This letter is not in anyway to be viewed as a afront to the late Jagans or to debase their history and role in Guyana's politics. However, with some hindsights, it will be remiss and negligent of us not to examine their role, if any, in the current state of affairs of Guyana's politics and their hand-molded child, the PPP. How and what lessons do we learn from this. No one is perfect and sometimes our very strengths become our own un-doing. It is my personal take, an outsider's view, my personal intrigued as to how the party and current leadership morphed into an organism diametrically different from the values and principles of the Jagans.
Well, we all know the virtues and personal morality of the Jagans and what they stood for. Most, even their most strident critics, would be the first to admit their honesty, uncorruptability, sincerity and dedication to the poor and struggling masses. No one, or very few, would ever venture to tarnish this image of the two Jagans in this respect.
However, when posed with the quandry of comparing today's PPP cabals with the Jagans and wonder what, if any, role the Jagans played in contributing to the ascension of this group it is hard to dismiss. The questions always come back, were they in some part responsible for the state of today's PPP leadership, if so how come, why did it happen, what are the lessons, how do we prevent such a hijack in future?
In looking at it objectively, one finds it difficult to de-link the Jagans' leadership style from the development of the current ruling cabals, bearing in mind we are only "Jagans -1" in our democratic history. One cannot ignore the fact that the current leadership circle were hand-picked by the Jagans, a bold gamble that went in a direction well beyond some of their wildest imaginations. Todays ruling cabals are ring-fenced in gated communities, elaborate mansions of epic dimensions, of lifestyles of the "rich and famous" of the much vilified elitist West. The Jagans, while remaining close to the people, maintained a safe and sanitized distance from business interest, opportunist and even family. Imagine, their only begotton son remained politically in the pastures. This is how uncorruptable they were.
Compare with what we have today, a ruling elite class intertwined with conflicting and questionable business interest inside and out of Guyana, a ruling elite well concooned by cronies, opportunist and where family loyalty trumps nation. A ruling class where the compromise in principles has given rise to a kind of corruption where even the blame of the plight of the poor is placed at the feet of the poor. This hemorrage of principles and values have led to a culture of weak or lack of accountability and the rule of law. It has led to the development of a culture of indecency where the corrupt connected and political elites feel unashamedly free to flaunt their conspicious acquisitions while many hard working people are asked to make do with subsistence salaries and inflation salary increases. The development of a culture where child molestors and other such moral "vermins" roam freely while an overzealous youth is thrown in jail and placed on trial for a harmless obsene gesture to the elite of the elite.
Why did I bring this all up, what does the Jagans have to do with this, they are afterall dead. However, unlike the Jagans, the new kids on the block had other ideas, ideas of their own and ideas which they will have no problems finding many sponsors and friends to help bring to fruition. The Jagans, with their obsession on control, ideologically mis-led and having their finger prints on any and everything, failed to build the internal institutions and leadership culture of openness, personal accountability and respect for opposing and divergent view points within the institution of the PPP. Such institutions should serve as the training ground, the vetting mill for leadership with the requisite skills, values and principles. However, instead these institutions and, as such, principles were mere convenience to the hand on the lever and unforunately, the next hand on the lever had a different line of sight than the Jagans did.
One would then ask the question, how do we bring the ship back to "home", how do we trust another to not do the same, how does anyone prevent the hijacking of the political machinery and, by extention, the Govt in future. To do this, the PPP first has to fix itself, reinvent itself, shed the corrupt, break some ties, etc. This is virtually impossible to accomplish while remaining in power. The dice have been cast, the compromising elements are entrenched, the special interests are watching over, no one could move, do one dares blink, no one dares. Sometimes change, for the sake of change, is good in itself. It allows one to deflate their egos and excrete their arrogance, to reflect and re-invent oneself and the institution upon which you will need to lean. It allows discenting voices to be heard and new paradigms to be adopted, a re-energization process.
An AFC Government plans on breaking the mold, a mold of too much individualism, where the individual superceded the institutions, where individuals feel they are the law rather than accountable to the law. The AFC plans on a leadership development and cycle where individuals will be groomed, vetted and tested in the field. The AFC will ensure a continuous churn in the "line" in leadership. The internal institutions of the AFC will be as accountable to the party and it's base as we would expect the institutions of Govt be accountable to the Govt and the people. These will be the training ground for our people. We will bring a high degree of corporate and political professionalism where cross-functional checks and balances, internal controls and personal accountability are the well embedded norm. We will ensure a well grounded succession planning model where the choice of individuals will be based on objectivity, hard and soft assesment criteria, track record and, of course, support and appeal among the wider party.
Today, as in 1992, the people were faced with a choice, a critical choice. In 1992 the choice for many was clear and, in many respect, simple. Today however, the choices are somewhat more complex. For many, it's not just one or the other, me or you. The third choice challenges us to do more soul searching, to once again redefine Guyana, redefine the type of society, redefine inter-ethnic relations, redefine the political landscape, but most of all redefine a governmental operating model that not only takes us out of the economic league of bottom 10%, the corruption profile of the most corrupt, but bring us to work together willingly, eagerly and tirelessly to the point where 89% of our skilled persons want to remain at home, not the other way. The time has come for a new day to dawn in Guyana, a new day where the cyclone of race politics is broken, where the third choice becomes the best choice to a new future, the AFC....VOTE AFC.
