-despite rumours to the contrary
PPP/C presidential candidate, Donald Ramotar, says he would be greatly surprised if there was any truth to the rumour that the Working People’s Alliance (WPA)’s Dr. Rupert Roopnarine will be David Granger’s prime ministerial candidate for the upcoming elections, given the (People’s National Congress (PNC)’s alleged involvement in the slaying of one of the former party’s founder members, Dr. Walter Rodney. Mr. Roopnarine, a leading member of the WPA, is a part of the Joint Opposition Political Parties (JOPP) which will launch their coalition on July 8, with David Granger at the helm. The coalition is to be named ‘A Partnership for National Unity’, and its leadership will be drawn from the PNCR, the Guyana Action Party (GAP), the National Front Alliance (NFA), and the WPA.
Speaking at a press conference Friday at Freedom House, Ramotar said: “I would be terribly surprised if that is so… Because, as you know, Rupert Roopnarine is supposed to be a very close associate of the late Dr. Walter Rodney, who was brutally assassinated by the PNC regime… And we know that the presidential candidate of that party held a very senior position within the security structure. And he himself, by his own writing, still seems to be defending the paramountcy of the party.”
“To me, it will seem to be a great betrayal in some ways [were Roopnarine to team with the PNCR],” he added.
Some affiliates of the PNCR voiced their concerns while speaking with the Guyana Chronicle, saying that it was a sad moment to see the PNCR reduced to nothing. They noted as well that Granger is “making a mess” of the campaign.
One man said he’d initially felt that coming together was a workable idea… but now, he’s not so certain. “… to dissolve the PNCR is a grave mistake. The other players are without a constituency, so this is more superficial than anything else,” he said.
Ramotar said his party is ready to face the polls, and is confident of a victory. He also expressed confidence in the Guyana Elections Commission in ensuring that all of its outstanding issues regarding registration and source documents will be straightened out without unduly delaying the process.
“The PPP/C is ready to face the polls. Our electoral structures, at both the leadership level and in the communities, have been established to face the challenges,” Ramotar said, adding:
“The party is confident that we will be successful in the upcoming elections. We have a proven record to stand on.”
“At the economic level, we have moved Guyana from being the basket case in 1992 to being the most dynamic economy in the region today,” he went on to say, noting that at the social level, Guyana has progressed tremendously. “Our housing programme is exemplary; in education, we are building a nation where our young people will have access to quality education, and where all will be able to use the most modern tools available today,” he said.
Health services, he said, have also come a long way, as more and more facilities are made available to people.
“At the political stage, Guyana is now one of the most democratic nations in the world. All of the fundamental freedoms and human rights are protected,” he said. “It is the political democracy that we have established, the freedoms that we have established, that have laid the foundations for the growth that we have had since the PPP/C has been in office.”
He said the party is now working on its manifesto for the upcoming elections, and when it’s ready, the party will make it public. “[The manifesto] promises to be exciting, and will take Guyana to a qualitatively higher level,” he said.
Further, the PPP General Secretary said the party is heartened by the growing amount of support being expressed by civil society for it at the upcoming elections, and is looking forward to working with all to realize Guyana’s full potential.
On GECOM and its preparations, Ramotar said this body has done “a great job” in conducting elections in Guyana. He said the stage was set by the Collins Commission in 1992, and was steadily built on by the Doodnauth Singh, Joe Singh and Surujbally Commissions.
“All of the elections held from that time were certified free and fair by both national and international observer teams. The elections in 1997 and 2001 also passed the forensic audits with flying colours. Over the years, the Guyanese public has become more confident in the Commission because of the good work it has done in helping people to be registered and facilitating the public in exercising its franchise,” he said, adding:
“As a result, we have come to a point where many people, mainly in the interior, but also on the coast who could not be registered because they were not able to get their document, and in some cases, they received their birth certificates after the period of claims was over.”
He said on Thursday the party had a review with its main organizers around the country. “What we have found is similar to what the Opposition parties have reported.”
He noted too that the PPP has written GECOM on the issue. “We hope that the Commission, as it has done in the past, will be able to facilitate eligible persons to be registered,” he said.
On corruption, the PPP’s presidential candidate said despite the strict Government mechanisms in place to address the award and implementation of contracts, there is the need to implement stronger control mechanisms to ensure greater efficiency in these areas.
Addressing the issue of contracts not being properly procured, Ramotar said: “First of all, I am not denying that there is corruption; but there is the question of how many of these reported cases are highly exaggerated; you need to examine some of the facts.”
He said that in addition to the implementation of stronger control mechanisms, the judiciary also needs to be strengthened to effectively address cases of discrepancies.
“A lot of things,” he said, “still need to be strengthened  to ensure efficiency in these areas. If there is corruption in the society, let the law take its course; those who are practising corruption, they must pay the penalty for this.”
Even though there is the call for more stringent control mechanisms, the systems currently in place by the administration to handle the awarding and monitoring of contracts is very good, Ramotar stressed.