From the Diaspora…JAGDEO IS PPP NIGHTMARE

By Ralph Seeram

I may have related this story before, but will repeat it again, in view of recent comments by Bharrat Jagdeo in relation to the late President Cheddi Jagan’s lifestyle. Some years ago at a Guyanese Association function in Orlando, Florida, there was a Guyanese who was then the General Manager of a prominent hotel in Kingston, the Jamaican capital. He related that when Dr. Jagan was in opposition he always tried to get the cheapest room and tried to live as frugal as ever. When Dr. Jagan became President of Guyana and stayed at the hotel he still wanted his stay to be as frugal as ever. He never wanted to incur too many expenses on the Guyanese taxpayers. The Manager said that he explained to Dr. Jagan that he is now the President of  Guyana and that he has to show some “standards’. Dr. Jagan still insisted on staying in a “cheap room”, the Manager said. In a diplomatic way, he upgraded Jagan’s room to suites, befitting the President of a country, without Dr Jagan realizing it. In recent days you must have been reading all about Dr. Jagan’s “frugal lifestyle”. None other than former President Bharrat Jagdeo compared his mansion to Dr. Jagan’s living accommodations. Bharrat Jagdeo is PPP’s ticket to be voted out of office. Every time he opens his mouth he put the PPP in a deeper hole. The man just won’t go away. Shortly before the last election in 2011, I wrote if Jagdeo continued cussing down, the PPP will lose the election. We know what happened. He opened his mouth about “coolie” and set off negativity for the PPP. He talked about Cheddi’s life style and gave the opposition ammunition. Look PPP, Jagdeo is not going to get you votes. The few Indians he is going to stir up will vote for you anyways; you need the swing voters, young and multi-ethnic votes to get 50%. Jagdeo is turning away those undecided votes. The Americans have a saying about celebrities and films. They used the term “jump the shark”. It basically means your popularity and success have already peaked and it is downhill from there. Bharrat Jagdeo “jumped the shark” midway through his last term. Some people feel he is a millstone around President Ramotar’s neck. Bharrat Jagdeo needs to take a vacation in Alaska, until the elections are over. He is the PPP’s nightmare, Ramotar’s ticket to retirement. Jagdeo may be popular within the PPP, but popularity within the PPP is not going to win elections; popularity with the Guyanese voters is what counts. To think that Jagdeo is going to bring undecided voters to PPP is as fallacious as thinking Moses Nagamootoo is going to deliver those Indian votes he got at the last elections. It’s not going to happen folks. The PPP needs to run on its record, good or bad depends who is looking, not on the PNC record, even though the voters have a right to know the (PNC) record as government. The PNC past must not be “brushed under the rug”. Last week I predicted that the opposition will use the murder of Courtney Crum-Ewing as a political football, and did they exploit it. Just listen to those speeches at his funeral, they all but condemned and implied the PPP government was responsible for his murder. Trouble is, as far as I know, none in the opposition has forwarded information to the police of their certainty of who murdered Crum-Ewing. Its election season and it makes good propaganda for the PNC-led APNU/AFC. I sure Mr. Crum-Ewing never knew he had so many “loyal friends” as those who made speeches over his coffin. Mr. Crum-Ewing was a one-man protestor who spent many days in the hot sweltering sun, protesting. As far as I know all his new found friends never supported or joined him in his protest. I did not see David Granger in the line with him, did not see Moses Nagamootoo with him, did not see politician Hamilton Green in the sweltering heat with him. In fact I did not see any of those who are now exploiting his death joining him in life during his protest. Remember he was alone protesting and calling on voters to support the opposition when he met his demise. None of his “friends in death” had the guts to be with him. None of those who made those fancy speeches over his dead body were there to support him in life. I can go further to say I doubt any of them gave him a bottle of water much less a dollar when he was carrying out his protest. Maybe Mark Benschop might have assisted him as he, Benschop, can relate with Crum-Ewing. He is one of the very few people that will go out with a placard and protest alone. I am sure many of those who hypocritically praised him in death probably passed in their cars and laughed at him standing out there alone protesting for what he believed in. I see the opposition said if they get in power they will get to the bottom of his murder as well those of former PPP Minister Sawh who was murdered along with some family members a few years ago. When Hamilton Green made a speech at the funeral, it reminded me of another murder committed when Green and the PNC were in power —the murder of Vincent Teekah who was PNC Cabinet Minister. I hope they go all the way to investigate who murdered Vincent Teekah also. There are some who feel that his murderer is still around. It would be interesting to see where the chip falls in his murder. I don’t envy the Guyana Police Force. Crum-Ewing’s murder is one the police can’t allow to go into the cold case files. The public needs to know who was behind this murder, especially before the elections. Life has become so cheap in Guyana these days that people kill for the simplest of reasons, so it’s not too far-fetched to say that his death may have nothing to do with his political convictions, but it all speculations, no facts. Personally I think in an effort to reinforce the perception of impartiality the Guyana Police should have sought the assistance of external investigators in this politically charged case. Not that the local law enforcement may not be capable, but to satisfy the doubters that all efforts are being made to find the assassins of Crum-Ewing.