Dear Editor,
It would seem that the current leaders of the PPP (Peter Principle’s Party) in Guyana have yet to recognise the disaster that they have imposed on Guyana. For those younger readers who may not be aware of the concept, the Peter Principle asserts that managers rise to their level of incompetence and, thereafter, find their professional advancement halted.
The PPP’s return to office marked a decisive turn in Guyana’s politics after the American government had made the strategic decision that it could work with the party after the Cold War had ended with the collapse of both the Berlin Wall and the Communist bloc in Europe. Seizing the moment, the PPP won office in 1992 in an election overseen by the former President, Jimmy Carter. Having abandoned the premises of Marxist-Leninist ideology in the search for an accommodation with the US and its allies, the PPP has lost its way as a political force for progress and development under the current generation of leaders. In 2015, the party faces a test of relevance based upon a record of governance that promotes corruption, privileges, criminality, and perpetuates racial polarization.
The former President, Bharrat Jagdeo, the current President, Donald Ramotar, and the Minister of Health, Bheri Ramsaran – all leading lights in the party – have displayed a lack of gravitas in the current election campaign. It is also very evident that Freedom House has neither the intellectual depth, nor the political will, to abandon the rhetoric tainted with the casual threats of slapping Guyanese citizens – or worse, the obscenities of Attorney General Nandlall and Minister of Health Ramsaran.
The 1992 election offered a path to political redemption for the PPP. In 2015, it is evident that without the presence of Cheddi and Janet Jagan, the current PPP leaders have attained their desired level of incompetence. With the Peter Principle validated, the PPP’s descent into the depths of depravity seems inevitable.
Yours faithfully,
Cary Fraser
