With PPP/C General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo promising that the party’s long-awaited congress will be held either later this year or early next year, sources say that membership has “grown exponentially” and the number of delegates will be the highest since the party was formed.
“It is normally one delegate to three financial members, or five or ten, but this time around that number will definitely increase because the overall membership has grown exponentially. So beforehand, the elections, the Central Exec [Central Executive Committee] will decide on the ratio [of] membership per delegate,’ a source close to the process told the Stabroek News.
The 32nd congress is overdue and according to the party’s constitution, it should have been held in 2019.
The last PPP/C Congress was held in 2016 and another, as per guidelines of the party’s constitution should have been in 2019 but none has been held since. Jagdeo had in late March said that the congress was delayed in part because of the COVID-19 pandemic but promised one will be held later this year or early next year.
“So we discussed it with the executive and the timeline is towards the end of the year or early next year. We came out of the COVID period. The COVID period was one of those [contributing factors] too,” he told a press conference on the 23rd of March when he was asked about the delay.
A source said that the delay was also in part due to political focus at the time since there had in December 2018 been a No Confidence Motion which felled the APNU+AFC administration “so you can appreciate that the focus at the time was not on congress but ensuring that APNU left office as they should.”
“But we all know how that turned out with all the court matters… so the focus was shifted. Then 2020 was General Elections and in that year COVID came. We could have held it but at the time it was not the central focus, I guess democracy was [the focus],” the source asserted.
And although Jagdeo said that the congress will be held by the first quarter of 2024, sources also explained that this has not yet been officially discussed at the Central Executive level, as it is that committee which decides when a congress will be held and in which region.
“The Central Committee of 35 persons decides when a congress will be held. The smaller body which is the Executive Committee, a more operational one, is made up of 15 persons , they make a recommendation to the central committee to hold one at such and such a time,” the source explained.
The Central Committee also holds the power on deciding the ratio of delegates to members, since it will want to ensure that all members’ are properly represented while safeguarding against overcrowding.
“That decision is an administrative one. The practice is that at the representation of the congress, because it’s really a delegate’s congress, so there would be one delegate to say, for example, every three financial members, as I have explained to you. We choose a location and all the delegates will have to get housing and so on. The capacity of the auditorium, most times it is held at a school, is also a factor because you have to look at safety and overcrowding. While the party wants to have every member at the congress, it is almost impossible for this to happen because the party membership covers the entire country,” an official explained.
At the congress, the Central Committee Report is the main document of focus as it gives an insight and overview of the term of that committee and a “comprehensive analysis of internal, local and international situations of interest to the party.”
The next Central Committee Report is expected to be a sizeable document since it covers an extended period where a leader of the party and presidential candidate had been chosen and two local government elections.
Party sources told the Sunday Stabroek that it is unlikely that Jagdeo will be challenged for the position of General Secretary when voting for a new Central Committee comes up.
And although there is nothing in the party’s constitution stopping a member from challenging a sitting President for candidacy at another election, no one is expected to challenge President Irfaan Ali.
“Both Jagdeo and Irfaan have been doing well in their posts and are not expected to face any challenges. You might fault Jagdeo in areas of micromanaging and all of that but you cannot say that he does not get the job done. When he puts his mind to something… he doesn’t lose focus…,” a source close to Jagdeo said.
When it comes to other office bearers, members will have to wait until the respective Central and Executive committees are chosen to know who those persons might be.
Key indicator
But votes gained at the congress can be a “key indicator” of who the party’s 2030 Presidential candidate will be. “The hierarchy is always gauged on the total number of votes persons get. So although 2030 is far away and we have, what, at least three more congresses before the 2030 elections, you will be able to gauge who people are looking at as Irfaan continues his terms,” a party veteran reasoned.
“However, in this party, it might not be just numbers but a combination of votes and the blessings of the kingmaker…,” the PPP veteran added.
At the party’s last congress held in Essequibo from December 17 to 19, 2016, Jagdeo was elected General Secretary of the party by secret ballot; the post was also contested by now Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony.
This is the first time that Jagdeo has held the post of leader of the party.
He had secured the most votes (718) for the party’s Central Committee (CC), in which 35 members were elected; 98 votes ahead of Anthony (620), giving him a mandate to take the reins of the party. Long-serving executive member and current Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira (583) emerged third.
Anil Nandlall (548) dropped from the fourth spot to fifth with former president Donald Ramotar (570) placing fourth. Clement Rohee (522) who had placed tenth at the last congress moved to sixth; Ganga Persaud (512), who had placed twelfth, made it to the seventh spot; and current President Ali (511) who had placed fifteenth in 2013 came at number eight in 2016.
Those elected to the Executive Committee were: Anil Nandlall (28 votes), Clement Rohee (26), Irfaan Ali (25), Roger Luncheon (25), Gail Teixeira (25), Zulfikar Mustapha (24), Donald Ramotar (23), Frank Anthony (22), Neil Kumar (22), Shyam Nokta (22), Clinton Collymore (21), Collin Croal (21), Dharamkumar Seeraj (21), Pauline Sukhai (21), and Bheri Ramsaran (20)
At the congress held in 2013 at Port Mourant, Berbice, Ramotar had earned the top spot (886 votes) followed closely by Jagdeo (851).
