Jagdeo has transformed PPP into ‘ethnic interest’ party

Aug 01, 2016 News

“Dr. Cheddi Jagan must be turning in his grave” – Ramkarran

A former stalwart of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) since 1962, Ralph Ramkarran, has called out Leader of the Opposition Bharrat Jagdeo for comments he made during a recent meeting in Queens, New York, which have since attracted much condemnation.

Former PPP stalwart,
Ralph Ramkarran

Ramkarran, who had sharp words for Jagdeo on his weekly blog, ‘The Conversation tree’, grew up surrounded by the ideals of the PPP. A former contestant for the Presidential nomination within the party, he stated that party founder Dr. Cheddi Jagan “must be turning in his grave” at Jagdeo’s recent utterances.

Ramkarran posited that during Jagdeo’s speech, where he called for “Indians” to be defended in these “dark” times, among other statements, he in effect revealed the PPP’s new agenda; one where the party was an ethnic one representing narrow and singular ethnic interests.
“He said we going to take back Guyana. That must mean that ‘we’ own Guyana, that it was taken away from ‘us’ and that ‘we’ must now take it back,” Ramkarran said. “He did not say from whom ‘we’ will take back Guyana, whether it is from the Peoples National Congress, or from Africans? He clearly meant, even if he did not say it, that ‘we’ will then rule Guyana in ‘our’ interests because it belongs to ‘us’. The big question is, who are ‘we’?”
“In full hyperbolic flow, Mr. Jagdeo answers the question himself,” Ramkarran went on to say. “He said, there is an assault on people of Indian origin. There is an assault on supporters of the PPP. What we thought would never return to Guyana in one short year, has returned with full force and even worse in some regards than the Burnham era. He promised to defend our people in these dark times.”
Ramkarran pointed out that after being faced with a torrent of criticism, Jagdeo turned out several of his adherents, such as PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee, Chief Whip Gail Teixiera and PPP Member of Parliament Anil Nandlall, “as he usually does when under pressure, to prove discrimination.”
“But charges of discrimination which Mr. Jagdeo and the PPP have made before are not new. What is new are his emotive appeals to defend Indians in these dark times and his promise to Indians to take back Guyana for them.”
Ramkarran, who served as Speaker of the National Assembly while the PPP was in power before resigning in 2012 , described this as a wholly new dimension to the PPP’s agenda. He stated that the two main political parties had always maintained a posture of being multi-ethnic and of representing both major races in Guyana.
“But from 2006, particularly in the National Assembly, the PNCR began to explicitly say that it was speaking on behalf of its supporters’ interests. Now that the PPP is in opposition, they have adopted the same posture as evidenced by Mr. Jagdeo’s speech.”

Former President Bharrat Jagdeo

Ramkarran, who was a Central Committee member of the PPP since 1974 and a member of the Central Executive from 1975, was at one time a party insider and on the cusp of becoming a presidential candidate.
Ramkarran also served two terms as Speaker of National Assembly. But he often clashed with Jagdeo before finally tendering his resignation after his calls for corruption allegations to be addressed by the party led to internal wrangling.
Jagdeo had found himself at the centre of criticism after a video of him claiming that the Government of Guyana practised ethnic discrimination went viral. He was at the time addressing the Queens, New York Diaspora.
Jagdeo had made claims that “There’s an assault on people of Indian origin; there’s an assault on supporters of the PPP (People’s Progressive Party). What we thought would never return to Guyana, in just one short year has returned with full force, and even worse in some regards than the Burnham era.”
He had gone on to say that transported lands are being “snatched” and that “140 new taxes were increased.”
This development, he said, has been targeting the rural poor, who are mainly the supporters of the PPP. He had stated that the country had taken “a turn for the worse” and”whenever the elections come again, we’re going to take back Guyana…we’re going to take it back from these people.”
The Government subsequently issued a statement condemning, “in the strongest possible terms, the irresponsible, hateful race baiting and malicious fabrications and falsehoods uttered” by Jagdeo.

Stirring up ethnic division?

4 thoughts on “Jagdeo has transformed PPP into ‘ethnic interest’ party”

geeteerebel August 1, 2016 at 7:29 am

So where is the ERC on this?
Quincy Bailey August 1, 2016 at 12:37 pm

Why is everyone still amazed by anything Jagdeo says?
Dennis Mckenzie August 1, 2016 at 1:06 pm

It is nothing strange or unusual, when Jagdeo says anything. This attitude of his will take him to his grave, learning nothing. He will only win the next election in his mind.
Dennis Mckenzie August 1, 2016 at 1:13 pm

Jagdeo exploits racism,to win elections,but he doesn’t know what the Human RACE is all about. May I enlighten him, it is about ALL of US.