Stella Says…There is medicine to help you, Peeps

by Stella Ramsaroop

(Originally published in Guyana's Kaieteur News on 21 March 2006)

Last week I certainly seem to have hit a nerve with my fellow columnist, Peeping Tom. Each week that passes by causes Peeps to show his hand just a little bit more – so much so that from now on I believe I shall refer too my colleague as “The PPP’s Peeps.”

The ironic aspect about the fact that Peeps is showing his PPP side so often nowadays is that he was so adamantly opposed to Sweet and Sensitive Freddie taking political sides with the AFC.

I remember the good old days when Peeps and I took turns trying to persuade Freddie not to lose his objectivity by throwing his support behind any party. Now it seems as if Peeps has gone and done the same thing. Although Freddie has handled his lack of objectivity concerning political parties with integrity, the PPP’s Peeps is doing anything but.

I went to visit my daughter at college this past weekend and read the column by The PPP’s Peeps during my travels. I chewed on what he had said for quite a while attempting to decipher what nerve I had obviously struck without knowing.

It could not have been the fact that I took such a hard stance against the President’s ability to effectively lead the nation. I do that almost every week and the PPP’s Peeps says nary a word about it. In fact, in his column from last Friday, he acknowledged that I am indeed entitled to my views about the President’s competence.

In my ponderings, I also wondered if perhaps this Peeps for the PPP is such a staunch supporter of Janet Jagan that I had offended him by saying I would never run for President because I didn’t think a girl from America’s Midwest had any right to be President of Guyana. Since Mrs. Jagan is also from the Midwest, I thought this might have made Peeps very upset.

When I mentioned my ponderings to my husband, he helped me to figure out why the PPP’s Peeps was so upset – and borderline acidic – with me last Friday. I had definitely hit a nerve, but the soft spot was not the current or past president, so maybe it was the core supporters of the PPP.

The original article that made the PPP’s Peeps so upset was about how I believe an obscure farmer could do a better job of leading this nation than the current President. Of course Peeps twisted my words and said, “Her use of the example of an obscure farmer was intended as a counterpoint to the President. It was meant to say that even an obscure farmer could do better than the President. She may not have realised that she was also saying that even though an obscure farmer is not one that we associate with the qualities of a leader, the performance of the President is so woeful that even the obscure farmer would do better than the incumbent President.”

He was trying to make it seem as if I was talking badly about farmers. I wonder if this Peeps is related to Robert Persaud? With that kind of spin, I’d bet anything they are both great dancers. But just because they can dance doesn’t mean they have found their groove – because it is obvious that neither of them know how to groove.

In any case, I do not believe the PPP’s Peeps would have had such an issue with my column if I had said that a local businessman or woman would do a better job as President. My intention would have been the same, but he wouldn’t have been able to twist it so badly.

However, I still believe someone from Guyana’s interior who is not well known in the political arena could do a better job than the current leader of the nation. And here is where I believe I struck that nerve that made the PPP’s Peeps respond so sharply.

Those in the interior, the farmers and such, are the core of the PPP’s supporters and I am sure the party does not want for their backers to start thinking I am right and that any one of them could do a better job than the current President. This type of thinking might further encourage that grassroots movement by the people that I mentioned in a previous column.

It is the people who will change this country, not the politicians (more on this in Thursday’s column). The lack of political ability to change Guyana has become more and more obvious in the last couple of months. Something else that is also very apparent is the fact that the people are absolutely sick and tired of where the politicians have led the nation – and they are ready to do something about it.

As far as my image that the PPP’s Peeps seems to think is so badly tarnished because I’d like to see a farmer run for President, I am not too worried about it. How credible can this comment be coming from someone who seems to suffer from some sort of political bi-polar disorder?

One day Peeps is calling Luncheon a logical choice to be the next Prime Minister if Hinds is not and a possible candidate for President in 2011 and then another day is saying Luncheon should be relieved of any responsibility dealing with national security.

They have medicine for such erratic behaviour Peeps, perhaps you should look into it.

Just like the rest of the nation, I try to piece together little bits of information to see if I can figure out Peeping Tom’s real identity. With the newly added titbit that Peeps is evidently a farmer too, so far this is the description I have put together.

Peeps is an aging, balding farmer who sits at busy intersections to watch the big wigs wiz by in their chauffeured SUVs. If anyone sees a person fitting this description, please snap a photo and send it to me.

Email: Stellasays[at]gmail.com