The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has finally issued a statement responding to the allegations of corruption by former PPP Executive Member and Speaker for the National Assembly, Ralph Ramkarran.
Mr. Ramkarran has written several articles, accusing the governing party of acting in conjunction with selected business persons to enrich themselves.
According to the PPP, the “classified warfare always with the threat of more to come,” is nothing but pretense on the part of Mr. Ramkarran.
The governing party noted that in 1997, after unacceptable revelations he was not selected as the Party’s Presidential Candidate. The PPP also praised the work of Mr. Ramkarran during his tenure as Speaker of the 8th and 9th Parliament.
However, the PPP is questioning why it is that Mr. Ramkarran did not make the damning corruption revelations during his time as a Member of the party.
“From 2006 to 2011, as Speaker, his ambitions resurfaced and were clearly enunciated — he was again aspiring to be the next President of Guyana and publicly strove to show that he was unique and different from other PPP members, definitely from its leadership of the PPP/C Administration and the PPP leadership.
In February 2011, his bid for the PPP presidential candidacy was again lost. Ramkarran, like the other candidates had to make presentations and defend their bid for the post before his leadership peers. His presentation did not reveal knowledge nor concern about levels of corruption that he now discloses,” the Party explained in its press statement.
According to the PPP, corruption of government and party officials was not featured in the issues Mr. Ramkarran was going to address were he to be elected as the President.
“His latest disappointment came in January 2012. Having tried so hard for so many years to be the ‘independent’ Speaker and no ‘lackey of the government’, he reveled in the laudatory declarations of the PNC and AFC at the end of the 9th Parliament regarding his outstanding stewardship at the helm of the National Assembly.”
The Party believes that Mr. Ramkarran portrays himself as a wronged person in order to justify his efforts at leaking dreadful secrets of his political past.
“Unfortunately, Mr. Ramkarran has become his own worst enemy.”
The PPP believes that the former executive member will use the time on his hands to regale Guyana with some more high points of his long association with the PPP.
“His profound vitriol against leaders of the PPP makes one wonder why was this not exposed when he was one such leader and contesting for the Presidency in 2011. Why was this aspect of his moral position not revealed during his bid for the Presidential candidacy? In fact, why would one want to be a presidential candidate for a party he has now described in such disparaging terms and accused of such dastardly acts?” the Party questioned.
