already a Lieutenant in the
Guyana Volunteer Force. That Force
was sort of part-time and could be called
out in times of need, like [in] the ugly
days of 62 and 64. It was headed by C
E De Freitas. We had lectures from
British officers whenever they came and
from World War Two veterans, periodically.
The officers who went to Mons were
chosen by the British through rigorous
elimination from a field of 140 applicants. Actually all of my training was
Again as with the

emergent countries,
one of the immediate
problems is that of its
boundaries.
Neighbours usually lay
false claim to a new
countrys land Since
we, too, shall be faced
with this problem, we
shall have an excellent
opportunity for unity.
Excerpt taken from
What I Expect of
Independence by
Margaret Yhap, student
of St Rosess High,
May 1966.
done in Britain, except for jungle warfare in Malaysia.

I was Adjutant (a kind of staff officer
to Lieutenant-Colonel Ronald Pope) at
the time of Independence.
We had rehearsals, and rehearsals
and dry runs. A lot was centred around
the symbolic raising of the flag and
Lieutenant-Colonel Pope was determined that everything would go well
and that nothing, like the flag not open-
ing or some other catastrophe, should

mar the proceedings.
So the flag was tied and untied and
hoisted over and over and we were at it
night and day. There was the guard of
honour and the persons were specifically selected for the pulling down of the
Union Jack and the hoisting of the
Golden Arrowhead. The two soldiers
had to be six feet tall. I guess I was chosen to be there also because I was adju-
tant, and I was older than the others.

Desmond Roberts raised the flag.
Pope was in the line near the Prime
Minister watching the flag go up. Then
we saluted the Golden Arrowhead for
the first time.
I think though, the person with the
better knowledge of what went on that
night, seeing that I was standing staring
at the flag praying that it would open
right, would be Carl Morgan.
Mr Burnham and his team at the constitutional talks, 1962 (Photo courtesy of the Bissember family)
Dr Cheddi Jagan in London for the constitutional talks, 1962 (Photo courtesy of the Bissember family)
Page 6A
The absolute truth is that I was not in the Park that
night. Somebody had to man Ayanganna. That task fell
to me. I had to be content with being nearby and watch
the fireworks.
As I recall retired Colonel in the British Army,
Colonel Hereford was contracted to organize the
Independence celebrations.
Second Lieutenant Desmond Roberts and Ulric
Pilgrim were to raise the Golden Arrowhead and
Second Lieutenant in the British Army James Jon
Klass of Dutch percentage born in India, from the
Middlesex regiment, was responsible for lowering the
Union Jack. I cant wager for what happened to the
British flag but there is a Union Jack in the Military
Archives at Camp Ayanganna that is thought to be the
flag lowered that night.
There were two Guards of Honour, one from the
GDF and the other from the British Army. The Royal
Navy was here since there was a vessel in port and the
Royal Marines.
The GDF soldiers were wearing ceremonial dress
for the first time in the colours we still use.
There was a choir, possibly the Woodside Choir,
the Police Band and baton-twirling this I think was
done by recruits.
I watched
the fireworks
- Carl Morgan (retired)
(Reprinted from the Sunday Stabroek, May 26, 1996)
The fireworks were fantastic. A stand was built at
the north of the ground so that when the lights went off
it was displayed against the darkness. There was a
large crowd there even though I think only the stand to
the east was constructed. The others were additions.
I recall that I was sad at not being at the National
Park and happy that Independence had arrived. I was
also lonely. I did not see the flag go up. I read some
years after that we have a perfect flag and it has the distinction of not being a flag that could be hung upside
down as with other flags as a sign of distress.
An expedition with ethnobotanist and mountaineer
Adrian Thompson and Second Lieutenant Ishoof went
to plant the flag at Ayanganna, Roraima.
[Ishoof] was one of five that had trained in

Sandhurst. The others were Liverpool, Haydock West
(whom part of Kimbia was named after), Hinds,
Granger and now Chief-of-Staff Joe Singh. Isaac Jerry,
an Amerindian guide went with Thompson and Ishoof.
I think they also took an army Signal.
Vibert Boodhoo was assigned the ADC to the Duke
of Kent.
That night there was an official dinner at
Government House (where the President now lives, on
Main Street). That is evident because there were persons in mess uniform (short jackets and bow-ties). If
you look at the photograph of Burnham saluting the
flag, youll see what I mean. That night there was also
the embrace between Jagan and Burnham which was
the talk of the town for a long time after. Sir Richard
Luyt was the Governor (It was only after Independence
that they were referred to as Governor General). The
royal party probably stayed at the Government House.
Hotels were out of the question. The Queen herself
stayed at the Government House when she came in
February of 1966.
After Independence Day the Duke and Duchess of
Kent went to a special sitting of Parliament to hand
over the instruments of Independence to Burnham.
Their schedule was pretty hectic after that.
Six weeks of sleepless days and nights

Cicely Robinson recalls the mounting of the Independence Pageant of May 27 at Kelly Dam, and
chasing her brother Frankie (the late Frank Pilgrim) and Arthur (the late Arthur Seymour) for the script.
(Reprinted from the
Sunday Stabroek, May 26, 1996)
After 152 years of

spoon-feeding by the
British Government,
Guyana will now have
to learn to stand on
its own feet and think
for itself, make its
own decisions and
face the consequences.
This is indeed the
true meaning of
Independence, and we
will have the opportunity of running the
affairs of the country
for our own interests
instead of being directed from Britain.
-Excerpt taken from
What I Expect of
Independence by
Margaret Yhap,
Student of St Rosess
High School,
May 1966.
Ours the Glory was the grand pageant which was

put on by the then National History and Arts Council
to welcome the birth of an Independent Guyana in
May, 30 years ago.
The task of coordinating the pageant in time for the
day was placed on the shoulders of then Bishops High
School teacher, Cicely Pilgrim Robinson, who had
exactly six weeks to get the show on stream, Robinson
told the Sunday Stabroek.
Robinson, who was an active member of the Theatre
Guild Playhouse and who had performed in several
theatrical roles told Sunday Stabroek that she had
never mounted a pageant before and took it up as a
challenge.
When she heard that Guyana was to gain its
Independence, she felt absolutely exhilarated and was
looking forward tremendously to Independence Day.
She did not think that she would have been playing
such a big part, she said, until she was summoned by
then Chief Education Officer Mr Thom to a meeting
which had been convened by the Ministry of Education
to plan for the Independence celebrations.
It was six weeks of sleepless days and nights, she
continued. We worked as the work demanded. The
Pageant, which was quite a big event, involved some
1,041 participants with 200 people executing various
functions. At no time did she entertain the thought that
the programme would flop, although now she expresses amazement, at the magnitude of the challenge that
I had accepted.
So many played important roles, she said, especially
the choreographer Trinidadian Beryl McBurnie, who
was invaluable, without whom, I do not know what we
would have done, and Arthur Seymour and Frank
Pilgrim, who were the authors of the Ours the Glory
script. She also added Phyllis Shepherd, who was the
Assistant Pageant Director, and Master of the Arena
Lawrence Thompson to the list. Robinson said that she
handpicked all the narrators with whom she had
worked previously, for the most part in the Theatre
Guild. One of them was Rajkumarie Singh, whom she
described as possessing a beautiful resonant voice.
Participants in the pageant were drawn from the

Bishops High School, Carnegie School of Home
Economics, Central High, Charlestown Government
Secondary, Christ Church Government Secondary,
East Ruimveldt Government Secondary, the Fredericks
School of Home Economics, the Government
Technical Institute, Indian Educational Trust College
(now Richard Ishmael Secondary) Queens College, St
Josephs High, St Rosess High, St Stanislaus College,
Tutorial High, the University of Guyana, members of
the Sea Scouts and the Theatre Guild Junior Workshop.
Before rehearsals could begin in fact for there to
be a pageant at all there had to be a script. She
sought out author and poet Arthur Seymour and her
brother Frank Pilgrim. They agreed to do the scripting
although she said, I had to be on their toes day and
night to get it completed quickly. According to her
getting the script from the two was probably the hardest part. She said that whenever Frank or Arthur saw
me coming theyd turn the corner and I would go the
other way to ensure I caught up with them. Frank
would the say, Alright sis, Alright sis, soon, soon.
The Pageant was organized in episodes and the day
itself she remembered as a beautiful day, though we
were into the rainy season.
Episode One was called The Amerindians. She
recalled that students of East Ruimveldt who played
the role of the indigenous peoples had been given the
task of collecting feathers of all descriptions. They
collected turkey feathers she said, noting that their
costumes were simply fantastic.
Episode Two was the Court of Queen Elizabeth
and it featured a discourse between Sir Walter Ralegh
and Queen Elizabeth on a king they called El Dorado,
the Gilded Man.
Episode Three was Settlers and Slaves and Episode
Four The cockpit of Europe. Episode Five was entitled Settlers and Citizens and Episode Six was The
Immigrants followed by the Finale.
The essence of working on Ours the Glory was
team spirit she said, hinting that much of that is lacking
today. The teachers working with us were seconded
for the period, she said.
Apart from Frank and Arthur, who were very
Turn to page 16A
Page 7A
Reciprocal understanding and closer cooperation between the major parties is a must if Guyana is to follow the road of peace
and prosperity, for a house divided cannot stand, and this country is no exception
Excerpt from What I expect of Independence by Michael Quail, Student of Central High School, May 1966
Guyana is yet to see a flowering

of unity says Moses Bhagwan
Moses Bhagwan, then a member of
the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP)
was a representative of the PPP delegation to the 1962 and 1963 Constitutional
conference.
He spoke with the Sunday Stabroek
(May 26, 1996) about the period leading
up to Independence and the 30 succeeding years. Following are excerpts from
the interview:
A lot has happened since Independence Day in 1966. At present one
would ask oneself what qualitative
changes have taken place to distinguish
[the country] from a colonial culture and
status. While there have been a lot of
changes not all have been substantial
enough to make us satisfied that we have
realised enough of the potential the status of Independence opened for us as a
nation...
In assessing the situation over the
past three decades, one has to be realistic and objective taking into consideration that the transfer of political power
from Britain to the people of Guyana has
been no waving of a magic wand.
Independence meant that certain advantages that a colony had in terms of
accessing technology, skill and political
experience were lost. But the compensation would have been in a dynamic turn
in developments within the country... a
sense of nationhood... of belonging and
a confidence in our ability to develop the
country in our own way.
The constitutional talks in 1962
yielded nothing. In 1963 Dr Jagan
signed the infamous Sandys letter that
led to the changes in the electoral system. Dr Jagan had been given the option
of signing or not signing, the consequences of which would have been a
deadlock in the talks. By signing that
letter it gave [Duncan] Sandys [Britains
Colonial Secretary] the responsibility to
determine the electoral system to be
used in the 1964 general elections.
The 1965 Constitutional Conference
was boycotted by the PPP. I too did not
attend although I would have, as an
Independent Member of Parliament, had
certain provisions been made possible.
At the time I felt that the Independence
Constitution should provide for the
establishment of a government that
received a two-thirds majority of support in Parliament. The proposal was put
forward as a means of ensuring that no
government would emerge that did not
transcend ethnic divisions. The principle, I still support.
In the-early 50s the dream of
Independence agitated a massive part of
the Guyanese society. It inspired the
people of Guyana to struggle for a
removal of colonial rule. However, there
were regrettable developments after the
suspension of the Constitution in 1953.

