Political activist Tacuma Ogunseye says the candidacy of David Granger has energized the African-Guyanese community and could draw significant support for the PNCR, but he also feels Granger’s presidential bid has similarly resurrected the myth that African support alone could lead to victory.
Granger has impacted on the African community in a way unseen “for years”, Ogunseye said recently during an interview with Stabroek News but he cautioned there is a danger in “false hope”.
“We don’t have the numbers to win an elections if we go purely on an ethnic census, which is what the elections in this country is…many Africans are so caught up with Granger that expectations are running high and people are running away with this idea they could win on African numbers”, Ogunseye said.
Ogunseye’s political activism stretches back decades and he has been affiliated with the Working People’s Alliance since its formation. He declared his support for a “constitutional engagement” and not an elections engagement, but shared his opinions on the presidential nominees of the major political parties when he spoke with this newspaper recently.
Ogunseye called PPP presidential candidate, Donald Ramotar a “political animal” saying he has been hunting within party circles for years now waiting for an opportunity to lead, and according to him many people underestimate Ramotar simply because he was not in the public eye. He also dismissed observations that Ramotar will play second-fiddle to President Bharrat Jagdeo.
He assessed AFC nominee, Khemraj Ramjattan as being out of touch with reality and as someone who is more obsessed with fact that he is running for president. Ramjattan’s resistance to coalition politics will severely weaken the party at the 2011 polls, Ogunseye opined.
Speaking on coalition politics, Ogunseye posited that a broad opposition coalition including trade unions and civil society groups would offer the best chance of defeating the PPP/C and or carrying the votes extremely close. Still, he has doubts about an outright victory saying that even in the best structured coalition, “the PPP will run away with that one vote”.
Ogunseye observed that many Indians in the country are not willing to vote against the PPP despite its excesses in government, but he is of the opinion that many in its constituency support constitutional changes. “The constitutional struggle has a reasonable chance of winning over Indians rather than the electoral struggle…I am hopeful that even out of the elections engagement if we handle it right we could have a constitutional engagement that leads to some solution”.
Ogunseye said too that there is no significant rebellion in the Indian community to suggest those who are disaffected would be prepared to “rock the boat” and hurt the party’s chances of winning. “I still believe the PPP will win the election…that is why the campaign for shared governance after the elections is crucial for African survival in this country”. He added that the status quo cannot continue for another five years.
Donald Ramotar
Ramotar’s selection as the PPP nominee was expected because his years as General Secretary of the party was used to “cultivate a base”, Ogunseye said. He also rejected opinions which say that Jagdeo promoted Ramotar.
“Jagdeo did not promote him, he had no other choice but to deal with him as an equal…those who believe that he will simply go the Jagdeo route without trying to make his stamp on the presidency if they win, is wrong”, Ogunseye told Stabroek News.
He argued that it was a rational, political calculation as Ramotar had nothing to gain by isolating himself from Jagdeo given his political ambitions. “Jagdeo had votes to get him across the line”, he said, adding that the alignment with Jagdeo was a smart move because of the President’s influence in the party.
Together, he said Ramotar and Jagdeo were likely to control the majority of votes in the Central Executive. He stressed that Ramotar is no “walkover” and is not likely to be a “plaything” for anyone if he secures the presidency later this year.
Further, Ogunseye said that Jagdeo assumed office with little political experience but quickly learned how to use executive power. “Much less Ramotar who is a seasoned political campaigner; he would be his own man but the question is whether the policies of the PPP will change fundamentally… I don’t think so”.
David Granger
Granger’s elevation was also expected, he said, noting the retired brigadier’s association with Opposition Leader, Robert Corbin was “smart”. Corbin remains influential in the party, he said, and stressed that his endorsement was enough for Granger to win.
But the other factions in the party are strong because the votes came close, Ogunseye pointed out. He said the PNC is not the same party as it was years ago with a maximum leader who barked and everyone fell into line. According to him, the party is going through internal changes but also needs to work on reconciliation in its membership as it heads to the polls.
Since Granger has not been active in politics Ogunseye has a difficulty judging him as a politician. However, he said that people looking in at the PNCR nomination process were concerned that none of the five candidates was pushing the idea of shared governance or coalition politics “Many of us looking on were saying this is an issue for the country, for the African Guyanese community and none of them were pushing it”.
Ogunseye argued that this revealed Granger’s limited political experience, noting that further statements about the PNCR going to the elections alone were also not helpful. “To many of us these things demonstrated that he was not as politically astute as he ought to be…you have parties involved in negotiations with other parties and here comes a potential presidential candidate making statements out of sync with what we are doing”, he added.
He said Granger quickly retraced his steps and returned to the party’s position on power sharing, adding that the PNCR presidential candidate realized the importance of reaching out to voters beyond his constituency.
Khemraj Ramjattan
He referred to Ramjattan as a seasoned campaigner who practices short-term politics. “He is not very smart”, he said, and charged that Ramjattan needs to use whatever strength the AFC has to work with the wider opposition to qualitatively change the situation in the country, and also change the party’s political fortunes this time around.
Ogunseye said the AFC will face a more unreceptive electorate this time around with many Africans returning support to the PNCR and Granger, and Indians steadfast with the PPP. “He knows the PPP will put significant pressure on its constituency and they are not going to vote for him…the party could be wiped out at this poll”.
Ramjattan has failed to acknowledge the fact the country needs a solution to the historical issue of power-sharing in order to get Guyana moving forward, Ogunseye continued saying that the AFC’s politics was introduced without any clear ideology. This, he said, is a major problem for the party.
But the party did “extremely well” in the last elections, he said, adding that they did severe damage to the PNCR but failed to draw support from the PPP. “…So objectively they helped the PPP and did a great disservice to the PNCR and the African community”.
