The Bheri Ramsaran farewell

Apr 30, 2015 Editorial

Bheri Ramsaran has been the subject of much discussion and the object of derision for the past two weeks. Every Guyanese who could hold a pen or access a computer had his say on the abuse Ramsaran meted out to a woman protestor at Whim. Ramsaran himself had left his desk in the city to protest in support of former President Bharrat Jagdeo.
As a candidate in the upcoming polls, many people who served as Ministers would go out on the campaign trail because they all need to secure their bread and butter. Nothing can be more important than saving one’s paycheck. Matters of state would have to wait.
Bheri Ramsaran must have been more aware than most, especially since this was not the first report of untoward behaviour against him and certainly not his first abrasive brush with women. He was not immune to scandals and the administration was aware of his various misdeeds. But such is the close relationship between the administration and its party members that invariably, ranks would close and incidents against members of the public would be glossed over.
Yesterday, President Donald Ramotar relieved him of his duties after criticisms from every diplomat in Guyana and from every corner of civil society. That it took the President two weeks to act is significant. President Ramotar had met with him earlier and had actually chided him. Left to him, President Ramotar would have considered that to be the end of the matter. He was not allowed to do so.
This just goes to show that the government would only react to intense pressure. Ramsaran was at the centre of a scandal involving a young girl whose mother had allowed him to give the girl a lift. It is reported that after whatever happened between Ramsaran and the girl, someone gave the mother compensation in the form of cash. The government also gave her land.
This was the same Ramsaran who had threatened to burn down the New Amsterdam Hospital because he was peeved.
One can only assume that the fact that Ramsaran was costing the party crucial votes, that President Ramotar called him in on Tuesday and relieved him of the duties of Minister of Health. He had been the talking point in every community, and women were beginning to walk away from the party. President Ramotar must now ponder whether his action came a little too late.
There is a school of thought that Bheri Ramsaran was relieved of his duties because this is the election season. And this may very well be the case because the government has never been known to bow to public opinion. It did not do so when Kellawan Lall discharged his firearm in public and attracted the attention of the police; it did not do so when one of its advisors was fingered in a smuggling probe; and it did not do so when some members of the government were fingered in acts of corruption.
But be that as it may, there are other indiscretions occurring at this time. For example, former President Bharrat Jagdeo, on the campaign trail, with the support of his party made some inflammatory statements. Not only did he invoke race and was soundly condemned, but he also objected to the condemnation.
To crown it all, his party also joined in the attack against the Media Monitoring Unit for daring to condemn Jagdeo. Ramotar remained silent amidst all this in support of what his party does. It may be that he feels compelled to protect his followers whom he would conclude, actually fought the Burnham real or imagined dictatorship.
Perhaps these things should be the stepping stone to a new relationship with the public. The political opposition has caught the attention of the public, because of the desire to see an end to race politics and the winner take all politics.
Ramotar should have demonstrated such seriousness instead of rejecting approaches by the political opposition. Cheddi Jagan did make an attempt to the point of accepting the office of Prime Minister in the Forbes Burnham administration.

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