Dear Editor,
In SN’s edition of Sunday January 17, a column by Mr Ralph Ramkarran appeared captioned ‘Jagdeo and arrogance to blame for PPP/C loss’.
This eight-month long post mortem that he is engaged in is running thin. He really would like us to believe that it is Jagdeo and the party’s arrogance from the very top that was responsible for the PPP/C losing the election of 2015. What are we really talking about here? In the short term the PPP had no credibility and in the long term they had only one leg to stand on ‒ ethnic divide. To take all of the misdirections and outright deceptions from people who governed for 23 years, and reduce that visionless group’s incompetence to ‘Jagdeo and arrogance’, is trivializing the debacle. According to Mr Ramkarran, “the PPP leadership, in thrall to Mr Jagdeo, mistakenly felt that its supporters would accept anything thrown at them.” Now why would the PPP supporters take anything thrown at them? Of course in Mr Jagdeo’s universe I am asking the obvious. But if Mr Ramkarran can muster the courage to tell me what intelligent political legislation was laid in Parliament during their tenure, I would be willing to listen.
I am learning every day via the newspapers what they did to this country. That notwithstanding Mr Ramkarran seems to have a very short memory; he forgot who sweetened the pot for the sugar workers ‒ so sweet that it has turned bitter now. That was not arrogance that was a policy decision, along with all the other policy decisions that were made over the last 23 years that caused suffering and sometimes confrontation with the poorer sections of the populace, while millions of tax dollars got siphoned off. And in the final analysis nothing tangible ever materialized. Jagdeo and arrogance indeed.
Mr Ramkarran referred to “all those who raised questions, and felt that the PPP would rule forever.” Now why should the PPP feel that they should rule this country forever? What were their criteria? Ethnic numbers? That was not arrogance, that was knowing the cards that you hold; it’s called confidence.
Instead of using the words ‘Jagdeo and arrogance’ as the reason for the PPP losing the election, here are a two other words: poor governance; and two more: unintelligent governance. Could it have been any other way given who was in charge? There was a Minister who was wishing an epidemic would descend upon the city. I know why, but I would not ask Mr Ramkarran why. Another Minister boasted that he did bad things. And still another Minister carried on a very disturbing and disgusting conversation on the telephone with a journalist. All of the above was not caused by Jagdeo and arrogance. And don’t let us forget the Town Clerk fiasco, ordered and driven by the PPP administration.
Yours faithfully,
Milton Bruce
