Unanimously identified as PPP/C Presidential Candidate for 2011
no voting was required as other candidates withdrew
THE Central Committee of the ruling People’s Progressive Party (PPP) yesterday officially announced that the party’s General Secretary Mr. Donald Rabindranauth Ramotar has been unanimously identified as its Presidential Candidate for the 2011 General and Regional Elections.
This consensual choice reflects the party’s leadership commitment to maintaining party unity, continuing progress in Guyana and building stronger unity at all levels of the Guyanese nation, the PPP said in a statement immediately following a meeting of the Central Committee at the party’s headquarters, Freedom House, Robb Street.
The PPP said “no voting was required” as the three other candidates – Mr. Clement Rohee, Mr. Ralph Ramkarran and Ms. Gail Teixeira – all withdrew.
The PPP central committee met yesterday to consider the PPP/C Presidential Candidate for the 2011 General and Regional Elections. This meeting followed several weeks of intense and deliberative sessions at the level of the Executive Committee.
Also, the selection process was consistent with the agreed procedure which received the full support of both the Central and Executive Committees.
The Central Committee agreed that in the interest of complete transparency, if there was finally a contest involving more than one interested candidate, members would exercise their choice of Presidential Candidate by secret ballot voting.
Chairman of the selection process, Dr. Roger Luncheon, presented a report to yesterday’s meeting of the Executive Committee’s extensive deliberations on this very crucial matter.
Presentations made at the Executive Committee by the potential Presidential Candidates: Donald Ramotar, Ralph Ramkarran, Gail Teixeira and Clement Rohee were circulated prior to the meeting.
At yesterday’s meeting, Rohee and Teixeira withdrew from the contest and pledged their support to Donald Ramotar. According to the PPP statement, their decisions were “well received” by the meeting.
Subsequently, Ralph Ramkarran withdrew and recommitted himself to working for another victory of the PPP/C.
“The magnanimity and political astuteness of the candidates who withdrew were hailed,” the PPP lauded.
It noted that every member of the Central Committee was given the opportunity to express his/her views on the candidate and the process, which was consistent with the party’s constitution and democratic norms.
Members were confident that there was a full and unimpeded opportunity for the potential candidates to reach out and make their cases to the Central Committee members.
After the decision, the entire leadership, including the former Presidential Candidates recommitted to work together to ensure another victory and reinforcing party unity.
The decision is to be formally endorsed by the membership of the party at three County Conferences: Essequibo on Saturday, April 9th ; Demerara on Sunday, April 10th and Berbice on Monday, April 11th, 2011.
RAMOTAR’S BIOGRAPHIC SKETCH
Mr. Donald Rabindranauth Ramotar was born on the 22nd October, 1950 in the village of Caria Caria on the Essequibo River, to Mr. Sam Ramotar and Ms. Olive Constantine. His father was a Timber Grant operator and his mother a housewife. He has eight (8) siblings.
Mr. Ramotar, an economist by training, received his primary education at Caria Caria Congregational School and the St. Andrew’s Primary School. He later pursued studies at the Government Technical Institute and went on to become a graduate of the Department of Economics, Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Guyana. He also pursued studies in what was then the Former Soviet Union.
He began his working career on his father’s timber grant. Between 1966 and 1975 he worked at GIMPEX, the commercial arm of the PPP. In 1975, he was appointed Manager of Freedom House, a position that he held for eight years. From 1983 to 1988, he served as a member of the Editorial Council of the magazine ‘Problems of Peace and Socialism’ and as the International Secretary of the Guyana Agricultural Workers’ Union (GAWU) between 1988 and 1993.
Having joined the PPP in 1967, he has been in the leadership of the party since 1979 when he was elected to the Central Committee.
He became a member of the Executive Committee of the PPP in 1983 and assumed the position of Executive Secretary of the party one year after the PPP was restored to office in 1992.
He became the General Secretary in March 1997 when Dr. Cheddi Jagan passed away, a position he holds today. Mr. Ramotar has had extensive experience within the party and has represented the party on numerous occasions overseas.
He has published a number of articles and is a regular columnist for the Mirror newspaper. He was also a member of the ACP- EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly and a Bureau member of that organization and a serving member of Guyana’s National Assembly since 1992.
Ramotar also served on several corporate boards.
Mr. Ramotar is the husband of Deolatchmee Ramotar and the father of three children.
