‘PPP killed quest to power sharing’- Ramkarran
Mar 11, 2025
— all the people who had supported initiative changed their minds
By Davina Bagot
Kaieteur News-Former Speaker of the National Assembly, Ralph Ramkarran has blamed the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) for scuttling efforts towards power sharing here and he said there is need for higher collaboration among the major political parties in Guyana amid an escalation of threats from neighbouring Venezuela.
Former Speaker of the National Assembly, Ralph Ramkarran
Venezuela over the past weeks and months has intensified its claim to the Essequibo Region, a mineral-rich portion of this country’s territory. The Nicolas Maduro-led administration on the morning of March 1, 2025 came in for staunch criticism, following the entrance of an armed vessel in Guyanese waters, near the Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) platform – Prosperity – which is operating in Guyana’s oil-rich Stabroek Block. The Venezuelan vessel radioed the FPSO platform stating that it was operating in what it termed “disputed international waters” before continuing its course towards other FPSOs operating in the oil block.
Ramkarran during the inaugural episode of ‘Nation Building- Guyana Beyond 2030’ on March 5, was at the time commenting on the importance of shared governance when he pointed to the importance of collaboration, especially in light of the recent acts of aggression by Venezuela. The Senior Counsel noted, “The situation between Guyana and Venezuela is getting very serious, this recent event points to an escalation by Venezuela. There have been escalation, after escalation, after escalation and there is a military factor behind it.” Consequently, the former Speaker of the National Assembly noted, “This situation is getting very drastic so I think we have to consider a higher degree of collaboration.”
Power sharing
In his earlier comments, Ramkarran told viewers of the programme, streamed by Globespan 24X7, that he blames the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) for failing to implement Dr. Cheddi Jagan’s vision for shared governance. He explained, “Even though just prior to 1992 Cheddi Jagan confirmed his intention to establish a winner- does-not-take all government, it has not materialised and Guyana is far away from that as it was in the late 1970’s.”
Ramkarran observed that the major political parties today are not in support of such a strategy. It is his view that for an agreement to be reached in that regard, intense political effort will be required, driven by wider public demands and the realisation by the political forces that such an advance is necessary. Ramkarran believes, “Until a political solution, in the sense suggested by Cheddi Jagan from the 1970s until 1992 is devised with the concurrence of the main political forces, this issue in our politics will remain a negative feature.”
Ramkarran pointed out that the initiative for a power sharing agreement was conceptualised by the PPP; therefore, the party was required to initiate the process which it did not. “I blame the PPP because it was our responsibility at the time but it never came up and the shocking thing that occurred was that all the people who had supported power sharing and winner does not take all in the late 70’s, they all changed their minds,” he noted.
While there were subsequent events which gave hope to the realisation of this vision, it simply never materialised according to Ramkarran. He however stressed the importance of such a strategy to his audience. “It is very important for us to keep that door or window open, the window to the possibility of a reconciliation between the two major political forces in Guyana and therefore, even if, this might be a difficult time to envisage any agreement between the two parties, we should continue talking about it and the forces within the two political parties should be encouraged to keep that door open,” Ramkarran urged.
(‘PPP killed quest to power sharing’- Ramkarran )
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