Animated discussions and light imbibing at the ‘parliament’ and elsewhere in Linden a few weekends ago brought up some interesting questions which attested to the fact that the Guyanese political imagination and participation are alive and well. Two interrelated questions arose which warrant some consideration. How significant is it that His Excellency Donald Ramotar made an inaugural address to the 10th Parliament of Guyana that was both lacking in vision and devoid of a single mention of Cheddi Jagan?
Firstly, although this does not answer the question as to the significance of the absence, President Ramotar was not the first to leave the ‘founding father’ out of his inaugural address. He was also absent from former President Jagdeo’s 2006 speech. Secondly, this concern about vision has been – in my opinion sometimes unfairly – the standard critique of the PPP/C since it came to government; so much so that although former President Jagdeo’s 2006 presentation has a section headed “The Vision” it came over as “The Mission” and thus attracted similar criticism! Indeed, President Ramotar’s speech was hardly over before Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine was on the radio calling it visionless, and since then many persons have made similar comments.
Arguably, Cheddi Jagan remains the nearest thing to a neutral leader this country has ever had, and since his death in 1997, on almost every occasion when the PPP/C has had to rally its
