Ramotar’s hollow snap election threats
Dear Editor The “last of the buffoon leaders” was how one American journalist described the leaders of the PPP in 2014 to us. The journalist was referring specifically to their gross incompetence at governance in which corruption and crime have reached new heights and their refusal to call Local Government elections despite Mr. Ramotar’s promise to do so. With his numerous outlandish threats of calling snap elections even when Khemraj Ramjattan, Carl Greenidge and Moses Nagamootoo called his bluff, it is clear to us that the President is behaving like a school yard bully. He has constantly used threats when he does not get his way. What he represents as a leader is cowardice, conceit, and gross ignorance. The President’s record of leadership is confusing and most inconsistent at best. Firstly, right out of the blocks in February 2012 at the opening of the 10th parliament, he threatened that his government “will not be held to ramson” by the opposition and thus snap elections is a possibility. Not satisfied with his own hollow threats, his ranting of snap elections continued on Labor Day 2012 when he warned the workers that “the opposition actions on the budget can force snap elections.” Again another hollow threat. Well in that year, the opposition had disapproved portions of the budget and there has been no snap elections. More hallow and cowardly threats occurred again when the majority opposition cut the budget in 2013 and in 2014, and yet he did not call snap elections. Not only did he expose his infantile behavior but Mr. Greenidge, Mr. Ramjattan and Mr. Moses Nagamootoo have continued to call his threats bluff. His hollow threats to call local government elections every time the minority PPP cabal did not get their way in Parliament prompted Ramjattan to say that “Ramotar will never call elections since his own PPP will kick him out of the chair.” So to hear his bluff about snap elections in light of that insightful, clever and powerful statement of a “no confidence” vote in Parliament against the PPP cabal from the old warrior and statesman Moses Nagamootoo has scared the President who is bent on completing his full term in office. He knows that he will not be the Presidential Candidate for the PPP in the next general election because most in the regime see him as a failure who does not have the requisite skills to lead the nation. They also blamed him for reducing the PPP to minority status. We want the people to know that no one in the PPP not even Mr. Ramotar could bluff Moses Nagamootoo and Khemraj Ramjattan. After all, both of these gentlemen came from the belly of the beast of the PPP. So for the President to claim that he is a warrior and not a coward who is not afraid of elections is furthest from the truth. This is the ”warrior” who could not face a PPP Congress to approve or ratify the selection of his Presidential candidacy above more qualified persons. This is the “warrior” who lost the PPP majority in 2011. This is the “warrior” who was on GUYSUCO Board for almost 20 years, from 1992 to 2011 that presided over the destruction of the sugar industry. This is the “warrior” who during the 2011 election campaign had promised the people to end corruption and reduce crime, but after almost three years as President, crime has increased fivefold and corruption remains rampant with no end in sight. And last but not least, this is the “warrior” who refused to lower the tolls on the Berbice Bridge despite its passage in the National Assembly and demands by members of the PPP in Berbice. Many Guyanese including some of the leaders in the PPP were happy to see Jagdeo demit office because of his cuss-down behavior which has embarrassed the party, his abuse of his wife and his failure to stamp out corruption and reduce crime. But they have also realized that Ramotar has shaped up to be an even worse political failure than Jagdeo. We want to put on record our deep admiration for the brave and courageous position of Moses Nagamootoo when he made it clear that his party, the AFC, is seriously considering a motion of no-confidence against the corrupt PPP government which APNU chief Parliamentary whip AMMA Alli said they will support. What we are getting from the PPP cabal is sheer foolish ideological talk aimed at misleading the people and distort the facts. The end result of all of this is that the leaders of the PPP know that the youths of Guyana both Indo and Afro Guyanese are fed up with their empty promises, distortions and untruths. The PPP is fully aware that the youths will end their reign of power whenever an election is called. They want leaders with the vision to lead and not be dictated to by the corrupt, greedy and selfish bullies at Freedom House. We sincerely thank Moses Nagamootoo for speaking the truth and are hoping that APNU will act like a warrior and support the AFC.
Asha Balbachan Derrick Arjune, Rohit Misir, Harish Singh, Chandra Deolall, Asquith Rose, Dr. Vincent Nauth, Sase Singh, Allison Rutherford, Devita Khan, Dr. Reginald Watkins, Dr. Terrence Simon, Donna Mathoo, Noel Moses, Vicki Rampersaud
