Stabroek News has been reliably informed that President Bharrat Jagdeo will likely announce a cabinet shake-up, which, among other changes, would see Local Government Minister Kellawan Lall being given the boot.
Other changes, according to sources, would include Housing Minister Irfaan Ali and Youth Minister Frank Anthony being given other portfolios.
Minister of Works Robeson Benn–said to be the prime ministerial candidate-in-waiting– is set to share the mining portfolio with Prime Minister Samuel Hinds.
While none of the party stalwarts would confirm the shake-up, they did point out that talk of a cabinet shuffle has been on the agenda for some time now.
The Cabinet shuffle would facilitate Ramotar being given a portfolio given that national elections are just around the corner. Sources said that more than likely the party’s general secretary would head the local government ministry as this would provide the opportunity for him to travel around the country and connect with the people.
Observers have pointed out that while Ramotar has been general secretary for quite some time and is well known in the party he is not that well known throughout the country.
The talk in the PPP/C party circles is that the race for presidential candidate had been narrowed down between Ramotar and Speaker of the National Assembly Ralph Ramkarran. However, the latter, according to sources does not appear to have the support of President Jagdeo.
Ramkarran–who was recently pushing for the return of overseas votes–has for a number of years been touted as one of the presidential candidate hopefuls. Others had included Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud and MP Moses Nagamootoo, both of whom no longer seem to be in the running.
Sources said the fact that Ramotar accompanied the President on his recent trip to the Middle East–which included meeting the President of Iran–is a clear indication that he is the anointed successor.
For his part, Ramotar has stated repeatedly, since 2007, that he has an interest in running for president.
“If you ask me my personal position, I would feel honoured to–I mean, personally, if the party gives me the nomination and shows that confidence in me for that position, I will try to discharge that duty to the best of my ability,” Ramotar had told Stabroek News last December when asked about the issue.
When he was asked whether he was interested at the party’s year-end press conference in 2007 he had said, “why not?”
This newspaper has been told that he has been openly talking about running for president and is so convinced that his party would be returned to power with him at the helm of the government that he has already been indicating who he wants in his close circle.
Last December in an interview with this newspaper he had said that the party had started the process to identify a presidential candidate and that the nominee could be revealed before the end of next (this) year.
He had emphasised that the discussions were “very preliminary,” and explained that the party’s Executive Committee was trying to settle on a methodology to approach the issue. He had said that traditionally discussions are held at the level of the Executive Committee, with the results being referred to the party’s Central Committee for a final decision, which would then be communicated to the party membership.
According to Ramotar, there was no timeline set for the completion of the process. “I think it’s more a question of judgment at this point in time,” he had said.
“We will have to make the judgment-call [about] when is the best time to settle this issue and to come public with who our candidate would be,” he had said.
Unlike the last two general elections, there is no automatic presidential candidate for the party, owing to the ineligibility of President Jagdeo to seek re-election due to a constitutional term-limit.
