Former PPP veteran, Moses Nagamootoo who recently joined the Alliance For Change (AFC) told supporters at a rally held in his honour at Whim, Corentyne yesterday that presidential candidate Khemraj Ramjattan is a man of ideas who wanted to root out corruption from the police force but was not listened to.
Nagamootoo who recently resigned from the People’s Progressive Party
(PPP) lamented that Ramjattan wanted to “weed out the corrupt people from the police force” but that President Bharrat Jagdeo did not like his ideas.
According to him, “We now know that the top brass [in the force] are involved in drugs.” He said too that thousands of lives have been lost because the police have not been able to catch the criminals and the drug lords.
There was loud applause as he came on stage, accompanied by his wife along with Ramjattan and his wife.
Before delivering his address, Nagamootoo displayed a trophy to the crowd which he said was “with deepest love to the people of Whim.”
Members had earlier marched from Tain – the heartland of the PPP’s constituency – before going to Whim for the rally. Nagamootoo along with other executive members also did a “walkabout” at the Port Mourant and Skeldon markets on Saturday.
He lamented that instead of paying tribute to Ramjattan the PPP expelled him and accused him of being a “spy and giving information to the US embassy and the British High Commission.” He was said Ramjattan was “framed.”
Nagamootoo said he was the only one who stood up and asked for Ramjattan to be given a fair trial. He spoke out because the PPP wanted to try Ramjattan in his absence.
After former President Cheddi Jagan died, he said, amid loud cheers that, “Freedom House turned the Robb Street Gang and now they are trying to convert it to a duck farm.”
He said too that Jagdeo did not want an election for the presidential candidate because “he had his own duck – Donald Duck.”
Nagamootoo also accused Jagdeo of “political quackery” and denying the members the choice of a candidate.
He said too that when Ramjattan was expelled from the PPP he warned them that “they would pay a dear price and they are paying it now” [with his resignation].
According to Nagamootoo he “stood up for the sugar workers” when the PPP threatened to de-recognize the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union.
Ramjattan told the crowd that he is the presidential candidate but Nagamootoo was giving the feature presentation.
He told the crowd that Jagdeo may earn $3.2M for his monthly pension and was building a huge house. He said too that Jagdeo had gone to Sparendaam reserve and taken five houselots.
Ramjattan who said that young people are only dreaming of going overseas promised to “make the PPP shake in its pants.” He also boasted about the support from the inner core of The United Force.
Rajendra Bissessar who served the PPP for 35 years said he “fought against dictatorship and got my licks.” He said the “betrayal (by) the present clique of the PPP” has “hurt his heart.” There was a resounding yeah from the crowd when he asked if they would vote for the AFC.
Sasenarine Singh, another ex-PPP member said they were “fighting a party [PPP] that has unlimited money for campaign. He accused them of acquiring the money through improper means and said the AFC gets its campaign money from donations.
He also promised that the first thing they would do if they win the elections is to give the workers a 20% increase. He said they have “four weeks to go to sweep the PPP out…” and free the people of “mental oppression.”
Another speaker, lecturer at the University of Guyana, Berbice Campus, Michael Hackett told the supporters that “your belly and pocket feel it when you have to go from payday to payday.”
He questioned “how long would you wait for change?” with persons shouting November 28 in reply.
Other speakers included, Cindy Sookdeo, Rohan Jageshwar and Ryan Crawford.
