All the major requests of the contesting political parties have been dealt with by the Guyana Elections Commission, PPP presidential candidate Donald Ramotar said yesterday at the party’s final press conference before elections.
“That, to my mind, is the heart of any good and fair elections… I’m looking forward to peaceful elections,” he stated.
When asked if he believed President Bharrat Jagdeo’s behaviour throughout the campaign season had detracted from him as a presidential candidate and the party in general, Ramotar stated that in every speech, Jagdeo spoke of him in “glowing terms”.
“The cussing down I think is a response to how the media has been treating him sometimes and I think he responded forcefully because of his personality… He is a fighter by nature and he is not a man to take any blows without counter-punching,” Ramotar said.
He said that this year’s election was hard fought but hoped that at the end of it all, Guyanese can be united for the progression of this country.
“We have a good manifesto. Our manifesto is very realistic… We know we have to achieve the tasks we’ve set for ourselves. I know it’ll be very, very hard work but we’re accustomed to hard work ad I am sure that we, together, can motivate our people to work hard so that we can achieve the goals that we’ve set for ourselves in our manifesto,” Ramotar indicated.
He noted that he will be open to suggestions and ideas from anyone who is willing to work for the interest of the people of this country.
Making reference to plans for improved governance, Ramotar reiterated that the government has to strengthen the institutions of Guyana, adding that some work has already started and listed judicial reforms as one example.
“For me, very important is the ethnic relations commission and we have to take that issue out of the political arena so that it is not kicked around like a political football… I’ll try to work with them to find a commission that is acceptable, that will investigate these issues and that we can have justice dispensed fairly in every regard,” Ramotar stated.
Explaining the reason for the symbol of the cup, Ramotar said that this sign was chosen at a time when the education level in our country was extremely low. “When the majority of the people in Guyana were illiterate. At that time, they decided to use symbols to allow people to identify easily… so that has remained with us now, not because of illiteracy but largely because of tradition,” he explained
“The cup was chosen because it is fundamentally an instrument, a working class instrument, an instrument that people use everyday in their lives and an instrument that people can easily identify with,” he added.
He related that his favourite part of the campaign was interacting with both supporters and critics. “I think generally the energy that it has released and the fraternity that it has developed among PPP members and supporters because we’ve all been focused on one thing, on winning a bigger majority,” he said.
Also addressing the forum was Prime Minister Samuel Hinds who opined that the election is so far running smoother than that of previous years.
“One has a feeling that our relationship with our competing parties is better than before. I think the instances of pulling down other parties’ billboard signs have been much less so I’m looking forward to a peaceful election. I’m looking forward to at least an election of the type of 2006,” he said.
