topHistory of Guyana

Pre-European Colonization

The area of the Guianas, bounded by the rivers of the Orinoco, Amazon, Rio Negro and the Atlantic Ocean, is believed to have been settled before 900 AD by Warrau Indians, and later by the Arawak and Carib tribes. However, there is no evidence from these times of a very advanced civilization.

In 1489, Christopher Columbus sailed off the Wild Coast of the Guianas and the 1595 voyage of Sir Walter Raleigh to the New World led to subsequent accounts of El Dorado, the city of gold, which is believed to be in, or around, what is now Guyana.

The Dutch, who began trading with Amerindians along the coast of Guyana, established two trading posts on the mainland, one in the Pomeroon and the other on the Abary Creek, around 1580. A small number of men from the trading vessels were left to look after the posts until the next vessel arrived.

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European Colonization - 17th to 19th Century

The Dutch trading post in the Pomeroon was relocated around 1616 to another area in Essequibo, at the junction of the Essequibo, Mazaruni and Cuyuni Rivers, where they built Fort Kyk-Over-Al (Kijk-Over-Al), the first major Dutch settlement in Guyana. In 1621, the merchants of Zeeland and other merchants united to form the West India Company and took over control of Essequibo.

In 1627, a second Dutch settlement was established in Berbice, east of Essequibo. The date of construction and the location of the headquarters of the Berbice settlement, Fort Nassau, are not known precisely. It may have been located near the present Fort Nassau, on the right bank of the Berbice River.

The West India Company was reorganized and a new company, Nova Zeeland, emerged in 1657. The cultivation of sugar cane began in 1658 along the Pomeroon River in Essequibo under the supervision of the Nova Zeeland Company and sugar was exported shortly thereafter. Sugar has been and continues to be one of the major exports of Guyana.

England declared war against the Netherlands in 1665 and in 1666 Major John Scott, with the help of Caribs, attacked the Pomeroon settlement and destroyed its fort. Major Scott then captured Fort Kyk-Over-Al and left a small garrison to defend the fort. The Dutch regained control of the fort in 1667.

During the 1720s, the Dutch moved their administrative centre from Kyk-Over-Al to a larger island at the mouth of the Essequibo River. The island was originally named Flag Island but it was changed subsequently to Fort Island. They constructed two forts on the island, the first fort was built of wood and was replaced by a second fort, Fort Zeelandia, built of bricks.

A third settlement, Demerara, situated between Essequibo and Berbice was established by the Dutch in 1741 and the three settlements were granted the status of Colony by 1773. The Dutch imported African slaves to work on their plantations during the early years of the colonies.

The Berbice revolt, 1763-64, began on February 23 at Plantation Magalenenburg in the Colony of Berbice. The rebellion which was in protest of the harsh and inhumane treatment of slaves was led by Cuffy (Kofi).

The British took control of the colonies, Essequibo, Berbice and Demerara in 1781 and the military administrator, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Kingston, established Fort St. George as his headquarters in a part of the region presently known as Georgetown.

The British rule was short-lived and in 1782 the French and Dutch collaborated to seize control of the colonies. The French demolished Fort St. George and built their own centre, called Longchamps (La Nouvelle Ville). The Dutch regained control of the colonies in 1784 and renamed the centre Stabroek.

The jurisdiction of the West India Company was transferred to the Estates' General in 1791 and in 1792 the United Colony of Demerara and Essequibo was established by the Dutch with the Colony of Berbice as a separate entity.

The British were once again in control of the colonies in 1796 and continued to hold them up to 1966, except for a brief interruption from 1802 to 1803. The Dutch were given control of the colonies in 1802 under the Treaty of Amiens.

The first constitution of the colonies, promulgated by the Dutch in 1792, was abolished by the British in 1812. During the same year, the centre Stabroek was renamed George Town in honour of the British Monarch, George IV. The British became the sole possessors of the United Colony and the Colony of Berbice in 1815 under the terms of the Treaty of Vienna.

On August 18, 1823, slaves on the East Coast of Demerara stopped working, seized the arms of the Europeans and held them in captivity. The Demerara revolt began at Plantation Success and in the following two days spread up the East Coast to plantations as far east as Mahaica and between Success and Georgetown in the west.

