Moses Nagamootoo says: "The PPP would have known that people of AFC’s pedigree don’t bluff."

Some PPP hacks are playing they don't know the pedigree of the AFC leadership.

It's good that Moses has opened up with the AFC's game plan and what part the intended no-confidence motion will play in the overall scheme of things.

Unlike the PPP which is master of secret deals, the AFC has supreme confidence in the masses and is absolutely comfortable discussing its plans in public.

When people know you trust them, they trust you back ten-fold.

A better formatted copy of Moses' statement.

        RAMOTAR KICKING PLAYER NOT BALL

My View – by Moses V. Nagamootoo

AFC Vice-Chairman & Member of Parliament

“Baseless”. That is how President Ramotar rubbished the AFC’s notice of no confidence against his minority government. But hours later, his Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, saw the notice as a “threat”, and a move that is “vexatious”.

The Jagdeo-Ramotar cabal is in a tail spin. They were stunned by the 2011 elections results that saw the PPP reduced to a minority government. With seven seats, the AFC figuratively parted the Cs: PPP/C and PNC, and has since occupied the strategic middle ground in Guyana’s torrid power politics.

Not wanting to admit his failed, lackluster leadership, Ramotar had initially ascribed the party’s defeat to elections rigging. Shock was to give way to an incredulous assertiveness that, on a warped notion of “proportionality”, the PPP ought to have a majority on parliamentary committees. That mustered no support from the Court. Then they snapped and pelted at us with fresh elections political balls.

Ramotar is now in mid-term, and the snap elections threat petered out like froth in a glass of stale beer.

NO CONFIDENCE OPTION

Now, the ball is in our court, and we identified as a potent weapon the option of a no confidence motion against the minority government. When approved by a simple majority, the government has to resign.

The no confidence option was a petard that we threw into the PPP’s trench. We watched the ripples. “Bring it on!” President Ramotar shouted, as he put on the battle-gear of a “warrior”, ready for new elections. He went into weight-loss training only to get an unexpected, delusional inspiration. It was a “bluff”, he thought of the no confidence mechanism, after some reflection on this option that was first mooted by me some weeks ago.

So, the AFC Leaderer threw down the gauntlet that showed that we meant business. We consulted with APNU’s leadership and agreed on a raft of measures, what former Speaker Ralph Ramkarran would see as “foreplay”, before triggering the no confidence option. Firstly, APNU’s Carl Greenidge moved a motion of censure against the recalcitrant finance minister, Ashni Singh, to have him tried before the Privileges Committee for contempt of the decision of the National Assembly for spending $4.5 billion without approval and in defiance of the order of parliament.

Secondly, the AFC’s Khemraj Ramjattan filed a complaint with the Guyana Police Force for criminal prosecution of the said finance minister for unlawfully spending or causing to be spent $4.5 billion contrary to specific provisions of the laws of Guyana.

Thirdly, the combined opposition proposed to approach the High Court to injunct the minister of finance or any other person acting on his instructions from further spending of tax dollars without approval by the National Assembly, and in violation of the Guyana Constitution.

Additionally, AFC sent a 10-point proposal to President Ramotar asking that the door of negotiation be left open and for talks on critical matters to take place before a constitutional crisis and a government shut- down.

President Ramotar would have known that the cards were stacked against him. He should have sought counsel in Dr. Jagan’s recipe to break deadlock: make any compromise once it would not result in the loss  of government.

But Ramotar chose instead the anti-Jagan path: no negotiation; no compromise. He went further and assured that he could deal with the consequences, which is, no government.

PRESSURE POLITICS

The no confidence option is part of Guyana’s pressure politics. There was objective need to move the numbers game between government and opposition from that of 32 versus 33, to power politics. In this case, it comes down to the Power of One. The majority of One has become the power ball. Momentarily, it may force government to hold local government elections!

So, when President Ramotar was served notice of a no confidence motion, he did not disappoint any one by his unimaginative, characteristic, response:.  he kicked the player not the ball. He went after the AFC leader, ready to pull his pants down. He has lowered his party’s cuss-down politics to trench-bottom level.

