The PNC’s and Mr. Corbin’ silly game

Sep 21, 2009 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

The PNC at the moment under the control of Robert Corbin cannot be that bereft of intellectual skills that it cannot make even elementary analysis of socio-political phenomena.

The Leslie Ramsammy tale of association with Roger Khan is an egregious manifestation of all that is wrong with the PNC. It is because of the state of decay in the PNC, the General Elections may be called one year before they are due.

The PNC’s insistence in demanding the resignation of Dr. Leslie Ramammy is so naive that it borders on stupidity. Here is a hypothetical case. The CEO of a company sends his deputy to kill someone. He is caught.

Who should be in the net of the police’s interest? It has to be two persons. It cannot be one. The answer to the Ramsammy connection with Roger Khan has to be a monosyllabic one-yes or no.

If your answer is yes, serious complications are involved in unraveling the mystery of Ramsammy’s involvement.

The entire population of Guyana knows what the PNC’s answer is yes. Once it is yes, Leslie Ramsammy falls out of the scene and other actors are immediately catapulted into the lens of the camera.

Dr. Ramsammy has never joined the PPP. He never contested a seat for the Central Committee and/or Executive Committee of the PPP. He does not participate in the deliberations of the PPP on high policy.

From the time he became a Minister under Mr. Jagdeo’s presidency, his presence has never appeared in the Roman conspiracies that permeate the walls of Freedom House.

He doesn’t appear to have been one of the special “children” of Mrs. Jagan. I read most of her Mirror columns and Ramsammy’s name never popped up.

What is the point? In politics, there will always be key figures that run a government. There are such key personalities in every country, including small Guyana. Even if there is a strong-willed, autocratic President or Prime Minister, there will still be a modicum of top players that have power.

Leslie Ramsammy was never in that circle. The whole of Guyana knows that Sam Hinds was never part of that ambience. They are Ministers who do their respective jobs and stay away from high policy-making, which is the jurisdiction of Mr. Jagdeo and the PPP, assuming that the President takes instructions from his party.

All that I am writing here is nothing new to all the leaders of the PNC. They should know the deportment of both the PPP and Mr. Jagdeo.

One of the manifest characteristics of Mr. Jagdeo’s leadership style is micro-management. I had to visit Mr. Jagdeo’s office to get approval for mere change of car in my duty free letter.

Then Finance Minister, Sase Kowlessar graciously refused to approve the change, informing me that I will have to see the President. Mr. Jagdeo’s micro-management tentacles are ubiquitous. When he was away and garbage was piling up in the city, Acting President Sam Hinds was non-committed about monies for City Hal. Mr. Jagdeo arrived back in the country and $40M was immediately released.

We have another garbage crisis and Mr. Jagdeo was the protagonist on solution methods, not the Local Government Minister or the Finance Minister. Mr. Benn fired striking Air Traffic Controllers. Mr. Jagdeo reversed the decision. Mr. Rohee ordered the removal of the Mormons for illegal stay, Mr. Jagdeo extended the time. Mr. Jagdeo is everywhere.

Why would a low-level policy-maker with no authority inside the ruling party get involved in a violent, conspiratorial relation with a drug trafficker involving deep intrigue into the heart of national security, and he decides to do this on his own?

This is fairy-tale narrative. It would never, I repeat never happen in any country in the world, and I don’t think it has ever happened in modern politics.

No low level Minister could take on such a task on high national security without his political bosses pulling the levers. No one with commonsense should believe otherwise.

Most of all, look which country it has happened in? A county where the President is known for micro-management and this approach shamelessly continues. So does the PNC believe Ramsammy acted on his own?

The party should tell the nation if this is its position. If it isn’t and it accepts that leading decision-makers in the Guyana Government agreed to a covenant with Roger Khan, then it should stop the stupidity of calling for Ramsammy’s resignation.

The PNC is going to look foolish if Ramsammy resigns. Then what? The PNC should start pointing to the real players in the Roger Khan drama.