AFC Vice-Chairman Moses Nagamootoo says he is humbled by the endorsement for him to be the party’s presidential candidate at any early general elections by leader of the group, Khemraj Ramjattan.
In a post on Tuesday on his Facebook page, Nagamootoo said that though he is overseas he had read that his name was floated as a presidential contender should early elections be held in Guyana consequent to the AFC’s no confidence motion against the Ramotar regime.
“I am humbled that Khemraj Ramjattan, co-founder of the Alliance For Change, would have such high level of confidence in me and I thank him for his endorsement”, he said.
Nagamootoo, a former longstanding member of the PPP and at one time seen as a potential successor to the late President Cheddi Jagan, said that he joined the AFC with the intention of serving the party in any capacity.
“I see his endorsement as a sincere invitation to continue my role as a servant of our people, to help bring hope and healing to our nation.
“I have every confidence that the AFC’s National Conference in October will, in a free, fair and transparent way, elect our electoral slate, including the Presidential and Prime Ministerial candidates, to present a truly Guyanese Rainbow Coalition.
“I have always fought for this open, democratic choice and would settle for nothing less. I respect the opinion of our party leader but I re-assert his faith in the right of party members to elect candidates, and I look forward with interest to our upcoming AFC Conference”, Nagamootoo said.
He contended that there must be no let up in the fight against authoritarian rule in Guyana and added that the immediate challenge is the no confidence vote against the Ramotar administration “ to put an end to the flagrant violation of our Constitution, open contempt for the National Assembly and the unlawful raid on the Treasury.”
Ramjattan’s endorsement of Nagamootoo and Nigel Hughes as the prime ministerial candidate has sparked a buzz on social media and in the press. It has also attracted a lot of negative comment from the PPP/C and its supporters.
On Monday PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee said Nagamootoo had numerous “skeletons in his cupboard” that would be exposed in the lead up to any future elections.
Rohee was at the time dismissing suggestions that a Nagamootoo-Hughes ticket for the AFC could pull votes from the support base of the ruling party, which was reduced to a minority government at the last elections.
When pressed by reporters at the PPP’s weekly press briefing at Freedom House, Rohee stated that many of Nagamootoo’s “skeletons” were extant while he was still a member of the ruling party.
“More have accumulated after he left, but some were there while he was there,” he said. “We have so much on Mr Nagamootoo… not all has been disclosed as yet. Some has been disclosed but there is much more to be disclosed. So, just keep your powder dry and use it at the right time,” Rohee added.
