…as top PPP official tries to sell him to party diehards

EVEN as the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is yet to name its presidential candidate, top sources say that a senior party official is attempting to sell businessman, Peter Ramsaroop as a potential candidate.

The Guyana Chronicle made several efforts to contact Ramsaroop, but was unsuccessful. Opposition, Leader Bharrat Jagdeo did not entertain questions on the party’s efforts to select a presidential candidate during his news conference on Monday. The Guyana Chronicle was told that Ramsaroop— a known political hop-scotcher has been a hard sell to the PPP grassroot supporters and also some of the stalwarts of the party.

It is known that Anil Nandlall, Irfaan Ali, Dr. Frank Anthony, Gail Teixeira and Charles Ramson jr. are all interested in becoming the party’s presidential candidate. Ramsaroop— a political ‘hop-scotcher’, has been in the spotlight lately as he was seen escorting former Alliance For Change (ACF) member Charrandas Persaud out of the Parliament buildings after voting in support of a no-confidence motion against the government on December 21, 2018.

Photos surfaced of the PPP surrogate and a well-known business man joining the same vehicle that spirited away Charrandas that night. Moments earlier, Ramsaroop, who has been a member of several political parties in Guyana, sat directly behind Charrandas throughout the debate and was seen pumping his first in the air in when Persaud delivered the shocking ‘yes’ vote on the motion.

Prior to his alliance with the PPP, Ramsaroop had served as the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the AFC and member of People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR). In 2010 he was involved in a controversy regarding hidden cameras that were found in an apartment he leased to a female tenant as well as allegations of phone tapping at the same location.

Three cameras were found by the police during a search exercise one focusing on a general view of the apartment; another in the bathroom and one in the bedroom.
After the case surfaced, Ramsaroop’s eldest son had alleged that his father has a history of infidelity and further accused him of luring young girls into his bed for money.

Later, when he transferred himself to serve as leader of the Guyana’s People’s Partnership (GPP) Ramsaroop switched then again to side with the PPP in 2011 by way of a public statement where he supported the party’s manifesto.

A subsequent release issued by the GPP had expelled and revoked his membership from the party. Since then, Ramsaroop has served as the Advisor to Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo.

In 2017 he was also involved in another matter where he filed and later withdrew a court matter against the Parliament of Guyana for monies he alleged were owed to him for his property rented to a current minister.

However, it was contended by Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs that Ramsaroop had filed the proceedings after refusing to return over $1.5M or two months’ rent and one month security deposit lodged for his property. Ramsaroop had also been part of the People’s National Congress Reform.

Jagdeo last week announced that the executive committee of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) will commence discussions on the selection of a presidential candidate. “Because of the recently passed no-confidence motion,” he said, “we have to accelerate our process, but we are not scrambling to do it. We have a big pool and a lot of young people,” he told reporters during a press conference, adding that the position will however be harder for a “newbie”.

Although the opposition leader did not fully rule out the option of choosing an inexperienced person, he said most of the people in the pool of potential candidates of which he spoke are used to leadership and have executive experience at the Cabinet level.
According to Jagdeo, the pool includes people who are within the age range of 30-50 years old. “We have a fantastic pool to choose from,” he reiterated. “We will be considering people who expressed their interest, and there are also those who will express interest,” said the opposition leader, noting that their vision is that any candidate would bring the people together.

As the party prepares to discuss its options for presidential candidate, Jagdeo said there has been no discussion as yet as to who will be the prime ministerial candidate, but they intend on settling that matter closer to the elections season, which is expected to be in 2019.

Despite not making a decision on the two candidates, Jagdeo was certain that he will be part of the government, should his party win the elections. “As the general secretary,” he said, “my job is to work hard to get them elected and ensure we deliver…”
“I will have to ensure we deliver on our promises; I have to ensure that it happens… I have no interest in the things people believe, but I have to make sure we deliver, so I will be there as a counsel to deliver.”

He believes that anyone who is appointed as presidential candidate would be labelled his puppet, but it’s a reality he has come to accept. Jagdeo had said before that the PPP/C would announce their candidate before the end of the year, but the recently concluded Local Government Elections (LGEs) and the budget debates would not permit the party to do so.

“I have been in favour of doing it pretty early,” he said. “The process, so far, is that you have a discussion at the level of the executive, and it goes to the central committee, which is made up of 35 members. “And then at that level, it is agreed by consensus, or then we go to balloting,” said the opposition leader, adding that only the central committee of the party could change the process.