In addition to the battle against the colonial power, our politics was increasingly
being characterised as an internal struggle between the two main political parties for political power, the PNC led by
[Forbes] Burnham and the PPP led by
Dr Cheddi Jagan. The dream of independence was lost in an ensuing civil and
ethnic strife in which each ethnic group
Amerindian, Portuguese, Chinese and
Indo- and Afro-Guyanese began to
experience fears about the future and a
sense of ethnic insecurity. With that development went the Cold War confrontation in which Guyana was one of
the battlegrounds.
As we approached Independence,
chaos and instability were developing so
that we did not enter independence as a
people inspired by a sense of nationhood
but unfortunately in considerable doubt
and disunity. We still have not recovered
from these experiences and Guyana is
yet to see a flowering of unity, an appli-
cation of the enormous talents of all its

people, and the mobilisation of its much
vaunted resources for the emergence of
a prosperous and forward looking society.
In spite of what I have said, I have
never lost faith in the process of the
struggle for independence and its
achievement. I was uplifted by the fact
that political independence had been
achieved and I personally participated in
all the celebrations. I had hoped that
Independence would have been an
opportunity for the political leadership
to advance to a new level of creativity
and national commitment.
At the moment we have to be concerned that there is no shared common
vision for Guyana, no sense of direction.
There is no effective balance between
the utilisation of local human resources
and human resources available from
international agencies. There is widespread poverty and a dangerous growth
in the gap between the rich and the poor.
Moses Bhagwan
In the clamour for private investment
working people and their organisations
run the risk of being sidelined.
A
most
disturbing
postIndependence feature is the visible deterioration in human values and the concomitant rise in various forms of brutality as well as the rise of blatant and
destructive get-rich-quick culture.
Planting the Golden Arrowhead on Mount Ayanganna
As the Golden Arrowhead was being raised for the first time
at what is now the National Park in Georgetown, Guyanas
flag was being planted on the summit of Mount Ayanganna,
from which the GDFs Camp Ayanganna takes its name.
The route to the summit was pioneered by the Indigenous
mountaineer Isaac Jerry from Philippai, while the party
which climbed the mountain comprised members of the
GDF along with Adrian Thompson, the mountaineer and
naturalist. The flag was actually raised by Assad Ishoof, but
unfortunately he as well as Thompson and Jerry are now

deceased.
In the photo above the party which planted the flag is
shown outside the Parliament Building just before their
departure. Along with some others Forbes Burnham (centre)
personally saw them off. From left (in uniform) are Walters,
Martindale, Assad Ishoof (the only officer present)
Clenkian, Stewart and Thom.
Adrian Thompson can be seen fourth from right partly
hidden, while Frank Pilgrim stands to Thompsons right.
Page 8A
There was no historical significance
to May 26 Hamilton Green
(Reprinted from Sunday Stabroek, May 26, 1996)
Independence has special memories for me for several reasons. I was part of the team that attended the
conference in Britain to negotiate independence
[1965]. Briefly I should tell you what went on before
that. Guiana, in 1953, had adopted the Waddington
Constitution and for the first time we could have voted
under universal adult suffrage. In the circumstance
Independence was the next logical step. After India had
achieved its independence it was thought that British
Guiana would be next. The 53 constitution was
advanced but Britain still had responsibility for our
security, external and military affairs.
The British accused Jagan of being communist and
McCarthy and others were hysterical at the thought
that we were going to be part of the communist bloc.
Elections were in April of that year and by October
[October 6] the constitution was suspended and British
troops came here to maintain the peace. An interim
government was appointed which functioned until
1957. The PPP won the next elections. They won the
elections in 1961...
Jagan said that the election results reflected the
views of all the people. Burnham wanted proportional
representation and not the first past the post since the
PPP would have the obvious- advantage...
Britain...[decided on] the electoral system of proportional representation, to let the voting age be 21
(Jagan had wanted it to be 18) and that there should be

elections before Independence under Proportional
Representation (PR).
Jagan said no to Proportional Representation and
there were slogans written up about the city which said
No PR, CR. CR is an unmentionable expletive.
But at the 1964 election the PNC, United Force
(UF) government took office. And in keeping with the
agreement we went to Britain for the conference [to
decide the date for Independence]; Jagan boycotted.
The team comprised members of the PNC, UF, Sir
Richard Luyt [governor] Sir Anthony Greenwood
[British Minister of Overseas Development], David
Rose, the then advisor to the Governor on Defence,
Lionel Luckhoo and Sonny Ramphal, the AttorneyGeneral.
There was no historical significance to May 26.
Burnham wanted Independence to be in February
because of the historical February slave rebellion, and
DAguiar wanted August since it was August [1834]
that the British granted emancipation.
May was the middle ground between the two
months, a compromise.
It was a cold November. The conference was well
arranged and we were anxious to get it over with. We
stayed at the Dorchester Hotel and the conference was
at Lancaster House.
Ramphal and Luckhoo provided the link between
the parties and we had good dialogue and were able to
Hamilton Green
come to compromises.
The PPP boycotted the conference even though the
date had been fixed. The British had even tried to persuade him [Jagan] to attend. They asked him not to
throw away his chance of making vital decisions that
would greatly affect the country. He had declined
telling them that the country was in a state of emergency and that several persons were in detention
(which was true, we were just emerging from serious
riots, murder and general chaos) and that the electoral
system was not acceptable to the majority of people.
We returned home with a sense of achievement.
The organized working class needs credit

for Independence Eusi Kwayana
(Reprinted from the Sunday Stabroek, May 26, 1996)
On the occasion of Guyanas thirtieth anniversary
of Independence, Eusi Kwayana had the following to
say:
At the time of Independence I was neither a
member of the PPP nor the PNC. I was supporting the
PNC, however.
How did I feel about Independence? It was no
Eusi Kwayana
surprise to me. We had expected it. But it was a good

feeling.
I was not involved in the celebrations in
Georgetown. I went to the National Park briefly to
escort a Mexican delegate (that was my duty because
I spoke Spanish), I introduced him and left.
I was organizing preparations for the celebrations
at Buxton. We had a public rally there at which I
spoke, and I think George Young. There were gatherings in most communities. I remember there were
ftes and tramps the next day.
What I was interested in was a Westminster type
of constitution which detailed how the government
was to operate and how the opposition should be
treated. But, no one showed an interest, neither the
government nor opposition; everyone was more concerned about winning the elections.
They got proportional representation (PR) but that
was not the solution. It solved the problem of representation, since the PPP was over-represented in
Parliament, which was more evident in 61 when the
people really voted.
It did not solve the problem of racism and the
racial choice of politicians and the structure of power
which still exists today, and which everybody, in their
sober moments, does have to admit to. As a country
we have to face it some time or the other and not run
away.
The government which was in power was important to the British government because of the Cold
War which was on at the time. I dont think the
British were as concerned with our independence as
they were about keeping a communist out of office.
They knew from 61 that if the PNC and UF joined
forces they would have been able to win and that it
would have been less risky to grant Independence at
that stage.
I dont think that in all this the organized working

class was given enough credit for the achievement of
Independence. The efforts by Jagan and Burnham
were without doubt great Burnham for popularizing the idea among the people and Jagan in a more
absolute way.
It was the organized working class who shook up
the British administration with the 1947 bauxite
strike, the 1948 Colonel Teare strike (Colonel Teare
was brought here to run the Transport and Harbours
Department and he did it like a tyrant) and the 1948
sugar strike. These shook up the British investors and
North American capital (and they realized) that they
were not here forever.
Independence of 1966 was a

grand occasion. I remember that
day well. It was touching to hear
that night the British Anthem played
for the last time and the new
National Anthem of Guyana played
for the first. The National Park was
filled with people. The Duke and
Duchess of Kent were there and a
number of foreign delegations.
Burnham had invited the people
who worked with us on the constitution. Britain had provided the fireworks. The people were happy,
even though the paint had not even
dried properly on manyof the stands
and people had their good clothes
ruined.
Hamilton Green
Page 9A
Remembering
independence
We should
rekindle the
spirit of 30
years ago
The Duke of Kent hands the constitutional instruments to Prime
Minister Forbes Burnham in the National Assembly, May 26, 1966.
Forbes Burnham speaking at the presentation

ceremony of Independence Arch, Brickdam.
Governor Sir Richard Luyt takes the salute.
Neville Bissember
The late attorney-at-law Neville Bissember Sr was in

