Dear Editor,
When I examine the faces and or names of current PPP/C Ministers and officials and I delve into their family history or background, I hardly see anyone who is from ‘real’, deep PPP roots. People with no experience and kinship with PPP have become Ministers, CEOs, State Directors, Commissioners, and other title holders. Many of them just a few years back were with the PNC or AFC. Those who fought for and defended the party during the dark days when it was not in government are out of favour with the current leadership and or alienated.
The party has become a figment of itself as founded by Dr. Jagan. It is no longer the party of those who helped to build it and of those who were in the forefront in the trenches combating authoritarianism. Clearly, non-PPP folks dominate the party – drawn from the PNC of yesterday and more recently too. Also, the party has also moved away from its working class mooring. It has been in bed with the opportunistic bourgeois class during a time period when the party relies on the votes of the working class and true PPPites to retain power. The party has given up sure votes for non-sure votes. Billions of dollars were spent to capture non-sure votes while a few millions were spent on getting the certain votes resulting in the latter blanking the elections.
Only a few current Ministers have roots in the PPP; the others in one way or another, or their family members (parents) were associated with the PNC during the 28 years plus five years of APNU in power. The hard core PPPites like Clement Rohee, Donald Ramotar, Hydar Ally, Indra Chandrapal, and a handful of others have been sent into oblivion. Those who defended the party and helped it regain power in 2020 are also blanked. Apart from Vindya Peraud, Bharrat Jagdeo, Frank Anthony, Seeraj Dharamkumar, Neil Kumar, and a few others, one can hardly identify a strong PPPite in the party’s line up. One may feel that some of the others had PPP roots and were raised in PPP families. Their families were in the PNC camp. They enjoyed benefits under the PNC and now they are feeding off the PPP trough. They aligned themselves opportunistically with whoever is or will be in power. If PPP loses power in 2025 or whenever that happens, they will be gone. This was observed during the PNC tenure and again after 2015.
The true PPPites should seek to reclaim their party from the usurpers and those who abuse their power to alienate stalwarts and embrace opportunists.
Yours truly,
Rudesh Jodha