The rebellion ended on August 20 following an engagement between British troops and the slaves during which an estimated 200 slaves were killed when the troops opened fire on them. The rebellion started because the slaves were of the impression that the Europeans were withholding their freedom which was granted to them by the King of England.

The United Colony (Essequibo and Demerara) and the Colony of Berbice became the Colony of British Guiana (BG) in 1831. The names, Essequibo, Demerara and Berbice, are still used today for the three Counties of Guyana. Sir Benjamin D'Urban, was appointed the first Governor of British Guiana

In 1834, the Public Buildings, now known as Parliament Building and home of the Republic's Parliament, was completed. Slavery was abolished in British Guiana under the Emancipation Act the same year and replaced by a period of Apprenticeship during which persons registered as slaves, six years old and upwards, were required to serve their former masters. In turn, the plantation owners had to pay wages for their work.

The plantation owners continued their ill treatment of the apprentices even though they were free people. The apprentices conducted a peaceful demonstration in the Trinity Parish church-yard at La Belle Alliance on the Essequibo Coast during August 1834 to show their disapproval. One of the apprentices, Damon, who had posted a flag as a sign of their freedom and considered to be the leader of the protest, was arrested together with some of the other protestors. They were taken to Georgetown, tried, and found guilty of rebellion. Damon was the only one of the convicted protestors to be sentenced to death. The hanging took place in front of the new Public Buildings. Apprenticeship was abolished in 1838.

Following the abolition of slavery, the British brought indentured labourers from Germany (1834), Portugal (May 3, 1835), India (May 5, 1838) and China (January 12, 1853) to work on the plantations. The first East Indians arrived on two ships, the Whitby and the Hesperus.

During the early years of their freedom, the former African slaves purchased parcels of land and established villages in the coastal region, e.g., Buxton (1840) and Victoria (1839) on the East Coast of Demerara, and Queenstown (1838) on the Essequibo Coast.

Mount Roraima was discovered on 3 November 1838 by Robert Hermann Schomburgk. He also prepared a map of British Guiana showing its boundaries which was published in 1840. The publication of the map marked the beginning of the border dispute with Venezuela, which is still unresolved. An earlier map [large image, 137KB] of British Guiana, compiled by Captain J.E. Alexander in 1832, did not show the boundary between the countries.

In 1842, George Town became the city of Georgetown by "Royal" warrant. Also in 1842, labourers on the sugar plantations in Demerara and on the Essequibo coast went on strike. A colony-wide strike occurred in 1848. Refusal to accept rules and regulations imposed by planters on the work force and a pay reduction triggered the strikes of 1842 and 1848, respectively.

The fires of April 3 and July 5, 1848 destroyed all of the wooden buildings on Water Street in Georgetown. The railroad extending from Georgetown to Plaisance, on the East Coast of Demerara, was opened in 1848. It was built by the Demerara Railway Company and was the first of its kind on the continent of South America. The East Coast Railway was later extended to Rosignal under a contract approved by the Government in 1890.

The Franchise Ordinance of 1849 rescinded the right to vote granted to women by Governor Carmichael in 1812. Gold was discovered on the bank of a tributary of the Cuyuni River in 1857 and the first Mining Regulations were passed in 1886. Diamond mining began later in the Upper Mazaruni at Putareng Creek. Gold production reached a record high of 138,528 ounces in 1893-94.

The decision to issue postage stamps on 1 July, 1850 was published in the Official Gazette of 15 June 1850. These first stamps were for local use only and were printed at the newspaper establishment of the Demerara and Essequebo Gazette Office. The two-cent issue printed in black on a rose coloured paper has become a collector's item. In 1860 the local stamps were put into use for overseas postage.

An Ordinance was passed in 1850 to use copper coins of the United Kingdom as legal tender. The coins were not generally accepted and the Ordinance was disallowed by the Colonial Office.

Construction of the sea wall began following the flooding of the Kingston to Oagle area in 1853. The first segment up to the Round House was completed in 1860 and, during the same year, on 2 May, an Ordinance was passed establishing the Post Office Department which eventually became a corporation, Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC), on 1 January, 1977.

The Georgetown Water Works and the laying of water mains throughout the city commenced in 1866, and in 1867, the first pumping station and distribution system was installed at the end of the Lamaha Canal (trench) which was dug during 1828 and 1829.

