President Irfaan Ali secured the highest number of votes of the 35 delegates elected to the Central Committee during the People’s Progressive Party’s (PPP) 32nd Congress.
While his score of 2,308 votes may suggest he is in prime position for the post of General Secretary of the party, Ali has already indicated that he has no interest in that position and more than likely Vice-President Bharrat Jagdeo, who came in second with 51 votes less, will be returned to that role.
During a post-congress press conference yesterday, it was revealed that behind Ali and Jagdeo ,Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha was third with 2,174 votes, while Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat and Parliamentary Chief Whip Gail Teixeira earned the fourth and fifth places, respectively. Also, in the top ten were embattled former minister Nigel Dharamlall, Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal, Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister Kwame Mc Coy, Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall, and Minister of Amerindian Affairs Pauline Sukhai, in that order.
At the previous congress, which was held in 2016, Jagdeo had secured the top spot with 100 votes ahead of the second-placed Dr. Frank Anthony, while Teixeira had been third. This year saw some newcomers emerging and others who were on the old list being eliminated. This year Anthony came in 15th with 1308 votes.
At the press conference, Jagdeo stated that the three-day congress had been a resounding success. He said that with more than twice the number of delegates at the last occasion, the congress had many volunteers who worked tirelessly.
He also highlighted the esprit de corps among the delegates and volunteers, dismissing criticisms from detractors and stating that the spirit of the congress and the unity among party members were indicative of the greatness of the PPP. “I’ve seen some people gripe all the time, but I think it was the shock value of what they saw,” Jagdeo said, adding, “the ethnic diversity, the camaraderie, the spirit of what took place here. When you look at that, it’s unbelievable.”
Jagdeo also expressed gratitude to all the delegates and observers who voluntarily submitted themselves, noting the competitive process through which they were nominated by their party groups.
“We had more people who wanted to come, but there are limitations as to how many can attend based on numerical strength at the party level… They were eager to come to the congress. So, we did not have a situation where we had to corral people and force them to attend,” he said.
Jagdeo explained that several resolutions were passed, including the creation of a new body to review the party’s constitution, which was adopted in 1979. The congress also saw resolutions on party structure, membership dues, and the use of social media to propagate the party’s achievements.
The other elected members of the Central Committee were, in descending order of votes: Shyam Nokta, Ricky Ramraj, Jennifer Westford, Neil Kumar, Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Anand Persaud, Sarah Browne, Zamal Hussain, Faizal Jaffarally, Bryan Allicock, Minister of Human Services and Social Security Vindhya Persaud, Charles Ramson, Karl Singh, Paul Cheong, Claire Singh, former president Donald Ramotar, Humace Oodit, Brentnol Ashley, Dharamkumar Seeraj, Bheri Ramsaran, Sheik Mohamed Ayube, Vickash Ramkissoon, Sase Gunraj, Clement Rohee, and Indranie Chandarpal.
Five other non-voting members were also elected: Indar Deodat, Mae Toussaint Thomas, Jason Abdulla, Andrew Forsythe, and Rion Peters.
“As I said before, the congress will choose 35 members to go to the Central Committee of the party. These are voting members. And then another five non-voting members; they’re candidate members. They can attend, … they can’t vote. The 35 members will then get together and elect a[n] executive committee made up of 15 members that will meet between central committee meetings,” Jagdeo explained.
He said that a meeting with the 40 members will take place later this week, where the executive committee will be elected as well as various officers including General Secretary, Executive Secretary, National Secretary, and Finance Secretary.
With the congress concluded, the PPP looks towards the future with a new party programme and updates to its constitution in line with the party’s commitment to democracy, pluralism, and inclusivity, Jagdeo told the press.