the 21-member Guyanese delegation to the 1962 and
1963 constitutional talks in London. He was also a
member of the delegation representing the Peoples
National Congress to the talks which resumed in
November 1965, when the date for independence was
set.
In an interview with the
Sunday Stabroek of May
26, 1996, Bissember, who
was one of the architects
of the Independence
Constitution, spoke about
the Independence experience. Excerpts from the
interview follow:
As a result of the Sir
Hugh Hallett Boundary
Commission
which
demarcated Guyanas 35
constituencies, elections
were held in 1961 for
internal self-government.
The three main parties, the
Peoples
Progressive
Neville Bissember
Party (PPP), the Peoples
National Congress (PNC) and the United Force (UF), contesting the elections all clamoured for political independence. As a result, the British government summoned the
Independence Constitutional Conference in October, 1962.
We went.
We, including Sir Lionel Luckoo and Edward De
Freitas of the UF, and Fenton Ramsahoye of the PPP, had
drafted the whole Independence constitution. The meeting
was held at Lancaster House in London. Regrettably all
the political parties did not agree on the electoral system
which had to be agreed upon by the full plenary session.
The PNC and the UF wanted a change in the electoral system, but the PPP which was in government at the time
wanted the first-past-the-post system instead of proportional representation, and the conference broke down and we
returned home.
The Secretary of State for the Colonies, Duncan Sandys
then summoned another conference in October 1963. We
went back to London. This time the meeting was held at
Marlborough House. Sandys, realizing that we had failed
to agree once again, decided to impose the decision in
favour of proportional representation, the system which we
still use today.
Independence was an exciting period in our history.
Everyone thought that Independence would be a great
thing for Guyana. Regrettably it has not lived up to expectations primarily because there seems to be a failure of the
governing party to come to terms with the view of other
political parties and arrive at a consensus for national unity.
I am afraid that national unity is far away from the reaches
of the Guyanese people and I recommend that we rekindle
the spirit and enthusiasm of 30 years ago for the benefit of
the Guyanese nation.
Page 10A
Desmond Roberts remembers

raising Golden Arrowhead that first time
By Oluatoyin Alleyne
Fifty years ago, 20-year-old Guyana
Defence Force Second Lieutenant
Desmond Theophilus Roberts was
selected to hoist the countrys Golden
Arrowhead for the first time and it is an
honour that still makes his heart swell
with pride.
As the country prepares to celebrate
fifty years of standing on its own and not
being a colony of Great Britain, Roberts
is one of those who were around in those
days and still remember.
I felt mainly relieved that the flagraising ceremony had gone without a
hitch, Roberts told this newspaper
recently when asked to recall his feelings fifty years ago.
[I was also] happy that Prime
Minister Burnham and Leader of the
Opposition Dr Cheddi Jagan had
embraced on the tarmac after the Golden
Arrowhead had been raised; there was
hope for unity and reconciliation, he
said.
At that time, Roberts explained, there
were several parades to which officers
were assigned and he was given the flagraising ceremony. Maybe because I had
been good at drills, was tall and they felt
that I was confident, he surmised.
While he raised the Golden
Arrowhead the Union flag was lowered
by a British officer, Second Lieutenant
James Jonklass.
At that time Roberts had only just
returned from the British Mons Officer
Cadet School (MOCS).

Reflecting on those days, Roberts said
he spent all his working life in uniform,
paid by the army. He spent one year as
Director of the Guyana Youth Corps;
seven years in the Guyana National
Service; two years managing a
hydropower project in the North West
District and returned to the GDF for four
years before going off to study and finally retiring as a Colonel.
I travelled all across our beautiful
country and thoroughly enjoyed working with young people, he told this
newspaper.
Retired Colonel Roberts may not be in
Guyana as the country celebrates its
Golden Jubilee but said he will celebrate
the 50th independence anniversary
wherever he is. He has received several
invitations to attend flag-raising functions and celebrations in North America
and the Caribbean. But Guyana is
where the main focus will be and where
a lot of people will be returning after
many years, possibly for the last time. It
will be a great party. When you compare
Guyana to many developed countries,
after 50 years of their existence as countries, we have done well. We have superficial differences which can be overcome within a generation; and we have a
resourceful population in a country full
of resources, Roberts said, without
revealing where he would be on May 26.
He plans to return to Guyana to live
and he hopes to contribute in any area
possible. He would like to live in
Then GDF Cadets Asad Ishoof, Desmond Roberts and Vibert Boodhoo depart
for officer training in Britain in 1965.
Guyanas hinterland in a simple way.

Initially when he left Guyana 26 years
ago the purpose was to study and return
but he eventually migrated when it was
clear that my services, and those of my
wife, might not be needed in Guyana
after 1997.
Roberts stated that Guyana has moved
in several directions over the past 50
years, trying to cope with external factors, shocks and major changes within
the international systems and regimens.
He believes that President David
Granger is attempting the difficult task
of re-establishing first principles as well
as moving the country onto a path of
sustainable development.
Roberts remembers his late friend and
MOCS squaddie, Assad Ishoof, who
also raised a flag on May 26, 1966, but
on Mt Ayanganna. He said Ishoof ran his
successful businesses by adhering to the
six principles of war that they learned as
cadets. These are useful principles for
running a small or large business as well
as a town or a country, he said.
Desmond Theophilus Roberts
Second Lieutenant Desmond Roberts raises the Golden Arrowhead

while Second Lieutenant James Jonklass of the British forces lowers the
Union flag.
Page 11A
The Flag: the Golden Arrowhead

According to Allan Fenty in Being Frank (2011) it was Premier Cheddi
Jagan who received a letter in 1960 from vexillologist Dr Whitney Smith
asking whether he could design a flag for the then colony. (Smith coined
the term vexillologist which means the scholarly analysis of all aspects
of flags (Wikipedia).) Jagan responded that the country could not have its
own flag until it became independent, but Smith could still create a flag for
the future and send it to the National History and Arts Council to look at.
Thereafter it would have to be endorsed by the legislature.
Fenty goes on to relate that Smiths Golden Arrowhead was approved by
the time Forbes Burnhams coalition government acceded to office in 1964.
Bird n locally as the

l
a
n
o
i
t
a
N
s
tter know
Guyana
the Hoatzin, be
al bird is
Guyanas nation hoto by Kester Clarke)
t. (P
Canje Pheasan
The Coat-ofArms
Guyanas National Flower

Guyanas national flower is the Victoria Regia lily, nowadays called the Victoria
Amazonica.
Page 12A
Page 13A
Stephen Campbells role in Independence talks

hardly remembered in his home village of Moruka
By Gaulbert Sutherland
The weathered Stephen Campbell monument in Santa Rosa
Doli Rodrigues in her craft shop at Santa Rosa.
I asked the group of men lounging at a bar at the

Kumaka waterfront if they knew Stephen
Campbell. One asked where he lived. Another
pointed eastward. A mini-debate ensued until one
shouted: The man dead!
Stephen Campbell, of course, has been dead
for half a century. The first legislator of indigenous descent in Guyana, he has often been
described as a revered hero to the indigenous
peoples for his fight to ensure that Amerindian
lands rights were enshrined in the constitution of
the newly-independent Guyana in 1966.
Tragically, he never lived to see an independent
Guyana as he died on May 12, 1966, two weeks
before British Guiana gained independence from
Britain.
He was memorialized at the first
Independence Day celebrations held in the Santa
Rosa school compound at Moruca where he
received his education. He was hailed as the man
who went to the Queen in the independence
quest, Esther Campbell (no relation) known
widely as Teacher Attie, recalled. She was a
teacher at the Santa Rosa school at the time.
Despite Campbells death, the first Independence
Day was a joyous affair, she related.
Everybody was happythere was a party at
the school...we had gone a little step further, able
to rule ourselves, Teacher Attie related. She said
Campbell was memorialized at that first
Independence Day. At midnight, the Golden
Arrowhead was raised and policemen fired guns.
To celebrate, poems were read, there were skits,
games, a concert and cultural items. They had
a campfire, the children said poems and then they
dance around the fire and the old people told stories, she recalled. She said the dances done were
Amerindian dances to the sounds of the shakshak, guitar and banjo.
Fifty years later, precisely a week before the
Golden Jubilee of Independence celebrations,
one could be forgiven for thinking it was just
another day. Golden Jubilee events in Region
One are being overseen by a regional committee
and the coordinator had not yet visited the village

up to Thursday when Stabroek News visited.
The village leader Sherwin Abrams and
spokesman Graham Atkinson expressed frustration. Both said they had sought guidance and
funds but none was forthcoming. Right now we
have to clip it to a bare minimum, Atkinson
said. He said it was made clear to them that the
Golden Jubilee is a national event and they have
to work within the given structure and the village
council could not subvert the authority of the
regional authorities. He said they can organise a
lot of activities but they need the support to get
out to all the communities. Atkinson said that he
was disappointed and a bit angry. The politics of
the day also has a lot to do with how these events
are being planned, he said.
Even the decorations, ubiquitous in
Georgetown, are largely unseen in Santa Rosa
except for schools and the few government
buildings. Nevertheless, the schools and the
Catholic church are planning their own observances.
For the village, Atkinson said, they are planning some activities and like May 26 in 1966,
there will be a campfire, songs and a flag-raising
ceremony and a presentation on Campbells contribution to independence.
Despite his status as a revered hero, Campbell
is a forgotten figure to the wider populace.
Usually, it is during Amerindian Heritage Month
celebrations in September that he and his contributions are resurrected. Otherwise, in a postindependence conversation largely dominated by
former presidents Forbes Burnham and Cheddi
Jagan, he has been relegated to the sidelines, not
a part of any school curriculum, even in indigenous communities. Even in his hometown Santa
Rosa, his name often elicits a quizzical Who?
Like the writing on the weathered monument
dedicated to him in the centre of Santa Rosa,
Campbell seems to have faded into the mist. The
majority of persons asked could not say who he
was and only a few persons could instantly recall
him and his contributions during a recent visit to
the village.
Jubilant mood? School children at the Santa Rosa Primary School framed by Jubilee
decorations
Stephen Campbell
Kevin Rufino in Kumuka
He fought hard for getting recognition for his

Amerindian people. I think he was a great hero,
said Doli Rodrigues, a tireless Morucan, who
despite retiring from teaching years ago, is
involved in a range of activities. She recalled
meeting Campbell at Shea in the Rupununi
where he showed the students old dances. He
was telling them you have to hold on to your culture, she recalled.
Rodrigues said people still speak of him. We
feel a certain respect, we still feel that he did a
part in the independence thing, she said, while
adding that people should be much more aware
of his Moruca roots.
Atkinson said Campbell is like a beacon in the
fight for Amerindian land rights. There has been
progress made in that area. However, we are still
struggling to make it a real package, he said,
while adding that Campbell is still relevant in the
struggle for indigenous rights. Fifty years on, he
observed, we are still struggling to have some
finality in some of these rights.

