Nagamootoo powerless – Opposition Leader

Prime Minister and First Vice President Moses Nagamootoo is a powerless figurehead in the coalition, A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government and his sole purpose is to criticise the People’s Progressive Party (PPP).
Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, made this observation on Wednesday, as he suggested that “he (Nagamootoo) has absolutely no power.”
In fact, Jagdeo suggested that Nagamootoo has since been relegated to “singing for his supper” and his only instruction taken is to sing for how loud and for how long.
Jagdeo was at the time addressing members of the media at Freedom House and was responding to the former PPP member’s about-face on the culpability of the People’s National Congress (PNC) in the death of international scholar, world renowned historian and political

activist, Dr Walter Rodney.
The Opposition Leader said Nagamootoo awaits a chosen topic by President David Granger after which his role, “is to sing for his supper.”
Nagamootoo – once at the forefront of laying the blame for Dr Rodney’s death at the hands of the PNC and its then leader Forbes Burnham – strayed from this position as he denounced the findings of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into Dr Rodney’s death.
Dr Rodney, the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) strong-man and political activist, was killed on June 13, 1980, in a bomb explosion while seated in his brother’s car.
Drawing reference to the debate in Parliament, which saw Government rejecting the findings of the report of the Rodney CoI, Jagdeo said he was bothered by what obtained in the House during the debate.
In fact, Jagdeo said, “in my lifetime, I have never seen such serious acts of cowardice.” He spoke to the fact that a number of new excuses were proffered by the Prime Minister, including the resort to accusing the Americans of being involved in Dr Rodney’s death.
Jagdeo said Nagamootoo also went at great lengths during that debate to denigrate the work of the Commission and to disparage the internationally recognised jurists that served as the Commissioners for the inquiry.
According to the former President, Nagamootoo – who only recently matriculated as an Attorney-at-Law – is in no position to disparage the learned jurists.
“He sought to disparage these people, a man who just recently matriculated in the law,” said Jagdeo.
In fact, Jagdeo was adamant that the Prime Minister owes the three Commissioners an apology.
The Opposition Leader posits that all and sundry knew of the PNC’s involvement in the death of Dr Rodney and this had been confirmed in the findings of the CoI.
He said Nagamootoo in attempting to divert attention from the PNC – which he (Nagamootoo) now faithfully serves – even suggested that Dr Rodney could have been a victim of the Cold War.
“He created a new scenario and sought to blame the Americans… He said Rodney could have been a victim of the Cold War when it was quite clear who were the political authors and it was confirmed in the CoI.”
Jagdeo suggested that the Prime Minister’s utterances bordered on suggesting that Dr Rodney committed suicide in order to justify his multimillion-dollar package as Prime Minister.
Jagdeo said Nagamootoo has no work to do as a Government official, only to ‘criticise the PPP and to sing for his supper.’
Former President Jagdeo made it clear he in understanding of the positions adopted by senior members of the PNC since they have been consistent, “to hide the fact that they killed Walter Rodney”.
Jagdeo said he has never before seen such serious opportunism, particularly from someone who had always maintained the PNC’s culpability in Dr Rodney’s death.