Enmore Martyrs still an inspiration 73-years after

The ultimate sacrifice of Harry, Pooran, Lallabajee, Rambarran and Surujballi on this day 73
years ago in Enmore on the East Coast still inspire the ruling Peoples Progressive Party Civic
(PPPC) coalition, its press statement said.

The five former sugar workers known nationally as the ‘Enmore Martyrs’ lost their lives on June
16, 1948, when colonial police opened fire on protesting employees demanding a ‘cut and drop’
system replace the ‘cut and load’ harvesting system. Workers were also demanding a labour
union of their choice to represent their industrial concerns.

Instead of meeting their demands, colonialists deployed armed riot police who opened fire on the
workers killing the five in the process.

This was the seed for entrance into local politics in the ensuing decades for late President, Dr
Cheddi Jagan, who formed and lead the party two years after and lead it until his death on March
6, 1997.

“On that unforgettable day of their funerals, he silently pledged to dedicate his life to the cause
of the Guyanese people and to free them from bondage and exploitation,” the PPP release
recalled.
The Press Release also stated that Dr Jagan, a trained dentist was “fortified in his belief and
determination, (and) was unrelenting in his struggles for the advancement of Guyana and
Guyanese”.

“On the occasion of the 73rd anniversary of the Enmore Martyrs shooting, the People’s
Progressive Party (PPP) wishes to remind of the selfless sacrifices of the five slain sugar
workers, Rambarran, Pooran, Lallabagee, Surajballi and Harry and the profound relevance of the
incident today,” the press release issued by the party said.

The oppressive social and economic hardships in 1948 was a noose around the necks of Enmore
workers and the burdensome “cut and load” cane harvesting system exacerbated workers’ plight
and frustration. Deprived of a labour union of choice was the final straw for the sugar workers
who then mounted protest actions.

Dr Cheddi Jagan subsequently founded the PPP in 1950 despite his incarceration and
deliberately deprived of his rights during the decades of his unremitting struggles. The ruling
party release said Dr Jagan never succumbed to the atrocities meted out to him and his followers
by the oppressive forces.

Guyanese remain resolute and fortified having endured recent assaults on the nation’s hard-won
freedoms, the PPP statement said.

The PPP will continue to honour the memory of those martyrs to ensure their sacrifices
will not be forgotten because their deaths remain relevant in today’s world, the release
promised.