On Saturday, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) turned a new page and once again proved that it was capable of taking tough decisions in order to achieve modernisation and maintain relevance.
Having listened to the pleas of its membership and supporters at the Party’s 2016 Biennial Congress, the newly elected and minted Central Executive Committee (CEC) elevated Bharrat Jagdeo to the coveted post of PPP General Secretary.
Jagdeo, a former President of Guyana and an Economist, will not only control the Party’s parliamentary agenda in the National Assembly as Opposition Leader but now its overall political outlook and electoral appeal.
He will be tasked with engineering internal policies and programmes aimed at further rebuilding the Party to meet the external political challenges that lie ahead until the next elections and party Congress.
Rohee
It is expected too, that Jagdeo will embark on an internal programme focused genuinely on achieving reconciliation, unity and healing within the Party following the factionalism and disillusionment which resulted from the party’s loss of power at the May 2015 elections.
While the former General Secretary, Clement Rohee, attempted to pursue bold reforms within the Party that could have resulted in higher levels of internal unity and reconciliation, he was severely criticised for his style and approach which did not gel well with young and upcoming leaders as well as some seniors in the socialist-Marxist party.
Regardless, Rohee rolled with the punches and appeared to be doing all that he could to keep the Party from going under and losing its political relevance. Had he tried harder though to understand the younger folks and their vision for a modernised Guyana, he could have achieved much more during his tenure.
It is against this background that Jagdeo’s election to the GS post must be seen as he was always the choice of the masses and the Party grassroots base despite the bitter and vengeful grumblings of a few influential personalities within and outside of Freedom House who tried desperately to anoint another individual who could be easily influenced and toyed like a puppet.
Looking ahead
The election of Jagdeo as GS, though long overdue, is a step in the right direction. It will inspire hope among youths and send a clear message to the Party’s membership that there are brighter days ahead with him at the helm of the Party. They know what to expect from him and while they might not “fancy” his style, they understand it because he has been tested and proven time and time again.
And whilst there may be a sigh of relief following Jagdeo’s election, there must be no complacency. There must be no letting down of the guard as there is still much work that needs to be done to return the PPP to the Executive arm of Government in 2020.
Jagdeo will have to surround himself with younger and more politically appealing Executives who do not have a lot of political baggage. He needs to rebuild alliances with civic organisations and personalities who, though not PPP, possess the skills and qualities to rally the Party to power.
There also needs to be a reorganisation of Freedom House and the operatives who function there. Jagdeo needs to make it more youth friendly and welcoming to the public. PPP parliamentarians must make themselves available on weekends and during the week to meet the public and reconnect with the bread and butter concerns which they have. Meetings at the Leader of the Opposition office on Church Street are not enough. Parliamentary representations during debates are not enough. The press conferences being held even though effective are not enough. Jagdeo must use his influence and new post to redefine the party’s PR policy to ensure that they set the agenda of the broadcast media and press corps.
Jagdeo must also ensure that the party heightens its community activism and fundraising drive. He must weed out those “fat cats” in the PPP who sit in various regions and are ignoring the plight of the Party’s elderly and long service members as well as youths.
The former President as the new GS must rebuild a dynamic and modern Progressive Youth Organisation with freshly educated youths who are thirsty to assist the PPP in defending Guyana’s democracy and creating positive socio-economic change. He must not look at gender constructs, social orientation and race but focus on their commitment to servicing Guyana.
Importantly, the new GS like Rohee, Ramotar and the Jagans will have to demonstrate high levels of maturity when taking risky political decisions which if not taken after much consideration can result in immense setbacks for the PPP.
The biggest challenge that lies ahead for the new GS is exposing the secrets and harrows of David Granger’s Presidency. So far, President Granger’s reputation remains intact despite the massive missteps of his Ministers, Government and political allies. More focus must be placed on linking him directly to the actions of his subjects.
After all, when it comes down to a vote, it is likely to be the PPP versus the APNU/PNC at the next election because the AFC has already died but is too ashamed to close its eyes.
The truth is, the coalition only fears one man. He’s now GS and Opposition Leader. Saturday’s election will cause those at the Conversation Tree to crumble whilst those in Congress Place are uneasy.