He was really brave, he was really, really
brave to be so outspoken cause of the racialness
and everything, he was reallydetermined to go
forward with his vision that he had for the people, said Kevin Rufino, who learnt of Campbell
from the late Basil Rodrigues.
Atkinson said that Campbell is not being discussed as he should be, and he is only mentioned
during Amerindian Heritage Month. You dont
hear about Stephen Campbell having a role to
play in independence, he said. Its not being
taught in the school, he pointed out while
adding that this is a bit frustrating because he is
from that part of the country. He said Campbell
and his role need to be rightfully placed in history.
There is no denying Campbells contributions.
The role most associated with him is his struggle
to secure the land rights of Guyanas indigenous
peoples. Born in Moruca on December 26, 1897,
The decorated Ministry of Education building in Kumaka, Santa Rosa, Moruca.
Jubilee Princess: A Santa Rosa Primary

School student is all prepared for the
Golden Jubilee observances.
in 1957 he formally entered politics and during
elections that year as a member of the National
Labour Front (NLF), Campbell, standing for the
North West District, was the only person to win
a seat for his party in the British Guiana
Legislative Council. It was something of a landmark, since he was the first Amerindian to win a
seat in a general election. From that point on he
served in the legislature until his death on May
12, 1966, two weeks before British Guiana
gained independence from Britain.
He was very concerned during the preIndependence period that after Independence the
indigenous people might lose their rights to their
traditional lands, and in order to further his
efforts in this regard he resigned from the NLF,
contesting the 1961 and 1964 general elections
under the umbrella of the United Force (UF).
Since the UF was the third party in the legislature
which was partly dependent on the Amerindian
vote, this decision allowed him to attend the
Independence conferences in London in 1962,
1963 and 1965, where eventually it was agreed
that Amerindians should be given legal ownership to lands in an independent Guyana. The fact
that many villages now have official title to their
lands is largely owing to the efforts of Campbell,
although he never lived long enough to see the
first titles granted in 1976.
It seems unlikely that this is largely known.
Santa Rosa is now a titled Amerindian village of
over 8000 persons scattered among the islands
and forests of the swampy Moruca district. Here,
in Stephen Campbells hometown, the Golden
Jubilee seems like an afterthought.
Atkinson spoke of transforming the weathered
Stephen Campbell monument into a grander project: A Stephen Campbell gardens and information centre.
It would go some way towards answering the
questions asked by some in Santa Rosa. Who is
he? Where he living?
Page 14A
Reflecting on the post-independent

era: the elderly speak
Randolph Blackett
Lucio Thompson
Ismay McGarrell
dow and threatened to drop him. They
did not do so, but were expelled from
the school. Violence in school is not a
new thing; it use to happen in my days.
But we did not have many girls dropping
out of school because of teenage pregnancy.
orn and bred in Victoria, 71year-old Randolph Blackett

recalls that before independence you use to see a lot
of white mouth kera about
the place lack of proteins. But when
[former President Forbes] Burnham
took away he tried to eliminate that. I
think he brought in this fish tilapia from
Africa which help the issue. It was also
difficult for the average villager to find
jobs or afford to further their education,
but all of this changed after independence. And when independence come
we started to do a lot of self-help around
the place, cleaning up the place and so.
Back then this place use to be black
like hell, no light. Every average child
you use to see with bus toe because of
the claybrick road, and walking on the
road in the night you use to bust up you
toe. So when it was moonlight night you
use to be so glad because then you use to
get your game and so forth.
Back then we were more close, we
more knitted as a people because if you
get little work to do we come together
and we help one another in those days.
But now everybody thinking about self
now, after Independence everybody start
branching off and start think about self,
Blackett said.
ay 26th, 1966 is still

etched in Blacketts
mind as he remembers attending the
flag-raising ceremony. I can remember attending the flag
raising and I felt real good to see for the
last time that the Union Jack coming
down and our Golden Arrowhead going
up. But the thing that impress me more
is how this soldier march up on the tarmac and salute. I think was then Prime
Minister Burnham, and girl you could
have heard this man boots on the tarmac! Oh Lord, me skin grow and I felt
so nice to know that we now ruling ourselves, and I think all average Guyanese
would have felt that way too you know.
And now to crown it all to see that as
soon as our President swear in he start to
clean up the place for this fifty-year
anniversary and look the difference,
look the beauty of our garden city from
Rahanna Beharry
then to now.
He believes there is much to celebrate
and if his health permits he would be at
DUrban Park to witness the flag-raising
ceremony. I would remember fifty
years ago I stood at the National Park
and witness the Union Jack coming
down for the last time and the Golden
Arrowhead going up for the first time. I
would feel like a proud Guyanese 71 one
years old; you know I was a youth then
and now I am an old man, a grandfather
and a great grandfather to witness our
Golden Arrowhead going up in a atmosphere of peace and love.
Lucio Thompson is also 71, hails
from the village of Kamarang, Region 7
and he remembers that when the country
became an independent state the Golden
Arrowhead was hoisted by the then captain of the village. For him nothing has
changed since then because, We just
continue to work hard, farming and no
assistance. Right now I need help, I
always thinking about myself how I
would become in the coming future,
what I would do for my family. I would
like more assistance from now on, the
man said, as he stood next to his ailing
wife on the bridge of the Amerindian
Hostel. While they would be in
Georgetown on May 26th the couple
said they do not plan on attending any of
the activities because there is no one to
take them around the city.
At 68, Buxtonian Jusset Hart believes
Jusset Hart
that Guyana was a better place under the
British rule. She recalls that eggs were
just a dollar for a dozen and people
could have saved. We were able to buy
things to eat and get money to save, she
said, adding the children were more disciplined in school and she does not
recall domestic violence being so rampant. An empathic No is uttered when
asked if Guyana should celebrate its
independence, and asked for the reason
Hart again mentioned the cost of living.
She said for a place that is rich in natural
resources Guyanese should not have to
struggle so much, giving herself as an
example since she is unable to even buy
wood and sand to renovate her home
because of the prices.
On the other hand, another Buxtonian,
86-year-old Ismay McGarrell Guyana
has come a far way and there is much to
celebrate. But said in the past children
could not speak to their parents the way
they do today, and they had to attend
school. Parents now have to be behind
you and you doing what you like, that
did not happen then. You have to go to
school and if you did not want to go
school your parents found something for
you to do, but they would press on you
to go to school. But she did admit that
there were children who were not disciplined back then as she recalled an incident where some boys who were disciplined by the school headmaster lifted
him and held him out of the school win-
ahanna Beharry is 73, and

she lives at Greenwich
Park, East Bank Essequibo, and for her Guyana should be returned to
pre-colonial days just so the crime rate
could be reduced. Things were good in
those days. We had no problem to get
grocery and they were selling cheap.
Beharry recalled that she was born in
Albouystown and her mother died when
she was 12 and she was forced to me
move to Farm Village, East Bank
Demerara. I got married when I was 14
and I worked in the backdam and did
domestic work. We used to feel safe in
our homes in those days. But after independence there was an 80-day strike and
then the riot started. We were scared. I
can remember when we had to line up to
buy groceryThe only social problem
we had was with the men drinking and
fighting up among themselves. At least
we didnt have robbery and we coulda
leave our house open without worrying.
But she is proud Guyana is fifty. Im
proud that it is 50 years already since we
became independent, but I am sad at
how the crime rate is going up. I dont
think the country would get better with
the economy either. The pension raise
but everything raise in the shop too.
Sixty-two-year-old Joyce Jones, who
hails from Den Amstel, West Coast
Demerara, feels that the country was in
a good place before independence. I
was a young girl then but I can recall
that under the British rule we use to have
cheaper things. The only recreation we
got was when young people in the village used to come together and play
games like hop-scotch, littie and sal
pass. In those times we never had problems with people smoking weed too
much, but the men used to drink a lot of
alcohol. But it is good to know that we
Turn to page 21A
Page 15A
Programme for
Independence
The following is the outline of
the Independence Programme:
SUNDAY
MAY 22
Day of National Reflection
and Intercession
9am -Farwell Parade and laying
up of colours of the British Guiana
Volunteer Force; 11:45 am.
-Unveiling of the Independence
Arch by the Prime Minister; 4:30pm
-Official Welcome for their Royal
Highnesses at the airport; 7pm Their Royal Highnesses attend
Evensong at St. Georges Cathedral;
9 pm -Government reception for
visiting and local members of the
Press.
MONDAY
9am -Handicraft Exhibition
Opens; photographic Exhibition
opens; 10:15 am.
Civic Welcome for Their Royal
Highnesses at the Town Hall; 11.40
am -Their Royal Highnesses meet
the Press at Government House
8:30 pm -Formal Dinner Party at
Government House.
TUESDAY
9.30 am - Their Royal
Highnesses visit rural areas in East
and West Berbice and receive a
Civic welcome and Reception in
New Amsterdam; 10 am.
-Presentation of Title deed to the
University of Guyana by Lord
Campbell; 4pm -Their Royal Highnesses return to Georgetown; 5.45
pm -The Regimental Band and
Corps of Drums of the 1st Battalion,
the Middlesex Regiment, Beat
Retreat at the Parade Ground; 9 pm
-Diplomatic Reception at Government House; 9.30 pm -The Governors Reception at Government
House.
WEDNESDAY
9 am -Water Pageant on
Demerara River; 9.30 am -Their
Royal Highnesses visit the Water
Pageant and then tour exhibition of
rice and sugar industries and local
handicraft at Vreed-en-Hoop; 11am
-His Royal Highness visits the
Guyana Defence Force; Her Royal
Highness visits the Palms
Almshouse; 11.30 am
-His Royal Highness visits 1st
Battalion, the Middlesex Regiment;
8 pm -Their Royal Highnesses

