PPP declares strength and unity ahead of 2025 Elections

Hundreds gathered on Sunday at Babu Jaan, Port Mourant, Region 6, to commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. Cheddi Jagan, the founder of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP).

Against the backdrop of this annual memorial event, the PPP’s leadership delivered a resounding message of confidence and unity as they look ahead to the 2025 General and Regional Elections.

General Secretary of the PPP, Bharrat Jagdeo addressed the crowd with a firm declaration: “The PPP is strong, it is united, and we will win the next elections.” He described 2025 as a “pivotal year,” underscoring the need for dedication from every Party member to secure an “overwhelming” victory.

Jagdeo warned against complacency, stressing that arrogance has no place within the Party. He also criticised opposition forces for employing divisive tactics and misinformation.

“Cheddi Jagan spoke about this since 1964. They are working with the same playbook; they are predictable,” he stated. “We have to be cautious about this. We have to ensure that this quiet work by the opposition does not succeed by exposing them.”

Acknowledging the hard work required to win elections, Jagdeo emphasised grassroots mobilization and expanding the Party’s reach across all ethnic groups.

“Elections are not won by speeches; they are won by hard work,” he asserted. “That is why I am relying on every single one of you.”

President Ali: “The Strength of Our Party Is Our Members”

President Mohamed Irfaan Ali reinforced the Party’s commitment to unity and progress, crediting its resilience to its members.

“Our Party is stronger today than at any other time in our history,” he said. “The strength of our Party lies in our members and our leaders.”

President Ali cautioned against political divisiveness, urging Guyanese to resist efforts that exploit racial, religious, and social differences.

“We must be conscious of our political environment,” he warned. “We risk losing much if we lose our political consciousness.”

He affirmed that the PPP remains committed to Dr. Jagan’s vision of “development with a human face” and a people-centered approach to governance.

“We are not a Party that hides from challenges,” Ali stated. “We are a Party that confronts challenges in the interest of the people. We are not about power; we are about responsibility, and we take our responsibility seriously.”

Addressing the Party’s expanding membership, Ali welcomed new supporters while reaffirming the Party’s foundational principles.

“This Party cannot be bought, sold, or traded,” he said. “We are connected to the people of this country. This Party is owned by the people who embrace democracy, freedom, and unity.”

Prime Minister Phillips: “A Call to Youth Leadership”

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret.) Mark Phillips called on young people to take an active role in shaping Guyana’s future.

“Participation is key for us as we move forward,” he urged. “We are fighting men and fighting women in Guyana, and we must not give up the fight.”

Phillips noted the diverse, multi-ethnic composition of the gathering, remarking that such unity would have made Dr. Jagan proud.

He highlighted democracy, education, economic diversification, social justice, and national sovereignty as key pillars of the PPP government, in line with Jagan’s legacy.

He also took a pointed jab at the Parliamentary Opposition, dismissing their rhetoric and affirming that ‘One Guyana’ is not merely a slogan but a guiding principle for national development.

“We have strengthened the democratic framework,” he said. “The fight for democracy remains real. We have to remain firm. We have to remain focused in our defense of democracy in Guyana,” he said.

Remembering Dr Cheddi Jagan

The event also featured tributes from the Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO), the Women’s Progressive Organisation (WPO), and the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU).

Born on March 22, 1918, Dr Jagan founded the PPP and was a pioneering figure in Guyanese politics. He passed away on March 6, 1997. Throughout March 2025, a series of activities will be held to mark what would have been his 107th birthday.

Dr. Jagan was born on March 22, 1918 on a sugar plantation in Port Mourant, Berbice, the son of indentured sugar workers. His parents Bachaoni (mother) and Jagan (father) had arrived in the then British Guiana as young infants with their mothers from the district of Basti in Uttar Pradesh, India. Both his grandmothers came as indentured immigrants in 1901 and were “bound” by five year contracts to different sugar plantations in the county of Berbice.

Jagan attended primary school and two years of secondary school in his area. At the age of fifteen his father decided to send him to Queen’s College, a government secondary school in the capital city of Georgetown, about one hundred miles away. There he boarded with three families.

In Georgetown, Cheddi found life very different from life at home where poverty had been intense and he often had to stay home from school to work in the rice fields and to cut and fetch canes. He also helped his mother keep a kitchen garden and to sell produce from it. His mother allowed him to keep a part of the proceeds for his share of the work. Cheddi Jagan wrote that he learnt the elements of finance from his mother and acquired any of his leadership qualities from his father, who was bold and flamboyant.

Dr Jagan left for the United States in September 1936 with two friends and returned to British Guiana in October 1943. He lived in Washington, D.C for two years and attended Howard University, taking a pre-dental course, worked two summers in New York and spent the last five years in Chicago, Illinois at Northwestern University.

On August 5, 1943 he married Janet Rosenberg, whom he had met only six months before, at a simple ceremony at the Chicago City Hall without the consent of parents on both sides. Their only wedding photo was taken in a 25 cent photo booth that shot automatic photos.

In October 1943, he returned home. His wife Janet, arrived in British Guiana just before Christmas of 1943.

In 1947 the first elections since World War II were held. Janet and Cheddi Jagan ran as independent labour candidates -Janet contested in Georgetown and Cheddi on the East Coast of Demerara. Janet lost to John Fernandes, a businessman and catholic, who invoked the bogey of anti-communism, which was then becoming a popular weapon of the plantocracy. Cheddi was declared the winner in his area.

By 1950 the PPP was established.