On April 24, 1870, Barrington Brown, a geologist, became the first European to see the Kaieteur Falls. The falls has a 226-metres (741 ft) single drop and is named after the Potamona Chief, Kaie, who according to Amerindian legend, paddled his canoe over the edge to appease his Gods. Brown and James Sawkins, also a geologist, were assigned to survey the Colony. They left the Colony in 1871 after completing surveys of the Corentyne, Berbice and Mazaruni rivers.

Cable communication was established with London and New York in 1871 and messages were exchanged between the Mayor of Georgetown and the Lord Mayor of London in 1872.

Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) was founded in 1889 and incorporated by Statute in 1890 and Lady Gormanston turned on the first electric lights in Georgetown on 17 January, 1891.

The British Guiana Constitution Ordinance of 1891 abolished the College of Electors and retained the structure of the Combined Court (Court of Policy and Financial Representatives) implemented by the Dutch in 1796. However, members of the Combined Court had to be elected from the constituencies and were required to have franchise income, whereas previously some of the members were nominated to the Combined Court.

A competition for a Challenge Cup between cricket teams from Barbados, British Guiana and Trinidad was established during the later part of the 19th century. Cricket matches were played on the ground of the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC), commonly known as Bourda, as early as 1883, between Trinidad and GCC, and later, in 1895 and 1897, between GCC and visiting teams from Britain. Cricket is one of the national sports of Guyana and Bourda is the only international cricket ground that is below sea level.

On October 3, 1899, the Tribunal of Arbitration, which was established to resolve the boundary between British Guiana and Venezuela, met in Paris and rejected Venezuela's claim for a boundary on the Essequibo River.

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Road to Independence - 1900 to 1965

The electric trams in Georgetown were formerly declared open on 25 February 1901 and continued to serve the city until pulled up in March 1930.

Manganese ore was discovered in the Matthews Ridge area, Northwest District, during 1903 and the ore was mined from 1960 to 1969.

The rice industry evolved during the final years of the 19th century and the exportation of rice began by 1905. Rice is still one of the major exports of Guyana. British troops were used in 1905 to restore order following the outbreak of riots in protest against poor living conditions. The 1905 protest began in Georgetown and later spread to Plantation Ruimveldt.

In 1912, The Demerara Railway Company extended the West Coast Railway, which it had started in the 1890s. The railway line linked Vreed en Hoop on the west bank of the Demerara River to Parika on the east bank of the Essequibo River.

The first aeroplane was flown in British Guiana in March 1913. The components of the aeroplane were brought to the Colony by George Schmidt and assembled at a race course in Bel Air Park.

Britain outlawed indentured labour in 1917 and the Demerara Bauxite Company, Limited commenced bauxite mining operations at Mackenzie, now Linden.

The British Guiana Labour Union was established on January 11, 1919 under the leadership of Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow who is regarded as the father of the Trade Union Movement in Guyana.

The Government purchased the assets of the Demerara Railway Company in 1922. The railway services were scrapped by the Government after independence.

During 1928, a new constitution came into effect and British Guiana became a Crown Colony under the control of the Governor. The Combined Court was replaced by the Legislative Council, with the majority of its members being appointed. The vote was also restored to women.

Disturbances broke out in the British Territories of the Caribbean during the late 1920s and early to mid 1930s as a result of the economic and social conditions. A series of riots and strikes occurred in British Guiana between 1928 and 1936. Thus, the Moyne Commission was sent to the region to report on the situation. However, the Second World War broke out and the commission's findings and recommendations were not published until 1945.

Four strikers were killed at Plantation Leonora, a sugar plantation on the West Coast of Demerara owned by the Demerara Company, during February 1939 as workers protested against the economic and social hardships they were experiencing.

The U.S. military constructed an airfield at Atkinson (now called Timehri), south of Georgetown on the right bank of the Demerara River, under the Lend-Lease Act 1941.

In 1945, the British Guiana (Constitution) Amendment Order in Council provided for women to become members of the Legislative Council. Subsequently, the franchise income was reduced significantly thereby increasing the number of adults eligible to vote, except for housewives who had no income.

General elections were held on November 27, 1947 under limited adult suffrage. The British Guiana Labour Party (BGLP) which was formed by Dr. Jung Bahadur Singh won 6 of the 14 seats in the Legislative Council. Dr. Cheddi Jagan was elected to the Council as an independent candidate. Janet Jagan and Frances Stafford, the first women to compete for seats in the Legislature, were defeated.

