Granger wants real democracy, Jagdeo/Ramotar will continue with Stalinism and cronyism

Dear Editor,

In their latest attack on APNU’s Presidential Candidate David Granger, the PPP’s leadership brought up the subject of party paramountcy. This shows the lack of intellect of the PPP leaders. Why resort to party paramountcy when the PPP in the Cold War era struggled to establish in Guyana a one party communist dictatorship patterned after the USSR and Cuba? The PPP was cloned from the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), and the CPSU was paramount in the USSR. It is only natural then for the PPP to practice party paramountcy and for its leaders to be so indoctrinated.

President Jagdeo spent eight years in the USSR studying Marxism/Leninism and some sort of “crony economics”. Donald Ramotar spent 10 years in Czechoslovakia where he represented the PPP on the editorial board of the World Marxist Review. Ramotar championed the Warsaw Pact countries, which were all communist one party dictatorships that had party paramountcy enshrined in their constitutions.Robert Persaud was nurtured by the PPP’s Stalinist matriarch Ms Janet Jagan.

Thank God the USA won the Cold War when the USSR and its Warsaw Pact allies all collapsed. Had the USSR won, and had the PPP taken power, it would have surely mimicked the communist dictatorships. However while the East European countries have long dumped their communist leaders and moved on, Guyana is still yoked by the current PPP leaders led by Jagdeo and Ramotar who lack the intellect to surmount the emotional and psychological trauma they endured when their “world” collapsed and so they remained trapped in an ossified ideological and mental state.

Jagdeo and Ramotar were particularly affected because they were in the USSR and Czechoslovakia when the East Germans tore down the Berlin Wall with their bare hands. That Jagdeo and Ramotar still harbour Stalinist instincts can be seen in the way the PPP has governed in the past 19 years. The PPP has subverted every government and state institution. It has far more control of the state and government than the PNC had in its reign.

Jagdeo’s PPP, ever suspicious and resentful of the old capitalist class, is in the process of replacing it with a nouveau riche one that is subservient to the PPP and Jagdeo. When the PPP’s “business associates” failed to acquire the Pegasus Hotel, Jagdeo moved to use state funds to build a new hotel for his pals. Jagdeo’s intention is to displace the legitimate and honest businessman Robert Badal with an acolyte who has been charged by the FBI with mortage fraud. If the PPP is not removed from office it will soon exercise paramountcy over the business class too! I guess Jagdeo/Ramotar is following communist remnant Vladimir Putin who has the same designs for Russia.

Whilst Ramotar and Jagdeo were socialized in the Communist one party dictatorships of the USSR and Czechoslovakia, David Granger was educated at the most prestigious military academies and universities in the UK, USA, and Nigeria. Granger has also lectured at those institutions to students from all over the world. Unlike the PPP leaders who were trained to merely recite communist phrases, Granger’s intellectual and analytical abilities were developed to the highest stage. Granger represents the very best of intellectualism and scholarship while Ramotar/Jagdeo reflects mediocrity. This is the stark contrast between Granger and Ramotar/Jagdeo.

Such contrast can be seen in their ideological positions. Whilst Granger wants to do away with the powers of the executive president, Jagdeo/Ramotar want to keep those powers. Granger wants to privatize the state media. Jagdeo/Ramotar are hostile to the private media and want to keep the state media. Granger wants to privatize Guysuco. Jagdeo/Ramotar want to maintain state control. Granger will make education the key to development.  Jagdeo/Ramotar will continue to give away millions of US dollars to a “barber shop” company to “supply” computers. Granger wants to restore democracy. Jagdeo/Ramotar will continue with their version of Stalinism and cronyism and PPP paramountcy over all Guyana.

Yours faithfully,
Malcolm Harripaul