Donald Ramotar: The Nigam moment versus the historic moment

May 27, 2014 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

Donald Ramotar is inching his way to three years of his Presidency. In all the countries in the world, editors, analysts, commentators, scholars would take a look at the achievements or barren record of a Prime Minister or President after two years of incumbency.
In a country like Guyana where the economics of poverty, the sociology of race, the backwardness of technology and the politics of zero sum games make for a troubled and volatile nation, a new governmental leader is always on the radar of every member of the population. The expectations are pyrotechnically high. As he creeps towards his three year, what is incandescently glowing about the presidency of Donald Ramotar?
Let us avoid a monosyllabic answer and look at his record. In the area of freedoms and liberties, Ramotar has no points ahead of Bharrat Jagdeo, perhaps the most failed leader of a government in the English speaking West Indies. But there are differences in styles between Jagdeo and Ramotar.
Here is a glaring moment that highlights the banality of Ramotar as a leader as juxtaposed with Jagdeo. When asked at a press conference what has happened to the report into financial wrongdoing at NCN, Mr. Ramotar stumbled so badly that in the world arena, the press and the rest of society would have hounded him out of office.
Here are the words of a man that for this columnist indicate the tragic emptiness of leadership. Ramotar told the journalist; “I wasn’t prepared for that question.” No leader knows what a reporter will ask him/her but your mind has to be expansive, and you must be thinking on your feet all the time because that it what leadership is all about, nothing more, nothing less.
If Putin is answering questions on the Ukraine and you ask him about global warming, he would never say, “I wasn’t prepared for that.” If Obama is fielding question on Russia and you ask him about the Hilary Clinton 2012 presidential bid, he would never say, “I wasn’t prepared for such a question.” He would answer it. Answering questions that are unanticipated is a reflex process that leaders know they must possess.
But more than this, a leader can respond to any unanticipated question using the route of commonsense.
Here is what any other Head would have told that reporter. It goes something like this; “I haven’t taken a look at it as yet though I should have done so. But pressing engagements have stood in the way. I have it on mind and will do so shortly.” The most the journalist can follow up with is to ask what does “shortly” mean.
I am absolutely convinced that Jagdeo would not have tripped up like that.
Here is another example that makes you want to believe that Ramotar is without leadership qualities. In August last year, Mr. Ramotar in delivering the General Secretary’s report to his party’s congress in Port Mourant, confessed that the Jagdeo libel suit against me and this newspaper cost the PPP some votes.
In April 2011, Ramotar became the PPP’s presidential candidate. In June of that year, the libel hearing started with just a preliminary round. Ramotar had all the time in the world to stop the process without incurring any type of substantial cost because the case had not started in a major way. My lawyer Nigel Hughes was generous to the PPP Government by informing Anil Nandlall that the case would be so explosive and that he should reflect on if he wants to go ahead.
Only when the damage was done to the PPP election campaign, that Ramotar knew the libel was a mistake. Is that a thinking leader?
Ramotar raised his voice during his keynote address at the 59th anniversary of UG and appealed to the opposition and critics of his government not to let opposing ideas paralyze the nation, and that each idea should be tried. To date, Ramotar has ignored every conceivable idea of the opposition and sections of civil society that are critical.
For me, Ramotar enjoys the presidency as long as there are more Nigam moments as when he sang on stage with the Indian singer, when he had an embrace with the American R&B performer, John Legend, when he meets the crowds at cricket or the opening of a Hindu temple or Muslim mosque.
He will live out his presidency.

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