PPP President Pick Not the Progressives Choice – Backlash Eminent
Feb 04, 2019 Letters
Dear Editor,
Politics is always played in the court of public opinion. The recent vote by the PPP central committee was a national embarrassment and a farce, at the very least. The vote consisted of no popular opinion nor consultation of the PPP membership.
The PPP, a party that boasts a membership greater than 30,000 cannot be represented by a mere 35, or should we say 24?
Mr. Editor, this is evident from the relentless backlash the party received on social media and other independent forums. Thousands of PPP supporters, which include party stalwarts and activists openly denounced the election/selection of the PPP’s presidential candidate.
The selection was heavily influenced by Mr. Jagdeo. Prior to the vote, Mr. Jagdeo made numerous calls accompanied with promises to members of the central committee to sway the vote in the way of Mr. Ali, his best friend in the party.
If this was not enough, on the Saturday of the vote Mr. Jagdeo took several Region Nine voters into a secret room for further convincing.
This makes the vote undemocratic given the heavy handed ‘guiding’ by Mr. Jagdeo. The prior engineering of the vote must question firstly the legitimacy of the vote, amongst other things.
To the keen onlooker, Mr. Jagdeo showed his hands in the last press conference before the election of the presidential candidate. He was asked to comment on the allegations of fraud against Mr. Ali and his response was “I questioned the timing”.
For someone who lectured Guyana about corruption but openly support a man who is the subject of many unanswered allegations of corruption raises red, blue and purple flags. Of course, the allegations against Ali made sense when it was raised since it was exactly when he was vying for the highest office of the land.
But Mr. Jagdeo really doesn’t care about finding good and honest leaders; he is simple maximizing his own value. Psychology proves this, a man always chooses someone he perceives less than himself for a wingman, to shore up his perceived value.
The neglect of Anil Nandlall, the single most intellectually gifted member of the central committee and hardest working ranked member and Frank Anthony, an evergreen popular figure and longstanding party stalwart for the selection of Irfaan Ali, an individual synonymous with corruption and arrogance shocks the sane mind.
Undermining these gentlemen’s candidacy makes sense since these men think for themselves and can lead the PPP to a new frontier even without Jagdeo.
It was the revelations of corruption that marred the latter part of Jagdeo’s rule, particularly by Bharrat Jagdeo and his cohorts, namely, the current PPP presidential candidate, a former agriculture minister and an infamous duo aptly named Jeff and Mutt that engineered the decline of the PPP.
It is with great irony that three of the above five now serve in the capacity of Presidential candidate, General Secretary and Executive secretary. All of them attained higher education under extremely questionable circumstances.
This level of undemocratic behaviour and dictatorial tendencies by Bharrat Jagdeo is the essence of the rebellion on social media, which Mr. Jagdeo thinks is irrelevant. The only vote Mr. Jagdeo is concerned with is his flock of 24 sheep on the central committee, who will and has, followed him off the proverbial cliff.
It is now clear that the interest of Mr. Jagdeo, Mr. Ali and the leadership of the PPP is fundamentally different from not only the general wellbeing of the nation but also the members of the party. The hope that PPP supporters hate for the APNU-AFC left them with no other option than to vote for the PPP, regardless of what the PPP gave them is foolhardy.
No longer do people believe that 24 wise men should decide their future. Many will simple not vote, and I cannot say I will blame them simple because the man that afford them this opportunity did so by voting his “conscience”.
Supporting a political established that doesn’t listen to its voters in fear of nothing better will be complacent and part of the problem. Fixing the rigged process will require bold actions which supporters are already showing.
The events of Saturday the 19th is unbearable to most of the nation and gut wrenching to PPP members, who plan to protest the nonsensical vote by abstaining from the upcoming elections.
When will there be democracy in the PPP? When will members elect the Presidential Candidate? When will Bharrat Jagdeo exit the PPP? Isn’t several years of finance minister, 12 as president then leader of the opposition and general secretary enough for Mr. Jagdeo? Does he have an insatiable appetite for power and control?
Bharrat Jagdeo is a large, dark shadow that looms over the PPP flower, which prevents the flower from any growth. Only a permanent Bharrat Jagdeo exit from the PPP can halt the perpetual decline of the party, which was initiated by Mr. Jagdeo and Mr. Ali themselves.
After which, a young, astute leader must usher in a slew of democratic reforms to nurse the PPP back to health.
If Mr. Jagdeo and Ali believe the Indian population will bow down to them at the upcoming elections, thy have committed the cardinal political sin of taking voters for granted and will wake up to a rude awakening.
A massive slap in the face awaits the two tyrants.
Vishal Singh,
PPP/PYO Member
