Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Apr 14, 2011 Letters
Dear Editor,
The choice of PPP General Secretary Donald Ramotar as the PPP’s presidential nominee was the best gift that that party could have offered to Guyana on their way out of political power in this country.
I will not waste much time on Ralph Ramkarran’s ignominious exit and ridiculous and disappointing so-called explanation. To be honest I was worried that the PPP would have chosen Mr. Ramkarran and this would have been a good choice since he appears to have escaped the corrupt brush of the PPP although he is still stained collectively with that organisation for the many atrocities perpetuated against Guyanese these past 19 years. His fervent wish may have been to whitewash the PPP record by purging recalcitrant PPP loyalists were he to overcome the hurdle of the nomination. That he failed to leap this hurdle is now history and he should not be angry that people are angry for the charade of how he folded in the end.
Anyway back to Mr. Ramotar. He has not been integrally involved in government work per se but rather PPP issues and should not equate running a government with running a political party, or is it? Is this his biggest qualification? As party leader, like he was, you can be political and take extreme sides on the issues. However, in a multi-ethic country like Guyana you cannot do that and expect to escape censure from all and sundry.
What are Ramotar’s strengths – his economics degree? Or his purported shepherding of the PPP through these difficult times.
It is my belief that Ramotar, just like Ramkarran, and probably out of selfish political ambition and long term planning, had his eyes set on the presidency a long time ago, but circumstances did not allow him to be elevated at the time Mr. Jagdeo shot into the limelight. In contrast I feel that had Mr. Ramkarran secured the General Secretary position of the PPP years ago he would have been the PPP nominee at this juncture.
As a consequence if by some act of Shakespearian tragedy the PPP is reelected this year all eyes will be on who becomes the PPP’s General Secretary since that person has historically been the party’s presidential candidate except for the aberration of Janet Jagan and the calamity of Mr. Jagdeo.
The opposition should be glad that Ramotar has been selected since he appears to lack the leadership required to govern a nation. He has also been “tarnished” since he is being perceived as Mr. Jagdeo’s choice and that carries with it the lingering stench of that soon to be former president’s controversial and insidious policies.
If Mr. Ramotar is elected and proves to be a great leader who is inclusive, insightful and a visionary then history will judge him thus, but at the moment I am hard pressed to find the qualities that qualify him to become a great leader of Guyana. My expectation is more of the same but Mr. Ramotar in the next couple of months has to convince and justify to all Guyanese, not only PPP supporters, that he is the right man for the job.
Then again people may question whether or not all of us humans are not leaders in our own right (parents first and foremost – even that is questionable though) as well as who should determine who becomes leader and who determines what a good leader looks like, sounds like or stands for!
At the end of the day though, people, especially those not thinking clearly, get the government they deserve. Guyanese need to become self-serving and demand – what can my country (government) do for me? Not what I can do for my country?
Clyde Pestano
Please share this to every Guyanese including your house cats.
Apr 19, 2024
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