General Secretary to the People’s Progressive Party Clement Rohee told Stabroek News that the party’s campaign will be undertaken by a “collective” and that there is and never has been an active campaign manager.
Rohee’s denials are odd considering in 2011 then agriculture minister, PPP Member of Parliament and member of the Central Committee Robert Persaud was acting in capacity of representative to the Donald Ramotar’s campaign.
The general secretary told the Stabroek News recently that the central committee of the party was working as a collective and refused to say who would be heading a team if at all anyone. The party is yet to reveal its official campaign strategy and with less than 80 days to the General Elections observers have noted that the ruling party has constricted itself by disseminating very little information on the party’s platform to the public.
At the party’s weekly press briefing last week Rohee evaded questions by the media as to when a representative will be named or identified. He said the term ‘campaign manager’ was being used as if it was a necessity to winning an election. “There is no individual out there that directs our show, we direct our show collectively,” Rohee had stated continuing that the party has the “internal mechanism” to convey its message to the public.
Rohee was pressed on how many individuals comprise the collective being utilized, but refused to answer. He told Stabroek News on Sunday that this was not the time to be discussing the team.
On Saturday the party named Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Elisabeth Harper as its prime ministerial candidate for the May 11 general election.
Harper, a career diplomat, had not been mentioned before for the post. Her boss, Minister of Foreign Affairs Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett had been tipped for the position. Observers had said the PPP/C was looking for gender and ethnic balance in replacing long-serving Prime Minister Sam Hinds but Harper’s name had not been mentioned. She is relatively unknown outside diplomatic circles and not previously associated with the political platform.
Before Harper’s presentation, Rohee had told reporters gathered that the Central Committee had met and endorsed the lone nominee for the position as presented by the Executive Committee of the party.
