Dear Editor,
Why does Jagdeo want to be President again?
It is definitely not to serve the public interest. He has demonstrated, through his political philosophy, creating an oligarchy and crony capitalism, and many of his actions, that he deliberately neglected the public interest.
Apart from abject failure at nation building, inept public administration, the bloody 2000’s decade and abuse of public office, every major project or undertaking in every sector was tainted during his Presidency. So what could be the motives?
(i) To rehabilitate his reputation? This is a plausible, but a weak motive. One doubts that this is a consequential matter to him. His outward belligerence and pompous actions to seize power within the PPP and as Leader of the Opposition is striking. This is Guyana. He will be able to walk around Guyana without hanging his head in shame. The word shame seems to have disappeared from usage in the political arena of the country. Politicians in Third World countries never want to leave office, and it is not only because of obsession with power. It often has to do with the impossibility of extricating themselves from the damage they have done.
(ii) To erase the horrors of his presidency? This is an important motive. If he could succeed before the next phase of prosecution following the APNU-AFC Audits, it would benefit him personally to stop and to bury the Audits and thereby erase all trace of illegalities and corruption from the public records, and from the history of the PPP. We can confirm now (and only the tip of the iceberg) of the extent of the conspiracies to loot and transfer wealth from public to private hands, through shameless schemes such as, the Marriot hotel, the Berbice Bridge and the Sanata Textile Complex because the Government changed, and just in the nick of time. Imagine what would have happened in another ten years. Robert Badal is therefore right (KN 19/9/2015)when he argued that, “We have helplessly tolerated this kind of wholesale looting of state resources for more than a decade, and given the opportunity that a change of Government brings, it must now ensure justice in the interest of the struggling masses. Otherwise, the people of this country would lose any faith they may now have in our democracy and public officials.”
(iii) To insulate himself and to seek refuge from prosecution, possibly involving extradition to a foreign jurisdiction, which one suspects he fears the most? One doubts he fears prosecution in Guyana. Recall his initial contempt for the Court, when he was called to answer the charge of racism for which he stands accused. He may feel insulated by the Constitution and he has intimidated the Judiciary sufficiently not to fear a domestic attack. However, constitutional scholars should scour the Constitution to identify provisions within that source of authority for the ways he could still he held accountable. Civilians have a duty to help the APNU-AFC
Administration, law enforcement and the Courts in this grave matter.
(iv) To protect the ‘infrastructure’ of the dangerous and tyrannical oligarchy, and its civilian participants, including those in the business community? Every person who could be linked to the oligarchy, and who is prosecuted exposes Mr. Jagdeo as a willing conspirator, or participant or facilitator. When they are extradited, prosecuted and convicted in foreign Jurisdictions such as the US for drug and gun smuggling, property fraud, wire fraud and money laundering, and there is any link to blue collar crimes involving injury or death of civilians, he is in even more danger. The Guyanese people should take very seriously the entire context and statement by PM Nagamotoo, when he said in Parliament( KN 23August 2015) in reference to Mr. Jagdeo, “ show me your friends and I tell you who you are”
Robert Badal has every right to feel aggrieved. He should however keep his chin up and not lose hope. APNU-AFC needs a spine of steel though. Given what Mr. Jagdeo has already done to the country, and has shown himself capable of doing to them, it is inexplicable how the Guyanese people could tolerate him in public life.
Ivor Carryl
