Today was supposed to be the mother of all debates

Apr 20, 2011 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

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Today was the scheduled time for the presidential debate at UG between Messrs Granger, Ramjattan and Ramotar. The first two indicated that April 20 was fine for them although in the initial stages Mr. Granger had advised that he had a prior engagement on that particular day. He later agreed to today’s timing. It was Donald Ramotar who said that he could not be available on April 20.
Messrs Granger and Ramjattan seem eager for the encounter with the PPP presidential candidate and from what I gathered would be disposed to meet with Mr. Ramotar at Mr. Ramotar’s convenience. The organizers are in possession of a letter by Mr. Robert Persaud which states that Mr. Ramotar could only be available in May.
I have suggested to the chief organizer of the event that he communicates with Mr. Persaud or Ramotar to get specific dates. If the two gentlemen read this I hope a set of dates could be forwarded to the conveners with immediate effect.
Interesting to note was the letter signed by Robert Persaud. Is Mr. Persaud the PPP’s campaign manager? He has to be. Why would he sign on behalf of Mr. Ramotar? Why not Mr. Ramotar himself or his secretary? Analysts would want to put some meaning to this development. It is generally known that Persaud and the President are very close. What is known, also, is that the President was in favour of Ramotar getting the nomination.
The President has appeared at the three delegates’ conferences of the PPP that sought the endorsement of Ramotar. He spoke at all three meetings.
The opinion making the rounds is that Mr. Ramotar is being shaped by Mr. Jagdeo. That may not be true but that is a perception out there. Now we have Robert Persaud in the thick of things. This can only heighten the suspicion that Ramotar is indeed being managed by Mr. Jagdeo.
Let us return to the prospects of the three-man debate. I doubt very much Mr. Ramotar will attend. Let me say emphatically, Mr. Ramotar will not show up. Any bets on that?
Mr. Jagdeo contested two elections and absolutely refused to participate in a free, open, live, discussion with his opponents. He avoided it in 2001 and again in 2006. There was only once in his twelve-year reign that Mr. Jagdeo agreed to an encounter. That was his call to Robert Corbin to debate the economy.
Mr. Corbin declined on the grounds that the exchange must not be confined to one subject-matter. In a country where politics permeates even the bedroom of citizens it was foolish for Mr. Jagdeo to ask the Opposition Leader to leave out power and politics in a head-on confrontation.
The permanent dilemma in Guyana is the unwieldy and authoritarian exercise of power. Why then should analysis on how power is managed not be part of any open discussion among politicians?
Mr. Ramotar will not go because no matter how brave and self-assured he is, he will encounter the formidability that Mr. Jagdeo was scared of. How can anyone defend the PPP’s 19 years of scandal-hit rule? Mr. Jagdeo knew he couldn’t do it in 2006.
He knew he couldn’t do it with Christopher Ram at the Cultural Centre a few months back. In any public encounter with other contenders, Mr. Ramotar simply would not have the answers for so many questions.
That he will essay some explanations to some difficult inquiries is not the point. The test is whether he can survive the barrage of demands that will be made upon him.
The brutal reality is that he does not have those answers and will either have to say he does not know or will give responses that will bring ridicule. The simple truth is that no PPP leader, whether it is Mr. Ramotar or other names of the list, can sustain intense interrogation on the long period of hegemony of the PPP.
One must always remember that the PPP’s domination is not nine months, 19 months or nine years, but 19 years.
You count up the levels of corruption, the manifestations of terrible policies, the occasions of horrible use of power, the mountains of incompetence, the periods of prolonged excesses, never-ending episodes of favouritism and incestuousness, and the long nights of discrimination, and that will drown even the most chivalrous of PPP leaders.
It won’t be Mr. Ramotar’s decision alone not to attend. It will be a unanimous judgement of the Freedom House machinery. To go to that debate is to commit political suicide.

Publisher’s note: It is not and has never been the policy of this newspaper to condone attacks on people’s children. Yesterday’s column by Freddie Kissoon involved the birth of two children and this should not have been.
From as far back as he has been writing he has been warned by me to desist. The editors have also have been repeatedly advised of my position in this regard. There will be no further warning.
The newspaper apologises to the parents of these children.

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