Dear Editor,
Mr. Vassan Ramracha, a New York based freedom fighter against the former dictatorship, offered wise counsel to the PPP leadership in his missive `President Ramotar has to urgently consolidate his neglected base’ (SN Mar 12). Ramracha calls on the PPP leadership to admit it made mistakes during its governance by neglecting its base and urged the party to do the needful (apologize to its supporters, reform itself, provide resources to its base, bring youths into the party’s leadership, etc.) if it wishes to win another term in office. There is need for urgent change as supporters all over the PPP heartland are saying. Will the PPP leaders listen?
When in opposition, third world politicians know of all the problems their supporters face. But once in government, they forget everything about the problems of their supporters until they become the opposition. They don’t see problems around them and condemn those who point to problems. In government, politicians always think what they do is right and everyone else is an idiot. They don’t take advice from experts and worse they attack all for critiquing them including those who are loyally by their side. That is the nature of third world politics.
Politicians need to be held accountable. If they don’t listen to their supporters, they ought to be punished – withhold support to them or vote for other parties and send them packing.
There is nothing wrong in an apology. In fact, it is a good thing for it shows political maturity and contrition. It helps to reconcile with those who feel aggrieved and brings communities and former party people together. I remember as a young college student and a political activist in N.Y after Mario Cuomo became Governor of New York state (1983), he proposed policies that would hurt public university students and labour — a coalition that helped him got elected. Labour stormed against the Governor and student activists engaged in mass protests against tuition rise. Popular support for the Governor rapidly declined. The first term Governor Cuomo quickly backtracked from his policies describing them as errors and apologized for his blunders.
Labour and the student activists rejoined Cuomo’s camp and the Governor went on to win two more four year terms. President Bill Clinton apologized for his sexual indiscretion a la Monica Lewinsky and he left office as one of the most popular Presidents of the US after seeing low poll numbers during the scandal. So an apology can do more good than harm and can help to revive careers and parties. It takes a strong and good leader to tender an apology for mistakes and when he or she does, benefits are reaped. Where politicians apologized, they redeemed themselves and go on to higher things. In Trinidad, as Ramracha pointed out, Basedo Panday refused to take responsibility for his policy blunders and apologize, and he was rejected by his own supporters.
Could the PPP be heading in that direction? Leaders need to humble themselves and seek forgiveness – that is a sure way to political salvation. The supporters of the current incumbent government in Guyana have felt hurt and betrayed by policies that deviate from Jaganite principles and many defected to another party at the last elections. Supporters feel the party was very naïve during its tenure in office and was made to pay a price for neglecting its base to appease supporters of other parties. The PPP leaders know what needs to be done to address this problem and they should do it urgently, as recommended by Ramracha, or suffer the consequences. In conversations with supporters and campaign donors of the PPP in New York, there is unanimous agreement that the PPP government made many blunders during its tenure in office and the leadership needs to extend an apology to its base for mistakes resulting in the loss of several electoral seats in the last regional and general elections.
The crucial thing now for the PPP is to undo perceived wrongs of the past and to look ahead in transforming the country and providing better governance. More of the past cannot work. The party need to embrace everyone including critics and those who were alienated and marginalized and accept ideas of all on how to move forward.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram
