PPP drops Persaud, Sharief –as internal strife deepens
Omar Sharief
Omar Sharief

THE People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) has brought out the axe on former Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Robert Persaud and current Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of the Presidency Omar Sharief.Both of them are no longer members of the party’s Central Committee. Their seats are vacant along with that of Navin Chandarpal who has passed away.

Former Minister of  Natural Resources and the Environment Robert Persaud
Former Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Robert Persaud

PPP/C General Secretary Clement Rohee at the party’s weekly press briefing on Monday told reporters that the Central Committee “unanimously declared vacant” the seats “occupied by Robert Persaud, Navin Chandarpal and Omar Sharief.”
The vacant seats will be filled by former Human Services and Social Security Minister Bibi Shadick, former Region 5 Chairman Harrinarine Baldeo and seasoned activist Majeed Hussain. The Central Committee of the PPP has also reserved for consideration at a later date, the status of the seats of members Hydar Ally, Chitrekha Das and Gurdat Shivperaud.
It is not certain what has caused the departure of Das and Shivperaud, but Ally who served as permanent secretary in several ministries under the PPP administration has resigned. The passing of Chandarpal and the jettisoning of Persaud for non-attendance of meetings have also created two vacant seats on the Executive Committee.
These vacancies, Mr Rohee told reporters, will be filled, but he did not say when.
The PPP/C ceded power to the A Partnership for National Unity+ Alliance For Change (AFC) coalition in the May 11 General and Regional Elections, after being at the helm for 23 years. It has been reported that ever since the defeat, there has been internal bickering in the party on its direction, among a host of other issues.

Bibi Shadick
Bibi Shadick

The letting go of Persaud from the powerful Central and Executive Committees of the party has come as little or no surprise to many closely connected in the political circle. Once seen as a replacement for then President Bharrat Jagdeo, Persaud was criticised for the handling of the party’s campaign in the 2011 elections that reduced the PPP to a minority government. Mr Persaud, who also served as Minister of Agriculture, reportedly did not win the admiration of his senior party comrades in his handling of that important portfolio.
Nevertheless, he was appointed Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment in the Donald Ramotar-led Cabinet, but it started a process that saw him being viciously sidelined.
Mr Persaud had an invisible presence in the PPP campaign during the last elections, and from media reports, he is being courted by the Granger government for a top post in the administration. However, Minister of State Joseph Harmon has since said that there will be no jobs for the top PPP boys in the APNU+AFC government, and reports of government being in talks with Persaud and other “PPP big guns” are without merit.

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