The official State funeral ceremony for the late President Cheddi Jagan in the forecourt of Parliament Buildings in Georgetown will take place between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. tomorrow, the Guyana Information (GIS) said yesterday.
The eulogy will be delivered by Home Affairs Minister and Government's Chief Whip, Mr. Feroze Mohamed.
Brief tributes will be given by President Sam Hinds; Mrs. Janet Jagan; Agriculture Minister and Leader of the House, Mr. Reepu Daman Persaud; Senior Counsel, Mr. Ashton Chase, a former Government Minister and founder-member of the Political Affairs Committee which preceded the People's Progressive Party; and the Jagan's son, Dr. Cheddi Jagan Jnr.
Brief remarks have been invited from representatives of the parliamentary Minority parties, GIS said.
The function will feature inter-faith prayers, poetry readings by Education Minister, Dr. Dale Bisnauth and excerpts from Dr. Jagan's speeches and writings by Mr. Vic Insanally, Public Relations Adviser to the late President.
GIS said there will be cultural items, including renditions of patriotic songs by a children's choir.
The State ceremony will be chaired by Information Minister, Mr. Moses Nagamootoo.
After the ceremony, the body will be borne at midday by gun-carriage escorted by the Joint Services military guard of honour eastwards along the East Coast Demerara.
The procession will halt briefly at Enmore, the cradle of the Enmore Martyrs whose sacrifice in 1948 fired a young Jagan's life-long commitment to the struggle of the Guyanese people for freedom, GIS said.
The procession will then move on to Rosignol for a late afternoon crossing on the Berbice River to New Amsterdam where the body will lie in State overnight.
On Tuesday, the body will lie in State at the Albion Sports Complex, Corentyne from 6 a.m. to noon.
From Albion, the funeral procession will move to Port Mourant where the late President will be cremated.
Dr. Jagan was born and grew up at Port Mourant and for the last time, his body will be taken to his parent's home for private reflections among members of the Jagan family before the cremation scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Port Mourant foreshore.
Dr. Jagan took in with a serious heart attack at State House on the night of February 14 and was transferred the next day in a U.S. Army medical evacuation to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington where he died after a spirited battle at 1:23 a.m. Thursday.