Ramotar’s first 100 days were not inspirational

Mar 11, 2012 Letters

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Dear Editor,
In just a few days we will mark the 100th day of the Ramotar Presidency.  The first 100 days have gained significance as that point in an administration’s history where pundits and political scientists gauge the progress and test the political pulse of the leadership (the president).
As an interested observer I must say that the first 100 days of the Ramotar presidency have been uneventful. It is clear that this President is not an inspirational figure and so far exhibits all the qualities of a weak leader, unsure of his next steps and definitely not his own man.
For those who feel that I may have an axe to grind because I supported Brigadier David Granger in the last election, let us take a look at some very inconvenient truths. The November elections in large part was a referendum on the Jagdeo Presidency; corruption, government control of the air waves, and the PPPC promotion of Indian Triumphalism. After the first 100 days these are still political hot button issues with no relief on the horizon for the concerned constituencies, and the President has shown no leadership so far on any of these issues.
Region Ten which went in a landslide for the opposition APNU is still without an alternative to the government controlled NCN. The people of that Region spoke very clearly that they were dissatisfied with the current status quo; after 100 days there is no change.
It was very obvious in the run-up to the election campaign that Guyana was suffering from Jagdeo fatigue. After twelve years of political mismanagement and an abrasive personal style that alienated anyone that was not in his personal circle; (even some in his own ranks had had enough), there was a need for change.
When Donald Ramotar was installed as President, there was an expectation that he would install his own team, thus breathing new life into the political leadership of the country. After all, fifty-two percent of the electorate had rejected the PPPC and Jagdeoism, yet Mr. Ramotar chose to return almost intact the Jagdeo Cabinet and retain the staff at the Office of the President, many of whom were (and continue to be) political lighting rods.
This was the first of many disquieting moves that led many to believe that Ramotar was not in full control of his administration.
The second was the Henry Greene rape allegation; Greene, a very unpopular Police Commissioner, had been retained by President Jagdeo even though he had passed the age of retirement.
Days after being installed as President the Police Commissioner was accused of rape. Instead of seizing the opportunity of sending Mr. Greene into retirement and choosing his own Commissioner, Mr. Ramotar chose not to sever ties with Greene. Another hot button issue on the campaign trail was President Jagdeo’s exorbitantly bloated pension package. Both of the opposition parties the AFC and APNU swore that this albatross would be removed from necks of the Guyanese taxpayers.
After 100 days there is no movement on this issue even though under the new dispensation the opposition holds a one vote majority in Parliament and the opposition leadership is engaged in tripartite talks with the Executive.
Corruption, which has become a national way of life, continues unabated. President Ramotar in the first 100 days has given lip service to this cancer, but has done absolutely nothing, and continues to cuddle and associate with many of the known perpetrators, some of whom enjoy his full confidence.
In the first 100 days the Guyana Police Force remains an agency in flux. Badly in need of new leadership, training, retooling, reorganization, and increased remuneration, the force continues to be in crisis.
Speaking at the annual officers’ conference President Ramotar addressed many of the problems but failed to offer the substantive blue-print necessary to turn this agency around.
These first 100 days have been a disappointment, for the elections offered so much promise, and this new President was given such a clear mandate by the electorate. President Ramotar has been silent on so many pertinent issues that one wonders if he fully understands the magnitude of his office and the “Bully Pulpit” that office affords him.
In a nation fractured by ethnic mistrust, he has chosen to fan the flames of race with his unfortunate remarks about the opposition rigging the election. With more than 60 per cent of his support coming from impoverished rural households he is silent on this issue.
The PPPC promised on the stump to turn GuySuCo around, but judging by the many strikes and the government’s reaction to this industrial action it is clear that the workers interest is not paramount in these negotiations.
Georgetown, the seat of government, continues to be a garbage city; solid waste management and coastal water management continue to baffle the “experts”. There are many who fear that the President is being unduly influenced by the Jagdeoites in his inner circle and yielding to their darker motives, others feel that Donald Ramotar is just not a transformational leader and we should not expect too much.
Judging by what has transpired so far my fear is that he is somewhere in between; a man struggling with the office and surrounded by mediocrity. It would be easy for me to give a failing grade at this juncture, but there is still time so I give the President an ‘Incomplete’.
Mark Archer

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