Dear Editor,
As reported in SN of Monday, September 8, Nigel Hughes confirmed his endorsement of Moses Nagamootoo as the AFC presidential candidate. “I fully support AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan’s nomination for Nagamootoo to be the presidential candidate,” Mr Hughes was reported as saying in reply to an SN article of September 7, where the leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC) Mr Ramjattan was suggesting that a Nagamootoo-Hughes ticket was “the best thing for the AFC.” So strongly does the leader of the AFC feel about this prospect, he is sure he can influence his party in that direction.
Since 1992, all the presidents of this country came out of the PPP. And they all were left wanting. Now in this new collaboration if the AFC has its way, we would have a PPP man recycled into an AFC one as president.
Sharing his expertise on the possibility of such a happening, lawyer, accountant and politician, Mr Christopher Ram favoured such a combination: “It is an ideal formation for the AFC at this stage.” And to give his pronouncements more emphasis, he further said that, “he could not see a better team from any of the political parties in the next election.” Well, excuse me.
After endorsing the AFC’s choice, he is still not clear however about their endorsement of something they call “liberal democracy.” Besides that, he was clearly impressed with Mr Nagamootoo’s attitude of being a “pro-poor type of politician.” And therein lies part of our political problem: personalities, slogans and names without substance.
I am still trying to understand what Mr Ram expects Mr Nagamootoo to bring to the table? Fresh political thoughts and ideas? From where? The only ideas that Mr Nagamootoo will have are those that he remembers from the days when he was in the service of the PPP. Remember that Mr Nagamootoo was once the Minister of Information in the Jagan administration. Does anybody recall any legislation that Mr Nagamootoo was responsible for (that included poor people)? What progress has this country made since Messrs Nagamootoo and Ramjattan have been in control? Acrimony and division. Moses has been around and in the PPP as long as his former squaddies – Gail, Clement, Ralph, Donald, Robeson, Khemraj, Philomena and Roger. All present and accounted for, without a political idea in their heads to move this country forward. Where will Mr Nagamootoo’s progressive ideas as president come from?
Dr Jeffrey on the other hand was not as euphoric as Mr Ram; he has endorsed no one. He sees the choice of Nagamootoo of the AFC as helpful, and if that means positive then it is not the type of ‘rah-rah’ endorsement you would expect from a political analyst. He did in his own tactful way explain why, for the AFC, Mr Nagamootoo was the only choice to lead the ticket. As far as the prime ministerial choice is concerned, Dr Jeffrey sees only baggage, and harmful baggage at that.
In the meantime the PPP, former political party of Mr Nagamootoo has declared war on the former member. The General Secretary of the party, said that “they will expose the numerous skeletons he has in his cupboard.” Does that mean that Mr Nagamootoo did awful things when he was a member of the PPP? I am sure that the General Secretary will let discretion be the better part of valour.
Yours faithfully,
Milton Bruce
