By Devina Samaroo
Charles Ramson Jr. has announced that he will contest the presidential candidacy of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) for the 2020 General and Regional Elections.
The announcement comes just a day after the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) nixed the possibility of a third term for presidents in Guyana.
The PPP and Guyana need “young, fresh and credible leadership”, the lawyer told sections of the media Wednesday afternoon.
“…leadership with passion and a vision and integrity and with sound technical skills across many areas of disciplines like oil, economics and law and business.
“Leadership which understands family and what it means to have a family of their own; leadership which is not scarred by our history of racial conflict and that will unite rather than divide.”
With PPP General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo eliminated as a presidential candidate, Ramson said there are many party members who have openly expressed an interest in being the face of the PPP/Civic.
Having made his intention clear and with his nomination already secured, Ramson will now have to vie against other nominated PPP Members for the presidential candidacy.
In the past, once a member has been nominated, the party’s leadership will cast their vote for the person they believe will lead them to victory.
For Ramson, he believes he has the qualifications, knowledge and appeal to win over the population.
OLD GUARDS AND NEW BLOOD
The internal power battle will be a challenge for any new blood to overcome when seeking presidential candidacy but Ramson, who has been a member of the PPP for some 10 years, said he does not distinguish between “old guard or new guard.”
“I see a political party that needs to focus all of its attention on how [will] the PPP win the next election and in order to do that, they’ve got to get the right candidate,” Ramson stated.
The young politician said the presidential candidate needs to win the swing votes, the intellectuals and professionals, appeal to all racial groups, and to the large youth population.
“You [need to have] a candidate who represents the future without the baggage,” he stated.
Ramson admitted that he does not have as much experience when compared to his potential competitors and other suitable politicians but he contended that experience is not necessarily a good trait.
“Experience can be both good and bad and there are persons who have experience and we’ve seen what their experience has been with political power and it hasn’t been good for this nation,” Ramson contended.
Referencing world leaders like Canada’s Justin Trudeau and the United States’ Barrack Obama, Ramson said he is competent enough to lead the country through major transformations that will effectively bring benefits to everyone.
“We’ve heard about our potential for generations and we’ve waited for a very long time. We’ve come a far way but we’ve got a far way to go.
“But the challenges we face as a nation are severe and complex to fix but I am optimistic because I know that under the right leadership, we will together and it would be an honour and a privilege to be able to serve Guyana in that capacity.”
WHO IS CHARLES RAMSON JR.?
The 34-year-old has roughly one-decade experience as an Attorney-at-Law, specialising in Civil Law areas of commercial, property, and public law matters.
He recently attained his Masters in Oil and Gas at the University of Aberdeen and he is now a partner at a local energy advisory agency.
Ramson is no stranger to the world of politics; he was a candidate for the party in the 2011 and 2015 elections and he became the youngest Member of Parliament (MP) three years ago.
In October 2016, Ramson resigned as a parliamentarian to pursue his studies in the field of oil and gas under the Chevening Scholarship funded by the British Government.
His father, Charles Ramson SC served as Attorney General under the PPP administration and is the country’s current Commissioner of Information.
