By Fareeza Haniff
OPPOSITION Leader Bharrat Jagdeo Wednesday said he does not care when the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) hosts its Congress.The former President categorically stated that nothing will change if the Congress is held “tomorrow or next year.”
The Congress is the highest decision-making body of the PPP, which lost its 23-year grip on power last year. The PPP is seeking to diffuse suggestions that there is internal wrangling about who will lead the party into the next general elections.
Jagdeo was seen as the powerhouse of the PPP and fronted the campaign of the party in the last two elections, when Donald Ramotar ran as the Presidential candidate. In 2011, the PPP lost control of Parliament, and then last May, it lost the seat of government.
“The congress is supposed to be held this year and it’s a Central Committee decision about when it’s held and the Central Committee has not met as yet and frankly speaking, if it’s held tomorrow or next year, I don’t care. It does not make a difference to me, whether it’s held tomorrow or next year. What will change?” the Opposition Leader told reporters at a press conference held at the party’s Freedom House, Georgetown headquarters.
The PPP’s last congress was held in Berbice in August 2013 and according to the party’s constitution, Congress is due to be held this year; however, General- Secretary of the PPP, Clement Rohee, had stated earlier in the week that the Central Committee has to decide whether the congress will be postponed to next year.
Meanwhile, former PPP Executive Member Ralph Ramkarran has added his voice to the discussion by suggesting that Rohee and Jagdeo may not be too keen on having the congress this year.
However, Jagdeo chastised Ramkarran’s suggestion and described him as an “opportunist” who is still upset he was not given the opportunity to be the PPP’s presidential candidate.
“It’s interesting how these people…Ralph Ramkarran and the others, like to give us advice. Ralph Ramkarran is not the conscience of the PPP. In fact, I believe he is an opportunist because he did not get to run for the presidency; he left us. He can’t be the conscience of the PPP and talk about corruption,” Jagdeo said.
Ramkarran in his recent weekly blog, had identified Jagdeo and Rohee as seeking to be the PPP’s presidential candidate in the 2020 national elections and having the most to lose if the congress is held at this time.
But according to Jagdeo, Ramkarran is in no position to choose who will be the next presidential candidate.
“I have ignored him. He doesn’t wish us well. He was on the other side for the last elections. He wanted us to lose, so how come suddenly he is concerned about us? And he is picking who will be the next President.”
The Opposition Leader said that the PPP has to keep “renewing itself” by listening to its support base and to improve the future of the party.
“Let me tell you something, we can’t make the mistake in the PPP of listening to fossils…Ramkarran and the others come from a different era, they can’t be the future of the PPP. The future of the PPP is smart people, people with a clear vision, more women, young people, that sort of thing and more people of more races in the party,” the Opposition Leader noted.