The PPP’s Congress was Political Fantasy

May 07, 2024 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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Kaieteur News – The PPP/C’s congress was characterised by a glaring disconnect from the realities facing Guyana and its people. The leadership of the party could not have been happier because the conclusion of the congress strengthened their stranglehold on the party, free from any dissent or signs of dissatisfaction from the membership.

The party’s delegates squandered an opportunity to address more seriously and substantively critical challenges facing the nation and the Guyanese people. The congress’s failed to engage seriously with issues such as oil wealth management, corruption, infrastructure development, and socio-economic hardships. This failure showcased the party’s descent into political irrelevance. It exposed the leadership’s allegiance to self-preservation over public service.

Instead of addressing critical challenges, the leadership orchestrated a spectacle aimed at cementing their dominance while substantively neglecting the needs of the populace. The congress was turned into a farce and an exercise in political fantasy rather than a serious endeavour to address the issues confronting the country and the people.

The paramount outcome of the congress was the solidification of the authority of the party’s leadership, relegating substantive discussions on national concerns to the periphery. This myopic focus on consolidating power within the party’s hierarchy detracted from the congress’s potential to serve as a platform for meaningful dialogue and problem-solving.

The congress failed to engage substantively with crucial issues such as the management of the country’s newfound wealth from oil resources. The absence of serious discourse on the oil contract and its implications for Guyana’s future development reflects a glaring oversight on the part of the delegates. Instead of charting a strategic path for utilising oil revenues to benefit the nation, the congress remained fixated on the narrative of the leadership of the party, including the obsession with the Opposition.

At present, the opposition parties present a minimal to no threat to the ruling party and the government. Despite this reality, the ruling party has opted to convert into weekly press conferences into a sledge hammer against the Opposition and sections of civil society that dare criticise the government. The congress unsurprisingly did not deviate from this pattern.

The congress’s disproportionate focus on the opposition, despite this Opposition posing minimal threat to the PPP/C’s grip on power, reveals a misplaced sense of priorities driven by self-preservation rather than genuine concern for the nation’s welfare. This fixation on perceived threats serves as a smokescreen to deflect attention from the party’s and government’s shortcomings and reinforces a narrative orchestrated by the leadership.

The pervasive problem of corruption within the government, particularly concerning the award of major contracts to ineligible firms, was conveniently sidelined during the congress. This speaks volumes about the PPP’s unwillingness to confront systemic issues that undermine public trust and hinder socio-economic progress. By glossing over corruption, the delegates may be unwittingly perpetuating a culture of impunity.

Unchecked corruption played a pivotal role in party’s loss of its parliamentary majority in 2011 and its eventual electoral defeat in 2015. Rampant corruption eroded public trust and confidence in the government’s ability to govern effectively and transparently. The perception of widespread graft, nepotism, and cronyism within the administration fueled public outrage and disillusionment, leading voters to seek change and accountability at the ballot box. Scandals involving the mismanagement of public funds, the awarding of contracts to politically connected individuals, and the lack of accountability for corrupt practices tarnished the government’s reputation and undermined its legitimacy. As a result, voters opted for a new direction, viewing the opposition as a viable alternative to address the systemic corruption that had plagued the country under the PPP/C’s tenure.

Another critical issue overlooked by the congress was the persistent delays confronting public works projects, exacerbating infrastructural deficiencies and impeding national development. By failing to seriously address these bottlenecks, the PPP demonstrates a lack of commitment to addressing tangible challenges that directly impact the lives of Guyanese citizens.  The congress appears to have shown a lack of concern for the harm inflicted on the party’s moral standing due to allegations of criminal wrongdoing surrounding some of its members.

Equally troubling is the congress’s low-keyed position on socio-economic hardships, including the high cost of living, unemployment among school-leavers, and escalating construction costs and rentals. These pressing concerns, which directly affect the livelihoods of ordinary citizens, were conspicuously under-emphasized during the Congress. If anything, this signifies the PPP’s detachment from the realities faced by the populace. Despite claiming to champion the working class, the party’s under-appreciation of the socio-economic hardships exposes its hollow rhetoric and underscores the PPP now becoming a handmaiden of the bourgeois elite.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

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• Congress, corruption, Infrastructure, PPP/C, wealth management

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