Dear Editor,
I met Mr Granger two months ago and talked with him for several hours over two days.
He is very soft spoken and mild mannered, and never raises his voice to argue a point. (Contrast this with some leaders who feel the need to shout as if this will help to win the point debated.) He is very deliberative, not given to rash statements and judgments. Do not mistake his mild mannerisms for softness; he embodies both compassion and toughness.
He possesses great self-confidence, is very knowledgeable about the issues he deals with on a daily basis, whether as leader of the parliamentary opposition or as party leader.
What makes a great leader? George Washington identifies the issues of his era – political culture (end monarchical system, start republican one), stay away from foreign intervention, etc, and provides leadership to respond to the issues of the day. Many leaders cannot identify the issues of their organization, party or nation and very often lead their party/country down a dead-end. Not so with Mr Granger.
Mr Granger knows the problems of the electoral system and culture of his country. He knows the Guyanese people overwhelmingly vote race, and so he shapes a strategy to win cross-racial votes.
His campaign priorities are to reach out to people outside his party’s traditional base. He seeks to do what Mayor Giuliani did – become a “fusion candidate.” And, that is often a winning strategy in multi-racial societies. His party predecessors may not have known how to campaign effectively among the other large ethnic group in Guyana. But he has demonstrated he can. He also possesses a very likeable personality. He is capable of overcoming resistance; he makes friends easily.
I don’t think the PNC has anyone within its ranks that can compare favourably to Mr Granger considering the defined task at hand, which is to win cross-racial votes. And, I believe he is shaping and pressing on with a winning strategy.
Is good leadership defined by how many street protests you conducted? Mr Granger never said he doesn’t believe in street protests, only that it must be effective and designed to produce results. About taking issues of violations of the constitution to the courts,
I think more should have been done in this area. But these things need lots of money and good lawyers. I don’t know why he didn’t.
President Ramotar has refused to sign bills passed over a year ago. What tools does Mr Granger have at his disposal to deal with this problem – courts, street protests? Guyana does not have a strong and independent judiciary like the United States where you can run to the courts and have the matters resolved satisfactorily. The ruling party, after all is an ‘elected dictatorship.’ The institutions of civil society and the independent press are still very weak.
I have observed him fraternizing among Indo-Guyanese and frankly, I don’t think there was any awareness that this man was of another race. He was just like one of us. This is a man you would like to sit down with, chat and enjoy a cold beer.
Guyana has a huge problem – racial voting for perceived racial parties. And if any man can bridge this gap between the races it is David Granger. He has the wisdom, temperament and personality for it.
A party leader about to face national elections has to have a clear plan: how to put together a winning tally of votes and a campaign style and strategy to win those votes.
It is my considered judgment that Mr Granger is prepared and ready for the challenge ahead of him.
Yours faithfully,
Mike Persaud