Forbes Burnham

Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham (20 February 1923–6 August 1985) was the leader of Guyana from 1964 until his death, first as Premier from 1964 to 1966, then as the Prime Minister from 1966 to 1980 and finally as President from 1980 to 1985. He was awarded Guyana's highest national award, the Order of Excellence (O.E.).

Personal life and education

Burnham, an Afro-Guyanese, was born in Kitty, a suburb of Georgetown, East Demerara, Guyana as one of three children. He attended Central High School and the country's prestigious and elite Queen's College exclusively for boys at that time. In 1942, he won the Guyana Scholarship as the country's top student. the country was, at that time a colony of Britain. Burnham went on to study law, and received a law degree from the University of London in 1948. He graduated with honours.

He was married to Viola Burnham, who was also involved in politics. He had three children, Roxane, Annabelle, and Francesca from his first marriage to Bernice Lataste. His second marriage to Viola produced two daughters, Melanie and Ulele. The Burnhams also adopted their son Kamana.

Early years: The People's Progressive Party (PPP)

Burnham was one of the principal founders of the People's Progressive Party (PPP), which was launched on January 1, 1950; the Indo-Guyanese labor leader Cheddi Jagan became PPP Leader, while Burnham became its Chairman.^[1] In 1952, Burnham became the president of the party's affiliated trade union, the British Guiana Labour Union, in 1952. In 1953, the PPP won 18 of 24 seats in the first election permitted by the British colonial government. In the short-lived PPP government that followed, Burnham served as Minister of Education.^[2]

In 1955, there was a split in the PPP between Burnham and Jagan. As a result, Burnham went on to form the People's National Congress in 1958, and this party entered its first election under that name in 1961.

Leader of Guyana: The People's National Congress (PNC)

In the 1964 elections, while Jagan's PPP won the highest percentage of the vote (46% to the PNC's 41%), it did not win a majority. Burnham was able to form a coalition with the United Force (TUF) which won the remaining 12% of the votes and became premier of British Guiana on 14 December. On May 26, 1966, British Guiana became an independent country and was renamed GUYANA.

Burnham's Guyana: A Police State

Burnham at first, pursued moderate policies. However, one of his first acts upon independence was a sweeping "National Security Act" giving the police the power to search, seize and arrest anyone virtually at will. He put a fraud machinery into action and grabbed full dictatorial powers in 1968 during a rigged election (allowing overseas ballots, padding voter lists, and one person to cast proxy ballots for up to three others) becoming a brutal strongman and promoting a police state in which opposition members were murdered. ^[3]In 1970, he established strong relations with Cuba, the Soviet Union, North Korea and other countries to implement a Socialist form of government. On February 23 of that year, he declared Guyana a Socialist "Co-Operative Republic" referring to himself as "the Comrade Leader". Several cycles of "free and fair" general elections were rigged through ballot box tampering ^{[4] [5]}despite foreign observers who were systematically harassed and abused.^[6]

Socialist Nationalization

In the 1970's, Burnham embarked upon a policy of austerity which bankrupted the local economy costing jobs and a subsequent "brain drain" of the educated class to the US, Canada, and Great Britain. He began by nationalizing two foreign-owned bauxite companies, American owned Reynolds Guyana Mines Ltd and Canadian owned Demerara Bauxite Company (DEMBA)^[7] This move caused the United States to reduce its financial aid to the country from $10.5 Million to just over $350,000 and catapulting the regime into default of international debts to the International Monetary Fund. ^[8]

Failed Feed Clothe and House Policy

In order to fight growing balance of payments issues, he promoted yet another failed policy in 1973 - the "feed, clothe and house" the nation policy by 1976. ^[9]As a result of this policy, he subsequently banned importation of basic food items like flour, split peas, cooking oil, butter, cheese, salted fish, pickled meats, preserved fruits, most canned items, and any food item perceived as "luxury", without a program of producing them domestically.

Guyana Under Siege

The general elections due in 1978 was postponed by Burnham, citing the need for a new constitution. A rigged referendum was carried out authorizing Burnham to change the constitution which was promulgated in October 1980 making Burnham Executive President. Burnham now had despotic and supreme powers over all constitutional agencies. ^[10]Under his reign of terror, there were nightly power outages known as "blackouts", and it was during this time that Burnham's thugs robbed and pillage. Among these thugs were The House of Israel, a black group led by "Rabbi Washington", the American fugitive David Hill. Burnham critic Martin Carter, who was beaten by thugs, wrote in the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) paper, Dayclean, 1979; Under Burnham, corruption had become “a way of life, in which people were made to accept that stealing, cheating, lying, bearing false witness…was a positive sign of loyalty to the regime…”^[11]

Political Repression

Repression of political activity advanced to include murder of political opponents as exhibited by the attempted murder of UG lecturer, Dr. Joshua Ramsammy (PPP) in 1971, the murders of Edward Dublin and Ohene Koamaand, and assassination of Dr. Walter Rodney in 1980.^{[12] [13]}

Mysterious Death

From December 1964 until his death on August 6, 1985, Burnham ruled Guyana in an increasingly autocratic manner. ^[14]He died while receiving an anesthetic for routine throat surgery.^[15] His unexpected death opened up new doors for political reforms. ^[16]

Notes

References

• Buck-Morss, Susan (2002). Dreamworld and Catastrophe: The Passing of Mass Utopia in East and West. The MIT Press, 386. ISBN 0262523310