Well, we all know the virtues and personal morality of the Jagans and what they stood for. Most, even their most strident critics, would be the first to admit their honesty, uncorruptability, sincerity and dedication to the poor and struggling masses. No one, or very few, would ever venture to tarnish this image of the two Jagans in this respect.
However, when posed with the quandry of comparing today's PPP cabals with the Jagans and wonder what, if any, role the Jagans played in contributing to the ascension of this group it is hard to dismiss. The questions always come back, were they in some part responsible for the state of today's PPP leadership, if so how come, why did it happen, what are the lessons, how do we prevent such a hijack in future?
In looking at it objectively, one finds it difficult to de-link the Jagans' leadership style from the development of the current ruling cabals, bearing in mind we are only "Jagans -1" in our democratic history. One cannot ignore the fact that the current leadership circle were hand-picked by the Jagans, a bold gamble that went in a direction well beyond some of their wildest imaginations. Todays ruling cabals are ring-fenced in gated communities, elaborate mansions of epic dimensions, of lifestyles of the "rich and famous" of the much vilified elitist West. The Jagans, while remaining close to the people, maintained a safe and sanitized distance from business interest, opportunist and even family. Imagine, their only begotton son remained politically in the pastures. This is how uncorruptable they were.
Compare with what we have today, a ruling elite class intertwined with conflicting and questionable business interest inside and out of Guyana, a ruling elite well concooned by cronies, opportunist and where family loyalty trumps nation. A ruling class where the compromise in principles has given rise to a kind of corruption where even the blame of the plight of the poor is placed at the feet of the poor. This hemorrage of principles and values have led to a culture of weak or lack of accountability and the rule of law. It has led to the development of a culture of indecency where the corrupt connected and political elites feel unashamedly free to flaunt their conspicious acquisitions while many hard working people are asked to make do with subsistence salaries and inflation salary increases. The development of a culture where child molestors and other such moral "vermins" roam freely while an overzealous youth is thrown in jail and placed on trial for a harmless obsene gesture to the elite of the elite.
Why did I bring this all up, what does the Jagans have to do with this, they are afterall dead. However, unlike the Jagans, the new kids on the block had other ideas, ideas of their own and ideas which they will have no problems finding many sponsors and friends to help bring to fruition. The Jagans, with their obsession on control, ideologically mis-led and having their finger prints on any and everything, failed to build the internal institutions and leadership culture of openness, personal accountability and respect for opposing and divergent view points within the institution of the PPP. Such institutions should serve as the training ground, the vetting mill for leadership with the requisite skills, values and principles. However, instead these institutions and, as such, principles were mere convenience to the hand on the lever and unforunately, the next hand on the lever had a different line of sight than the Jagans did.
One would then ask the question, how do we bring the ship back to "home", how do we trust another to not do the same, how does anyone prevent the hijacking of the political machinery and, by extention, the Govt in future. To do this, the PPP first has to fix itself, reinvent itself, shed the corrupt, break some ties, etc. This is virtually impossible to accomplish while remaining in power. The dice have been cast, the compromising elements are entrenched, the special interests are watching over, no one could move, do one dares blink, no one dares. Sometimes change, for the sake of change, is good in itself. It allows one to deflate their egos and excrete their arrogance, to reflect and re-invent oneself and the institution upon which you will need to lean. It allows discenting voices to be heard and new paradigms to be adopted, a re-energization process.
An AFC Government plans on breaking the mold, a mold of too much individualism, where the individual superceded the institutions, where individuals feel they are the law rather than accountable to the law. The AFC plans on a leadership development and cycle where individuals will be groomed, vetted and tested in the field. The AFC will ensure a continuous churn in the "line" in leadership. The internal institutions of the AFC will be as accountable to the party and it's base as we would expect the institutions of Govt be accountable to the Govt and the people. These will be the training ground for our people. We will bring a high degree of corporate and political professionalism where cross-functional checks and balances, internal controls and personal accountability are the well embedded norm. We will ensure a well grounded succession planning model where the choice of individuals will be based on objectivity, hard and soft assesment criteria, track record and, of course, support and appeal among the wider party.
Today, as in 1992, the people were faced with a choice, a critical choice. In 1992 the choice for many was clear and, in many respect, simple. Today however, the choices are somewhat more complex. For many, it's not just one or the other, me or you. The third choice challenges us to do more soul searching, to once again redefine Guyana, redefine the type of society, redefine inter-ethnic relations, redefine the political landscape, but most of all redefine a governmental operating model that not only takes us out of the economic league of bottom 10%, the corruption profile of the most corrupt, but bring us to work together willingly, eagerly and tirelessly to the point where 89% of our skilled persons want to remain at home, not the other way. The time has come for a new day to dawn in Guyana, a new day where the cyclone of race politics is broken, where the third choice becomes the best choice to a new future, the AFC....VOTE AFC.
