IT’S JAGDEO’S WAY OR THE HIGHWAY

Shortly after the General Elections on May 11. 2015, former President Donald Ramotar moved away from the leadership of the PPP. Several members of the PPP blamed the former President for losing the election and for failing to gain a majority in 2011. Such a major failure was too much for Jagdeo to accept; therefore he secretly orchestrated a change of leadership. However, the manner in which they treated Mr. Ramotar was both disrespectful and offensive. It should send a shiver up the spines of the other leaders of the party. Purging the former President was by no means an easy task for the PPP. It means one thing; there were too many negative comments cast against Mr. Ramotar which made it impossible for him to survive the purge. For one reason, he was handpicked as the PPP Presidential candidate four years ago by Mr. Jagdeo. For another, upon winning the Presidency, he could have gotten rid of Jagdeo, instead he allowed him to set the agenda during his Presidency. Any change in leadership was preferable to his failed Presidency. As stated in the Bible “The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh, blessed be the Lord.” This has serious implications for the party; especially in the crude and undemocratic manner it has removed its leader. This is the same PPP that claims to believe in democracy. What this means is: It is Jagdeo’s way or the highway. The PPP seems to be in a predicament that even its intellectually nimble members and supporters are having a hard time keeping up with. The autocratic culture adopted by the PPP has not changed and its view of leadership is yet to evolve; it remains very critical against the APNU+AFC coalition government and against a national unity government. Rather than seeing leadership as an opportunity to serve the people, it is still seen by the party hierarchy as a rite of passage for a select few who are supposed to fit a certain norm and have the right to dictate to the people. Jagdeo’s refusal to join the coalition in a national unity government is intended to mask the infighting in the PPP and the fact that the party is in a very confused state. Where the leadership believes the party is contemporary and national and is gaining support, it is actually backward and is falling behind in progressive thinking and is losing support all across the country. The PPP has an identity crisis which is causing its members to drift away. After all, the party does not have any defined or deeply held principles anymore. It is simply a party of one personality; that of its leader who does not believe that truth, authenticity, genuineness and leading with both heart and mind matter. There is no pulling the wool over the people’s eyes anymore, no more empty promises and there is no more spewing of venom and the division of the races. For the wider society there must be unity among the people. For the PPP to be re-elected in the next election or in future elections, its leaders must be uncorrupt, truthful, compassionate, affectionate, modest, caring, attentive and must want to make a difference in the people’s lives. Former US President Jimmy Carter once said: “Justice, truth, love, humility and compassion… are the guiding light of our lives.” Unless the PPP focuses on uniting the people, winning an election will be an uphill task for the party. Changes in demographics mean that there are not enough votes for any individual party to win a majority. But it is too early to write off the PPP even though it appears to be badly wounded from its recent defeat. All the leaders and aspiring leaders should remember this.