Ramotar hides the reasons for the PPP defeat

Nov 16, 2015 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

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In a media interview on the 2015 election loss, Donald Ramotar rejected the theory that the post-Jagan Governments during the PPP reign moved away from the practice of Jaganite politic. He said in defence, “Look at the delivery of our social services. Look at education how much we have done.”  Could one reject Ramotar’s reasoning without first asking him what he means by social services?
The mainstream definition of social services would include health care, educational needs, legal facilities among others. If Mr. Ramotar believes his party since Mrs. Jagan demitted office in August 1999 was successful in the provision of medical care and educational delivery then the record contradicts him glaringly.
The Georgetown Hospital was a huge sign of the PPP’s failure in office. Experts are yet to come up with an analysis as to what went wrong but the PPP didn’t get it right at the Georgetown Hospital. Once a Guyanese could have afforded to seek treatment at a private institution, he/she turned their back on the hospital out of fear of either deterioration of condition due to inordinately long delays or incompetent treatment.
I was a witness one evening when Prime Minister, Sam Hinds, turned up at the St. Joseph Mercy Hospital to see orthopaedic surgeon, Fawcett Jeffrey. My wife was in the line when Mr. Hinds came in. Afterwards I asked him what happened. He said he twisted his wrist. He went to a private hospital for such a minor hurt when the Georgetown Public Hospital has an Orthopaedic Department operates twenty four hours a day. I was with Mr. Glenn Lall and two staff members of this newspaper when a big PPP official from NCN brought in his wife into to the Woodlands Hospital. Mr. Lall engaged him and he said his wife was feeling unwell.
The tragedies that occurred at the Georgetown Public Hospital under Jagdeo and Ramotar are fully documented by the constant reporting in the media so there is no need to expand. At the West Demerara Hospital, I saw shocking conditions there that made me conclude that the PPP Government had to go.
Community health clinics lacked even elementary medicines and pharmaceuticals. It gets one angry to hear those words from Mr. Ramotar. Perhaps even uglier were his words on education. The University of Guyana virtually collapsed under the post-Jagan regimes that ruled Guyana and that would include Mr. Ramotar’s stewardship.
Was it service when Berbicians had to come to Georgetown to apply for a passport? Was it service when it took months to get a birth certificate? Was it service the way pensioners were treated by the NIS whose Board Chairman was Dr. Roger Luncheon for twenty three years? One suspects that at the public level, people like Ramotar are going to justify their abysmal service to the people.
At the private level, when they meet with their intimate friends over the bottle, the analysis will be more intellectualized.
Mr. Ramotar went on to observe, “With lifestyles, that may be another thing because everyone knew Cheddi had a very simple life and was a very modest man who led by example. Maybe he could have afforded to live better but he chose to live the way he did.” Mr. Ramotar omitted to include the role of attitude.
You spend one minute with Dr. Jagan and you are convinced that this was not a man who would be arrogant with and contemptuous of you. The post- Jagan Governments of Jagdeo and Ramotar suffered enormous credibility damage because of mandarins who oozed pomposity and philistinism the way water gushes when the tides are tempestuous.
Guyana went rock bottom when during President Ramotar’s tenure, Bibi Shadick became the Pro-Chancellor of the University of Guyana. Could Mr. Ramotar look any UG lecturer and administrator in the eyes and justify that appointment? Ms. Shadick had the prodigious capacity to alienate people and that included PPP supporters.
Few Guyanese could have tolerated Kwame Mc Coy. He was President Ramotar’s media liaison. Nirmal Rekha was characterized by hubris and hauteur. He was President Ramotar’s Secretary to the Treasury.
There was a strange act that took place under both Jagdeo and Ramotar. The more pompous the mandarins got, the more powerful they became.
Whether Ramotar will mellow as his political career draws to a close and admit the utter, monumental, depraved nonsense his party encouraged since Cheddi and Janet Jagan moved off the scene is something Guyanese will have to wait for. But for now, it would be best if Ramotar leaves the propaganda to someone as barefaced as Mr. Jagdeo and stop saying silly things. He doesn’t need to.

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