Dear Editor:
I refer to a letter in the June 18, 2008 Guyana Chronicle captioned ‘Ashni for President.’ The PPP has taken a great risk in investing in young Mr Jagdeo and it has backfired on the party. He has no respect for the Executive Committee of the PPP, he has damaged the strong economy that he inherited from Cde Cheddi and Asgar Ally and he has failed to resolve our political crisis. He has led us poorly with respect to adhering to the rule of law, his track record on fighting crime is dreadful, and he has failed to take Guyana to the next technological level that the world demands so that we can compete effectively, and the list goes on.
President Jagdeo can be credited with always saying the right things but he has a poor track record for implementing and closing the deals. Ministers to this day complain that he interferes in their decision-making, thus stymieing their implementation of projects.
Now having all of this evidence at its disposal, the PPP has only one sensible choice – get back to basics.
The PPP as an organisation still understands what the people want, but the PPP/C government has lost touch with the people. The PPP must go deep into its organisation and support one of its stalwarts who really understands the needs of the people. Another experiment with Dr Ashni Singh will only exacerbate the failings of this government. Notwithstanding his qualifications, Dr Singh’s experience with the people pales in comparison with the likes of Cde Donald Ramotar and the giant Moses Nagamootoo. These men are both academically qualified in the field of economics and law respectively, so qualification is a non issue.
I was told by an insider that Moses will not be the next presidential candidate for various reasons; this is a shame but why not Cde Donald Ramotar? Why not have a Ramotar government that has the likes of Ralph Ramkarran as AG, Moses Nagamootoo at Home Affairs, Clement Rohee at Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, and Robert Persaud at Agriculture, with possibly Norman McLean as our prime ministerial candidate. Can you see where this is going? Back to experience, back to the people who are well grounded, back to people who can be trusted with the task of fixing Guyana once and for all – a flight to quality.
Everyone else should be supported as an ambassador, or for an international posting or get back into private practice. Political office is not a lifetime job; it is service to the people. I cannot close this letter without acknowledging one man who stands out as a giant in the current government and he is none other than Prime Minister Samuel Hinds. He has served us politically; he has gained the highest respect from the members of the PPP; he has looked after his portfolio admirably even with interference from Mr Jagdeo; he and his beautiful wife come across as a model couple for all young people to aspire to; he and his wife have the social skills to be held as royalty in our country and any Guyanese would be proud to say Sam and Yvonne are representatives of the Guyanese core values. This man deserves an OE for his service to his nation and I hope this is rectified soon. He is very presidential, but unfortunately, he is not a leader in the PPP.
Dr Singh’s credentials have been severely tarnished with the Queens Atlantic deal. He does not come across as a man who stands up to Jagdeo and further he is Minister of Finance while a close family member audits the financial records that he manages – a clear conflict of interest.
The writer stated that Dr Singh commands the respect of both sides of the aisle in the Parliament. This is not so; the opposition thinks of him as they do Mr Jagdeo. If you say the opposition respects Ralph Ramkarran or Donald Ramotar that makes better sense, but not Dr Singh. The writer said that Dr Singh can provide a breath of fresh air, but we ‘been there, done that’ with Mr Jagdeo and it has proven ineffective. It is time to get back to basics – Donald Ramotar for President.
Guyana does not need an academic; Mr Jagdeo was bright and what did he do? When a country is in a mess like Guyana, we need experience more than anything else, and there is no room for any more experiments. It is time to go with the tried and tested people who have the relationship and connections with the masses – Donald Ramotar and Moses Nagamootoo. I would like to advise that the PPP is an organisation that has been around for generations, and it made a mistake in choosing Mr Bharrat Jagdeo as its presidential candidate, so do not expect it to make the same mistake twice by choosing Dr Ashni Singh.
Yours faithfully,
Avinash Balram
