Remembering the politics of Llewelyn John
Dear Editor,
We are often told not to say bad things about the dead. I remember Llewelyn John as playing a constructive role in the restoration of democracy as well as being involved in a skull in electoral rigging. He was also the administrator of several properties for migrants and even the executor of some. They did not paint it in a positive light and would reprimand some of the Bar Association’s tributes.
John played a positive role in restoring democracy in Guyana, but we must not remember him in that context alone. I remember his name in the late 1960s and 1970s growing up as a small boy. He played a key role in rigging elections and establishing the Burnham dictatorship. He may be helpless and must execute Burnham’s instructions to rig elections. He compiled the electoral register for the 1968 rigging assuring the opposition that it would not be final and that it would be corrected from non-existent names, the dead, foreigners, etc. It was not corrected as we discovered for the 1968 rigging that horses, donkeys, donkeys, goats, sheep, etc. were found to be registered at foreign addresses and casting votes, off-course for the PNC.
Llewelyn was considered “right-wing” and because he was too close to the cultural life of the people of Color and cultured him; he was never trusted by Burnham who had contempt for the Colors. Burnham used it to reduce the size of agriculture and to enforce the (Indian) food ban. And after he fulfilled his purpose to help empty the Colors and the Portuguese and weaken Indians’ grasp of agriculture, Burnham got rid of him. After his fall out with Burnham, he revealed rigging, similar to the late Foreign Minister Fred Willis who was also quiet on rigging while a beneficiary and who revealed rigging only after he fell out with Burnham.
I knew Llewelyn, as I called him, quite well as I also knew Fred Wills. I met the two separately in New York and had several interactions. I also interacted with Llewelyn in Guyana and encountered him a few times in Georgetown walking alone with his large tent short case. When I was President of the government of Graduate Students at CCNY, I approved funding for Fred Willis lectures on campus. Willis and Llewelyn were vicious in their condemnations of Burnham but only after the dictator’s death in August 1985. And they both called Burnham an election rigger, dictator, racist and murderer. They linked Burnham to the assassination of several political opponents, including Walter Rodney and Father Bernard Darke and other WPA activists. They told separate public assemblies in NY that they opposed the banning of basic food by Burnham – I can’t say if they appealed to the Indians in the crowd since most banned foods (like flour, channa, dal, alou , onions, garlic, etc.) affected Indians far more than other ethnic groups.
Llewelyn visited NY a few times and stayed in Brooklyn on some relationship. He was impressed by the activism of a group of us in NY and asked to meet. Almost all anti-dictatorial groups in NY were Indians. We first met in the late 1980s with my colleagues Baytoram Ramharack, Vassan Ramracha, and others, to discuss strategies for the fight against dictatorship and the restoration of democracy. We also organized a lecture for him in Jamaica, Queens around 1990. By now, PDM Llewelyn had joined the Patriotic Coalition for Democracy (PCD). He, like Eusi Kwayana, Cheddi, Paul Tennassee, Manzoor Nadir, etc., would give updates of the work of the PCD and the fight against the Hoyte dictatorship whenever each visited NY. I would help organize and or promote the meetings since I became immersed in the Guyanese and Caribbean media. Llewelyn spoke with a soft tone but gave a powerful message that democracy must be returned to Guyana. He laughed and apologized for his role in rigging elections.
Llewelyn was a member of the Colored People’s middle class Alliance that would merge with Burnham PNC. He became a Member of Parliament in December 1964 and served as Minister of government including at various times in Agriculture, Local and Home Affairs. He helped plan and organize the rigging of 1968. I remember as a little boy running errands to various homes in Ankerville reminding those who didn’t cast the vote to come out and vote to just steal the election. Llewelyn was assigned to the Ministry of Home Affairs. I do not remember whether he was on the electoral roll for the 1973. elections. the ballot boxes at night in the July 1973 elections, facilitating the change in votes that gave Burnham a landslide victory, I was only 13 and helped round up voters to cast votes in Ankerville, home My effort was in vain. Days later, PPP and or Liberator Party marked votes were found over cane and Atlantic Ocean fields washing up on shore.The PNC had 42% support in 1964 which would have decline to about 40% by 1968 due to corruption, racism and poor governance while India’s population is growing in composition. By 1973, PNC support would have dropped to around 35% because India’s population composition had grown to around 55%. Africa’s population was decreasing while the Amerindians were increasing in composition. The Portuguese, Chinese and Colors (Mixed) had begun to migrate to greener pastures by 1973. Yet Burnham again claimed a 68% victory. Llewelyn formed the PDM; he had also contacted Brindley Benn and Jainarine Singh who had fallen out with Jagan. It was never decided how much support he ordered because elections were rigged.
Llewelyn was not comfortable talking about rigging. But he apologized for his role in the rigging and for helping to build Burnham and create Burnhamism. Fred Wills also apologized for his role in the rise of Burnhamism and for his silence in serving his master.
It is unclear why Llewelyn fell out with Burnham. But I was told that Llewelyn wanted to empower local government and was not too keen on Burnham’s plan to enact legislation that would enable him to remain in power. There was also a personality clash as there was between Fred Wills and Burnham. Llewelyn said PNC’s rigged elections because the Africans would have had no hope of winning a free and fair election.
Llewelyn formed the PDM and became a member of the PCD after some time. He was one of the founders of Vanguard for Liberation and Democracy which included Brindley Benn and Jainarine Singh. When Paul Tennassee, the founder of DLM who also became a member of PCD, was kidnapped by Burnham goons in 1984, Llewelyn filed a writ of habeaus corpus. The VLD gave Tennasse unity when he was fired from AS. Lawyers were scared of Burnham and did not want to take cases. Jainarine Singh and Llewelyn defended Tennassee. In a judicial matter before Judge Sabola, Tennasse was charged for G $ 40 dollars imported without permission. The Custom Bahadur officer approved Tennassee to go outside and get the $ 40 to cover duties on tires instead of paying with Canadian currency. The case was ridiculous.
Llewelyn was on record condemning Hoyte’s rigging in December 1985; Hamilton Green was the principal architect of that rigging. Llewelyn joined the PCD delegation with Ceddi, Nanda Gopaul, Eusi Kwayana, and others traveling to Barbados where they met Rickey Singh, Aubrey Armstrong, and other respected Guyanese residents on the island. They made their case for restoring democratic governance in Guyana and then Prime Minister Bernard St. John. That and other meetings with Caribbean leaders of other islands would help push Hoyte to agree to electoral reforms paving the way for the country’s first free and fair elections in October 1992. For that role, the nation is expressing her gratitude. Unfortunately, Llewelyn would return to the PNC and like Hammie Green he was re-established by David Granger. Llewelyn was quietly critical of the appalling governance of the APNU + AFC coalition, but I don’t know if he supported the rigging attempt in March 2020. The mouth is silenced by those who feed it.
Truly,
Bisram Vishnu