People's Progressive Party of Guyana

People’s Progressive Party of Guyana 

(PPP), a political party in Guyana, founded in 1950 on the initiative of a group of Marxists led by C. Jagan.

The First Congress of the PPP was held in Georgetown in 1951. The party quickly brought together progressive anti-colonialist and anti-imperialist forces to commence a vigorous struggle for the country’s independence. In 1953 the PPP won the elections and formed a government but some months later was removed from power by the British colonialists. In 1955, rightist forces caused a split in the PPP, but the party rapidly rallied to gain the support of broad strata of the population. Despite the opposition of the British authorities and reactionaries within the country, the PPP won the parliamentary elections of 1957 and 1961.

A government formed by the PPP under Jagan held power from 1957 to 1964. This government persistently demanded independence, carried out a number of progressive internal measures, and established trade relations with the USSR, Cuba, and other socialist countries. In subsequent years, the PPP leadership devoted special attention to placing the party on a Marxist-Leninist basis and accordingly intensified ideological and organizational work. A special conference held in August 1969 adopted a resolution on transforming the PPP into a Marxist-Leninist party. The Sixteenth Congress of the PPP, held in September 1970, officially approved the conversion of the PPP into a party based on the ideology of Marxism-Leninism and on the principles of democratic centralism. The Nineteenth Congress (July-August 1976) approved the political program of the PPP. According to the program, the PPP is a Marxist-Leninist party whose aim is to build a society based on the principles of scientific socialism. The congress approved an internal policy of “critical support” for Guyana’s present government in order to attain national unity and social progress and to secure Guyana’s independence and sovereignty.

A PPP delegation attended the international Conference of Communist and Workers’ Parties held in Moscow in 1969. The PPP approved the documents adopted at this conference. The party is structured according to the principle of democratic centralism. Its highest body is the Congress, which is convened once every three years; between congresses, the work of the party is directed by the General Committee, which elects the Executive Committee. The general secretary of the PPP is C. Jagan. The party’s central organ is the newspaper Mirror.

D. D. MURAV’EV [17–759–2; updated]