Jagdeo, Anthony, Nandlall, Ali front-runners in key PPP congress
… as all eyes turn to Essequibo next weekend
Next weekend, all eyes will be turned to the Essequibo coast, Region Two, as the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) meets in what is gearing up to be one of its most critical
congresses ever, to choose leaders.
The all-important 31st Congress, at Cotton Field Secondary School in Anna Regina, from December 17th to 19th, will be the first one for the party since it was handed a devastating loss in May 2015. It had been in power continuously for over 23 years.
According to party officials, the reason for the loss of the 2015 general election is expected to play a major part in the discussions at the congress, with the top members expected to hear directly from its rank and file supporters of their views, opinions and suggestions as to what happened and the steps that have to be taken to possibly regain office in 2020.
The congress is also slated to elect a new Central Committee which will preside over the governance and management of the PPP and its activities.
The selection of this committee will be done by secret ballot and only party members who have been designated as delegates will be allowed to cast their vote for the 32 members of the Central Committee.
It is widely expected that the front runners for the most votes to get into the Central Committee will be former presidents, Bharat Jagdeo and Donald Ramotar, who by virtue of being former presidents, will be supported by party members.
While Ramotar has been largely quiet after his first term ended prematurely and with early elections, he is expected to attend the congress.
Also likely to be popularly elected are former Attorney General, Anil Nandlall; Opposition Chief Whip Gail Teixeira and former Sports Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony.
The latter three will be vying for the most votes among themselves, since this will most likely be a barometer as to their chances of being elected as possible front runners for the presidential candidate in 2020.
Teixeira has been vocal and one of the main faces of the PPP over the past year and a half.
Inside sources have confirmed that Irfaan Ali, former Minister of Housing and Water, who is a favourite of Jagdeo, the current Opposition Leader, has also set his eyes on being among the top five.
The outcome of the internal elections is likely to determine how the party shapes itself for the 2020 elections. While many observers believe that the party needs to change hands and invest more in its younger, educated and dynamic comrades, many also believe that this transition has to be done very carefully, since a few of the younger members have either been controversial figures engaged in or fingered in corruption, or have still not grasped the ideology of the party and what it stands for.
The party has managed to amass a wealth of individuals who are supporters and have been knocking hard to enter.
While there have been calls for a third term for Jagdeo, the party is still divided on who a possible candidate should be in the event Jagdeo does not wish to run or is barred from running by a possible court action by the coalition.
Under the constitution, Jagdeo has ended his constitutional two terms and cannot run for a third one. However, a court ruling by former Chief Justice (acting) Ian Chang, that there is nothing barring Jagdeo, is likely to be challenged in 2020.
Nandlall, who has been working tirelessly on the ground, will fancy his chances as a major contender. So too will Anthony.
According to officials yesterday, the party is also expected to discuss the performance of the coalition government in office and plans by the PPP to capitalize on the many “weaknesses” that have been evident.
Also to be raised, Kaieteur News was told, was the “discrimination and ethnic cleansing” of public servants who are deemed to be supporters of the PPP and the hiring of inexperienced and loyal supporters of the Coalition to fill government positions at all levels.
“The 2017 budget of the government is also expected to be hotly discussed and the PPP will look to reinforce the notion that the APNU/ AFC government has no clue how to run a government. The rejection of the budget by a wide cross-section of society including trade unions, private sector bodies and chambers, and even supporters of the government like Christopher Ram and Anand Goolsarran, will serve to reinforce the PPP’s point to its supporters,” a top official stressed yesterday.
The congress which is slated to be held every two years, according to the PPP’s constitution, will also pave the way for the election of a new Executive Committee as well as a possible new General Secretary.
Those elections, however, will be done after the new Central Committee would have been elected, and will be done outside of the Congress at the first meeting of the new Central Committee.
PPP is also banking on the importance of Essequibo as it takes the congress to an area that it had traditionally considered to be its stronghold.
However, the 2015 elections have seen the Coalition making significant inroads after residents in Region Two expressed anger over rice prices, claiming they were neglected.
PPP will be looking to send a clear message that it has regrouped following last year’s defeat and is ready to take the reins of power again.
There have been calls for new leadership with current General Secretary, Clement Rohee expected to be under pressure to retain his seat.
