| By Abena RockcliffeBelatedly, General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Clement Rohee, yesterday sought to defend the legacy of his Party’s founder leader, Dr. Cheddi Jagan.PPP General Secretary, Clement RoheeThis comes two weeks after former President Bharrat Jagdeo made comments which some say were challenging to the legacy of Dr. Jagan.As he sought to defend his opulent lifestyle characterized by a seaside mansion, use of a private jet and fancy vehicles, Jagdeo told the media that Dr. Jagan lived similarly and that his house, located on a prime piece of land, was extravagant for the time he lived in.Yesterday, Rohee blasted critics who have condemned the Party for “straying” from the principles of Dr. Jagan, and those who criticized the party for staying quiet while Jagdeo made the statements he did. Rohee labeled these critics “born again diplomats.”The criticism leveled against the Party came from former PPP executive members and the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Jagan, among others. Former PPP executive member Ralph Ramkarran had said that it was a sin for Jagdeo to equate his lifestyle and that of current government ministers to that of the Jagans and called on sitting Party leaders to condemn his statements.Rohee, who professes to be a true “Jaganite”, had refused last week to comment on the issue.But he broke his silence yesterday saying that Dr. Jagan’s legacy continues to be the bedrock on which all major programmes and policies are developed at both the party and government levels.The General Secretary told the media that he was not distancing himself from Jagdeo’s statements but said itBharrat Jagdeoshould not have been seen as the position of the Party.“Jagdeo expressed his views as he saw it on the matters to which he spoke. Those views, it must be recalled, were not expressed by the General Secretary of the Party, the official spokesperson of the Party. It is grossly unfair, unprofessional and unbalanced to attribute Mr. Jagdeo’s statements to what the Party stands for,” said Rohee.Rohee added,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, “When a member of the PPP expresses a viewpoint…It is best left to the leadership of the PPP to pronounce authoritatively on such matters.”However, Rohee, in defending the one who is labeled the true Party leader said that, “He (Jagdeo) countered the political opposition and sections of the media for attacking him for using his personally accumulated wealth to build something to his liking. By doing that, does it mean going against something that Dr. Jagan stood for?”“The benefits from a prosperous economy cannot and must not be from one class and social strata of the population. All must benefit and they must be free to dispose of their wealth as they deem fit provided it is done within the meaning of the laws of Guyana,” said Rohee.The General Secretary told the media that it was Dr. Jagan who led the assault against the colonial administration to lift sugar workers out of “logies” and slum conditions to which they were condemned by the planter class.He said that the current leaders of the PPP have not deviated from Dr. Jagan’s legacy which is fully consistent with the development model he laid down.Rohee said that Jagdeo did not attack Dr Jagan’s ideology, politics or economic policies.He told media operatives that in the 1957-1964 Government, Dr. Jagan had many ‘well to do’ personalities with him who were PPP Members of Parliament and Ministers of Government. “The same can be said about the 1992 Government. So why should it be ok for some in a PPP/C Government to be prosperous and to accumulate and spend their savings the way they want to while for others it must be different?” |
