Every act of evil had the official stamp of approval

May 29, 2015 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

The last-minute intervention by Jagdeo’s former common-law wife, Varshnie Singh and Nadira Jagan did not save the PPP from election defeat. Bharrat Jagdeo destroyed the structure and soul of the PPP. There wasn’t anyone who could have saved the PPP in the 2015 election and if he/she intended to do so, then not only Jagdeo had to be demobilized, but the current crop of the PPP hierarchy, too, because they had become Jagdeoite.
Could the PPP have strategized a victory in 2015? I doubt it, because even though one cannot call it a scientific law, absolute power as a destructor is so inevitable that it is almost a scientific law. No possessor of absolute power can save his/her soul. Total domination of a country by authoritarian elite has inevitable consequences, the most common of which is the loss of realty. The history books are filed with countless examples.
Under Mr. Jagdeo’s style of economic development, adopted by Mr. Ramotar, the culture of community politics, which was the fulcrum of PPP’s staying power from the time Jagan lost power in 1964, was abandoned. Jagdeo was the purest of Reaganite economists. He believed that if Guyana was opened up to mega business companies, benefits would trickle down and the poor would be better off
Reaganomics was proven to be a pathetic failure since the late eighties, so that by the time the nineties arrived, Reaganomics was discredited economics. In poor, underdeveloped Guyana, Reaganomics was totally irrelevant. In this approach to economics, both the PPP and Jagdeo were ignominious failures. Community activism suffered because of this reliance on Jagdeo’s approach. The PPP had no time to remain in contact with their grass root constituencies
By the time the 2015 elections came, the PPP could only rely on people in the villages that were paid to do campaign work. And they were not enthusiastic. I saw that for myself. Speaking at a campaign meeting at Strathavon, in Cane Grove, Mahaica, for the coalition, the PPP put five youths at a bus shed right in front of the podium.
They were waving PPP flags. I addressed them directly, enquiring if they didn’t see something wrong with waving flags on a street and in a village that had no lights. They quietly went away. They were probably paid to stand there. This was in stark contrast to parties like the AFC and APNU who attracted people that were willing to do grass root work for free. The abandonment of community interactions is surely not the essential reason the PPP lost the poll. There are deeper explanations, but I mentioned this factor because it showed up graphically during the campaign
The PPP lost because it was a party of leaders without soul and humanity. With the exception of Cheddi Jagan, the PPP monarchs, including Janet Jagan, were people devoid of emotions and care. They were politically cruel people. One should not doubt that in their personal lives they were considerate and love-giving. The history books are replete with details of dictators that were loving parents and spouses. But in the exercise of power, dictators are cruel people.
Whatever silly things the Indian supremacists like Aksharananda, Ryhaan Shah, Asgar Ally, Ravi Dev, Ralph Seeram and others believe of the PNC in Burnham days, the PNC hierarchy were people who were inclined to give you a hearing and be stern with bad-behaved ministers.
The Hoyte administration was the complete opposite to the PPP tyranny. I have seen more sadistic, mean-spirited, heartless, cruel, de-cultured, Philistine, abusive leaders in the PPP hierarchy, than at any time in the Burnham Government. Why the PPP turned out to be the uncaring, brutal, corrupt elites that ran Guyana into the ground cannot be discussed in one column. Over the coming days I will examine the roots of such political bestialities, but suffice it to say, many of the cruelties, pomposities and vindictiveness were totally unnecessary.
The most salient example of the inherent political sadism in the PPP was Ramotar’s open defence of Bheri Ramsaran during an election campaign. Here is a Minister who terribly abused a woman activist saying the nastiest things about her, including getting people to publicly strip her, and in the middle of an election where the president of a country is in a tight race, he goes and defends that Minister.
Why would any sane President do a really silly thing like that? The PPP leadership lost its way under Jagdeo, and every evil act by every PPP mandarin and lesser leaders was given the stamp of approval. Commonsense just wasn’t there.

Latest News

Every act of evil had the official stamp of approval

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | January, 24th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Hayley Matthews and Sherfane Rutherford named in ICC ODI Teams of the...

Future of West Indies Cricket To Take Centre...

Bounty/Antonio’s Grill One Day Season Opener...

Former Upper Demerara Football Administrator and...

Statistician Charwayne Walker expresses...

BCB U15 LCSS ALUMNI Association inter zone U15...

Features/Columnists

Development requires more than oil revenues

OAS Secretary General Election and renewed OAS Consensus

Twilight of the generals

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]

Every act of evil had the official stamp of approval

Share this:

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | January, 24th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]