Jagdeo has his work cut out for him

Aug 15, 2015 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
Bharrat Jagdeo, the PPP/C opposition leader is no stranger to controversy. The 49 percent of the Guyanese population that placed their faith in the PPP/C, witnessed an election campaign in which opposition elements were more intent on focusing on Jagdeo’s political legacy, rather than President Ramotar’s. Despite the excesses his party is accused of committing while in office, and notwithstanding his status in the international community, Jagdeo is probably the only person currently in the opposition, who possesses a wealth of accrued knowledge of the intimate workings of government. Presumably, he is well aware of what needs to be done to put his party back on the winning track.
Whether Jagdeo is capable of overcoming the hurdles he faces as Opposition Leader will depend upon a number of key factors. Public perception of Jagdeo is of a person who abused his political power while in office. The popular belief is that he was able to “Putinize” the lackluster short-lived Ramotar presidency.
Jagdeo will have to reconstruct the party, as well as his own personal image to overcome a public perception of him as a vindictive and arrogant leader – clearly not an easy task. If the coalition continues to demonize him, his loyal supporters may rally around him. Guyanese politicians, given our “macho” politics, are reluctant to apologize for political mistakes. An acknowledgement by Jagdeo of excesses committed by the PPP while in government will probably go a long way towards political redemption. There is the possibility too that the coalition may fumble in the years ahead, given the multitude of pressing social, economic and political issues confronting the new government. Jagdeo is well read on the Guyanese economy, and given his gubernatorial experience, he is likely to exact political capital from the coalition’s shortcomings.
Jagdeo’s immediate task should be to help reconstruct the PPP and groom youngsters in its ranks to become future party, as well as national leaders. The PPP is in need of professional, career-oriented leaders who can transform the party into a more professional and democratic organization. Ideally, Guyana will be transformed into an institutionalized democracy when political parties have limited tenure in office and when there is a reasonable expectation that regime change will not be accompanied by ethnic violence or insecurity.
More importantly, Jagdeo should reconsider the party’s ideology and establish whether the PPP is going to be a “working class party” or a “party of Indians”. If the party continues to define itself as a “multiracial” working class party, it will have to genuinely accommodate all ethnic groups in its leadership ranks and avoid “tokenism”, as was the case with its recent Prime Ministerial candidate. The PNC was able to shed its negative image as an “African” party, as a “minority” party, and, as a “party of violence” by entering into a coalition with other parties, while reigning in street protests when Granger led the opposition. If Jagdeo defines the PPP as a party of Indians, then the PPP is accepting a willingness to pursue the politics of rapprochement with other ethnic groups (Africans, Amerindians). Such a move in the direction of a “consociational arrangement” (not the same as power-sharing) will represent a quantum leap from the current political equation.
Indians, the majority of whom voted for the PPP, should ask themselves if Jagdeo is the right person to represent their interests, at least in the short term. Alternatively, they should look towards establishing a new political party that caters to their interests.
Baytoram Ramharack

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