FIFTY years ago, on June 13, 1964, the British Governor of, then, British Guiana ordered the detention of 35 high ranking Political Activists without any charges or trial.
Thirty-three were from the governing PPP; its youth arm, the PYO, and the Sugar Union, GAWU. Heading the list was the Deputy Premier, Minister Brindley Benn. Only two were from the Opposition PNC.
Navin Chanderpaul
Those detained and kept at Sybley Hall were (in alphabetical order):
Montaz Ali, Akbar Alli, Neville Annibourne, Desmond Beckles, Samsundar Beepat, Brindley Benn, Moses Bhagwan, Charles Christopher, Manie Copane, Dalchand, George Dipchand, Victor Downer, Nathram Durbeej, Reginald Forde, Rames George, Joseph Albert Gibbs, Eric Gilbert, Maurice Herbert, Robert Jordan, Moneer Khan, Harry Lall, Rufus Low-Chee, Winston Madramootoo, Nasrudeen, Bhola Persaud, Prakash Persaud, Leslie Premdass, Pandit Ramlall, Mohamed Safee, Desmond Shepherd, Leonard (LSH) Singh, Rambarran Singh, Vincent Teekah, Sydney Thompson and Frank Wills.
The Detention Order was a deliberate major step in the British – U.S. conspiracy along with the local Opposition to remove the PPP from Government before Independence could be considered for the country.
As Dr.Cheddi Jagan points out in the ‘West on Trial’:
“On the constitutional front, the Colonial Office and the Governor assumed more and more powers. Instead of the crude gunboat suspension of 1953, there was suspension by stages.
Early in 1964, the British Government issued three Orders in Council which eroded our constitutional authority. The constitution was amended to provide for new elections in December 1964; powers held by our ministers were placed in the hands of the Governor. By mid-1964, he was virtually a dictator — he was authorised to withdraw money from the Treasury without the sanction and approval of the legislature; he assumed powers held by the Minister of Home Affairs for the registration of voters and the conduct of elections; he was put in complete control of the Emergency and of a new force, the Special Service Unit, which was no more than an arm of the police, responsibility for which rested with the Minister of Home Affairs.
“Using emergency powers handed to him by the British Government but without local legislative approval, the Governor assumed the power to impose flogging and life imprisonment simply for the possession of firearms. Meanwhile, the British Army and the Opposition-controlled Volunteer Force resorted to intimidation and terror. The British Army was put above the law; its men were made immune from arrest. But the Governor could arrest and detain others without trial.
“In June, came the detention of 32 PPP legislators and activists, including the Deputy Premier. This robbed the Government of its parliamentary majority and amounted to a virtual suspension of the constitution. Only 2 PNC members were detained despite the overwhelming evidence that the PNC was a terrorist organisation.
“….The British Colonial Secretary and his nominee, Governor Sir Richard Luyt, justified the detention of PPP leaders and activists by falsely associating them with the disturbances which occurred in 1964. In fact, the blame for the reign of terror, arson, looting and murder that had begun in 1962 must be laid at the feet of an irresponsible Opposition, aided and abetted by business interests, a corrupt big-business-controlled press and foreign reactionary elements.”
Dr. Jagan’s description of the set of actions by the British Government points to the fact that the PPP Government was being crippled ahead of the holding of the Elections later that year in December. At the same time, the objective was to cripple the Election Machinery of the PPP as a Party by detaining many key Activists.
It must be noted also that in addition to the Detainees, other Activists were being held on trumped up charges at other locations. For example, General Secretary of the GAWU, Philomena Sahoye, was held at the New Amsterdam Prison for five months while facing a charge at the Springlands Court. She was later charged with three counts of sedition for alleged utterances directed at the queen.
When the elections were held in December, the Activists were still in Detention except for a few who were released earlier. The manipulations led to the imposition of the PNC-UF Coalition and the dictatorship and decay which characterised the first quarter century of our Nation’s existence as an independent country.
(By Navin Chandarpal)