Moses is my preference, but “the Donald” should prevail

Jul 12, 2008 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

---

I do not know when I ever pretended to be impartial when it comes to the potential Presidential candidates of the ruling People’s Progressive Party. I may have been objective in my analyses, but I am always partial in my preferences.

I have a candidate that I would like to see gain the party’s favour. However, I am objective enough to know that this will not happen. As such, I have to consider other persons who may or may not decide to campaign for the party’s nomination.

So far, no one has thrown his or her hat into the proverbial ring, and it is therefore mere speculation as to who are likely to be in the running.

Of all the possible candidates, I feel that Moses Nagamootoo is best suited to lead Guyana. He is politically experienced, has been in the trenches, has a better grasp of what needs to be done politically to bring about peace, stability and development, and is someone who will attract a huge political following if made the party’s presidential candidate.

Moses Nagamootoo has, however, been sidelined by his party, and is not likely to be given any leverage during the forthcoming Congress.

Only that Congress can reverse his fortunes; but even if he manages to be restored to the party’s leadership, he is not likely to gain the nod for the position of the party’s Presidential candidate for the 2011 elections.

I do not expect Moses to be restored as a member of the Executive Committee of the party. In fact, I believe he will have difficulties in making it into the Central Executive, something that he has never failed to do in the past.

While he is my first choice to lead the PPP into the next elections, I consider him to be an outsider when it comes to the race for the candidacy.

I also do not expect Roger Luncheon or Clement Rohee to be prime candidates. Mr. Ralph Ramkarran I give very little chance of even being considered, despite whatever Bisram’s polls may have said. This is my opinion.

This leaves only two persons who can take up the mantle: Robert Montgomery Persaud and Donald Ramotar.
As I have said before, I believe that the match-up between the two is a no-contest. If Donald Ramotar wants the party nomination, he will have it.

There is no doubt in my mind that only Donald Ramotar can defeat Donald Ramotar. Once he shows a seriousness for the job, it will be handed to him lock, stock and barrel by the party executive.

Bharrat Jagdeo has no say in this matter. He is on his way out and will be a spent political force by the time the 2011 elections come around.

From his record, I believe that whoever is chosen as the party’s Presidential candidate would wish to keep as far away from him as possible.

The PPP Presidential candidate has to be someone that embraces a new form of politics. Guyana needs someone who can be serious about the things Jagdeo has been preaching about but slow on implementing.

They need someone who is willing to move forward on making Parliament a much more inclusionary body, someone who can be accommodative and receptive to the concerns of the opposition without being a weak leader; someone who has fire in their backbone and tenderness in their heart; someone who is willing to reduce State domination of the media and allow the opposition to have a greater say in the affairs of the country; and, most importantly, someone with a new economic and social vision.

Quite honestly, the Jagdeo experiment in these areas has been a disaster. Guyana needs someone who is willing to listen and consider alternative models for economic and social development. President Jagdeo was an experiment in youth by the ruling party.

This experiment has not worked. He has proven that what Guyana needs more than ever within the highest office is not inexperience but rather wisdom, a wisdom that comes from understanding the workings of the party from a deep involvement with the leaders and cadres on the ground, and someone who at the minimum has some understanding of economics.

For all of these reasons, and considering that so far no one has thrown his or her hat into the race for the party nomination, I feel that it boils down to The Donald, since I do not believe that Moses will be able to return from the wilderness in time to be considered.

I anticipate that there will be changes to the old guard at the forthcoming Congress, but that the leadership in general will remain intact to allow for a virtually unchanged Executive Committee of the party.

Unless the Congress opts to institute a mechanism to select the party Presidential candidate, something that I am hoping it does, then the decision as to who will lead the party into the 2011 polls will remain with the Central Executive.

And once it remains with this body, and The Donald is interested in the post, it will be his for the taking.
I have noted the comment that the political battle field is littered with the bones of good politicians.

I never said The Donald was good; I said that there are many decent persons within the PPP, but none more so than The Donald.

In my heart I believe he is a decent human being. Whether someone wants to consider that as being good is another matter.

---

---