IT’S ‘THE DONALD’’S TIME

Aug 01, 2008 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

The centre of attraction for tomorrow’s 29th Congress of the People’s Progressive Party will for the first time in a long time not be Bharrat Jagdeo. All eyes instead will be on ‘The Donald’.

So long as the PPP does not elect a leader of the party and so long as the Congress does not agree to a mechanism other than the Executive Committee to decide on who will be the party’s presidential candidate for the 2011 elections, it is virtually assured that ‘The Donald’ will lead the PPP into the next election.

Once the decision is left to either the Central Committee or the Executive Committee, ‘The Donald’ will get the nod.

There is no way that either grouping will select any other person than ‘The Donald’ for the job. ‘The Donald’ will get the job because he is the most likeable and agreeable of persons within the leadership of the party.

There are persons within the leadership who are both liked and disliked by their peers. But it is safe to say that there is no person within either the Central Executive or the Executive Committee who has any animosity with ‘The Donald’.

Everybody likes ‘The Donald’. I do not think there has ever been anyone within the PPP who has been as liked as ‘The Donald’.

For this reason, I believe he is by far the most popular member of the PPP and someone who will receive country-wide support by all PPP groups.

You couldn’t, of course, want a better candidate. As I said before, there are a lot of decent persons within the PPP but none more decent than ‘The Donald’.

He is also someone that you can negotiate with in good faith. You know when he gives you his word that he will stick to it and will not backpedal.

‘The Donald’ is also someone who can take criticism without becoming vindictive. He has thick skin and does not hold grudges against people.

He gets along excellently with persons both within and outside of the party. This latter quality makes him a very good choice to be his party’s presidential candidate.

I am sure however that the last thing on ‘The Donald’’s mind this weekend will be this issue as to who will lead the party into the next elections.

‘The Donald’ is such an unselfish person, he is so committed to the PPP and its future that so long as it is in the interest of the party, he would step aside for the sake of the party.

I cannot say that for a great many others, some of whom are so obsessed with power that they have failed to ask themselves whether they have earned the right to lead the party into the next elections. ‘The Donald’ is someone who has been around a long time.

He has paid his dues and is the most suitable person after Moses Nagamootoo to take over the leadership. But I am equally sure that if it is ever found that such a move will affect the party, ‘The Donald’ will be the first person to drop out of the race.

‘The Donald’ is also, I believe, the person who in light of what has happened to Moses, must lead the PPP. The PPP must by now realize that it needs someone to give direction to the party.

Now without an official ideology, the PPP needs to be identified with a leader that can unite and cement the party and take it safely out of the turbulent waters that it has found itself because of the storm clouds that have developed under the Presidency of Bharrat Jagdeo.

‘The Donald’ I believe has the personality, the experience, the ability and the goodwill to achieve this task.
The delegates of the Congress should therefore listen very carefully to what he has to say.

His will be the most pivotal address at the Congress. Not only because he has to deliver the General Secretary’s report but also because he is the person with the ability to listen and guide the delegates as to where the party needs to be going to redeem itself after the embarrassment and the loss of support it suffered because of an inept government that for this year alone has been unable to prevent three mass murders in the space of six months.

The PPP has problems on its hands. People are fed up with the high cost of living and the threat to their physical safety. They do not want to hear anymore about what is causing what.

They want relief and this is not forthcoming. The effects are that on the ground the party is losing support.
‘The Donald’ I believe can turn this around. He has the integrity and trustworthiness that it takes.

He is a known quantity within the party and those who have the power to change things know that they are in safe hands with ‘The Donald’. He can ensure that the future of the party is secure.