Moses Nagamootoo withdraws from PPP/C

Oct 21, 2011 News

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…says clique bulldozed him out of leadership  

Pull Quote: “I hold dearly his (Jagan) great ideals for a free and democratic Guyana where leaders ought to be judged by character, integrity and honesty,”

With Nomination Day drawing closer, it now seems as if the proverbial writing is on the wall as People’s Progressive Party (PPP) long time supporter and stalwart Moses Nagamootoo says that he is currently in the final stages of a complete withdrawal from the party he once called home.
Nagamootoo, in an exclusive interview with this publication on Wednesday, said that he feels as though he has been “bulldozed” out of the leadership of the party, calling “sidelined” a mild word.
According to the veteran politician and former Minister of Information, he had for some time now informed the PPP/C General Secretary that he would be withdrawing himself and would not be on the list of Candidates, neither would he be a part of the campaign in the 2011 General and Regional Elections.
Nagamootoo says that he has been in withdrawal mode ever since the conclusion of the 2006 election and had been distancing himself from several of the party’s various processes.

He said that the party he embraced in the past is a far cry from what it is today adding that a clique has seized control of the party. Nagamootoo opined that there has been a total subversion of the internal democracy by the group that has betrayed the principles.
He insists that he holds dear to his heart the principles of the late Dr. Cheddi Jagan and considers himself a staunch ‘Jaganite’ and “I will always remain a Jaganite,” but many like him that are in the party are gravely disappointed with what has evolved today.
“This is not the party I used to know,” Nagamootoo told this publication as he recalled some of the principles, great dreams and expectations that have been instilled in party members such as himself, by the late Former President and PPP founder.
“I hold dearly his (Dr. Jagan’s) great ideals for a free and democratic Guyana where leaders ought to be judged by character, integrity and honesty,” Nagamootoo reiterated.
Only recently the former Personal Assistant to President Bharrat Jagdeo and PPP/C stalwart now defector, Rajendra Nauth Bissesar told media operatives that several members of the party who have held on to the Cheddi Jagan ideology and principles have been sidelined in the party and are being disenfranchised.
Bissesar who had minutes before dropped the bombshell that he had diverted to the camp of the Alliance for Change (AFC) says that in paying attention to the pandering of the PPP/C during the rallies, individuals should reflect on those absent from the stage.
The former PPP/C supporter was at the time making specific references to Nagamootoo, who the AFC Prime Ministerial Candidate Raphael Trotman revealed they are in talks with to have him join the camp.
Bissesar expressed the opinion that Nagamootoo, his long time friend is seriously considering the political move and he very well may crossover.
Nagamootoo told this publication that he could not speak for or amplify on what Bissesar had said, but he did point out that he is sure that there are many others that consider themselves ‘Jaganites” who are disappointed with the way in which the party has been progressing.
Nagamootoo while not wanting at this point to speculate on his political future, and the offer that has been made by Trotman, did say that he is at the point in his life where he is looking to bring closure to one (PPP/C) aspect of his life.
He will have to formally clarify to the PPP/C where his allegiance is very soon however.
This was confirmed by PPP/C spokesperson Robert Persaud who says that while the party has not approached Nagamootoo as yet, the recent pronouncements in the public arena would warrant such an exercise.
Persaud told this newspaper that the party has not been advised by Nagamootoo as to any changes relating to his political allegiance, but is sure that this matter will be sorted out soon.
Nagamootoo’s allegiance to the PPP/C has been in question for some time now and took a complex twist recently when Trotman had indicated that they were in talks with him to have him cross over to their camp.
As recent as Wednesday, Trotman said that the AFC’s offer is still on the table for Nagamootoo and they are awaiting word from him on his future plans.
According to Trotman, Nagamootoo is of national worth and is indicative of the ilk and calibre of persons that the party is looking to attract.
Jagdeo’s former long time assistant Bissesar at the time of speaking about the party’s internal difficulties had also said that close attention should be paid to the other persons missing from the rallies such as Navin Chandarpal, Komal Chand and Ralph Ramkarran.
Chandarpal who up to recently was President Jagdeo’s Advisor on Energy and Climate Change affairs was fired due to differences between the two which was publicly vented on numerous occasions.
Ralph Ramkarran, the Speaker of the National Assembly up until its dissolution recently and a highly respected Senior Counsel, is also conspicuously absent from the PPP/C rallies and the electorate, particularly the supporters of the ruling administration, must be cognizant of this development and the reasons behind it, Bissesar emphasized.
Komal Chand has been a vociferous advocate of Sugar Workers’ rights through his post as President of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union, and has recently been at loggerheads with the administration over the struggling industry.
Bissesar told media operatives that with the ascension of the late Cheddi Jagan to the office of president, the supporters of the PPP and the country at large had witnessed calm with a lean, clean government. This he said has changed and has worsened ever since the last general election in 2006 where Head of State Bharrat Jagdeo was re-elected.
He said too that as a critic of what had begun to happen in the internal structure of the PPP he had begun to feel the brunt of marginalization and after 35 years found that he could not get back into the Central Committee of the party.
Bissesar claimed that this was achieved through the manipulation of the internal election of the PPP at its Congress.
The former Jagdeo aide says that not only has the content of the PPP been changed over the years but there has been a gross, generalized marginalization of those who aspired to the principles of Dr Cheddi Jagan.
He urged persons to recall that there has been no election in recent years where Moses Nagamootoo was not the person introducing the Presidential Candidate of the party.

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