PPP’s optics can be blinding

Oct 18, 2024 Features / Columnists

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Peeping tom…

Kaieteur News – The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) knows the art of optics. It has mastered the skill of putting on a show, creating the kind of images that play well in the public eye and allow it to wield a psychological advantage.

Recently, the PPP held a youth conference at Tain in Region 6. It managed to gather a few hundred young people—though they branded it as 3,000—in a sea of red T-shirts. The event was trumpeted as a sign of the PPP’s strong youth presence.

But what do these optics really reveal? Not much, if we’re honest. The truth is that the youth arm of the PPP has long been a shadow of its former self. Under Bharrat Jagdeo’s presidency, the Progressive Youth Organization (PYO)—once the vibrant and revolutionary driving force behind the PPP’s grassroots activisim—slipped into terminal decline. By the time the United States began playing a more active role in shaping Guyanese civil society, particularly in organizing young people into a new movement, the PYO had become, in Jagdeo’s own favoured words, “moribund.”

The decline was stark. For years, the PYO barely made a sound, let alone an impact. When an effort was made in 2011 to breathe life back into the organization, it fizzled quickly, with no real revival taking place. The PPP limped into the 2011 elections with Donald Ramotar emerging as a minority president, and the PYO remained largely absent from the national scene, despite a few attempts to show otherwise.

Now, with the 2025 elections looming large, it seems that the PPP has decided to put on yet another show. This time, it’s aiming to create the impression that it has a powerful and vibrant youth arm. But can a one-off conference really demonstrate the strength and influence of young people within the party’s ranks? The answer, of course, is no.

Gathering young people in red T-shirts to sit through speeches and to listen to party leaders is one thing. Organizing these young people into a coherent, disciplined, and active political arm is something else entirely. The recent youth conference may have provided the right optics—images of youthful faces, a sea of red, and a party leadership that seems engaged with the next generation—but it says little about the true state of the PYO or the PPP’s commitment to young people.

For the PPP to genuinely convince the public that it has a robust youth movement, it will need to do far more than stage flashy events. The party needs to show that the PYO is not just alive but actively involved in communities across the country. Where are the PYO’s community groups, and what practical work are they doing? How are they helping to address the everyday concerns of young people, like employment, education, and security? Where is the leadership of the PYO in pushing these issues to the forefront of the party’s agenda?

Moreover, there is a deeper issue at play here—one that goes beyond the optics. It’s about inclusion, involvement, and genuine empowerment of young people within the PPP. Rather than assembling young people for a photo opportunity and a pep talk from party leaders, the PPP needs to give them a real place at the table. It needs to involve them in the decision-making processes at the highest levels, and not just use them as foot soldiers for electoral campaigns.

The PPP has a history of talking about its commitment to young people, but too often this has not translated into action. There is little evidence that the PYO plays a significant role in shaping party policy or that young people are being groomed for leadership within the party’s structures. Instead, many young people feel like they are being lectured to from a podium rather than being heard and engaged as equal partners.

When the cameras are turned off, and the social media posts stop, what remains? The PPP’s optics can be impressive, but they often obscure the reality of what is going on within the party. A real commitment to young people would mean more than organizing events; it would mean building a structure where young people have a voice, where they are empowered to shape the future of the party and the country.

As it stands, the PPP’s approach seems more focused on creating the right visuals than on addressing the deeper issues facing the youth in the party and the country. The optics may make for good headlines and social media posts, but they will not be enough to convince young people that the PPP is genuinely committed to their interests.

The PPP has a chance to change this narrative. It can choose to move beyond the optics and make a real investment in its youth arm, not just for the sake of winning the next election but for the long-term future of the party. This means revitalizing the PYO, not just as a token group but as a dynamic and influential part of the PPP’s broader movement. It means giving young people a seat at the table, empowering them to shape policy, and ensuring that their voices are heard at the highest levels.

 

 

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• Bharrat Jagdeo’s, coherent, communities, disciplined, Donald Ramotar, leadership, Organization

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