attend the State Banquet at Queens
College; 10.35 pm -Their Royal
Highnesses attend the National
Display, Flag-Raising ceremony in
the Queen Elizabeth II National
Park.
THURSDAY
INDEPENDENCE DAY
(Public Holiday)
6 am -Religious Services of
Dedication; 8am -National Gun
Salute by warships of visiting
Navies; 8.30 am -Presentation of
credentials by High Commissioners
to the Prime Minister; 8 am 9 am
-Broadcasts
by
Religious
Leaders; 9.15 am -Fly past by aircraft; 9.45 am -Swearing-in of
Governor-General and Ministers at
Government House; 11 am -State
Opening of Parliament by His
Royal Highness; 3.30 pm -Their
Royal Highnesses attend the Race
Meeting at DUrban Park; 6.30 pm
-Their Royal Highnesses attend the
Prime Ministers Reception; 9 pm Street Dancing; 10 pm -Their Royal
Highnesses attend the State Ball at
Queens College.
FRIDAY
Public Holiday
9.30 am
-Their Royal
Highnesses visit Lethem and
Mackenzie; 10 am
-Prime
Ministers Press Conference; 5 pm
-Their Royal Highnesses return to
Georgetown; 5.45 pm -Reception
by the Guyana Branch of the
Commonwealth
Parliamentary
Association; 9 pm -Historical
Pageant in Queen Elizabeth II
National Park; 9 pm
-Street
Dancing.
This was the front page of the special supplement brought out by the
Graphic newspaper on the morning of Thursday, May 26, 1966. It was
entitled the Graphic Independence Souvenir and was compiled by the
editor of the paper, Ricardo Smith. (Courtesy of Dr Steve Surujbally)
SATURDAY
9.30 am
-Their Royal
Highnesses watch the Float Parade;
2 pm -Informal departure of their
Royal Highnesses from the airport;
4.30 pm 8 pm -Tramp; 9 pm Theatre Show at Queens College
Guyana Legend; 9 pm -Street
Dancing.
SUNDAY
Religious
Services
of
Thanksgiving; 1.30 pm -National
Sporting Events; 4 pm -Procession
of Floats and Steel Bands.
Among many other things the Graphic Independence Souvenir of

May 26, 1966, published the programme of events for
Independence. As can be seen, there were two public holidays on
Thursday and Friday, and a crowded schedule of functions of one
kind or another.
Letter requesting Queens approval for Independence Act and Order, 1966
Page 16A
Creating a foreign policy

for an independent state
By Ronald M Austin
The British Guiana Legislative Council in June of
1958 passed a resolution calling on the British government to convene a constitutional conference to discuss
full independence for the then colony. Responding to
the aspirations of the parliamentary representatives of
the colony, the British government and its Colonial
Secretary, Iain McLeod, convened a conference in
London in March of 1960. Delegations from the PPP
and the PNC were led by their respective leaders, Dr
Cheddi Jagan and Forbes Burnham, while the Guiana
Independence Movement was represented by Jai
Narine Singh. Rahman Gajraj and RE Davis attended
the conference as nominated members of the Legislative Council. It was clear that while there was general
agreement on the need for independence there was no
consensus on the means to achieve it. The British government settled for a halfway house: full internal selfgovernment with the colonial power retaining responsibility for defence and foreign affairs.
But the British government understood that despite
the political difficulties, British Guianas independence
was inevitable and therefore the country had to be prepared for the attendant responsibilities. When a settlement was reached therefore at the 1963 constitutional
conference, critical institutions had to be created to
ensure that Guyana could carry out its functions as an
independent nation. One such area was foreign policy.
Accordingly, the British government created the
Department of External Affairs in 1964 which was
located in the Office of the Prime Minister. As Premier,
Burnham elected to retain the Ministry of External
Affairs. Deroop Maraj was appointed Minister of
State. The recruitment of suitable candidates who
could serve as diplomats for the new state proceeded
apace. From all reports a number of well-qualified and
talented people were attracted by the prospect of
becoming diplomats. It was here that some of our
finest diplomats such as Rashleigh Jackson and Rudy
Insanally had their initial exposure to the practice of
diplomacy.
The establishment of the Department of External
Affairs was the first step in a series of measures which
were taken to prepare the British colony substantively
and institutionally for independence.
After the completion of the recruitment process, the
new diplomats had to be trained. A major Foreign
Service Working Training Course was held in January
1966. The list of those attending this course makes for
interesting reading. Altaf Mohamed, who was later our
Ambassador to China, was there as was Miles Stoby,
who became Deputy to Rashleigh Jackson at our
Permanent Mission in New York. Doris Harper Wills,
the wife of Fred Wills, attended as did Jane Seymour,
who was to do a tour of duty at our mission in
Washington. In short, it was a mix of professionals,
some of whom had excellent degrees in such subjects
as economics, law and education.
The subjects covered by the training course included Working at an Embassy, the significance of proto-
Minister of State Shridath Ramphal
Rashleigh Jackson
col, the importance of economics and trade, the

American hemisphere and others which were considered necessary to prepare the members of the Department of External Affairs for a diplomatic career.
The Prime Minister delivered the main address to
the conference. In this speech one can detect elements
which were to have a lasting effect on the execution of
the nations foreign policy. He took account of
Guyanas geostrategic position in the world, the
East/West political blocs, the need for alliances and
development resources, and the necessity to be as neutral as possible between the two ideological blocs;
Guyana would not automatically support either East or
West. Also, on the very eve of the nations independence both Venezuela and Suriname reiterated claims
to Guyanas territory. Not surprisingly therefore the
Prime Minister made the question of security an important part of his speech. There had been pronouncements on the likely foreign policy for an independent
Guyana in the pre-independence period, but this was
the first time that the actual determinants of such a policy were detailed.
Burnhams address to the training course for the new
Guyanese diplomats is an interesting document
because it represents the efforts of a new state to define
its interests and prepare its representatives for the challenges of international life. Based on its interests and
the need for security, Guyana established diplomatic
relations with all of the main and important states in
the international system and with international organizations, such as the United Nations and the Commonwealth. Relatedly, this small nation pursued its goals
and objectives in international diplomacy with great
vigour. Within a decade of being independent Guyana
was a well-known small state whose representatives
had won recognition in several international fora. The
fact that it could host a Non-Aligned Meeting of the
Foreign Ministers for the first time in the Western
hemisphere eight years after independence is testimony to the importance of diplomacy in the young
nations national life and the success it had achieved in
executing its foreign policy.
Another important building block in the construction of the institutions relevant to the conduct of the
nations foreign policy was the Report of the Review
Committee on the Organisational Structure and
Conditions of Service of the Guyana Diplomatic
Service. The committee which was established in
1968 was chaired by the new Minister of State S S
Ramphal and it represents the most detailed account of
the conditions of service of our diplomats. Twentythree pages long it covers every aspect of the diplomats life abroad. Most of the recommendations of the
committee were based on submissions by the overseas
missions. The work of this committee, the training programme to which reference has already been made,
Guyanas active diplomatic life, the pronouncements
on the substance of the nations foreign policy and the
performance of our diplomats are testimony to the fact
that Guyana had applied the energies released by
independence in a most constructive manner.
Six weeks of sleepless days and nights

From page 6A
supportive and collaborated to ensure that it was a
success, Robinson said that after efforts failed to get
the Georgetown Cricket Club Ground to stage the
pageant. Frankie suggested that Kelly Dam and the
Golf Course next to the old Golf Club in the Queen
Elizabeth Park, now the National Park, be used as the
venue.
The Golf Club house was an empty building. We

had nothing to start with, but friends rallied around,
she said, and within a short space of time, We had
two telephones, desk and chairs, mirrors and even a
sewing machine was loaned to us, and we got moving.
Two days before the show, we had a snag with the
electrical arrangements. Her brother-in-law Leon
Robinson employed with the then Guyana
Telecommunications Corporation took time off his job

and worked round the clock for 48 hours to get electricity into the area. The success of the pageant came
from offerings and devotion like that, she said.
It was after the Independence celebrations that the
building was turned over to the then National History
and Arts Council and has since been renamed the
Department of Culture. [It is now the Burrowes
School of Art.]
Page 17A
There is pomp and pageantry

