The PPP’s Albion rally on Sunday was the coming out party for former PNCR executive Joseph Hamilton who took to the podium to stump for Donald Ramotar.
Addressing the thousands who turned out for the party’s campaign launch Hamilton defended his shift in political alliance by saying the PPP and Donald Ramotar was the only viable option while dismissing the AFC’s Khemraj Ramjattan and opposition coalition A Partnership for National Unity’s (APNU) David Granger.
“My analysis of Mr Ramjattan is that he is a man who is prosecuting his politics with too much hatred, and envy and enmity and malice and such a person is not worthy to be president of Guyana,” Hamilton stated.
He added that he has been asked why he is not supporting Granger and opined that the retired brigadier is a “reluctant politician.”
“Any man going on the age of 65 who just awaken and want to turn a politician is incapable of leading a political entity because politics is about fire in your belly, it’s about politics in your veins and you don’t just wake up at 65, you’ll be incapable to energise people and you could see the lacklustre campaign of Mr. Granger,” Hamilton said.
According to him, Ramotar was the only one of the three who is capable of taking the nation forward and the PPP was the only party structurally sound enough to govern.
Hamilton in his brief address also urged voters to ignore appeals to race and instead focus on programmes.
“Any person who comes to you, who wants your vote, they must present to you a programme that is in the interest of you, your children and your children’s children. It must not be about what race the person is ...” he stated, urging the gathering to vote solidly for the PPP/C.
Hamilton fell away from the PNCR in 2008 following Vincent Alexander's unsuccessful challenge for the party leadership in 2007 which subsequently saw some members being disciplined and acrimony developing between several others and the party.