Former President Donald Ramotar has rejected perceptions that he was a figurehead office-holder with his predecessor Bharrat Jagdeo running the country from behind the scenes.
“It is not true, not true. Remember he is a member of the executive but he didn’t play the prominent role that people said he played. He only came into the picture if I asked him to and that was not often,” Ramotar told Stabroek News in an interview on Sunday when asked about perceptions of him being Jagdeo’s political puppet.
He blamed the media for the “manipulated by Jagdeo” image that the public currently has of him. “I am not saying that Bharrat Jagdeo did not have a lot of influence on the party. Obviously because it was a PPP/C government and he is an executive.
However, how it was being portrayed in the media, it is way, way, way out and not true. I think what has happened in our country over the years is our media created a lot of these perceptions and then people believed,” Ramotar asserted.
He also scoffed at allegations that he and Jagdeo have not had a good relationship since he demitted office with many saying that he was blamed for the party’s loss at the May general elections. Ramotar said that he and Jagdeo have an excellent relationship and that now that Jagdeo is Opposition Leader, he would from time to time, consult with him. In citing an example, he said that recently as Jagdeo left New York for Brussels for a summit, he called him and they chatted.
In reference to an alleged incident that Jagdeo, in a fit of rage, had slapped him after the PPP/C lost the elections, Ramotar said that he was shocked at the things he would hear and that it was being fed by media.
“For instance that slapping thing, that shows you how much media has influenced thinking. It’s ludicrous and just so humorous, just such utter nonsense with zero basis. I personally can’t understand where in the world these things come from,” he said laughing.
The former president posited that more credence would have been given to rumours now that there is a rift between PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee and Jagdeo as the two have aired varying views on issues publically. “In the case of Jagdeo and Rohee story, I can be a little more lenient if they say that because I know he had to come out to contradict what Rohee had said in some parts of the media. Maybe you can stretch and try to amplify that and make it sound reasonable but in the case with me, I don’t see any basis for anything like that,” he said.
Questioned about his seemingly abrupt departure from the party since the electoral loss, Ramotar informed that he contributes behind the scenes and is still very active in the PPP. “I am not as active as I used to be…because I am no longer the General Secretary and I am no longer President so I am not the main spokesperson any longer but I am very active. I have been speaking at the party meetings and up to Tuesday, I was out in Berbice,” he related.
Pressed as to why he was not Opposition Leader or had taken up a lesser parliamentary post given that he was running for a second term, an indication that he still wanted to be in active politics, Ramotar responded that he did what was best for the party. “A lot of those decisions went to the party. There were a lot of discussions both at the level of executive and central committee and coming down to the end, the party took the decision that Jagdeo should be the Opposition Leader because he is very strong on economic and financial issues, very well equipped, has a lot of experience. I did not opt to go into parliament,” he revealed.
“You have to start seeing the party in transition, seeing more persons in leadership roles and that was taken into consideration but I am still very active equally as most in the parliament. I am there, I am here (with the party),” he added.