but Guyana is still struggling to
find its footing -Ralph Ramkarran
People from the PPP felt robbed, I think that was the general feeling of people
in the PPP. I cant remember my own feelings, I suppose I went along with the
general, you know, feeling of everybody, the PPP was robbedthe PPP had
fought for independence and it was unfair and unjust that the PPP had been
kicked out of power and that independence was given to people who really did
not put out the effort to get it
By Gaulbert Sutherland
On May 26, 1966, there were fireworks, gun salutes,
dances and songs as a newly christened Guyana
emerged from the folds of the British empire. The
pomp and pageantry has been repeated religiously
every year, but half a century later, Guyana is still
struggling to find its footing.
We were pretty excited at Cheddi going to the
National Park and embracing Burnham and so onwe
felt that good things would come out of that, former
Speaker of the National Assembly Ralph Ramkarran
recalled, speaking of the late presidents Dr Cheddi
Jagan and Forbes Burnham. By the time of independence, deep fissures had developed between the onetime allies with Burnham becoming the prime minister
after Jagan was manoeuvred from office.
Ever since, the deep divisions have festered and 50
years on, despite being well endowed with natural
resources, fertile agricultural lands, bauxite, gold and
extensive tropical forests which cover more than 80
per cent of the country, Guyana is the third poorest
country in Latin America and the Caribbean.
I dont think that we have done as good as we could
have done, Ramkarran said. One of the reasons that
most people feel that Guyana has been held back is
because of the political divisions in the country. I
believe that if Cheddi were still alive today that he
would have made a much stronger effort to get unity
between the two major political forces. I think that is
what is needed.
The period before independence was a time of
upheaval and turmoil and the consequences have
haunted Guyana since. Great sacrifices were made and
it was not all joy on May 26, 1966 with independence
being greeted with mixed feelings.
Ramkarran was born into politics, his late father
Boysie Ramkarran having been a founding member of
the PPP in 1950. The elder Ramkarran served in various capacities at the executive level of the PPP as the
party fought for independence, and for years after the
suspension of the constitution by the British in 1953,
he was restricted to the areas surrounding his home. He
also endured imprisonment at the Camp Street and
Mazaruni prisons.
Politics was always part of our lives, everybody we
knew was in politics, everybody we knew was in the
PPP, there was all the excitement of all the political
events that were going on. [It] was part of our excitement of life, it was part of our whole existence, the
younger Ramkarran recalled. His first political job was
in 1957, when aged 11, he took over his fathers
Thunder customers. Ramkarran officially joined the
PPP in April 1961.
He recalled his mother cooking food for Burnhams
Ralph Ramkarran
wedding to his first wife in the 1950s and also campaigning with his dad who wore a jacket and tie during
his house-to-house campaign visits.
The [1964] election was a difficult time because the
violence started in 1962, it was a frightening period for
us, 62, 63, 64, and this was very painful, very violent
and you know, we kind of felt that something was
going to happen to the PPP and that bad things were
going to happen in the country. Well those bad things
lasted for three years and eventually the PPP lost
office, Ramkarran recalled.
That upheaval marked the years leading up to independence. Ramkarran recalled that from 1964
onwards, a large number of PPP leaders and supporters
were detained without trial by the British government.
He said people hardly remember the detainees and
among those detained for two years were Cedric Nunes
and Prakash Persaud. It was a big struggle to get them
out, it was a real fight to get out the detained, he said.
On Independence Day, Jagan and Burnham
embraced. We felt good about it, Ramkarran said.
But Jagan and the late Reepu Daman Persaud were the
only two from the PPP executive who attended the
flag-raising ceremony at the National Park.
People from the PPP felt robbed, I think that was

the general feeling of people in the PPP. I cant remember my own feelings, I suppose I went along with the
general, you know, feeling of everybody, the PPP was
robbedthe PPP had fought for independence and it
was unfair and unjust that the PPP had been kicked out
of power and that independence was given to people
who really did not put out the effort to get it, he said.
Guyanas development continues to be bedevilled
by political divisions which has hampered progress.
Ramkarran, who was also a PPP executive but left after
being alarmed at the corruption within the party, said
the economy in 1953 when the first elections under
universal adult suffrage was held, and in 1966, was
based on rice, sugar and bauxite. From 1966 to now,
the economy has changed very little, he said, even as
he observed that bauxite mining has declined while
gold mining and forestry have become important.
Guyanas economy is based on commodities and
the extraction and sale of raw materials; nothing has
fundamentally changed in our economy. There are no
big services that we produce to export like tourism,
like information technology, there is nothing that
Guyana has developed since then, he argued. The
economy has grown larger but Guyana is still a very
poor country, he said.
The Senior Counsel believes that constitutional
reform is key to forging an atmosphere that could
encourage unity and foster greater development while
there is also hope that the dominance of the PPP could
be challenged.
The last two elections have shown that the absolute
dominance of the PPP is declining, he said. And while
its still a strong political force, if that dominance continues to decline the possibility exists that no political
force in Guyana can get an absolute majority and if that
arises then it holds out possibilities for a greater unity,
he said.
The second aspect is that hopefully the process of
constitutional reform can create a situation that forces
the political parties to collaborate, the senior counsel
said. In this regard, he listed presidential elections
where the candidate requires an absolute majority and
is not tied to a list as is currently the situation. If no
candidate gets 51% of the vote, then a runoff would be
required and then parties have to negotiate, he said.
So that forces them to come together, he said.
Another option, the former House Speaker suggested, is having the president elected by the National
Assembly after general elections with the requirement
that the president be elected by a two thirds majority.
Even if the president is required to be elected by 51%
Turn to page 18A
Page 18A
There is pomp and

pageantry but
Guyana is still...
From page 17A
The Duke of Kent shakes Prime Minister Burnhams hand prior to

his departure from Guyana. (Photo courtesy of the Bissember family)
The constitutional instrument
The Duchess of Kent visits the Palms on May 22, 1966

(Photo courtesy of the Bissember family)
and no party gets 51%, you still have to negotiate, he

said. There are methods by which constitutional
reform can force political parties to collaborate more
and he is looking forward to this, he said.
However, he acknowledged that the major parties
may not want this. We have to keep fighting for it
I am not so sure that the APNU which had been voicing some of these things before, I am not sure they are
sold now on it. Once you get in power, your perspective changes you know, just like the PPPs perspective
changed from 1992 onwards, he said. However, he
said APNU would want to change the system so that a
party that does not win a plurality of the votes would
be able to join with other parties after an election to
take the presidency. Currently, a party that wins the
most votes though it may be less than half of the votes
cast, is entitled to the presidency.
In terms of the desire to heal the divisions,
Ramkarran said while this is strong, it can come into
conflict with the maintenance of political power and
when it comes into that conflict, political power takes
precedence. I am predicting that the PPP will be very
reticent about constitutional reformthey will not
want anything fundamental to be changed. Why?
Because they feel they will win the next elections and
thatthis situation suits them so they will be able to
rule by themselves. APNU may also be labouring
under the same view that they will win the next elections and if they do then they will not want to change
up the presidential and constitutional systemin any
significant way, he said.
He also suggested that a truly independent party
that focuses on attracting PPP supporters could help in
forging the way forward. What is needed is a political force to challenge the PPP, to challenge the PPP
and to draw away the support of the PPP andsuch a
political force must pledge beforehand that it will not
join in any government but maintain its independence
outside of government to keep the political parties on
track, he said.
Such a party must aim to get supporters from all
ethnic groups but its main focus would be to challenge
the PPP as a party which has betrayed the principles of
Cheddi Jagan, the former PPP stalwart said, while
pointing out that in terms of numbers, the PPPs support base of Indo-Guyanese is larger and the party also
has the strong support of the Amerindian community.
He said third parties do not have a great history in
the world and Guyanas political culture based on ethnic support prevents third parties from flourishing
here. However, a third party that challenges the PPP
could be successful, he argued.
In order to bring about change, members of the
Guyanese society have to keep writing and talking
about it all the time, Ramkarran said.
He expressed himself as very hopeful that once
there is relief from the political division, much can be
accomplished. He noted that there is the prospect of
Guyana becoming an oil producing state but noted
that it will not happen immediately and it must not be
overemphasised. If oil brings more income to Guyana,
it can assist in building the countrys infrastructure
and set the base for the expansion of the economy in
various areas, he said. He pointed out that Guyana has
good possibilities in manufacturing and has products
that can sustain huge value-added industries such as
those from forestry, mining and agriculture.
Really we dont need oil because the Caribbean
imports US$2 billion worth of food [annually]. If we
only get US$500 million of that business Guyana can
be well off and this must be targeted, he said.
If we are able to get this take off from our oil
resources to build other aspects of our economy, I
think Guyana has a great future, he asserted.
Page 19A
Jubilee milestones:
Significant developments in
Guyanese history, 1966-2016
historian Dr Walter Rodney to a teaching position at
the University of Guyana evoked protests within the
institution and in the wider society, events associated
with the formation of the Working Peoples Alliance,
initially a pressure group which became a political
party formally in 1979.
By Winston McGowan
1966 After 163 years of uninterrupted British
rule dating back to 1803, British Guiana became
politically independent on May 26 under the new
name, Guyana, with Forbes Burnham its first Prime
Minister.
Guyanas batting star Rohan Kanhai, and

Englishman James Jameson set a world record of 465
runs for the highest second-wicket partnership in
first-class cricket, playing for Warwickshire against
Gloucestershire in the English county championship.
Guyana was admitted to the United Nations and

became a member of the World Bank.
Venezuela seized Guyanas half of the island of
Ankoko in the Cuyuni River.
Commercial railways in Guyana came to an end

with the closure of both the Vreed-en- Hoop, Parika
and the Georgetown-Rosignol railways.
1967 The Critchlow Labour College, the educational arm of the trade union movement, was established.
1975 - The E R Burrowes School of Art was established.
Suriname hydropower workers were evicted by the

police from Guyanas New River Triangle.
1968 The Peoples National Congress (PNC)
became the ruling party, when it secured an overall
majority in the questionable December general election.
Forbes Burnham
The Soesdyke-Linden highway was completed.
The West Indies cricket team, led by Guyanese

Clive Lloyd and containing four other Guyanese
Roy Fredericks, Lance Gibbs, Alvin Kallicharran and
Rohan Kanhai won the first limited-over World Cup
tournament in England.
President Ral Leoni declared Venezuelan sovereignty over a nine-mile strip off the Essequibo coast.
1969 - A rebellion against the central government
by some prominent cattle ranchers in the Rupununi
was staged in an unsuccessful attempt at secession
from Guyana.
1976 - The holdings of the sugar magnate, Bookers

were nationalised, and the Guyana Agricultural
Workers Union (GAWU) was recognised, instead of
the Man Power Citizens Association (MPCA), as the
bargaining agent for sugar workers after thirty years
of struggle.
A National Insurance Scheme (NIS) was introduced by the government.

