Just about every organization that owes any sort of allegiance to the PPP has paid glowing tribute to Donald Ramotar and moreso to what the Party says was the “unified approach” that manifested itself in his emergence as its presidential candidate. What are we to make of all the congratulatory messages? Are we to believe that after months of tirelessly lobbying their respective constituencies within the Party the likes of Clement Rohee, Gail Teixeira and perhaps most significantly House Speaker Ralph Ramkarran simply decided to throw in the towel? Or were their respective decisions to ‘step aside’ and throw their weight behind Mr. Ramotar reflective of a Party diktat which they really had little choice? Could there not have been a much tidier arrangement that saw Mr. Ramotar’s rivals withdraw their candidatures and rally behind him – which is what we are told they did – at a much earlier stage? At the very least that would have given the PPP bragging rights over their main rival, the PNCR, whose elections process to choose a candidate went down to the wire. Isn’t the PPP simply trying too hard to persuade us that Mr. Ramotar is the man for the presidency? Why did the PPP appear so desperately determined to let the public believe that Mr. Ramotar’s victory came without a fight in circumstances when we know that controversy was raging over who would be the PPP’s man less than a week before the candidate was announced.
It raises the question as to whether the Patrice Lumumba graduate and former GIMPEX boss is really the real deal or whether his being handed the candidature has not been deemed by the PPP as a fitting reward for holding the PPP together following the death of the late Dr. Cheddi Jagan and at a time when things could easily have lurched out of control? Those PPP supporters including, reportedly, not a few senior party officials who do not believe in their hearts that Mr. Ramotar has a great deal to recommend may well be proven wrong if he wins the presidency, though others argue that the real problem will arise if and when he wins rather than during the campaign period.
There are mixed views on Mr. Ramotar. His supporters point to his long years of political experience, albeit at Party level only, and his familiarity with the local political culture as things that can work in his favour. Those against say he lacks public appeal, has a dour personality and is unschooled in the craft of statesmanship. So what? Great Leaders like Kim II Sung managed pretty well without some of those attributes!
Ramotar the back room boy has now become Ramotar the public figure, travelling around with siren escort, chaperoned of course by the President, whom he declared the other day, might be part of his own A team if he wins the presidency. Is that Ramotar speaking or the President, the present President, that is.
