Dear Editor,
As a PPP/C candidate at the recently concluded general and regional elections, I have had many opportunities to observe and to interact with several members regarding the party’s inner workings and infrastructure.
By the time I joined the campaign, it was obvious that former president Jagdeo was the party’s central figure and one easily got the sense that he was the man leading most, if not all, the party’s political and campaign strategies.
From this observation, I believed this election for the PPP/C was ‘Jagdeo’s’ to win or lose considering the central role he played in the campaign and in formulating its strategies.
After the party lost the elections, many in the party seemed to be at a loss about the party’s direction and the apparatus literally stopped functioning for a day or two after the elections, coupled with an information blackout. The Freedom House party headquarters was a ghost town and little was being told to any party candidate or supporter.
During this time, many party members, junior or senior, reflected on why the party lost, ready to put the blame squarely on Jagdeo’s shoulders. There was no place where I turned that I did not hear party members and supporters whisper and angrily criticize Jagdeo’s divisive campaign rhetoric. The general belief was that under his presidency the party lost its way from being a “wholesome” political organisation which attracted many friends and allies to becoming one where perceptions of impropriety and corruption had created ominous clouds over the party’s image.
For many within the party, while the loss was disappointing it also presented an opportunity for rebirth, redemption and change in the way in which the party operates. It justifiably should have been the start of a complete break from the politics of Jagdeo and his loyal circle within the PPP.
The election loss engendered paradoxical feelings of being dejected but yet hopeful simultaneously.
Unfortunately, this never happened. Instead, Jagdeo took charge of the party, insistent on shaping the post-elections narrative and was firmly back in command.
This did not – and still does not – go down well with many members. Many whisper behind his back or choose their words carefully when addressing any forum where he has been included, but none would dare say to him directly how they felt. As I write this, the displeasure that he is still firmly in charge of the party does not sit well with many. However, for reasons I still cannot comprehend, many are reluctant to call him out and challenge him visibly or publicly.
It will be a difficult task for the party if it continues on the current path with Jagdeo as de facto leader. Moreover, it would be difficult to attract, and in my case retain, the type of people who can help reinvent the party. Plainly stated, the party has to move on without Jagdeo if it is to ever recapture its former political prestige.
Yours faithfully,
Clinton Urling