Five sugar workers were killed by Police on June 16, 1948 during a strike at Enmore on the East Coast. They were protesting a field system that would have resulted in the loss of wages. The five dead workers, Harry, Lallabagee, Pooran, Rambarran and Surujbally, became immortalized as the Enmore Martyrs.

Robert Julian Christiani became the first Guyanese to score a test century (107) during a match between India and the West Indes on November 12, 1948 at Delhi, India.

A 15-year franchise was granted to the British Guiana United Broadcasting Company by the Government in 1950 resulting in the establishment of two commercial broadcasting stations, Radio Demerara and the British Guiana Broadcasting Service.

The Waddington Constitution Commission visited British Guiana in 1950 and recommended universal adult suffrage which was introduced in 1952.

The first general elections under adult suffrage were held on April 24, 1953. The People's Progressive Party (PPP) led by Dr. Cheddi Jagan won 18 of the 24 seats on the Legislative Council. Three representatives on the Council, Jessica Burnham, Janet Jagan and Jane Phillips-Gay, were the first women to be elected to the Legislature.

The British Government suspended the British Guiana Constitution on October 9, 1953 and sent troops into the capital Georgetown following the passage of a controversial Labour Relations Bill and statements by leaders of the PPP in support of communist doctrines. Some members of the PPP were held in detention while others were restricted to their residential areas.

The Governor, Sir Alfred Savage, installed an Interim Government on January 4, 1954, under the British Guiana (Constitution) (Temporary Provisions) Order in Council 1953 comprised of a Speaker, three ex-officio members, and twenty-four nominated members.

In 1955, Forbes Burnham and his supporters split from the PPP. General elections were held during August 1957, this time under a limited constitution, and the PPP group led by Dr. Cheddi Jagan won nine of the fourteen seats while the PPP group led by Forbes Burnham won 3 seats in the Legislative Council. The PPP group of Dr. Jagan formed the Administration with Dr. Jagan as the Chief Minister. The group led by Forbes Burnham was named the People's National Congress (PNC) following the 1957 General Elections.

Three other parties, besides the PPP and PNC, emerged during the 1950's. They are the National Democartic Party (NDP) which contested the 1953 general elections under the leadership of John Fernandes, the Guyana Independence Movement (GIM) led by Jai Narine Singh, and the National Labour Force (NLF) led by Lionel Luckhoo. The NDP was renamed the United Democratic Party (UDP) before the 1957 general elections and the UDP merged with the PNC in 1958.

Constitutional talks held in London with the British Government in 1960 resulted in a new constitution in 1961 with internal self-government. The general elections of August 1961 were contested by the PPP, PNC and a third party, the United Force (UF), led by Peter d'Aguiar. The PPP won twenty of the thirty-five seats and Dr. Jagan was appointed Premier.

In 1961, the first Guianese Chief Justice of British Guiana, Joseph Alexander Luckhoo, was appointed and the PPP Government nationalized the Demerara Electricity Company which later became the Guyana Electricity Corporation (GEC). The corporation was privatized in 1999.

The 1962 budget of the PPP Government, drafted with the advise of Dr. Nicholas Kaldor, resulted in protests and strikes, leading to rioting, looting and the burning of buildings on February 16, 1962.

In 1963, the PPP Government attempted to introduce a Labour Relations Bill which triggered the General Strike beginning on April 18 and ending eighty days later on July 6. The strike ended with the withdrawal of the Bill. The Governor, Sir Ralph Grey, called out British troops to restore order during the strikes and riot. Businesses and homes were burnt and about 180 persons were killed during the unrest which continued into 1964.

From its inception the PPP acclaimed the Marxist-Leninist ideology. A prominent PPP activist declared, "You can more easily stop tomorrow than stop Communism". As British Guiana moved closer to obtaining independence, the United States of America was concerned about the possibility of another anti-imperialist state in the Americas, in light of their experiences with Cuba which had developed strong ties with the PPP Government. There has been much speculation regarding the role of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the affairs of British Guiana during the period of political unrest in the 1960s. The online version of a recently released U.S. State Department document shed some light on the allegations.

