Rampage of the goats in Guyana

Aug 24, 2010 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

It was Clement Rohee who exclaimed that; “goat ain’t bite me” when referring to the possibility that he may seek the presidential accolade of the PPP for the forthcoming national elections. For those not familiar with Guyanese lingo, “the goat bite me” allegory means that when a goat bites you, there is bad luck to follow in your life.

It means you are henceforth, jinxed.
Rohee is saying that since there is nothing faulty about him, and he is not a victim of bad-luck, then he doesn’t see why he cannot compete to be President of Guyana. For a reaction from this page to Rohee’s unbelievable announcement, see my article; “Mephistophelian, Faustian, Kafkaesque theatre of the absurd,” Monday, Feb 8, 10.
Rohee’s name has been listed with two PPP leaders, Ralph Ramkarran and Donald Ramotar, along with Moses Nagamootoo, as the interested ones for the national poll next year.
Enter the labyrinth of confusion. On the surface, it looks like we have a goat rampage in Guyana, and the marauding devils are held up on Robb Street, outside Freedom House. If these four politicians are vying for the PPP’s presidential slot, then their prospects are looking dim. Goats are biting at their limbs.
The authoritarian train is on a runaway course and the grand contenders are silent. They have to be; goat bite is a bad thing. It leaves you speechless.
Let’s return to the labyrinth of confusion. In which country, with less than ten months before an election, you have the present government persisting with behavioural traits that are egregious, authoritarian and in many instances downright nasty, and the presidential hopefuls are silent?
This just does not make sense. Why should I vote for John Jones who is right up at the top in the party that runs the government and he cannot do anything to stop the oligarchic drives of his President and Ministers, and not a fresh candidate who brings hope, courage and political integrity?
Relevant here is the editorial in yesterday’s Stabroek News. Here is a judgment on Mr. Jagdeo’s presidency; “Given all that has passed, it goes without saying that many of the administration’s policies will be found to have been grotesque and afoul of normative standards of good governance.”
The reason for the editorial is to comment on the impending withdrawal of state placements in the private print media arising out of the assignment of such advertisements to a web site. This is the renewal of the war on the private media, particularly the two independent dailies.
Well alright. Messrs Rohee, Ramkarran and Ramotar did not reinstitute this vindictiveness. But do they agree with it?
What is the role of the PPP in the shaping of government, the direction of governance and the implementation of policies? In which part of the world, the ruling party is at the total command of the person they selected to be the Prime Minister or the President during election time, and who subsequently became the Head of Government?
Look at the garbage crisis. The latest episode occurred when President Jagdeo was in Guyana. On two previous occasions, he was out and there was paralysis at Freedom House. Mr. Jagdeo touched down, paid the contractors and all ended well.
Particular focus should be on Mr. Ralph Ramkarran.

He has achieved the largest focus so far out of the list of presidential hopefuls because of his frequent appearances in the media. But there are two additional factors that need to be highlighted about Mr. Ramkarran. First, he is the third most senior PPP leader at the moment after Harry Nokta and Reepu Daman Persaud.
He is considered above those two because of his role as Speaker of the National Assembly and his legal education. Secondly, Mr. Ramkarran has had a long, intimate relationship with the two founders of the Stabroek News, Messrs. David de Caires and Miles Fitzpatrick.
After the 1992 elections, Mr. Ramkarran’s brother, now an ambassador, joined the law firm of Fitzpatrick and de Caires. Mr. Ralph Ramkarran himself was offered a partnership in the law firm of Cameron and Shepherd, of which de Caires and Fitzpatrick were directors and headed by Mr. Joey King, a close friend of de Caires and Fitzpatrick.

My point is, given the renewed assault of the private media, given his high profile in the
leadership of the ruling party, given his long association with the founders of the Stabroek News, Mr. Ramkarran should tell us where he stands. Who is in charge? One individual, Mr. Jagdeo? Or the PPP? Have the goats overrun Freedom House and have they chewed up the would-be presidents?

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Rampage of the goats in Guyana

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