From: tony@zoo.toronto.edu (Anthony L. Lang)
Subject: Jagan speaks in Toronto
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 17:57:24 GMT
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology

Cheddi Jagan, first democratically elected head of state of Guyana
in 25 years, came to Canada on a private visit to speak in Toronto
on Dec. 6.  The occasion was an open meeting sponsored by a
coalition of Toronto-based Guyanese groups.  I had never seen him
speak before, so I was therefore curious to see a person who has
managed to maintain a base of political support for over 40 years. 
I was impressed with his skill as an orator.  He kept a capacity
crowd of 1,000 people enthraled for 1.5 hours.  He was still alert
and witty despite being 75 years old.  

Jagan addressed a broad range of issues, including broadly
sketching plans for economic recovery.  In briefly describing the
state of the economy, he said that 95% of tax revenue services
debt, and related the new government having to pursue government-
owned vehicles as they were spirited out of the presidential
compound.  He also described how the members of the previous
government benefited from being in power.  The personnel director
of the electricity corporation made $245,000 (Guyana dollars) per
year in vacation benefits alone in a country where many subsist on
$1 U.S. dollar per day.  Regarding moves toward economic recovery,
he discussed the progress his government has made on rescheduling
debt and attracting foreign aid, done with the consultation of an
advisory council that includes several business leaders.  He also
called on Guyanese abroad to invest in the country and talked of
plans to encourage local business as he had in the past with his
earlier government's industrial estate, and improving the social
system for labourers.  In the speech, he advocated a mixed economy,
saying that he has always supported such a system, therefore
attempting to dispel the idea that he advocates a Marxist style
economy.  He stated that his government considers improving the
poor labourers' quality of life and encouraging local business to
be as important as attracting foreign capital.  He also invited
skilled people and retirees with foreign government pensions to
move back to help rebuild the country.  

The question of race relations in Guyana was also addressed.  Jagan
did this by answering his critics' allegation that his was an
Indian government.  He said: "Tell them if they want an Indian
government, they had better look for another government".  Perhaps
to illustrate this, of the 8 people seated on stage, only Jagan and
a representative of the Toronto Indo-Caribbean community were
Indian.  The only people not represented were the Amerindians. 
However he addressed this by announcing the formation of an
Amerindian affairs ministry to address their needs (I hope that
they don't make the same mistakes that the paternalistic Canadian
Dept. of Indian Affairs has).  He also discussed plans to sign an
optional protocol for a U.N. human rights charter that the previous
government had refused to sign.  He committed his government to
guarding the rights of all the country's citizens.  

The speech ended with a question and answer session where Jagan
appeared to show some political skill.  As an example, he was
questioned whether the government would reduce the size of the
army.  This may have been a subtle reference to the threat of a
coup from a body which does not currently reflect the racial make-
up of the country and which was traditionally the instrument of the
previous government's intimidation and election rigging tactics. 
He stated that he did not think that he army was too large, because
the army would be necessary to establish sovereignty in remote
areas such as the Rupununi where Brazilian gold miners now
outnumber Guyanese citizens.  This could be interpreted as trying
to pacify the army.  Rather than curtailing the army's power and
risking angering their leaders, Jagan appears to me to be appeasing
them.  Jagan certainly will have to use all the skills he and his
people have at hand to prevent the PNC dictatorship's strongmen
from violently overthrowing the new government.
-- 

Anthony Lang
Dept. of Zoology, 
University of Toronto