The University of Guyana Ordinance was assented to by Governor Sir Ralph Grey on April 18, 1963 and evening classes began on October 1, 1963 at the Government Technical Institute and Queen's College. The first building at the present Turkeyen Campus was declared open on February 24, 1970.

Constitutional talks opened in London on October 23, 1963 with the leaders of the three political parties and their advisors in attendance. The British decided that independence would be delayed and that elections would be held in 1964 under a new electoral system known as Proportional Representation. This new electoral system was presented by Duncan Sandys, the British Secretary of State for the Colonies, who was asked to provide a solution following a deadlock between the Guyanese Leaders.

During the first half of 1964, violence erupted following a strike called by the Guiana Agricultural Workers' Union (GAWU) in an attempt to gain recognition by the Sugar Producers' Association (SPA). The violence was restricted mainly to the sugar estates in the County of Demerara and the strike ended in July 1964.

General elections, under the new system of proportional representation, were held during December 1964. The PPP won twenty-four of the fifty-three seats, followed closely by the PNC with twenty-two seats, while the UF obtained seven seats. The Governor, Sir Richard Luyt, called on Forbes Burnham leader of the PNC, who was supported by the UF, to form the Government. The old PPP Government refused to resign and was forced out of office by the Governor, acting under a Constitutional Amendment. Thus, Forbes Burnham became the Premier of British Guiana on December 14, 1964.

Another Independence Conference was held in London during November 1965 and it was resolved that British Guiana would become independent on May 26, 1966. The conference was attended by the People's National Congress and the United Force; the People's Progressive Party boycotted the conference.

The Special Service Unit (SSU) was renamed the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) in 1965 under the command of a British Officer, Colonel Ronald Pope. A Guyanese, Major Clarence Price, replaced Colonel Pope as the head of the GDF in 1969. He served as Chief-of-Staff of the GDF until 1979 and attained the rank of Brigadier.

The Coat of Arms of Guyana was accepted by the House of Assembly on February 25, 1966.

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Early Years of the Nation - 1966 to Present

British Guiana became an independent State on May 26, 1966, within the British Commonwealth of Nations, under the Guyana Independence Act 1966 of the British Parliament. The new State adapted the name Guyana which is derived from an Amerindian word meaning Land of many waters.

Forbes Burnham was appointed the first Prime Minister. Peter d'Aguiar was appointed as one of first Deputy Prime Ministers of the new State. Governor General Sir Richard Luyt, Chancellor of the Judiciary Sir Kenneth Stoby and Ministers of the Government took their respective oaths of offices on the morning of May 26, 1966.

In 1996 Guyana joined the United Nations in 1966 and Sir Richard Luyt was succeeded by a Guyanese, Sir David Rose, as the Governor General.

Prime Minister Forbes Burnham reported to the nation on October 14, 1966 that Venezuelans were occupying the Guyana portion of Ankoko Island at the confluence of the Cuyuni and Wenamu Rivers.

Suriname occupied the New River Triangle in December 1967. On August 19, 1969 the Guyana Defense Force acted decisively and secured the entire area.

On the eve of the December 1968 general elections, the UF ministers in the PNC-UF coalition Government resigned. However the PNC won the elections and Forbes Burnham continued as Prime Minister of Guyana.

On January 2 1969, ranchers living in the Rupununi District were involved in a rebellion which was crushed by soldiers of the Guyana Defence Force who were flown into the area. The leading conspirators came from the Hart and Melville clans which were associated with cattle-rearing business in the Rupununi.

In 1969, the highway between Soesdyke and Linden was opened and the Government announced that Timehri would be the name of Guyana's International Airport at Atkinson Field (now called Timehri). The airport was renamed the Cheddi Jagan International Airport in 1997.

On February 23, 1970 Guyana was proclaimed the Co-operative Republic of Guyana within the British Commonwealth of Nations. February 23 was selected to coincide with the anniversary of the beginning of the Berbice Slave Revolt of 1763 which was led by Cuffy, a national hero. The office of Governor General was abolished and Arthur Chung was sworn in as the Ceremonial President of the Republic for a six-year term and then was re-elected for a second six-year term in 1976.

In the years shortly after the change to a Co-operative Republic, foreign-owned companies were nationalized. They included the Demerara Bauxite Company, Ltd. or Demba as it was known locally (1971), Reynolds Metals Company (1974), Reynolds (Guyana) Mines (1975) and Booker McConnell Ltd. (1976) which owned about 85% of the lands and mills associated with the nation's sugar production.

