The stupendously stupid People’s Progressive Party

SEPTEMBER 24, 2015 | BY KNEWS | FILED UNDER FEATURES / COLUMNISTS, FREDDIE KISSOON

My September 10, 2015 column was captioned, “The PPP has learnt and will learn nothing from history.” The argument was that the PPP does not care to appear as decent, credible politicians in the eyes of the world and it damages their chances of people offering admiration. I went on to argue that the PPP’s approach to philistine, crude, cruel and crazy behaviour by its leaders is never a sane one. The most uncouth, uncivilized conduct among PPP leaders goes unnoticed because in the PPP’s hierarchy no one cares to notice. I looked at the appointment of Robeson Benn and Bibi Shadick by the PPP to represent its interest in GECOM. I opined that these were two bad choices because of lack of credibility. I suggested that these personalities tend to alienate humans wherever they go, will do the same in GECOM. My column was published on the September 10. On September 22, Benn and Shadick were sworn in. Here is the headline of one media house coverage of the swearing-in; “Mild drama at swearing in of PPP nominated GECOM Commissioners.” What was the drama about? Shadick refused to use the religious book that all Commissioners are given. She brought her own. She refused the pen that Commissioners used to attach their signature that as a matter of protocol, is offered by state personnel in the Office of the President. This was a petty mind engaged in petty nonsense that will be greeted with joy by similar petty minds in her party. When Jagdeo, Rohee, Ramotar, Teixeira, and others read that newscast, Shadick will be given a heroic reception the type “Satyra Gyal” got when she displayed nasty, filthy, unbecoming conduct at the home of the American Ambassador. Luncheon called the foul-smelling philistinism of “Satyra Gyal” a “feral blast” at the Ambassador. Of course, readers must be uncomfortable to know that Shadick is the Pro-Chancellor of the University of Guyana. One can safely say that at the next meeting of the UG Council, she may take her own table and chair and when the coffee lady comes around the table, she may go under her skirt and pull out her own bottle of Café Pele, teacup, spoon and sugar. This has been the type of personalities the PPP has chosen since Cheddi Jagan founded it over sixty years ago. The older generation may recall that Premier Cheddi Jagan appointed his tailor as manager of Guyana Electricity Corporation (now GPL) and President Cheddi Jagan placed his chauffeur on the Board of the Coop Bank in 1993. If this appears to you to be facetious and light, then it is factual and has been properly documented. There is no question in this columnist’s mind that what Shadick did will be greeted in the PPP with elation. It is called psychological nihilism—a process whereby a person’s psychology is fixated on the bizarre and the macabre. What the PPP, especially under Jagdeo, did not accept and will not accept is how the world works and as the PPP got steeper in permanent electoral victories, the PPP couldn’t distinguish between a politician’s moral abomination and a politician’s scatology. How the world works is not that complex to understand even if you do not believe in a creator. It goes like this- people do not accept judges who are habitual drunkards; priests who hobnob with little girls; educators who are seen cussing down at nightclubs, politicians who are always brawling in the streets. They are disappointed when they see such standard-bearers falling down and they withhold their admiration. Unfortunately the PPP doesn’t care about these shocking abnormalities. The President of the country defended what Bheri Ramsaran did to a social activist, then when he was shown video clips of how unapologetic Ramsarran was, the next night, the President didn’t accept what he saw. The PPP brushed aside criticism of its own parliamentarian, Dr. Vinya Persaud, who made reference to Ramotar’s defence of Ramsaran and Rohee showing voters his middle finger. Persaud insinuated that these perversities may have caused the loss of votes in the 2015 general election. No matter how atrocious is the moral conduct of its personnel, no matter how philistine is the behaviour of its leaders, no matter how well dressed in gutter morals are its leaders, the PPP cannot bring itself to see the inner sickness of such deportment. So Ramsarran, Nandlall, Jennifer Westford and “Satyra Gyal” are back in Parliament. “Killaman now works at Freedom House and “Bruck-Up” Benn and Shaddick of all people are assigned top posts. The good thing about all of this is that the PPP is gone from power.