ON the APNU campaign trail and in their political advertisements, I listened several times to Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine saying that how successive PPP Presidents did not offer a place to Donald Ramotar in their Cabinets. If that is all Dr. Roopnaraine can come up with to criticise Ramotar, who will definitely be the next President of Guyana, then I am of the opinion that this WPA stalwart is contemplating his own big show from 1992 to 2006.
Here is a little examination: After the 1992 elections, the WPA sold Rodney House. From then on, that party began its steady decline, moving from one location to another. The WPA was rejected by the Guyanese voters, and Dr. Roopnaraine was allowed by the WPA to serve half a parliamentary term.
From then on, Dr. Roopnaraine was pressured by two members and others to be a little active in the WPA.
When, in 1997, Dr. Roopnaraine was to be the WPA presidential candidate, Professor C.Y. Thomas refused to accept the prime ministerial nomination because he had no confidence in Roopnaraine, and by then the WPA had become a 0.3 % party. Now, without the PNC Dr. Roopnarine’s political career is finished.
In the meantime, Donald Ramotar has been trusted with the job of administering the most organised political party in the Caribbean – the PPP. Under Donald Ramotar, the PPP has gained strength at every election since 1992.
Let me inform Dr. Roopnaraine how I feel about Donald Ramotar: In 1974, I was a farmer on Rock Island, opposite the village of King William, where Donald lived. Some of us went fishing one day. (I was not a pandit then). Donald caught four basha fish and did not take home any. He gave it to those who did not make a catch. This man chopped wood with an axe for the fire. He bandaged an injury on someone’s foot, and fetched him on his back to the landing. I saw him working for hours in water, slinging timber for transportation.
I remember that my father had to join the PNC so that he could continue to feed his children on his $4.00 a day job with the Ministry of Works and Hydraulics. I still remember the burning from the tear gas when the GDF took away the ballot boxes from Wakenaam. I remember that if someone was travelling with more than two gallons of rice, police permission had to be obtained.
So just put de mouth straight. Donald has always been where the work is the hardest.