The PNC won the general elections held on July 10, 1973 and once again, as in 1968, there were charges of "rigged elections". However, Forbes Burnham continued as Prime Minister of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana. The National Service Program, a one-year period of training for all Guyanese between the ages of 18 and 25 years, began in 1974.

In 1974, Forbes Burnham announced the doctrine of Paramountcy of the Party, commonly known as the Declaration of Sophia, following a Congress of the PNC at Sophia. Under the declaration, all organs of the State were considered as agencies of the ruling PNC and subject to its control.

The Guyana Graphic, a daily newspaper, which began publication in 1944 under the name Guiana Graphic was bought by the government in 1974.

A religious cult known as the People's Temple of Christ, led by James Warren Jones, an American, also known as Jim Jones, arrived in Guyana in 1974, with the permission of the PNC Government, to set up an agricultural community near Port Kaituma in the Northwest District which was later known as Jonestown.

In 1976, the PNC Government took over all of the schools and promised free education from nursery school to university. The Anglican and Catholic churches which owned most of the denominational schools opposed the Government's decision. A smaller scale take-over of denominational schools built with public funds was undertaken by the PPP Government in 1960.

The Constitution of the Orders of Guyana was amended under Guyana Act No. 2/1976 which makes provisions for three Orders of Guyana (Guyana's National Awards) – The Order of Excellence of Guyana, The Order of Roraima of Guyana and The Order of Service of Guyana. The first appointments to The Orders of Guyana were made in 1970.

The Demerara Harbour Bridge was opened in 1978. The bridge, about 2 km in length, accommodates vehicular traffic across the Demerara River in the coastal region and is reported to be the longest floating bridge in the world.

On November 18, 1978, the members of the People's Temple committed mass suicide following the murder of United States Congressman Leo Ryan and some members of his party, who were investigating allegations that American citizens were being held against their will by Jim Jones. More than 700 persons died in the tragedy.

A group known as the Working People's Alliance (WPA) emerged in 1973 and later became a political party in 1979. The group included intellectuals and politicians from the major ethnic groups. Dr. Walter Rodney, who was informally identified as the leader of the party, was assassinated in July 1980. The WPA boycotted the 1980 general elections in protest of Dr. Rodney's killing.

The PNC government postponed the general elections that were to be held before 1979. On July 21, 1978, the National Assembly passed a resolution that resulted in the preparation of the Constitution of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana. The Constitution was passed in the National Assembly on February 14, 1980.

Under the new constitution, the Ceremonial President was abolished and the Head of the Government assumed the post of Executive President with supreme executive authority. The Republic of Guyana was divided into ten Regions under Article 72 paragraph (1) of the 1980 Constitution. Each region has an administrative body known as the Regional Democratic Council

The PNC won the general elections held in 1980 and Forbes Burnham became the first Executive President of the Republic. Desmond Hoyte succeeded Forbes Burnham as the second Executive President of the Republic following his death in 1985.

The general elections held in December 1985 were won by the PNC amidst claims of yet another "rigged elections" and Desmond Hoyte continued as Executive President until the general elections of October 5, 1992.

President Desmond Hoyte offered an area of pristine rain forest in Guyana for research leading to the development of techniques for sustainable and equitable utilization of forest resources. This offer was made at the 1989 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malaysia and led to the establishment of the Iwokrama International Rain Forest Programme.

During September of 1991, Omai Gold Mines Limited was granted a mining permit to extract gold from their mine site near Omai River, a tributary of the Essequibo River.

The October 1992 general elections were monitored by a team of international observers and the People's Progressive Party/Civic joint slate was victorious. Dr. Cheddi Jagan became the third Executive President and Samuel Hinds of the Civic component of the joint slate was sworn in as Prime Minister.

Commercial production at the Omai Gold Mine began on January 15, 1993 and yielded 207,000 ounces of gold that year. A major environmental disaster occurred at Omai Gold Mine on August 19, 1995, when a large quantity of cyanide- and copper-laden tailings water spilled into the Omai River.

On March 14, 1996, the National Assembly passed the Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development Act. Samuel Hinds became the fourth Executive President following the death of Dr. Jagan on March 6, 1997 and Janet Jagan was appointed Prime Minister.

