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The limiting of a president to two terms

Feb 19, 2010 Letters

Dear Editor,
Both in the media and in Parliament, President Jagdeo is being attacked for his travels abroad.
At first blush those travels do appear excessive but I have so far seen no attempts made to remember that he is a responsible person in a very responsible position, and to discover whether there may be any undisclosed reasons which may redound to the national interest that impel him to travel so much.
I will try to take a look at the problem from this perspective, and I begin by saying I think it is all rooted in that constitutional limitation that ties down a president to only two terms.
That limitation may be good for a president reaching his end of days, but for a young man yet in his forties at the height of his popularity and in the prime of manhood it has negative consequences.
On the personal level it could bring his productive life to a premature end, and on the national level, with the present almost extreme generosity of the pensions and other perquisites accruing to retired presidents, a great and unfair burden could be placed upon this poor nation to support in affluence four or five comparatively young presidents in retirement. It is happening in the USA and it could happen here.
I believe President Jagdeo saw this problem and has been wrestling with it. His first choice was to continue in office as President, and to that end with genteel circumspection he has been directing much of his energies.
I think this need to be said of President Jagdeo. He is a go-getter. He sets his mind on something he wants and he goes all out to get it. In the beginning there were seemingly insuperable obstacles in his way to a Third Term. His Party was against the idea and he needed the support of a hostile opposition for necessary constitutional amendments.
Now it is believed he has tamed both the tiger and the crocodile.  The people in his Party who matters are in his hands and the Leader of the Opposition is drooling for the promised prize.
The Third Term is there for the taking, but now he does not want it.
His eyes are filled with a greater vision which has diluted his taste for the Third Term, so there will be no Third Term, there will be no shared governance, at least not any time soon..
I postulate that new vision in the President’s eyes and his go-getting disposition are deeply responsible for all those travelling. To give substance to that new vision he has to know the world and become known to world leaders, he has to be on friendly and easy terms with them and with other great ones around the world, he has to be seen to be championing some great cause that will benefit all mankind, he has to be seen to be a seasoned diplomat with good character, a presentable appearance, a perfect command of the English language, and a reasonably close association with academia. I think Bharrat Jagdeo is working very hard on that, and in most cases is already there, because Mr. Editor, he has set his mind upon succeeding Mr. Ban Ki-Moon to become the next Secretary General of the United Nations! He is as qualified as any of the holders of that office, he is serendipitous and could very well succeed, and would Guyana be proud if he does? So should they let him travel around a bit?
At this point further I say not.Those fraudulent agreements of sale
Kumar D. Doobay

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