OPINION: Jagdeo is a world class leader and no letter to the editor can change that fact.

Last Updated on Sunday, 10 September 2023, 8:48 by Denis Chabrol

By Dr. Randolph Persaud, Professor Emeritus

We are barely done with GHK Lall’s apology, and now another failed APNU-AFC bureaucrat, Dr Vincent Adams, has surfaced to take a shot at Bharrat Jagdeo. Adams’ little deposit in the media (SN 9/9/2023) is more a product of frustration at his own party’s bungled attempt to steal the National and Regional elections of 2020. Three years on, and Vincent Adams is still grieving for the defeat at the polls. The good news is that he can do no further damage to the EPA, or at the EPA. This man, whose highest previous title before his ill-advised EPA gig, was “deputy manager,” has the audacity to say that Bharrat Jagdeo has not accomplished anything.

Adams should know that Bharrat Jagdeo does not need to pursue grandeur. Jagdeo was elected President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana more than once, and by big margins, and is now the General Secretary of one of the most successful political parties in the history of the Caribbean. News for Vincent Adams on the “grandeur” thing – Jagdeo was one of the youngest Heads of State in the world at the time he assumed the presidency. Unlike Vincent Adams’ bosses, Jagdeo never rigged an election.

The fact that Jagdeo is serving brilliantly as Vice President to President Ali, combined with the General Secretary role of the People’s Progressive Party, is tearing into the “craw” of men like Vincent Adams, a low-energy APNU-AFC appointment.

What Vincent Adams must understand is that small countries can do well depending on the quality of leadership. I know that is difficult for him to comprehend, but the list of Jagdeo’s accomplishments below should give him the little intellectual “tune-up” he obviously needs.

Adams went to town on Jagdeo’s honorary doctorate. Well Sir, you may or may not know that an honorary doctorate is a mark of distinction. To boot, Jagdeo has multiple honorary doctorates. They were given by Patrice Lumumba Peoples’ Friendship University in Moscow, D. Y. Patil University (Mumbai) and TERI University (New Delhi), the University of Central Lancashire (UK), and Trent University (Canada). That’s right, Jagdeo has four honorary doctorates. In addition, he has delivered numerous guest lectures including but not limited to the following universities – American University, School of International Service (Washington, DC); Columbia University (New York City, USA), York University (Toronto, Canada), Trent University (Peterborough, Canada), the University of Toronto (Canada), United Nations University (Tokyo, Japan), and the University of the West Indies.

Bharrat Jagdeo is widely recognized for his work on sustainable development, and his contribution to environmental protection. A cursory review of related global leadership roles will help Vincent Adams, and MP Khemraj Ramjattan understand Jagdeo’s world class footprint. Mr. Ramjattan has been fully engaged on the Guyana Forum trying to minimize Jagdeo’s Low Carbon Economics (LCE).

• The World Economic Forum (WEF) identified Jagdeo as one of their inaugural Young Global Leaders (2006).
• Times Magazine named Jagdeo as one of their “Heroes of the Environment” (2008).
• Awarded the United Nations “Champion of the Earth” (2010).
• The Secretary-General of the United Nations appointed Jagdeo to serve on the Secretary General’s High-level Advisory Group on Climate Financing.
• Jagdeo was President pro tempore of the Union of South American Nations (2010-2011)
• Jagdeo was made a Patron of the Delhi-based World Sustainable Development Forum (2010).
• Jagdeo was President of the Assembly of the Korea-based Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) Bharrat Jagdeo was a founding member of GGGI (2010).
• Jagdeo was Roving Ambassador for the Three Basins Forest Countries – The Congo Basin in Central Africa, the Amazon Basin in South America, and the Borneo Mekong Basin in Southeast Asia (2011).
• Jagdeo was ICUN High-Level Envoy for Sustainable Development in Forest Countries and Patron of Nature – the world’s largest environmental organization, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), announced that President Jagdeo would become the (2012).
• Jagdeo led a high-level team of experts to identify solutions for unlocking resources to enable small, poor, and climate-vulnerable Commonwealth countries to combat climate change (2013).
• Jagdeo presented his High-Level Team of Experts report to 53 heads of government and other leaders of the Commonwealth, representing about the fifth of the World’s population at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Colombo, Sri Lanka (2014).
• Jagdeo served as Co-Chair of the 14-member Eminent Persons Group whose mission was to whose mission will be to provide guidance and recommendations for the future of the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Grouping.
• Jagdeo was Head, Commonwealth Elections Observers to Sri Lanka (2015).
• Jagdeo was a high-level contributor to the United National Framework Convention on Climate Change Summit in Warsaw (2015).

Bharrat Jagdeo’s contribution is so immense that the Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change described him as “one of perhaps half a dozen Heads of Government who truly understands the issue.” The U.K based climate based policy network Climate & Development Knowledge Network, singled out the Jagdeo led LCDS as “maybe the most progressive low carbon development strategy in a low income country.”

Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo has demonstrated world class leadership at home and on the world stage. No failed bureaucrat such as Vincent Adams can change that. More to come for the post 2015 period.

Dr. Randy Persaud is an Adviser at Office of the President, Guyana.