Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo used the 27th death anniversary of Dr. Cheddi Jagan to threaten his opponents. Speaking Sunday at the yearly memorial event at Babu Jaan, Berbice, Jagdeo, who is General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), in his usual abrasive style said, “You got all kinds, some who are trying to challenge us but they better be cautious. They got to come right. It’s a free country politically, but they may have interpreted our being quiet as a sign of weakness. It’s not so. When the right time comes we deal with them.”
Whilst not naming any one in particular, Jagdeo polarising and vindictive politics leave little or no doubt who he is referring to. Constitutionally, Guyana should have elections next year and while the PPP government has had the largest revenue base in the country’s history to manage it has not been to the benefit of all.
Guyanese of all walks of life are becoming more vocal in their disgust about his unwanted political dominance and the poor governance of him and President Irfaan Ali.
Pervasive corruption and discriminatory management of the economy makes the PPP’s chances of returning to government with a credible Voters List and lawful electoral procedures questionable. The PPP has a one seat parliamentary majority but continues to exclude the Opposition and civil society from participating in decision-making and nation-building. The Party does so in violation of the country’s constitution. The nation’s vast wealth is reserved and distributed to a select few.
Jagdeo’s threat has not only raised eyebrows and attracted condemnation but has an eerie ring to a hate-filled speech he made during the 2015 General and Regional Elections campaign. On 19th April 2015 at a political rally in Albion, Berbice, the vice president stoked the flames of racism. He told party supporters, should the A Partnership of National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) win the elections the military would invade their homes. This was a dog whistle with strong sexual undertones.
In a racially polarised country, where the military is dominated by African Guyanese, the message was not lost on society. The APNU+AFC won the 2015 elections and the criminality of which Jagdeo accused them of never happened.
Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) General Secretary Lincoln Lewis in an Op-Ed today has called for a rejection of Jagdeo’s hatred and attend to divide the working class. In a scathing rebuke of Lewis said Jagdeo is displaying qualities of a political bully and dictator who thinks he can do as he pleases. This he said is borne out of fear the PPP could lose the next elections.
Describing the vice president as a megalomania Guyanese, the veteran trade unionist called on the Ethnic Relations Commission to condemn the “subliminal message of anticipated and retaliatory threats and violence uttered by [Jagdeo] which threatens the peace and stability of this nation.”
Lewis warned Jagdeo his threats could likely see resistance from the people. According to the trade unionist, the world has seen many like Jagdeo rise and also witnessed their fall. “He will be no different for nothing stops people’s power when they rise in unity against political leaders and demons like him.”