Ramotar maintains that Jagdeo was speaking the truth

May 04, 2015 News

“Jagdeo was speaking and he was speaking to an audience and he felt in his judgment that he should bring it out. I don’t see anything wrong with that. My own discretion is whether he was manufacturing anything and I can say that he wasn’t because I heard it myself.”

Even as sections of the nation remain outraged at statements made by former President Bharrat Jagdeo at Babu Jaan, Port Mourant in March, President Donald Ramotar has come to Jagdeo’s defence again, saying that the statements were not inflammatory but true.
Ramotar made the line of defence during the radio programme Hard Talk, which was broadcast on Sunday.
During the programme, it was noted that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) had come under fire for comments made on the campaign trail. Questioned in particular on Jagdeo’s Babu Jaan’s statement, Ramotar in turn asked, “The issue here is, did such a thing happen?”
Referring to the claims Jagdeo made about the opposition riling up communities during the 2011 General and Regional Elections, Ramotar maintained that the events did occur.
“Jagdeo heard about it and I also heard about it; I also heard that they did go on the elections morning into the villages, beating drums and calling people to come out,” Ramotar maintained.
He continued, “So, Jagdeo was reporting what he heard and what was never denied. Before Jagdeo made his statement, it was all over the place and no one ever denied it before. I think they just jumped on it because they wanted the public to get at Jagdeo. But those are things that were reported to me, myself.” However, Jagdeo’s claims only came to light at Babu Jaan and, when this was pointed out to Ramotar, he responded, “It doesn’t matter when it came to light, whether it was true or not, Jagdeo heard it and he chose to repeat it.”
Further, Ramotar was questioned on the responsibility leaders had in repeating information they heard, particularly if that information can incite division.
“It depends. Every circumstance has its own explanation. We can’t have one cut fits all in that regard. Jagdeo was speaking and he was speaking to an audience and he felt in his judgment that he should bring it out. I don’t see anything wrong with that. My own discretion is whether he was manufacturing anything and I can say that he wasn’t because I heard it myself.”
He further stated, “I don’t know if it’s inflammatory; I would say that what was inflammatory is what was done (riling up by the opposition). Not the person who reported it.”
Meanwhile, Ramotar does not believe that Jagdeo’s conduct during the last elections led to the PPP/C losing its majority for the first time since it came into power.
Instead, Ramotar said, other factors led to the party’s poor performance in 2011. He believes that the party’s supporters became overconfident and in turn did not turn out to vote as they believed the PPP/C would have “won the elections in a big way” regardless.
He added that his party had failed to focus on the micro issues affecting communities and had instead focused on the big picture.
He also opined that his party had underestimated at the time what the opposition was doing. Coming back once more to the claims made by Jagdeo about the opposition riling up communities, Ramotar said, “Because they couldn’t compete with us, they had to resort to the type of behaviour they did…so I think those are the contributing factors; I don’t think it had anything to do with Jagdeo’s performance.”
Ramotar also denied that former President Jagdeo was “pulling the strings” behind the scene at the Office of the President.
Ramotar further denied that his party is using fear mongering to garner more votes amongst the electorate and said that he believes his party is in a position to win the upcoming elections.
He added, “I hope that this would be our biggest majority yet.”
In exactly one week, Guyana’s electorate will take to the polls at the 2015 General and Regional Elections to determine the country’s next government.

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Ramotar maintains that Jagdeo was speaking the truth

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