AS PPP General-Secretary and Presidential Candidate, Mr. Donald Ramotar began to speak at the Private Sector luncheon, held last Wednesday as part of an ongoing series of engagements with presidential candidates for Guyana’s 2011 General Elections, his measured address, delivered in his usual pedantic way, elicited audible sniggers and snide comments from some media operatives, even those who mispronounce words and misrepresent facts when they read the news during their broadcasts. But by the time Master of Ceremonies of the proceedings, GMSA Chairman Clinton Williams had called a halt to the question and answer segment subsequent to Ramotar’s delivery, they had been silenced. In local parlance, Ramotar’s grasp of the issues and the soundness of the concepts he had expounded on had ‘shut their mouths’.
He had indisputably proven that he was prime presidential material worthy of the highest office of the land, and had even impressed the cynics, even though they would not admit this; but their attentive silence spoke volumes.
While his feature address dealt primarily with issues pertinent to the Private Sector, and encapsulated a menu of measures that could catalyse an impetus of resurged developmental energy in the land, it was his quick responses to questions posed and his brilliant repartee that held his audience captive.
To Robert Badal’s query of whether a Ramotar-led administration would continue centralized decision-making based on the (implied) current dictatorial system of leadership, Ramotar declared that Badal’s assumption was based on an erroneous premise, because each minister had practically full autonomy over their ministries to effect their respective portfolios. He provided the assurance that this would be continued in a future PPP/C government.
On the issue of security he said that crime-fighting is not merely a police responsibility, because police details are not always in the locality of a criminal episode, so there needs to be vibrant community responses also. He listed among the primary factors responsible for the increased criminal activities in the country the drug trade and related activities, such as gun-running, among others. According to Ramotar, after the US curtailed many of the Colombian drug trade routes alternative avenues; hence the cross border trafficking, which has created out of Guyana major transshipment point; thus, because of the global situation, there is need for an international solution, with a need also for regional co-operation. Ramotar advocates collusive endeavour and diplomacy at regional and international levels; as well as working with internal security systems – and especially the formation of a special squad (a SWAT team), and community organizations to effectively address the crime scourge. 
The judicial system also needs strengthening, stressed Ramotar, as well as a reform programme in the prison system. He is convinced that more modernized tools and approaches in a revamped security and judicial sector would greatly aid in the deterrent of criminal forays. As for young persons at crossroads, Ramotar eschewed the return of the Guyana National Service and instead mooted volunteerism as a more effective tool to counter the criminalizing of the nation’s young people.
Kim Kissoon suggested the formation of an independent body to look at the VAT and a review and revamping of the University of Guyana, because of the compromised capacities of UG graduates and the consequential shortage of a skilled labour force.
Ramotar, while concurring on the suggestion of an independent review committee, reminded his audience that the VAT has replaced many taxes. Also, he said that Government has zero-rated over 100 essential items. He quoted instances where the VAT is significantly higher than that in Guyana – the UK, for instance, where the VAT is 20%. However, he recognized the need to broaden the tax base, because many persons are benefiting from development in the country without contributing their fair share to the exchequer.
On the question of UG, he suggested Private Sector involvement in providing incentives in order to optimize capacities and opportunities, and agreed on the need to reform educational mechanisms at that educational institution, while emphasizing the great investments Government has made in the education sector.
Doreen DeCaires complained that the Budget is no longer discussed before presentation, as of formerly, but is delivered already prepared and presented. She also contended that government needs to recognize the printing industry as part of the private sector and provide concessions.
Ramotar responded that there was never an instance where the Budget was discussed in great details at public fora before presentation; also that government recognizes that the printing industry is part of the private sector, with the right to provide information – and sometimes misinformation; and that private media receive the same concessions as the state media. In the instance of print media, Ramotar says that Stabroek News receives the same considerations according to the regime, compatible with that of the Chronicle.
Eon Caesar asked of Ramotar’s projected plans for Linden, to which the latter responded that Linden is integral to Guyana’s overall development, as it is poised at a very important junction, being strategically placed to be central to much commercial activity once the road to Brazil has been paved and become more traversable. He conceded that, while much has been done to develop the community, much more is achievable in the near future, especially in the vital agriculture sector.
On the issues of Local Government Elections, power-sharing and inclusive governance, Ramotar conceded that many of the problems currently being faced in the country is due to administrative incompetence and the malfunctioning of the systems and promised that Local Government Elections would be held in the near future. He elucidated that there has been inclusive governance for years through the parliamentary committees, which have oversight of all policies and programmes of the Government. He said that, through these bodies the opposition influences national policies. He pointed out, also, that there is a broader national framework where mechanisms and structures have been instituted to allow the public at large to have an input into national decision-making.
He vetoed the possibility of executive power-sharing with opposition political parties because of lack of trust, although he stressed that the structure of the PPP/C, which includes many persons who originally held allegiance to other parties and now serve in ministerial capacities is a means of inclusive governance and power-sharing, with all of the foregoing setting a precedence of governance in the world.
He said that, while he is not averse to sharing power with opposition parties, this has to be done on a basis of trust, which the opposition has done nothing to foster – the opposite, instead.
He quoted several instances where the PPP/C entered into good faith agreements for power sharing with opposition parties, only to be betrayed in the most dishonest ways.
In 1994, he recalled, the results from the local government elections in Region 4 were so close that Hamilton Green’s GGG, the PNC, and the PPP/C agreed to share the Mayor’s office on a rotational basis. However, when it was time for the PPP/C’s turn, the two opposition parties refused to relinquish the office to the PPP/C candidate, Mrs. Philomena Sahoye-Shury. He cited other such examples in regional elections – Bartica, for instance, where the opposition reneged on good faith resolutions. On the basis of these experiences, Ramotar is adamant that the opposition cannot be trusted in any executive power-sharing arrangement.
Hemraj Kissoon raised the question of a level playing field, to which Ramotar responded that the very pillars and foundation of the PPP is based on equity, which is easily verifiable. He stressed that Government deals with every community in the nation even-handedly, except for the Amerindian communities, which had been severely neglected and depressed before PPP/C assumption to office, thus necessitating urgent and different developmental paths to those communities. He adamantly refuted any suggestion that the PPP/C ever has or ever will develop discriminatory policies in its administrative policies.
Ramotar concluded by lauding the Private Sector for the initiative it has taken in convening these discourses, which he said is very healthy and productive.