Both Bharrat Jagdeo and Robert Corbin have signalled their intention to occupy front seats in their parties’ respective bandwagons though one is inclined to wonder just how much good their attentions will do the parties’ presidential candidates. To take Brigadier Granger first, he has simply not been able to entirely disentangle himself from the view that he is Corbin’s man. If the Brigadier is considered to be a perfectly respectable presidential candidate there is no doubt that his party boss is not everyone’s cup of tea. Indeed, Granger may find that any excessive closeness to Corbin might even further undermine an already wobbly coalition and lose him support which he may well otherwise secure on his own.
People expect, of course, that Corbin will be active in the campaign process as Leader of the PNCR. On the other hand questions have already been asked as to whether he really did have to say so publicly recently, giving rise to enquiries as to exactly how prominent a part he will play in the campaign and whether that might just weaken the coalition and worry the undecided.
We are, meanwhile, waiting for a real start to the Granger elections road show. All appears to have been quiet since he won the party nomination and the question arises as to whether the PNCR is indeed ready to rumble in 2011.
Jagdeo may not have said that he too will have a front seat in his party’s campaign limousine. But then he need not say so. After all he is still President and the media still follows him around. It was Jagdeo, we all recall, who kicked off his Party’s campaign at Babu John the other day and what a kickoff it was! Presumably, however, a point in time will be reached soon where presidential candidate Ramotar, who, since his anointing tags along dutifully in Jagdeo’s wake (that much was evident at GT&T’s 10/10 cricket finals recently) will be given more leeway. Sooner, of course, would be better than later, since while Ramotar is known among the Party faithful he is clearly no populist in the national sense. People have got to get to know him. Depending on how Ramotar shows up Mr. Jagdeo may well decide to hold his hand throughout the elections campaign.