How can President Ramotar be so careless and insensitive?

Jul 29, 2012 Letters

Dear Editor,
It was at the end of the rally last Friday evening when we learned that President Ramotar was scheduled to come the next morning. None of us at that time saw the Government press statement on the visit. After a stop at the LEAP office, we were heading back to Georgetown when the press release was read out to us. Everyone present there including me, Dr. David Hinds, Nigel Hughes, Fitz Ralph and Lincoln Lewis could not believe what we were hearing
It was clear to all of us that President Ramotar is not in control of his presidency or does not know anything at all about politics. First, when the rally was about to conclude, the chairman brought back Sharma Solomon to announced to the attendees (I would put that rally at fifteen thousand) that President Ramotar nor his aides directly communicated with him and that he was not the one to issue the invitation for Saturday morning
That generated enormous anger among the people. You had to be there to see it. This was messy protocol that hardly obtains in the rest of the world. The commonsensical thing to do is to inform Solomon about the visit and inquire if that would be a suitable time. This is what governments do. Sharma Solomon has emerged as the charismatic leader of the Linden protest movement and if he told the crowd he didn’t know about the visit it will obviously be difficult for the visit to be smooth
Secondly and most disastrously, the press release was written in command language that was most foolish, insensitive and bordered on stupidity. Part of it said that Mr. Solomon is expected to cooperate. Even a school boy would have penned it to say that the Government would wish or hope that it receives the cooperation of Mr. Solomon.
Thirdly, and this is the section that demonstrates the bankruptcy of the politics of the PPP. The end of the press release stated that the joint forces have been instructed to remove all blockades using all the necessary means. The people of Linden are grieving at the cold blooded murder of three protestors and the injury to more than 20 of their colleagues. They have set up roads blocks to vent their anger and President Ramotar, without informing their leader issues a command for the blockades to be cleared forthwith.
The stupid thing about that edict is the humiliation it contains for the people of Linden and they would not accept it. There is a complication. Even if the leadership had agreed to the security forces clearing the roads, the people manning the barricades would have had to agree and I doubt they would have. If anyone in the LEAP building that night had any contact with the government we would have logically inform Ramotar not to go to Linden because he had been rejected because of his dictatorial press release. The ignorance of the PPP led to a huge embarrassment for Ramotar. Force was used to cart off the blocking items, and protest- anger split out of control. The bulldozer was surrounded and what were removed were immediately put back

Why did this happen? Two reasons explain it. First, the PPP intends to fight the Guyanese people because they felt that the November elections result was a rejection by the PPP and they will not accept an opposition parliamentary opposition. It means opposition requests and agendas will be vigorously opposed. The second reason is that so intoxicated with power, the PPP, especially a certain former resident who is advising Ramotar, is not going to accept that they have to listen to other stakeholders. There was not even a shred of reflection of what is taking place in Guyana and Linden when the decision of the removal of the blockades was taken. It was dictators saying to reach other. “Get the army and police to remove the blockades; who these Lindeners think they are.” Well, the Lindeners showed them what they, the Lindeners are made of.
My advice to Bharrat Jagdeo and Donald Ramotar is that you have to negotiate with the people of Linden with respect due from the side of the Government. If you go in with Luncheon’s motto (comrade you know who you are talking to, we are the ruling party), you will be defeated as you were on Saturday morning. My second piece of advice as someone who knows what the Linden people want is that there must be two immediate policies – the electricity hike must be abrogated and Mr. Clement Rohee must face a criminal investigation. I may be wrong but that is the way I see it as someone who has been on the ground in Linden
Frederick Kissoon

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