Presidential Mug

Photo taken from outside MTV on Regent Street

Some say if you want to be President you have to start looking, dressing and generally, behaving like a President. And one Cabinet member is certainly reading the script correctly.

We have observed that Robert Montgomery Persaud MBA, the Minister of Agriculture has been mimicking President Bharrat Jagdeo in a very pronounced manner. A plot he hopes will catapult him to the Presidency.

Is he serious? Maybe it has something to do with his marriage to the President’s niece.

Over the past few weeks Guyana has been flooded with speculation about the new PPP/C presidential candidate, but this senior PPP/C Central Executive Committee Member has been thrown out the fray and he is not too bothered because his eyes are set on the 2016 or 2021 presidential race.

The Stabroek News and Kaieteur News have speculated extensively that the race for the candidacy is down to the big three: Moses Nagamootoo, Ralph Ramkarran and Donald Ramotar. We have our own views on this matter which we will share in a subsequent post.

Persaud has silently slipped under the radar with his presidential antics. He is only one of three Ministers with a Public Relations unit at his office. President Jagdeo has a smaller PR unit and relies on GINA for coverage.

Unlike his two ministerial colleagues, Persaud has outdone the President by setting up his media unit. Persaud’s office features a communications specialist (so they say), a cameraman for both TV and print, and a video-editor. Their responsibility is just to keep Persaud’s name flying in the media.

Then there are his two secretaries, one that has been by his side since his days at OP.

We believe that the President has just one secretary. It seems as if Persaud is growing a dynasty over at the Ministry of Agriculture.

It gets even sweeter. Persaud has a ADC aide de camp just as the President. Both the President and Persaud have their Aide, who are Afro-Guyanese men carrying their bags, speeches and other items be it long boots, rain coat or umbrella.

However, other Ministers including the Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy with his triple bypass surgery is made to carry their own ministerial contraption.

To cup it all off, Persaud has finally found a mug that is of the same ilk of the President’s. President Jagdeo has one of those shiny mugs with a cover. Some refer to them as cups. Whatever they are, the President uses one at most press conferences, sipping away whenever he gets the chance.

Several of the cups/mugs can be seen selling on the pave along Regent Street, but we heard that Persaud stole one of the Presidennt’s cups…sad and true.

Even in Parliament where water is provided, Persaud calls on his assistant who then scurries with the shiny mug.

We wonder what next for Persaud? Probably divorce his wife and take away her vehicle?

That’s one to follow, Robert.