The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has successfully completed the process of selecting its presidential candidate for the 2011 Regional and General Elections on April 10, 2011 at the conclusion of the County Conference in Berbice. The process began in earnest in February of this year. The candidates made their presentations to the Executive Committee and answered questions covering a wide-range of issues.

In the process, it was noted that the candidates frequently exhibited a convergence of views on fundamental issues relating to the development and future of Guyana. This was a clear reflection of Party unity, organizationally and politically.

The Executive Committee reported on its work to the Central Committee on April 4, 2011. At this important meeting, more discussions took place and three of the candidates withdrew in favour of Mr. Donald Ramotar.

Mr. Ramotar, in his remarks, thanked the three comrades for their magnanimity and political astuteness. The members of the Central Committee further noted the qualities of the three former candidates, noting that all of them were capable of being the PPP/C’s presidential candidate.

The Central Committee then, without any dissent recommended, Donald Ramotar’s candidacy to the members of the Party. This was done through the convening of three county conferences which included members from all of our hinterland regions. The conferences were very well attended with thousands being present and participating in the three conferences – Essequibo, Berbice and Demerara.

There were presentations from the presidential candidate and President Bharrat Jagdeo, as well as extensive unhindered deliberations from the floor. Subsequently, all three conferences unanimously endorsed the recommendation of the Central Committee and brought this democratic and open process to a historic conclusion.

These conferences showed unity and readiness of the membership to pursue another victory to ensure development and progress continue in Guyana.

“I would like to express my humble gratitude to the leadership and members for the trust and full confidence shown in my candidature,” Mr. Ramotar said at a Freedom House press conference yesterday.

There are several other important matters, such as finalising the full slate for the 2011 elections which will now engage the attention of the leadership of the party.

In the meantime, the PPP is now putting its machinery in place for the elections at all levels and exhorting its members to work hard for victory at the polls in 2011.

There was a question and answer session and following are the media questions and answers by Mr. Ramotar:
Q: – Who is being favoured for the Prime Ministerial candidate, and what about the Executive Presidency?
A: The process is now beginning. We are looking at a full list, including who will be our Prime Ministerial candidate; we are going to start this in earnest.
As it relates to the issue of the Executive Presidency, Guyana has its Executive Presidency since 1980 and the one big problem that the PPP had with the 1980 constitution was that there was one power that the President had that we do not think that any president should have had, and that was the power to pirogue Parliament even if the President is under investigation.
That has been our position from the beginning and that is our position now; and we promised that we would remove that clause from the constitution and we did, we lived up to our promise.
There is a lot of misconception about the constitution, we have a new constitution, and this is not the 1980 constitution.
After the 1997 elections, we had a total review and wrote a new constitution and spent more than $1B in the process.
I can assure you that if you take things in a general sense, the President of the Republic of Guyana does not have more powers than any of the other presidents of the world.
In all of the constitutions of the world, there is some immunity provided to presidents because of the office that they hold and the function that they carry out, and it is there so that some of the work they have to do is not hindered.
The Constitution was rewritten in a very broad sense, went back to Parliament after the 2001 elections, and was unanimously passed by the National Assembly.
“I think that our constitution is probably superior to many other constitutions in the world.”

Q: Will the Prime Ministerial candidate come from the Civic group?
A:  We have to discuss all of that.

Q:  What are some of the issues you intend to look at as a priority?
A: That will be better answered when the PPP/C comes out with its manifesto. What is at stake here is not just the Presidency, but the Party continuing in office, therefore that manifesto will have to have an input from a broad cross section within the PPP/Civic Party, it is not PPP going to these elections, it is the PPP/C going to these elections .
We have to have a broad approach to the manifesto.
However, in my view there are some things that are in the pipeline that cannot be concluded in this term of office, but I believe they are very crucial to the development of our country.
These include Amaila Falls, the Linden to Lethem road, the deep water harbour, all of these projects have the capacity to really transform our country, and surely, they will form part of the manifesto.
These are some of the things I would like to continue, this is a PPP/Civic promise to the people, which we have been working on consistently.

I have been in the grass roots and in the communities of every nook and cranny in this country and have been involved in every single manifesto since 1992 so I think that there are many factors that go into my candidacy that has allowed the party to feel that I probably have the best shot of winning the elections in 2011.

Q:  Can you pronounce on the issues concerning the OLPF?
A: I think that the One Lap Top per Family programme is a fantastic programme and I think it is very unfortunate that there seems to be attempts to try to denigrate it. These are laptops that we are trying to get into homes, to ensure that young people who come from poor backgrounds will have access to the same modern instruments that any other will have within the society.
I have not been actively involved in the management of this programme; but I think it is a fantastic programme that I will support fully, because it is part of a programme of empowering young people in the country who might have fallen through the cracks if they had not been given some of these opportunities.