Occupying State House
The early governors of what was then known as the United Colony of Essequibo & Demerara, and after 1831, British Guiana, were not housed in the grandiose style of their counterparts in some other territories. Their first home was in Brickdam, in what was by all accounts an unprepossessing building located approximately where the Ministry of Home Affairs now stands. They next took up abode in Camp House, a rather more imposing residence, if the single murky drawing of it which has survived is anything to go by. However, this particular edifice was situated not far from a beach (yes, Georgetown once had a famous sand beach), which was subject to erosion. The ocean started lapping at it a little slyly at first, but in due course it got bolder, eventually sweeping it away altogether and leaving Camp House in closer proximity to the coastline than was comfortable. The building was dismantled on the Governor's instructions in 1855, before the ill-tempered waters of the great Kingston flood, which inundated a whole ward of Georgetown, claimed its timbers. Many years before Camp House received its final coup de grace, however, the governors had moved out. They were installed in rooms in the Public Buildings, an arrangement which for obvious reasons was not altogether convenient for entertainment purposes. In 1852, with a greater sense of the proprieties of office now prevailing, it was decided to build Guyana's foremost official a proper residence. Starting out as a plain square structure which was added to in piecemeal fashion by various governors over time, the final result could hardly be described as an architectural gem. However, with the passage of time and some help from George Jenman who landscaped the garden towards the end of last century, it has acquired a certain stately, gracious air. Since Guyana became a republic in 1970, most of our presidents have given it a wide berth. Mr Arthur Chung, the nation's first President did live there, but Mr Forbes Burnham who held the post of executive President, continued to occupy the house he had selected as Prime Minister. This was 'The Residence,' originally designed by Cesar Castellani for George Jenman of the Botanical Gardens. Mr Hoyte never moved out of his own home in North Road during his tenure, and the first executive President to actually occupy State House was Dr Cheddi Jagan. Following the latter's death, President Hinds stayed put in the Prime Ministerial home in Main Street, and to all appearances, President Janet Jagan too avoided State House for domestic purposes, although she still used it for official functions. And now we have President Jagdeo, who according to reports is displaying a similar coyness about occupying the proper abode of Guyana's head of state. In our edition of August 14, we reported Dr Roger Luncheon as saying that nothing conclusive had been arrived at regarding the President's living arrangements, but that temporarily he would be staying at Herdmanston House. Nothing wrong with that in the short term, because State House definitely needs repair, but in the longer term he should be prepared to take up occupancy of the latter building. All established nations have a fixed residence for their heads of state; it is simply part of the paraphenalia which lends dignity to the office. Whether it is the Elysee Palace in France, the Miraflores Palace in Venezuela or the White House in the United States, it is taken for granted that presidents should be housed in a setting which either has acquired some tradition, or at least, lends itself to a certain formality. Of all of our executive presidents, Dr Cheddi Jagan is the only one who seems to have grasped that. It is simply not acceptable to have the head of state selecting a residence according to whim, and if he or she is allowed to do so, it becomes much more difficult to build up a tradition around the presidency as an institution. It took the colonial authorities half a century of dithering before they recognized that they needed a dignified permanent home for their governors, and it looks as if the independent authorities are not doing much better in relation to our head of state. The difference is that Guyana has a suitable home for the President already. So why won't he use it? ear that livestock will be affected since they, too, must use water from the river. (SHARON LALL)
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