MOSES IS BACK!
Peeping Tom
Kaieteur News
February 13, 2007
It may surprise many but Guyana 's most popular political leader, as measured by the number of votes received in a free and fair election was Mrs. Janet Jagan. In the 1997 election she secured fifty three per cent of the votes and got more votes that her husband secured in 1997 and also more than what Bharrat Jagdeo received in 2006.
Yet, the first ever female President of this country was pressured by racist protests until finally she could take it no more and handed over the Presidency to Bharrat Jagdeo in 1999. The popular president, as judged by electoral support, was unable to finish her elected term because of some terrible things that were done against her in the streets of Georgetown .
Before she contested the 1997 election, her party had the foresight to plan ahead and to name a three-person “A” team, comprising Mrs. Jagan, Samuel Hinds and Bharrat Jagdeo, to contest those elections.
Jagdeo later succeeded her under the excuse that there was always an agreement that the Presidency would go to the PPP and the position of Prime Minister to the Civic. This succession as explained was forced upon the PPP but it turned out to be politically advantageous to the PPP and Jagdeo turned out to be well-liked across the ethnic divide. He comprehensively took the PPP to victory in 2001 and repeated the feat in 2006.
The PPP, it would seem is again showing foresight. They know that this is the last term for President Bharrat Jagdeo and are therefore laying the groundwork, even at this early stage, for the person who will take over from Jagdeo and most likely send the PNCR into permanent political oblivion.
The PNCR can learn a thing or two from the PPP and they should be observing how the PPP is already beginning to make moves to settle the issue of who will succeed Jagdeo.
Like Uncle Freddie mentioned in his column this past Sunday, the Peeper too has learnt from sources that within the next six months a Cabinet reshuffle will take place and that the person likely to be named to a Cabinet position and the likely Presidential candidate of the PPP is none other than the political veteran Moses Nagamootoo.
Jagdeo of course will have a legacy to protect whenever he leaves and thus there may be an inclination to ensure that certain things in relation to debt relief and the foreign funded programmes, most of which entail extremely long-term commitments, are not jeopardised. Jagdeo however is not the type to foist upon this nation someone who will do his bidding after he has left.
In addition, there is no one in the present Cabinet, apart from Roger Forbes Luncheon who can take over as President. However Luncheon's illness, I believe, rules him out of contention.
Forget also about Lambada! He was never in contention in my books and clearly lacks the political experience or appeal to become the next President of Guyana .
There are only two persons within the PPP that I believe are in contention for the position of the future Presidential candidate of the PPP. The first is the seasoned political veteran and someone with enormous support within the PPP grassroots, Mr. Navin Chandarpal. He is presently however not a minister in the government and is not likely to be named as one.
The second person is of course someone who has been given a rotten deal by the PPP but someone who has been there in the political trenches, someone who was a close lieutenant of Cheddi Jagan. That person is Moses Nagamootoo.
The question is not whether Moses is liked within the leadership. We all know the circumstances of how he was sent packing from the Executive Committee of the PPP. We all know his views about the need for a political solution to this country, something that stands apart from anything the present administration is committed to.
Moses may not be in the good books of the power-brokers of the PPP. However, there is no one else to turn to if the PPP wants to win the 2011 elections.
Who else can the PPP turn to but Moses? Other than Navin Chandarpal there is no one else, and I do not believe that in any contest Navin will throw his hat in the ring against Moses, never.
The PPP therefore has no other choice but to go with Moses Nagamootoo. The Peeper expects an unprecedented endorsement of Moses at the next Congress of the PPP.