Dear Editor,
I have had the honour and privilege since 1971 and to talk on several occasions with Mr Ralph Ramkarran, who served as the Speaker of the National Assembly until 2011. He later became disillusioned with the PPP for, as he put it, it had demonstrated a failure to be a militant organization to fight against corruption and for the rights of the working class.
He therefore walked out from the PPP. It was no surprise as he experienced pain at the hands of some at a meeting in Freedom House. He opined that for a government to give proper representation to the people, it should be fully aware of conditions and problems facing the electorate and deal with corruption.
What he had said so often was true: that even though Dr Cheddi Jagan practised lean and clean government and took a hard line against corruption among PPP members and supporters, in the long run it was the working class which was being attacked and which was bound to suffer because of the rotten and bankrupt policies of the government to fight corruption, as well as its alliance with Big Business.
Mr Ramkarran, a member of the Elections Commission on September 28,1992 asked me to wait until he arrived at the election building in Croal Street, before handing over the military ballot box for Region Two. The duty of the Commission was to ensure that the boxes were properly sealed and taken to a secure room where all the Commissioners were present. On June 25,1973, Mr Ramkarran, a PPP candidate, was manhandled in full view of the policeman present at a meeting held in the Mahaicony area, but no action was taken by them.
When he was the Deputy Leader of the PPP, he was booked to travel to Bartica, but he was told that the plane was over-booked and he could not travel. He had to spend 7 hours on a boat. He was subjected to searches many times when he went to investigate matters on behalf of PPP members and supporters. Anyone in the PPP wishing to disparage Mr Ramkarran or his contributions but who still possesses a conscience, should avail him or herself of a review of those vital battles waged and won by him for the party.
Yours faithfully,
Mohamed Khan
