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Jagdeo vows to remain face of PPP throughout election
By Abena Rockcliffe-Campbell
Guyana can rest assured that despite Irfaan Ali being chosen as the People’s Progressive Party’s (PPP) presidential candidate, he will not be the face of the party’s election campaign. Ali will have to share the spotlight with the party’s General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo.
As Opposition Leader, Jagdeo initiated the process to premature General and Regional Elections. Despite knowing that the opposition sits in the National Assembly as a minority, Jagdeo sponsored the no-confidence motion that saw the fall of government.
He said that he has a mission to return power to the PPP and would not step back anytime soon.
PPP’s General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo
Yesterday, a few hours after PPP’s Central Committee elected Ali as its presidential candidate, Jagdeo hammered home his position to the media that he will not step aside for any other PPP member to pass until the party is safely in government.
“My job as General Secretary (GS) is many-fold. It is to grow the party. I set myself the task of greater inclusion, changing the face of the party, including more afro-Guyanese in our party at every level, because we are strongly represented by indo-Guyanese and Amerindians.”
Jagdeo said that he has another job which is to “galvanize this party to win power. That is the role of General Secretary. The candidate runs for the elections, but my job is to bring people together, work on a campaign strategy and get it approved by the party.”
Jagdeo told the media that there will be a place for Ali too. He said that the Presidential Candidate will have a profile, “(he) will have to go out more and will have to make himself available to the press”.
“He will have to take positions on things, but I have my work cut out for me. I have to go across the country, bring activists together and assure we will keep our promises. I have to work the ground as any GS would to ensure that his party wins power. If you are not doing that then you are not a good GS.”
Jagdeo said that he views stepping back so as to not overshadow the candidate as abdicating his responsibility as General Secretary.”
Jagdeo’s comments on this matter are consistent.
At a recent press conference, he said pretty much the same thing.
Asked if he would take a back seat once the candidate was chosen, Jagdeo said, “I will not take no back seat until we win the elections.”
Jagdeo said that he will be going all across Guyana, village to village, house to house, working hard to making sure that the PPP get the rid of what he dubbed a “corrupt, incompetent, useless cabal” in the form of the APNU+AFC government.
The former President said he will work harder than ever.
Jagdeo said he would be heading the PPP’s manifesto committee, which would be inviting ideas from the public.
Further, he reiterated that he will be returning to the government even though he cannot do so as President.
“I said, this time around, I will play a formal role and every candidate said, unsolicited, that they want me to be part of the government,” he added.
“I make no apologies for struggling hard, working day and night to get rid of this corrupt, incompetent useless cabal that has abandoned all of the people, including APNU supporters.”
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