PPP’s yearend Congress

Guyanese will witness a December to remember this year when the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) hosts its first congress in opposition after 23 years of wielding Executive authority and power in Guyana.
For the most part, the Congress will take place as expected with hundreds if not thousands of party supporters, members and well-wishers converging in the Cinderella County to assess the progress made by the party on a series of reforms that were proposed at the party’s last Congress held after it won the 2011 elections but lost parliamentary control.
It is also expected that those who left the party to seek refuge in the then ‘promising’ Alliance for Change would return home after being betrayed by the likes of Khemraj Ramjattan, Moses Nagamootoo, Raphael Trotman and Cathy Hughes, among others.
The Congress therefore will serve as a platform for party members to take the leaders to task for their alleged mismanagement of certain parts of the economy and their shortcomings while in office which eventually forced it into Opposition.
That aside, there will also be an opportunity for members to criticise the stewardship of the current party General Secretary Clement Rohee whose style is still largely unpopular and sometimes objectionable, especially among youths in the party and the new movement demanding sweeping changes as well as the modernisation of the party’s approach to politics.
Rohee no doubt will face an uphill challenge when the Congress commences as far as defending his record is concerned as there are many who still feel that he did not do enough to secure resounding victories at the 2011 and 2015 General and Regional Elections.
Many are also still very aggrieved that over the past six years a lot was not done by the party to punish those who were in Government and were allegedly involved in racketeering, corruption scandals and unethical practices that led to the party loosing favour in the eyes of the electorate.
While many will jump to defend the party’s hierarchy by pointing out that it was the Heads of State and Government who ought to have done more to address the aforementioned issues, it can also be argued that it was the General Secretary and party’s general responsibility to place pressure on its own Government to be mindful of the impact of its non-action or actions on the party’s declining bill of health and appeal as in the future it could suffer massive electoral defeats.
It was the party’s responsibility to ensure that its own government adhered to the time honoured ideology and philosophical principles upon which it was founded by Cheddi Jagan and his comrades.
Sweeping changes are therefore unavoidable if not inescapable when the party’s executives meet the membership and grassroots support base as many remain unhappy with the party’s administrative and structural functionality.
The most important aspects of the Congress therefore will be the elections of office bearers who will wield authority in the PPP until it is successful at wining future elections. These persons may be the young and ambitious within the PPP. They might not reach the class requirements and may not even have served in government or the party’s hierarchy before their election to party posts.
What is certain though, is that Bharrat Jagdeo is seen as the only person within the PPP who can lead it to success at any future elections (for the time being). He is also believed to be the person whom the masses in and outside the PPP find agreeable because he is still youthful, witty, statesman-like and competent.
In fact, years of misinformation, scandal and sensationalistic media reports have not diminished his standing in the eyes of the people who still prefer him over many of his equals in the PPP and over at Congress Place.
Also, the new Government’s failure to bring any serious charge related to corruption or mismanagement against Jagdeo has also exposed the lies being peddled by the media specialists within the coalition while it was in opposition.
Other personalities like Irfaan Ali, Priya Manickchand, Anil Nandlall, Yvonne Pearson, Charles Ramson, Jr, Gillian Burton, Dr Roger Luncheon and Gail Teixeira will be highly favoured among those thirsty for change and others who will preach conservatism in the party’s approach going forward.