Dear Editor,
I listened with disbelief and disgust to Robert Persaud‘s press conference on December 1. He was remonstrating against supposedly PPP supporters for being complacent and causing them to lose the majority they had in the National Assembly, and almost the presidency. Mr Jagdeo followed Mr Persaud by parroting the same thing after the swearing in ceremony for Donald Ramotar. They won the presidency by a margin of 26,672. Not a huge margin.
I told my family and friends several months ago that the PPP is either going to lose the election or become a minority government. I myself who voted PPP in previous elections voted AFC in the 2011 elections. I know of many persons who simply did not vote because they are disgusted with the current PPP and did not want to vote for another party. If we were to go to elections again now, it will be worse for the PPP. The PPP had a superior advantage in terms of use of state resources in transportation, venues and access to media. Yet they almost lost the presidency as well. So what they are doing is clearly wrong.
The nature of Robert Persaud and Bharrat Jagdeo is that they don’t listen. They believe they know it all. They are responsible for the position the PPP is in now and they are the ones responsible for the PPP almost losing the election. It is not citizens like me who expressed my disgust at what is currently happening in the country. What saddens me is that ethnic perceptions are still alive and well in Guyana as can be clearly seen in the voting patterns.
President Ramotar should now surround himself with some good advisors who understand compromise and who are interested in nation building. President Ramotar has to show that he is serious about reforms at all levels. He now has a strong position to do so as General Secretary of the PPP as well as being President. He must not wait for Robert Persaud to pull the rug out from under his feet.
The opposition must also demand that Manniram Prashad, Odinga Lumumba and Kwame McCoy be dealt with for the incidents they were involved in on elections day. This is the face of the PPP today and why many persons did not vote for them. This bullying, busing and cuss out behaviour disgusts decent people.
President Ramotar should seriously consider appointing Moses Nagamootoo or Khemraj Ramjattan to be Prime Minister. It will serve to right the wrong committed on these two men by the PPP. It will be an act of magnanimity that will bode well for the nation. Forget about the window dressing of when the President is Indian then the Prime Minister must be African.
The elections showed that indeed this is just window dressing. Giving the prime ministerial position to the AFC will form a close alliance with the party. We see a similar arrangement in the United Kingdom at the moment. It seems the best option at this time rather than fresh elections so soon.
Appoint Raphael Trotman Attorney General. Raphael Trotman is a strong advocate of constitutional reform. President Ramotar should now realize that this abominable constitution can fall into even worse hands. We see what the last administration did with it. Both opposition parties want constitutional reform.
President Ramotar should appoint a seasoned and competent economist as Minister of Finance. No names come to mind but definitely not Ashni Singh or Bharrat Jagdeo, who are not suitable candidates. These two men did not protect or enhance our economy. The reality is that our economy is in a tiny bubble not linked with the rest of the world. That is why the global meltdown has not affected us. Remaining in our little bubble will also prevent us from expanding our economy and thus not realizing a better life for everyone.
Mr Granger should remain in opposition. We need him as a strong opposition leader. However, I recommend that Mr Granger put forward several persons who are not aligned with any party from which two persons can be chosen as technocrat ministers to fill the positions of Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of Local Government. The security problem must be fixed and we want reform at the local government level as well to ensure the NDCs and municipalities function effectively. Especially the capital city.
We need to create an anti-corruption commission immediately to investigate all incidents of past, current and any future corruption and jail those involved as the opposition promised. Corruption is the main reason for lack of substantial foreign investment. Citizens will insist that the opposition keep this promise to the electorate. President Ramotar also assured the nation that dealing with corruption is high on his agenda.
This is a great opportunity for the three leaders and Guyana. Let’s see if good sense actually exists.
Yours faithfully,
Ganesh Singh