Queen's College, the oldest secondary school in Guyana, was partially gutted by a fire which started around 10:00 pm on Sunday, November 16, 1997. The fire destroyed the central portion of the building. The school, which opened on August 5, 1844, became a government institution in 1876 and was moved to the Camp Road and Thomas Road location in 1951.

The People's Progressive Party/Civic joint slate was declared the winner of the December 1997 general elections inspite of the claims of irregularities by the People's National Congress. Janet Jagan was sworn in as the fifth Executive President of the Republic in a secret ceremony held on Friday 19 December 1997.

On the same day, Chief Justice Desirée Bernard issued an Order nisi of certiorai to bring before the Court of Judicature the decision of the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission, Doodnauth Singh, to declare Janet Jagan the President of Guyana without the consent of the members of the Elections Commission and to quash the Chairman's decision on constitutional grounds. The Chief Justice also issued an Order nisi of Prohibition prohibiting the Chancellor of the Judiciary, Cecil Kennard, from swearing in Janet Jagan as President and an Order nisi of Prohibition prohibiting Janet Jagan from assuming the office of President. Janet Jagan was served with the court order after the secret ceremony and tossed the papers over her shoulders onto the floor.

On Monday 12 January 1998, Chief Justice Bernard ruled that her court could not rule on the actions of the Elections Commission and discharged the Orders nisi of certiorai and Prohibition made on 19 December. Following the ruling, unruly mobs in Georgetown attacked individuals and damaged property.

Daily street protests which followed the December 15 poll ended January 17, 1998 when the leaders of the People's Progressive Party and People's National Congress signed a peace accord, the Herdmanston Accord, brokered by the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM). An audit of the December 15 poll, new elections within 36 months and Constitutional change were agreed to.

A petition was filed on behalf of Esther Perreira on February 25, 1998 questioning the validity of the 1997 general and regional elections on the ground that they were unlawfully conducted and/or that the results of the elections were affected or might have been affected by unlawful acts and omissions. The hearing was presided over by Justice Claudette Singh.

Guyana Airways Corporation (GAC) was taken over by Guyana Airways 2000 Inc. (GA 2000 Inc.) as a result of a privitization deal between the Government of Guyana and Aviation Investment Inc. The new company was registered April 9, 1999. GAC was originally registered as a private company, British Guiana Airways Ltd., on May 27, 1938.

Janet Jagan resigned as President because of ill health and Bharrat Jagdeo was sworn in as the sixth Executive President of Guyana on August 11, 1999. Under the A Team formula agreed to by the PPP and the Civic, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds resigned and Bharrat Jagdeo was appointed Prime Minister paving the way for Jagdeo's appointment to the Presidency as stipulated in the Constitution of Guyana. Samuel Hinds was then reappointed Prime Minister.

The Guyana Government and Commonwealth Development Corporation/Electricity Sector Board International of Ireland (CDC/ESBI), formalized a deal on October 1, 1999 to privatize the Guyana Electricity Corporation (GEC), now officially renamed the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Incorporated. GEC was nationalized in 1961.

On June 3, 2000, Surinamese navy vessels forced the Canadian CGX Resources Inc. to move its drilling rig from an area off the mouth of the Corentyne River claimed by both countries, and commencing a month-long series of border discussions between Guyana and Suriname, at which no agreement was reached.

A ruling on the petition brought by Esther Perreira in 1998 was delivered by Justice Claudette Singh on January 15, 2001. The Judge held that the 1997 elections were not conducted in accordance with the law. In the Consequential Orders issued on January 26, 2001, Justice Singh ordered that the PPP-Civic Government remain in office until new elections are held on or before March 31, 2001.

Andrew 'Six Heads' Lewis defeated American James Page for the World Boxing Association welterweight championship on February 17, 2001 and became the first Guyanese fighter to win a world title.

During the period August 2000 to February 2001, the National Assembly passed amendments to the Constitution in preparation for the general elections which were held on March 19, 2001. The PPP-Civic was declared the winner of the elections on March 23, 2001. An injunction applied for by Joe Hamilton, executive member of the PNC REFORM (PNC/R), to prevent the swearing in of Bharrat Jagdeo as President of Guyana was dismissed by Chief Justice Desirée Bernard on March 31, 2001.

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