POWER STRUGGLE HAS ERUPTED

Jul 06, 2018 Editorial

With the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) ending the possibility of a third term for the presidency by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, his influence on the PPP and on the selection of the party’s presidential candidate for the 2020 election is being challenged.
It is not an exaggeration to say that Jagdeo intends to remain the kingmaker of the PPP and would select its next PPP presidential candidate. He would also be a part of the next PPP government. But close sources to the party have stated that he will face stiff opposition from both younger members and the party’s old guard, with whom he has a long and uneasy relationship.
It seems that a power struggle is underway at Freedom House. Jagdeo’s ineligibility to lead the PPP to the polls in 2020 has opened the door for younger members of the party such as Charles Ramson Jr. who has announced his intention to be the presidential candidate. Ramson has emphasized that young and credible leadership needed to rejuvenate the party.
Jagdeo has since stated that Ramson broke with the party traditions when he announced to be the PPP presidential candidate for the 2020 elections. Jagdeo inferred that he has too big an ego for the PPP to allow him to run as President, and that the party requires modesty and experience from its candidate.
In response to Jagdeo’s attacks, Ramson has stated that he fears no man, only God and would not engage in personal attacks or tit for tat politics which have destroyed Guyana over the years.
Addressing the issue of breaking with party traditions, the young political aspirant intoned that during his ten years as a member of the PPP, he was not aware of such party custom.
It did not take long after the CCJ decision against presidential term limits for a clash to erupt in the PPP leadership with former President Bharrat Jagdeo at the center of the maelstrom over who should be the next presidential candidate. Jagdeo is said to wield significant influence in the PPP but seems to be losing his grip on the party as members jockey for the top position.
The electoral defeat of the PPP in the 2011 and 2015 elections, and the decision by the CCJ have shattered the unity and existence of the core leadership in the party. Unlike in the past, its members are no longer suppressed within the collective mindset to pay obeisance to the leader of the party and its General Secretary. Today, the door seems to be opened for contenders to mount a challenge for almost every party position despite Jagdeo’s opposition.
The internal struggle in the PPP is between the old guard, the Jagdeoites and its young non-Jagdeoite members. The latter is of the view that the party has to keep renewing itself with younger members and women if it wants to remain relevant.
Charles Ramson thinks he fits the bill of what Guyana needs as president. He thinks that he should not be selected only by the leader as was the case in 2011 and 2015. According to the Attorney-at-law, Guyana needs high-quality leadership that exudes integrity, passion and vision and which is technically sound across many key disciplines like oil, economics, business; leadership which understands the meaning of family and having families of their own.
He and others seem to think that the current PPP leadership comes from a different era. They cannot be the future of the party. The future of the PPP is smart young people with clear vision, more women and people of all races.

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