Today, December 3 marks the first anniversary of the swearing-in of President Donald Ramotar. Below is an invited review from an observer
DONALD RAMOTAR - A MAN FOR ALL SEASONSToday marks one year since the November 28, 2011 Regional and General Elections in Guyana which undoubtedly ushered in a new political era for our fledgling democracy.
A new Head of State in President Donald Ramotar of the People’s Progressive Party further cemented that party’s dominance over the political landscape of Guyana ever since the restoration of free and fair elections in 1992.
President Ramotar would be the fifth leader from the PPP to take the seat of the highest office in Guyana.
However, his term would also usher in a new political dimension with the combined opposition of the Alliance for Change and A Partnership for National Unity having a one seat majority over the PPP in the National Assembly, Guyana’s Parliament.
Just like his predecessor faced a barrage of criticism from the opposition when he was took up the mantle of leadership, President Ramotar feared no different.
It is here that a famous statement from US General Colin Powell takes effect, “Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate, and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand.”
One year since the last elections, President Ramotar has stood out as a beacon of hope for our nation. Someone, who cuts across all barriers real or perceived, he has reached out to all his people in a matured approach. Not one to rush into decision but move with a calm and assured presence in managing the affairs of the nation.A social commentator recently stated that the first year of the Presidency of Mr. Donald Ramotar has been met with a baptisms of fire and brimstone from the opposition. Indeed there has been a lot of both as the nation witnessed first in Linden and then on the Agricola public road.
It was clear that the AFC and APNU leaders were convinced that fanning the flames of violence would undermine the Head of State and his Government, making it easier to run roughshod over Government both in the parliament and in dictating their agenda.
They failed miserably.
President Ramotar in his deliberate style did not rush into making any irrational decisions and after careful assessment with a clear understanding on how the nation would be best served me made his decisions.His move to set up an Independent Commission of Inquiry into the Linden situation was greeted with much fanfare by the opposition only for this to turn into utter dread when they realized that the full extent of their involvement would be exposed.
Opposition supporters have been left in a quandary after seeing their leaders swear oaths on a Bible only be exposed during the inquiry for issuing misleading statements or outright lies. There is a quiet soul searching now as their supporters slowly come to the realization that if their leaders could do this with not an inch of hesitancy at such a public forum what more have they been misled about.
But even before this, a move was made to strangle the effectiveness of Government though wide ranging budget cuts at the start of the year.
Guyanese will never forget, especially the hundreds from all walks of life in the public sector who came out to protest against the move by APNU/AFC to slash funding for their jobs and put them on the breadline. They will forever remember the cold and utter evil demeanor of AFC leader Khemraj Ramjattan when he told them they were mere ‘collateral damage’ in the opposition quest to undermine the PPP/C Government.Contrast this leadership style with that of President Ramotar who pledged to ensure his Government does all it can to protect those workers, some of whom who had publicly admitted voting for the AFC and APNU is the last elections.
Similarly, Guyanese will remember how APNU leader David Granger was forced to deny any involvement in an agreement he made on the Linden electricity issue. Granger and a team had been debriefed by officials in the Government and those in the power generation sector about the unsustainable nature of the extremely low tariffs Lindeners were paying for electricity compared to all other areas in Guyana which necessitated heavy subsidies over the years from the Government to keep electricity in the homes of citizens in the mining township.
If the about turn on his agreement with Government’s position was not enough, his denial of making such an agreement was confirmation for some political commentators of a weak character, unfit and unable to command such a leadership position.Then we have the Agricola unrest where continuing what they started in Linden, AFC leaders Moses Nagamootoo and Nigel Hughes issued a 24 hour ultimatum to President Ramotar to fire his Home Affairs Minister on their contention that they had evidence that Minister Rohee had ordered the shooting of protestors in Linden. Guyanese never say this evidence these AFC leaders had claimed to have in their possession but they will remember when the AFC stated that ‘it was not calling for peace’ in Guyana and several hours later violence and utter destruction ensued on the East Bank corridor.
We would later find out that these AFC leaders never had the evidence that they told the public they were in possession of and even more so questions began to arise as to who actually shot at the protestors when the opposition ballistic expert revealed that it was not the Police.
In all of this President Ramotar was hailed for his calm approach to the situation and not being rushed into making a decision based on pressure from the opposition and ultimately being vindicated by the revelations coming out of the Inquiry.
But the failing leadership of the opposition continued as is evidenced in the recent missteps of House Speaker Raphel Trotman, himself a former AFC Presidential Candidate.
The mockery being made of our National Assembly by the opposition is not only being sanctioned by the speaker but he is also an integral part now as he had first ruled that based on legal advice he had no power to prevent Minister Rohee from speaking in the house only to go back on his ruling on November 22.
To further compound his dilemma Speaker Raphel Trotman is quoted in the media as saying that Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee has not been sent to the committee of privileges, but rather it is the issue on whether the house has the powers to sanction Rohee.
Based on this revelation and his previous admission it is most astonishing that the Speaker has now taken it upon himself to issue a ruling preventing the Minister from speaking and tabling bills.
Thus, it was no surprise that President Ramotar publicly stated that he has lost confidence in the speaker.
In all of this however, one year on despite these orchestrated challenges to his Presidency by the opposition – President Donald Ramotar has managed to effectively navigate our nation through these troubled waters and has focused on an aggressive programme to improve the effectiveness of his Government and the political party he leads.
He has reached out to Guyanese all over our nation and even abroad while ensuring that Guyana’s continued growth and economic development continues apace.
On the international stage he has been very vocal on a number of topical issues, including the plight of the Palestinian people and other 3rd world nations calling for peace and dialogue instead of the resort to violence in settling disputes.
He has already been recognized by the United Nations for his leadership qualities with UN General Secretary Ban Ki Moon selecting him to sit on a special select committee to review the global education system.
His open and conciliatory approach to solving our nation’s problems and good natured mannerism, including his hallmark smile and commitment of family confirms without a doubt that Guyana’s future is indeed secured with Donald Ramotar at the helm.
Congratulations Mr. President and may you continue to work tirelessly for your people.