The GDF retook a camp now Camp Jaguar
from Suriname which had established it in Guyanas
New River Triangle.
The National Cultural Centre in Georgetown was

opened.
The government extended its authority over
church and private primary and secondary schools,
introduced a policy of free education from nursery to
university and of co-education at Queens College
and Bishops High School and opened a new
Teachers Training College at Turkeyen.
1970 - Guyana became a republic in February, severing all remaining official links with the British
monarchy. Arthur Chung became President.
Linden, Corriverton and Rose Hall were established as towns.
The government introduced local national awards
the Medal of Service, the Arrow of Achievement,
the Cacique Crown of Honour, the Order of Roraima
and the Order of Excellence replacing British honours.
Arthur Chung
1977- Guyana established diplomatic relations

with China and Cuba and severed relations with
Israel.
1978 - Guyana attracted considerable unwelcome
international attention as a result of the famous
tragedy at Jonestown in the North West District,
where 914 members, mostly Americans, of a religious
cult, The Peoples Temple, including the leader, Jim
Jones, died of murder/suicide.
1971- The Canadian-owned Demerara Bauxite

Company (DEMBA) was nationalized.
1972 - Guyana hosted the first Caribbean Festival
of Creative Arts (CARIFESTA) and a meeting of the
Non-Aligned Foreign Ministers.
The Canje River Bridge and the Demerara Harbour

Bridge were opened to vehicular traffic.
1973- Guyana became one of the original four

members of the newly formed Caribbean
Community (CARICOM), together with Barbados,
Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago, a successor to the
Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA), established in 1968.
A national referendum was held on the

Constitutional Amendment Bill, with the political
opposition boycotting the poll.
1979- The Caribbean Examinations Council
(CXC) offered its first Caribbean Secondary
Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations to its
member countries, including Guyana.
The PNC emerged victorious at controversial

national elections.
1974 The refusal to appoint eminent Guyanese
There were State visits to Guyana by General

Yakubu Gowon, Nigerias head of state, Sir Seretse
Khama, President of Botswana, and President Luis
Echeverria of Mexico, the first visit by a Latin
American head of state.
Cheddi Jagan
Turn to page 20A
Page 20A
Jubilee milestones: Significant developments...

1991- The former Minister of Foreign Affairs
Rashleigh Jackson, was awarded the Order of
Roraima for his distinguished service in the field of
foreign affairs.
From page 19A

Radio Demerara and the Guyana Broadcasting
Service (GBS) were merged to form a new entity, the
Guyana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC).
1992- After 28 years in power, the PNC was voted

out of office in the first essentially fair national elections since 1964 and the Peoples Progressive Party
(PPP) led by Cheddi Jagan came to power.
A number of WPA leaders were charged with arson

of the Ministry of National Development. In a
demonstration outside the court Father Darke, a photographer for the Catholic Standard was stabbed by a
member of the House of Israel and later died.
1993- The National Art Gallery was established at

Castellani House in Georgetown.
1980- Michael Parris, a featherweight boxer,

became the first and so far the only Guyanese to win
a medal at the Olympic Games, when he secured a
bronze medal in Moscow.
David Grangers Guyana Review, a monthly news

magazine, was launched.
In November the country suffered its worst floods
since the Great Flood of 1933.
Dr Walter Rodney, historian and political activist,

co-leader of the Working Peoples Alliance (WPA)
was assassinated.
1981- The inaugural ceremony of Guyanas first
executive President, Forbes Burnham was held, in
keeping with the provisions of a new constitution of
1980 and following the PNC victory in the General
Elections of December 15, 1980, which were not
deemed free and fair.
1994- The Test career of Shivnarine Chanderpaul

began. His 62 was the highest score ever made by a
West Indian teenager on his Test debut.
Walter Rodney
1996- Shivnarine Chanderpaul became the first

and so far the only Guyanese to score a triple century
in first-class cricket, 303 not out for Guyana against
Jamaica at Sabina Park.
1982- The ruling PNC government banned wheaten flour and prohibited the importation of wheat and
some other basic food items. These were reintroduced in 1985-86 by President Desmond Hoyte.
The initial publication of the Kaieteur News newspaper appeared.
The Guyana Gold Board was established.

The Protocol of Port-of-Spain of 1970 which
placed a moratorium on territorial claimsin the
boundary controversy between Guyana and
Venezuela expired, and Venezuela refused to renew
it.
1997- Guyanas national poet, Martin Carter, died.

Guyanese Lance Gibbs, Rohan Kanhai and Clive
Lloyd were among 13 West Indians included in the
International Cricket Councils (ICC) Hall of Fame
set up to honour pastlegends of the game as part of
the ICCs Centenary Year Celebrations.
1983- The West Demerara Hospital Complex at

Vreed-en-Hoop was opened.Guyana achieved a
unique double, winning the 4-day Shell Shield and
the limited-over Geddes-Grant/Harrison Line tournaments, the two major cricket competitions held annually in the Caribbean.
1984- Guyanese Clive Lloyd was publicly honoured by the West Indies Cricket Board during the
fifth Test against the visiting Australians in Jamaica
for becoming the first West Indiancricketer to play in
100 Test matches.
1995- The alarming spilling of cyanide waste from

Omai Gold Mines Ltd. into the Essequibo River,
caused a major environmental disaster.
After four years and five months in office Cheddi

Jagan died. He was succeeded as President by
Samuel Hinds briefly, then by Janet Jagan, Guyanas
first female head of state.
Clive Lloyd
1998- The year began with serious political unrest

in the wake of the General Elections of December
1997, prompting the intervention of Caricom in an
attempt to reconcile the two main political parties
through the Herdmanston Accord.
1985- Forbes Burnham died and was succeeded as

President by Hugh Desmond Hoyte.
The Guyana-Suriname Ferry Service began operations.
1986- The Stabroek News newspaper began publication.
The Caribbean Examinations Council introduced

the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination
(CAPE) to replace the British General Certificate of
Education (GCE) A Level examination in its member countries, including Guyana.
After the fraudulent 1985 national elections five

political parties formed the Patriotic Coalition for
Democracy (PCD) to agitate for electoral reform and
to seek international pressure on the PNC to hold
free, fair elections.
1999- Following the resignation on medical

grounds of President Janet Jagan, she was replaced
by the then young Minister of Finance, Bharrat
Jagdeo.
1987- The Guyana Prize for Literature was introduced with an initial Awards Ceremony. The Prize
was to provide encouragement for the development
of good creative writing by Guyanese.
2000- The University of Guyana opened its second

campus at Tain, Port Mourant in Berbice, 31 years
after the opening of its first campus at Turkeyen on
the East Coast of Demerara in 1969.
1988- The Economic Recovery Programme (ERP)

was launched by the government.
Suriname gunboats evicted Guyanas CGX oil rig

from waters off the Corentyne.
1989- Arthur James Seymour, poet and man of letters, and one of the most distinguished personalities
in Guyanese culture and literature died.
1990- Cambios began to operate under the Dealer
in Foreign Currency (Licensing) Bill of November
1989.
2001- Justice Desiree Bernard became the first

female Chancellor of the Judiciary not only in
Guyana and the Caribbean but also in the entire
Commonwealth.
Rohan Kanhai
Turn to page 21A
Page 21A
Jubilee milestones: Significant developments...

In the November General and Regional Elections
the PPP/C was returned to office for a fifthconsecutive term with Donald Ramotar replacing Bharrat
Jagdeo as president. The opposition, A Partnership
for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance for
Change (AFC), collectively gained a majority of the
seats in the National Assembly, an unprecedented
development in the post-independence history of
Guyana.
From page 20A

Andrew Sixhead Lewis became the first
Guyanese to win a world championship in professional boxing, the World Boxing Association (WBA)
welterweight title.
2002- Carl Hooper became the first Guyanese to
score a double century in Test cricket on homesoil.
His career-best 233 against India at Bourda is still the
highest score by a Guyanese in aTest in Guyana.
2012- The joint opposition A Partnership for

National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance for Change
(AFC) used their one-seat majority in the National
Assembly to reduce the PPP/Cs initial budget of
$192.8 billion by $20.8 billion. These cuts to the
budget were the first of their kind and were legally
challenged by the PPP/C administration.
The Mash Day Jailbreak when five prisoners

escaped from the Camp Street Prison led to an
unprecedented spate of crimes in the country.
2003- The University of Guyana had special virtually year-long celebrations for the 40th anniversary of
its foundation in 1963.
2004- The Guyana Broadcasting Corporation and
the Guyana Television Broadcasting Company
merged to form the National Communication
Network (NCN).
2005- Serious flooding was experienced in
Georgetown and other areas of the coastland.
A new political party, the Alliance For Change
(AFC) was launched. It was headed by sitting parliamentarians Raphael Trotman and Khemraj Ramjattan
from the PNCR and the PPP/C respectively.
2006- The PPP/C won General Elections for the
fourth consecutive time, following victories in 1992,
1997 and 2001.
The Caribbean Single Market and Economy
(CSME) was launched with Guyana and five other
states taking part.
Two new technical institutes, the Upper Corentyne
Technical Institute and the Essequibo Technical
Institute were opened.
2007- The Cricket Stadium at Providence was
opened, replacing the famous Bourda ground as the
venue for international cricket, beginning with this
years World Cup matches.
The United Nations Arbitral Tribunal on the
Convention on the Law of the Sea found the CGX rig
had been operating in Guyana waters when it was
evicted by Suriname in 2000. The Tribunal fixed the
maritime boundary between Guyana and Suriname.
2008 Heavily-armed bandits invaded the East
Coast Demerara village of Lusignan killing 11 persons, including five children. Weeks later, similarly
armed bandits attacked the mining community of
Bartica killing 12, including three police officers.
Andrew Sixhead Lewis

