Donald Ramotar’s worn out game

Jan 28, 2014 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

There are many things that Donald Ramotar wants. But behind all these wants is a game. It is an old stratagem. In the end the ancient trick ends up embarrassing the game-inventor who thinks that he has invented something marvelously subtle and creative. Mr. Ramotar’s game is essentially made of words.
Sadly for Mr. Ramotar none of his advisors have warned him that if a leader keeps talking, keeps promising and doesn’t deliver, he ends looking foolish in the eyes of all. It would appear Mr. Ramotar learnt nothing from his hypocritical outburst at a speech he gave at an event to observe the 50th anniversary of UG.
He told his audience that the different ideas that the PPP and the opposition have should not serve to divide the nation because all we have to do is try the ideas and see if they work. If they don’t at least they were tried.
The highlight of that pretence was when he raised his voice and shouted, “But for Christ’s sake, don’t let the different ideas paralyze us.”
The man has not tried any idea from any quarter outside of the PPP since he made that exclamation. Since then Guyana is still in paralysis over the failure of the Ramotar presidency to acknowledge any idea from any opposition group, from any governmental critic much less attempt to implement any such idea. Not deterred by his double standards, Ramotar is at it again.
He would like to have the press to be present at the hearing of the parliamentary select committee on the anti-money laundering Bill to avoid “dem seh/he seh.” Although I support the press being at every select committee of Parliament, someone should tell Mr. Ramotar that a long time ago a machine was invented – the tape recorder. It prevents “dem seh/he seh.” So I go to a meeting you, and my colleague puts a tape recorder on the table where you sit, your colleague does the same. Everything will be recorded and if an erasure occurs you can tell who did it.
But Mr. Ramotar thinks he is smart. The press will be admitted but the government side will object to the discussion being debated. So when the private media quotes a PPP member of the select committee as confusing Dominica with the Dominican Republic, the very Ramotar and his fellow apparatchiks will deride the private media as he did with the report on Colwyn Harding.
The Chronicle will be called upon to say the private media lied. We will wait to see if the PPP will agree for the proceedings to be recorded.
Mr. Ramotar doesn’t mind if there is an independent inquiry into the accusation that Colwyn Harding was sodomized by the police with a baton. But would Mr. Ramotar and the PPP agree that the people who will sit on the committee are independent? My bet is they will not. But Mr. Ramotar will believe that he won because he went public and proclaimed his acceptance of an independent investigation.
Mr. Ramotar’s track record on this is graphic. The Government refused to accept as independent the initial names put forward by Region Ten for the three committees that were set up as part of the agreement to end the Linden unrest of 2012.
Next Mr. Ramotar agrees to sit down with the Public Service Union to discuss salary increases for 2014. But he gave himself away. In announcing what he thinks is a democratic concession, he made a big slip up. He said the Government will give public servants what the State can afford. This is where the talks will break down and Mr. Ramotar will proclaim victory.
He will reject what the GPSU wants, call the union unreasonable and tell the nation that he was not at fault because he did agree to negotiate.
Next, Mr. Ramotar is willing to sit down with the opposition parties to go through their points on the 2014 budget. One can’t help describing Mr. Ramotar as a funny fellow. We had two budget wars, yet over one year ago the 2014 budget went into preparation and only at the end of January in 2014 when budget time is around the corner, does Mr. Ramotar want to talk with the opposition.
One is tempted to ask him if he was in the country from April to December 2013 when his Finance Ministry was preparing the 2014 budget.
Finally, Mr. Ramotar returned the Ombudsman to Guyana. But this columnist predicts that the Ombudsman will be completely ignored when he has to get relevant documents from the Government of Guyana. Roger, the slow talker, will not allow it!

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Donald Ramotar’s worn out game

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