Dear Editor,
Moses Nagamootoo is eerily similar to Ralph Ramkarran: standing silent while wrongdoings of every nature were committed by inner and outer circle PPP members in the past 18 years. Even after his push for power was repelled by the party’s militant inner core, Moses Nagamootoo backed off and maintained his silence rather than fight or go public. Now, like Mr Ramkarran, Mr Nagamootoo must live and die by his silence. Beyond the damning silence, Mr Nagamootoo cannot bring the change this country needs. He has a history of pursuing power and this has caused angst within his own party. Even if he wins the candidacy his main plank of support is from the old guard. He must reward them and in doing so will set the nation back severely.
Mr Ramkarran’s call for a secret ballot by the PPP Executive Committee (EC) to elect the party’s presidential candidate is a gigantic problem for him. For Mr Ramkarran participated in the previous processes where selections were made without voting and definitely without secret balloting. Mr Ramkarran wrote that the PPP EC met in August 1997 and chose Janet Jagan as the candidate after considering many names. I suspect this very same process was repeated for President Jagdeo. Mr Ramkarran has produced no evidence of secret ballots nor any ballots being conducted during any of the previous selections, including that of Cheddi Jagan. This is unequivocal proof that the PPP has always used a completely undemocratic process since 1992 to select its presidential candidate. A cabal of 15 members makes this decision without a vote. Mr Ramkarran willingly participated in this wanton autocracy. With the blood-spilling currently going on for the ultimate prize and many within that infamous committee wanting that prize, the authoritarian process will not change. Not now when some can benefit from that history of autocracy. Looks like the old joke called democratic centralism gets the last laugh.
Yours faithfully,
M Maxwell
