IT was generally felt during the Donald Ramotar presidency that his predecessor, Bharrat Jagdeo ran the show from behind the scenes. This speculation had always been vehemently denied by President Ramotar, who insisted that he was in total control of the government. What we do know is that at the time, Mr. Jagdeo seldom pronounced on matters pertaining to the government; that his public appearances and pronouncements were generally limited to party matters.

However, once the PPP was defeated in 2015, Jagdeo almost immediately took charge of the party. He has since been the face and the voice of the party. It became clear that he wished to be president again. However, that ambition died when the CCJ upheld the constitutionality of the law that prohibited a president from serving more than two terms. The PPP was then forced to choose another presidential candidate. From all indications, that process was severely compromised, as Jagdeo succeeded in getting the candidate he preferred: Mr. Irfaan Ali.

This caused some upheaval within the PPP’s ranks and among the support base. As we editorialised on Sunday, Ali has not been embraced by his potential constituents, largely because he does not meet the basic requirements of leadership. He lacks the necessary experience for the presidency. While he served as a government minister, his role was more of a follower of the maximum leader. Further, he has not shown an intellectual grasp of the issues that animate the discourses about Guyana’s future development.

But the most bizarre thing about Ali’s candidacy is his invisibility. Anyone unfamiliar with Guyana’s politics would assume that Mr. Jagdeo is the candidate. It is he who pronounces on anything and everything. He holds a weekly press conference, and even answers questions that are potentially directed at the presidential candidate. Recently, he has begun to talk about the PPP’s manifesto; an area that one assumes would be left to the presidential candidate.

This matter has now become a national scandal. Is Mr. Jagdeo the de facto candidate, while Mr. Ali’s name is going to be on the ballot for cosmetic purposes? Irfaan Ali is seldom seen in public. He turns up at PPP protests, but hardly speaks to the media. Apart from a few comments here and there, the country has not heard directly from him how he intends to govern the country should he be elected. This is unacceptable. The PPP must be called out on this blatant disrespect for the Guyanese people.

It is time Irfaan Ali steps forward and face the electorate in his own name. Mr. Jagdeo has a right to speak as the PPP’s leader, but he cannot and should not speak for the presidential candidate. If Ali has obvious shortcomings, the PPP has to live with them, because he was duly chosen by the party to be the standard bearer. Mr. Ali must be honest with the Guyanese people; if he knows that he is not fit for the job, then he must say so or throw in the towel.

It is indeed shameful that Guyana’s oldest political party could, in the first place, allow one man to manipulate its leadership in such a brazen manner. Secondly, how can the party’s senior members remain quiet in the face of the situation regarding Ali’s candidacy? Thirdly, has the party not learnt anything from the outcome of the scenario whereby Donald Ramotar was conveniently chosen over his more qualified colleagues?

The matter of a party’s presidential candidate goes beyond the confines of the party; that person has to face the electorate and potentially lead the entire country. This is the situation that Mr. Ali faces. He can no longer hide behind Mr. Jagdeo’s mask; he must come forward and speak to the public, and directly and indirectly debate the other contestants for the office.

And Mr. Jagdeo needs to get out of the way and allow the candidate to face the music. Guyana wants to hear from him how he intends to manage the coming oil-and-gas economy; they want to hear his views on, and plans for, education, healthcare, cash transfers, agriculture, infrastructure, constitutional reform and foreign policy.

He also needs to come clean on his academic certificates; that is a most critical element of his candidacy. Guyana cannot afford to fetch that burden. Aspirants for the highest office must be held to a very high standard. Irfaan Ali cannot want to fight in the big league and not have the required qualities for such a fight. It is political fraud to choose a candidate and have another person speak and perform for him. Let the real Irfaan Ali stop hiding behind placards at protests and step out into the open space.