Guyana hosted Carifesta X after the government of
the original hosts, Bahamas, opted out of its commitment to host the regions premiere arts festival.
2009- Berbician middle-order batsman Narsingh
Deonarine became the first batsman to score over
1000 runs (1068) in a Caribbean regional first-class
cricket season, breaking the record of 974 runs made
by the former Leeward Islands batsman Stuart
Williams in 2002.
2010- There were two notable achievements in
sports: Guyana won the inaugural West Indies
Cricket Board T20 tournament, thus qualifying to
participate in the Champions League tournament in
South Africa. Aliann Pompey won a silver medal in
the womens 400 metres at the Commonwealth
Games in India, complementing the gold medal she
had won in the same event at the Games in 2002, thus
becoming the first Guyanese representative to win
twomedals at these Games.
2011- There was significant expansion of sport
infrastructure with the completion of an Olympicsize swimming pool at Liliendaal on the East Coast
of Demerara, the construction of an all- weather tarmac at the Guyana National Stadium at Provi-dence
on the East Bank of Demerara, the resurfacing of the
National Park Cycling Track in Georgetown and the
commencement of the all-weather synthetic track at
Leonora on the West Coast of Demerara.
2013 Several personalities who had made a substantial contribution to Guyana died. These included
Harold Davis, a former Chairman of the Guyana
Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) and former ProChancellor of the University of Guyana; Harry
SarranRamsaroop, the director of the Dharm Shala;
Aubrey Bishop, former Chancellor of the Judiciary
and head of the Faculty of Law of the University of
Guyana; Dale Bisnauth, a Guyana Presbyterian minister and former Minister of Education; and Pandit
Reepu Daman Persaud, the founder of the Guyana
Hindu Dharmic Sabha, the main visionary behind the
annual Deepavali motorcade and longstanding PPP
member of parliament.
Venezuela evicted the oil exploration vessel the
Teknik Perdana from Guyana waters.
2014 In May a Commission of Inquiry into the
death of Walter Rodney opened.
In November Parliament was prorogued by
President Ramotar in order to avoid a no confidence
vote by the opposition which was expected to bring
down the government and trigger fresh general elections.
2015- The APNU+AFC coalition won the May
national general elections, bringing an end to PPP/C
rule since 1992 and ushering into office David
Granger, the coalitions leader as president.
ExxonMobil drilled a well offshore Demerara and
in 2016 announced a major oil find.
Venezuela issued a decree claiming sovereignty
over Guyanas territorial waters off Essequibo.
2016 - The long-awaited local government elections, not conducted since 1994, were finally held.
Bartica, Mabaruma and Lethem were officially
named towns.
Reflecting on the post-independent era: the elderly speak

From page 14A
Joyce
Jones
would celebrate 50 years independence. I think things would get better; the country would improve. It
would just take time.
George Austin, of Sisters Village,
West Bank Demerara was just 15
when the country gained independence but he recalled that things
were different in those days. The
place was cleaner then and we
never had to worry about putting
locks on the doors. You could leave
your doors open and go out. Now
you have to put locks because
crime increase and now they are
coming with firearm. You have to
fight to protect yourself now. In

the pre-independence days he said
the men in the village used to play
cricket and the women used to play
basketball. The social problem we
had is with the men drinking a lot
of alcohol and start fighting. The
police used to come with baton and
they would respect them. The
police were six-footers; they were
big and strong and they were not
corrupt then. Now, anybody is
police.
I was surprised to see they made
a lot of preparation for the 50th
anniversary. I know the 50th had to
reach but I didnt expect them to
keep it up so big.
George Austin
Page 22A
The Float Parade for Independence, May 28, 1966

(Photos given to Stabroek News
by the late Godfrey Chin)
Page 23A
The young speak on Guyanas fiftieth

The overwhelming majority of

those who live in Guyana today were
either not born at the time of
Independence or were too young to
remember it. Stabroek News spoke to
some young people and asked them
what they thought about the jubilee
and our fifty years of independence.
This is what they had to say:
Four-year-old Wyatt Adams from Buxton
does not know much about Independence but
he is excited like many others, because he
senses something in the air. When he heard
about the Independence celebrations, he
quickly said that he was looking forward to
going out on May 26 and marching with his
classmates. He thought we had to celebrate
being free and enjoy all our colours and
friends.
Wyatt Adams
Kobe Smith
Caysia Cambridge
Eighteen-year-old Kobe Smith, an upper

sixth form student at the Bishops High
School, was of the view that the citizens and
leaders of Guyana needed to take equal
blame for the country not being on par with
others fifty years after gaining independence.
When I think about Guyanas independence,
I think it was an amazing step that our past
leaders would have taken guys like Mr
Forbes Burnham, Dr Cheddi Jagan and also
Mr Peter DAguiar. Those guys really ran
with the mantle and really led the way with
our Independence, because they thought that
we were ready for our independence and we
were ready to make our own decisions. So we
hadnt the need to depend on England to
make our decisions because they felt that
Guyana was at the stage where the country
and its people were ready to lead themselves
[in a] positive way, he said.
He believes that the country was ready for
independence but we got lost somewhere
along the way.
I think it was an issue of vision because if
you were to compare Guyana and Barbados
we are both fifty years old this year and if
you were to compare the two countries it
shows that Guyana is lagging. And for me it
has something to do with leadership; it has to
do with vision, it had to do with something
with the passion of its people and the policies
that the governments would have taken. So I
would say our leaders must take some sort of
responsibility for what has happened and I
think the people too must take some sort of
responsibility because they were the ones
who put the leaders there, they were the ones
who choose.
On May 26th Guyana can celebrate a good
future, he says, and while the past was not
perfect Guyanese can celebrate being free,
being peaceful and the fact that their country
is not threatened by any natural disaster. I
think we must celebrate the fact that our people are freer than we were fifty years ago. I
think we can celebrate the fact that we have
rights, I think we can celebrate the fact that
we can be heard and we have a voice. I think
this fifty years really brings no impetus to the
nature of our society where we just sit down
and take whatever our leaders hand to us. So
I think this is really not just a great opportunity for us to celebrate but that we would
have learned from what has happened, both

the good and the bad.
At age 11 Caysia Cambridge, a student of
Winfer Gardens Primary, believes independence meant that Guyana was free from
being controlled by a King or a Queen. We
can be able to do things, make decisions on
our own. She is excited about the celebration because it is the first Golden Jubilee and
I dont know if I would live to see another
fifty years so I just want to be part of this one
and enjoy. We have things to celebrate and
I want us to work together to make Guyana
better.
Fourteen-year-old Marinella Glasgow, a
fourth form student of Queens College,
described independence as making your own
choices, being able to choose what you
desire, to say what is good for you, what you
would like to have to be a part of your life.
Guyana gaining independence meant that it
could now sing its own National Anthem, use
our own flag, we have our own currency, our
own president and our own ambassadors and
members of Parliament and many other
things. We dont have to go to England any
more to say we need a new road and then
they would decide whether or not they would
give us a new road. We can get up today and
say hey we need a road and we make a road
because we are not dependent on our mother
country, Britain any more.
Marinella Glasgow
The teenager told this newspaper that

come May 26th and even before that, she
would be celebrating because she was elated
about the fact that we have conquered the
troubles of having to write many letters and
attend many meetings just to beg for our
independence, just to petition for our independence So after gaining that victory, I
would call it that, when our three patriots
went to England and represented our country
after gaining that victory, I would see it is
imperative that we celebrate their good work.
I would be celebrating the victory of 50 years
and I would be attending the activities
planned for this period not only those
planned by the government but those planned
by the school.
Tiea Figueira, 17, and a student of the
Georgetown Technical Institute described
how proud she feels to be present to celebrate
the countrys fiftieth anniversary. It is very
nice being here to celebrate Guyanas fifty
years of independence anniversary, and
what persons have been doing around their
community for the celebration is good. She
likes the fact that Georgetown has been
cleaned and she believes this is very special
to all Guyanese. It would be nice to see
everyone go out and participate as they usually do and cooperate. It would be a great
honour to see the many persons who travel
from overseas to see what Guyana has to
offer now from 1966 to now.
At 12, Winfer Gardens student Tiola
Gibbons does not want to be left out of the
fiftieth celebrations. She believes that independence means freedom in life. Guyanas
independence means that the country is no
longer governed by Great Britain and its
leaders can make decisions for the countrys
people. I feel good about the fift[ieth] celebration and I want to go out and see all that is
happening around this time.
Tiea Figueira
Tiola Gibbons
Page 24A
The Float Parade for Independence, May 28, 1966

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Stabroek News

Independence Jubilee Supplement

Starters Nursery and St

STABROEK NEWS, Thursday, May 26, 2016

The first set of stamps issued

British Guiana definitive issues with Guyana

British Guiana definitive issues with Guyana Independence

STABROEK NEWS, Thursday, May 26, 2016

The last constitutional conference was held in 1965,

STABROEK NEWS, Thursday, May 26, 2016

The National Anthem

(Photo courtesy of the Bissember family)

STABROEK NEWS, Thursday, May 26, 2016

Organizing Independence Night

Again as with the

done in Britain, except for jungle warfare in Malaysia.

ing or some other catastrophe, should

tant, and I was older than the others.

STABROEK NEWS, Thursday, May 26, 2016

[Ishoof] was one of five that had trained in

Six weeks of sleepless days and nights

After 152 years of

Ours the Glory was the grand pageant which was

Participants in the pageant were drawn from the

Turn to page 16A

STABROEK NEWS, Thursday, May 26, 2016

Guyana is yet to see a flowering

suspension of the Constitution in 1953.

cation of the enormous talents of all its

Planting the Golden Arrowhead on Mount Ayanganna

unfortunately he as well as Thompson and Jerry are now

STABROEK NEWS, Thursday, May 26, 2016

(Jagan had wanted it to be 18) and that there should be

The organized working class needs credit

surprise to me. We had expected it. But it was a good

I dont think that in all this the organized working

Independence of 1966 was a

STABROEK NEWS, Thursday, May 26, 2016

Forbes Burnham speaking at the presentation

Governor Sir Richard Luyt takes the salute.

The late attorney-at-law Neville Bissember Sr was in

STABROEK NEWS, Thursday, May 26, 2016

Desmond Roberts remembers

Cadet School (MOCS).

Guyanas hinterland in a simple way.

Desmond Theophilus Roberts

Second Lieutenant Desmond Roberts raises the Golden Arrowhead

STABROEK NEWS, Thursday, May 26, 2016

The Flag: the Golden Arrowhead

Bird n locally as the

Guyanas National Flower

STABROEK NEWS, Thursday, May 26, 2016

STABROEK NEWS, Thursday, May 26, 2016

Stephen Campbells role in Independence talks

The weathered Stephen Campbell monument in Santa Rosa

Doli Rodrigues in her craft shop at Santa Rosa.

I asked the group of men lounging at a bar at the

and the coordinator had not yet visited the village