Jagan’s PPP to boycott British Guiana parliament a BEATRICE JOHNSON HAVANA Cheddi Jagan, former prime minister of British Guiana, said in a press conference here that his party, the People’s Progres- sive Party, would not participate in parliament because the elec- tions of last Dec. 17 were a fraud, The system of voting, he pointed out, was changed with the single aim of driving out the PPP government. The new, proportional repre- sentation system imposed by the British governor, he noted, is not in practice in the United Kingdom or in any of the Com- monwealth countries. “If the new system hadn't been imposed,” he said, “we would have had the same num- ber of seats we had since the 1961 elections.” He said that the current re- gime has the backing of both the Americans and the British, since only ‘with this pro-imperialist policy can they continue to ex- CHEDDI JAGAN Foreign investments, profits and the national debt are rising. From 1948 to 1964, foreign com- panies invested $175 million and took $260 million: out of the country. In the period of 1957- 60, the U.S.-Canadian Aluminum Co. alone increased its annual profits in British Guiana from $27 million to $60 million. ploit the riches of the country. The economic situation is ruin- ous, 18 percent of the people are unemployed and 9 percent un- der-employed. “Thus the outflow of money is greater than the and the national budget devotes an even greater sum to pay around the world BERLIN: Some 200 writers from 50 countries met in East Berlin and Weimar May 14 as guests of the East German Writers Union to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the victory over fascism. Canada was represented by Gratien Gelinas and Roger Lemelin. There were 23 writers from the Soviet Union, 12 from Australia, 11 from the United States (among them William Saroyan). * * * THE USSR has decided that henceforth International Women’s Day, March 8, will be a public holiday, in recognition of the role of Soviet women during the war period . . . China successfully exploded her second atom bomb on May 14. New China Agency called it “a great victory for Mao Tse-tung’s thinking” and said China is developing nuclear weapons solely for defensive purposes. * * * LABOR’S net loss of 374 council seats and a net Tory gain of 552 in local elections in Britain is a serious setback for Harold Wilson’s government after only seven months in power. Tories were jubilant at the outcome. Labor spokesmen complacently called it “a normal swing” but Communists and other sections of the Left said the result proves the urgent need for a change in the government’s policy . . . Mounting pressure by British MPs and trade unionists for full-scale nationalization of the steel industry compelled Prime Minister Wilson to pledge “no change” in govern- ment policy. While apparently repudiating George Brown’s off- the-cuff offer to the steel employers to “listen” to any plan they had for less than a 100 percent takeover, Wilson said: nothing about the timetable for nationalization. * * * LUNIK 5 hit the moon in the Sea of Clouds on May 12 with. signals like a snake-charmer’s lulling refrain. Mechanism designed to fire the retro-rockets and: provide a “soft landing” seemingly failed . . . Animal lovers have flooded a West Berlin nightclub with letters over the death of its biggest star, Berolina, a baby elephant which undressed striptease girls . . . Tshombe, a chimpanzee re- cently imported to rule a chimp colony in the zoo at Bloemfontein, South Africa, was drowned by Charlie, his ousted rival. : * * * AMERICAN diplomat Norris D. Garnett, 32, was ordered to be expelled from the Soviet Union on charges of hostile activity among African students. A few months ago U.S. Embassy first secretary Richard Stolz was expelled for espionage activtiy. investments, - debts,” said Jagan. “In 1958, fiwe percent of the ‘budget was allot- ted to pay debts, and in 1946 it went up to 17 percent. Econom- ists estimate that it will be a third of the budget by 1970. In this vicious circle, only $20 mil- lion is left for the national needs, and that is mostly gotten from grants and credits. _ “Even with this new system, we increased our total vote by 3.3 percent, with a total of 109,- 332. The People’s Congress Party got 96,657 votes and the United Force 29,612. An unprin- cipled alliance between the two won them the government, and a fraud kept us out. ‘Tf the British conventions and traditions had been put into practise the PPP, which got the majority, would have had to be called upon to form a govern- ment. I could have tried to form a coalition, and having failed would have had the right to form_a minority government, as Lester Pearson did in Canada.’ He said that there is general dissatisfaction with the results. Among the half of the popula- tion that voted for the PPP, there is a feeling that they had been tricked. Also some 57 per- cent of the population are youths under 21, who feel dis- franchised because of the refusal of the British to permit 18-year- olds to vote. Young people have been greatly attracted to the PPP as the most advanced party politically. Jagan said the first job of the PPP is to make the’ situation ‘clear to the people, second to ask the British government for a political settlement to end emergency rule, free the poli- tical prisoners and hold a new independence conference. A new’ coalition should be formed bas- ed on the popular will. It could re-institute the election system satisfactory to the people, give 18-year-olds the right to vote, and change the composition of the police and security forces to represent the basic segments of the population. Jagan was asked if he looks to British premier Harold Wilson. He answered that Wilson, before he took power, called for a set- tlement, but there are many in- dications that he will not move for such a settlement in spite of the obvious fraud and unconsti- tutional conduct of his governor in British Guiana. He was asked to what extent the U.S. is pressuring the British government not to grant inde- pendence. “They are,’ he said, “sup- porting the present government with money. Their trade union agents are undermining and splitting our trade unions. “In 1963, they aided the boy- cott against us, and if it were not for Cuban shipments of oil, my government would have . fallen.” Jagan declared that the mas- ses were with his party and would continue to support the policy of democracy and inde- pendence, | On world’s newsfromt In Athens, Greece, clashes took place between poll local population. Photo shows police turning water hose on protesting decision -of.the authorities to pull down the hous the poor on the city’s outskirts. Dozens of people were woun) Anti-Americon demsoasuaiiens are common in Cambool Ls days. This picture shows ctl of Pnom Penh marching LES eribesst, ee ‘ A seven-member women’s team smashed a world paiact! record at a tournament last month in Chengtu, China. They cut at an altitude of 4,500 feet and landed within an % distance of 12 feet from the given target in a daytime grouP cision landing. Photo shows the seven girls. Warsaw, capital of People’s Poland, hos risen from them of World War Il to become a beautiful city. Photo shows new ings on Marshalkovskaya Street. : May 28, 1965—PACIFIC TRIBUNE?