Ramotar has learned nothing from his recent jaunt to Brazil, the venue of the just-concluded world cup that, in football, a player who kicks or cuffs another player would get the red card, which is how I see his ad hominem assault on the AFC leader, Khemraj Ramjattan.

The PPP would have known that people of AFC’s pedigree don’t bluff. So, they invented new excuses why elections were not on the table:

*Elections Commission not ready;

*people don’t want new elections and, now,

*PPP ready but it is AFC that must account to the people.

For now, the no confidence ball is in the AFC’s court. But we do not claim ownership of it by ourselves. Ownership resides in the combined opposition. We must no longer see our one-seat majority as a technical issue, as a numbers game. We have the power ball, and it is time that we kick it home!

President Ramotar is the goalkeeper for the minority government. The ball symbolizes the corruption, lawlessness and incompetence of this government. To prevent this ball from being placed inside the PPP’s net, Ramotar has to do lots of defending. It is he, not Ramjattan or Hughes or Nagamootoo, who should explain why his government must not lose out in a penalty kick for a host of wrong-doings.

These include:

Failure to make Integrity Commission fully functional to catch the corrupt officials;

Violation of Constitution by not establishing Public Procurement Commission to police billion-dollar contracts and the enrichment of a few with dirty money;

Refusal to hold local government elections due 17 years ago, thereby destroying grassroots democracy;

Sidelining state funds to a government side-pocket via NICIL and not putting public monies into Consolidated Fund;

Spending monies, most borrowed, on mega-projects not approved by parliament;

Justifying billion dollar bail-outs in face of massive failure of sugar industry and electricity, and uncertainty of rice sector;

Ramotar has to say why our hospitals lack beds and medicines, and essential care is not available to poor people and his government is borrowing billions to build a “specialty hospital” for what they called “medical tourism”?

How is he going to justify using up tens of million US dollars of taxpayers money to build a Marriot hotel and casino, when pensioners get a measly handout of US$60 per month, and why people crossing the Berbice river bridge have to fork out over $2,000 for a car, and government boasting that Berbicians should be happy to pay through their noses?

Rather than opting for engagement and reconciliation, the Ramotar regime has decided on cuss-down and confrontation. The no confidence option is gathering momentum and, to borrow the words of Martin Carter, “inevitably and inexorably”, this hard-headed incompetent government would fall. I do not have a crystal ball but this I know: the dynamics of party power politics have changed with the population census.

We can expect more “feral blast” from the PPP against us. In the days ahead, the PPP would lash out at all and sundry, like a caged juggernath, galloping helter skelter.

It is time for our people to cut this wild thing loose!

Simply matter ... obtain a successful vote of non-confidence in parliament against the PPP/C government.

Kiss yo boys dem goodbye DG. Time gettin short u won't be able to jump off their bandwagon if you take too long.

A very simple matter, Cain.   

At the next general election, the PPP/C will be victorious with more than fifty percent of the votes.

Bisram did seh de same ting in 2011. He guh suh far fuh declare dat the PPP would win by a mudslide. Apparently after de election Bharat send fuh bisram fuh give he de mudslide but the man bolt and was since banished from Freedumb house like how Ram was banished from Ayodhya. 

The only difference is Bisram has no righteous bone in his body the man is a scoundrel and Jagdeo already had him on notice after the India day Parade in New York where all of his promises were not worth the crap they were written with. Poor Jagdeo was scorned to one side by dem indian organizers.

But DG enough with the drama back to serious business. Dharamkumar Seeraj who is yuh nephew Gerhard pardna summed it up nicely before Jagdeo tek away he minister position for being too forthright, Skippah de penshan and de manshan cost abee de elecshan. When the people start digesting de 300 million dollar pension if you think Ramjattan 3 Million dollar a month did give dem Guyanese coolie belly wuk - Wait till dem digest this and hear this at every street corner in the next election.