PPP should learn from Trump on leadership reconciliation

Dear Editor,

The PPP leadership should pay attention to and take lessons on how President-elect Donald Trump has handled (nomination and post-election) conflict within the Republican Party. After he won, instead of sacking or excluding presidential nomination rivals as PPP leadership did, Trump has pursued an inclusive policy by meeting critics and competitors during the nomination process.

In advanced democracies like the US, Canada, UK, etc victorious candidates at elections tend to meet with defeated candidates to bring reconciliation and unity. Trump has been meeting old adversaries, bitter rivals, foes, and fierce critics. He warmly shook hands with them after the election and invites them to join his administration.

PPP leaders are yet to pursue such an initiative some five years after its defeat in November 2011.

Trump has been holding meetings with former rivals who said the nastiest things about him, and he about them during the nomination (campaign) process. The 2012 Republican nomine, Mitt Romney, for example, called Trump a “phony … a fraud …(and) a con man,” adding that “Trump’s refusal to release his tax records was disqualifying” as a Presidential candidate. Romney said a Trump presidency could bring “trickle-down racism, trickle-down bigotry, trickle-down misogyny” to the nation. Trump responded that Romney was “irrelevant (and) a choke artist”, and calling Romney “a dope!” Trump said Romney “blew it” and “choked like a dog” in his failed bid to unseat President Obama in 2012, and he called the former Massachusetts governor “one of the dumbest and worst candidates in the history of Republican politics.”

Trump met Romney to mend fences. He did same with Governor Nikki Haley of South Carolina, and other critics as well. As reports say, “the cordiality that Romney and Trump displayed publicly was a marked change from the way the men spoke about each other during the campaign”.

In Guyana, there is no mending of fences in the PPP, and therefore virtually no chance at the next election in 2020. The PNC leadership mended fences even though there was bitter feud among rivals for leadership of the party amidst electoral riggings for executive posts. But within the PPP, the leadership was reluctant to accept critiques. The leadership alienated well-meaning critics and those who challenged their candidacy. Instead of seeing constructive criticism and competition as good for democracy, for the party, and for the eventual nominee (winner) for President, the leadership eliminates competitors, weakening the party in the process.

It is noted, for example, that instead of praising and embracing critics Khemraj Ramjattan, Moses Nagamootoo and Ralph Ramkarran for their fiercely independent and objective positions, the PPP leadership excommunicated them. It cost the PPP its majority in 2011 and the government in 2015.

In meetings with former adversaries, Trump discussed issues, exchanged views, and mended fences all in the interest to work together for the betterment of the party, its supporters and the nation.

The PPP should look to reconcile with its former stalwarts and embrace critics to make the PPP a better party and Guyana a better country.

The PPP should look at critics and challengers to its leadership as heroes trying to better the party and preparing it for the future. The party should learn lessons on how to handle internal conflict – conflict resolution will go a long way to help the party make a comeback. Otherwise, it will be a long dry winter. Also, the party should consider inviting the minor parties (ROAR, URP, etc) in an alliance to give it credibility after a long period of arrogant rule.

Yours faithfully,

Dr Vishnu Bisram

Political Scientist