If you want to feel really good about the state of politics and the state of mind of a political contender in Guyana, just take a look at Donald Ramotar.

Donald Ramotar, the newest star in the PPP's constellation, bears a striking resemblance to Donald Ramotar the presidential hopeful.

OK, now let's talk about a flake. This is a fella with magical thinking. Luckily, and so often, the stars align, and he gets his fingers right on the pulse of the nation.

Check this out. This man is so upset with Dr. Rupert Roopnarine's decision to run alongside PNCR presidential candidate, David Granger, that he calls it "betrayal." Not just any betrayal, but "a great betrayal."

How come? David Granger's PNC was responsible for the "brutal" assassination of WPA's Dr. Walter Rodney. Rupert Roopnarine was Rodney's political buddy at the time when they confronted dictator Forbes Burnham. Those were the glorious days of PPP's functional opposition.

This is a great "gotcha" moment. Waiting to hear what Ramotar has to say these days - win, lose or just "laff till yuh belly bust" rips- has become the most anticipated event in this election season. It turns out, also, it is Ramotar's great "Aha" moment.

Well, that's not the end of the story. The dominant narrative this past week is the uneasy relationship of Donald Ramotar/House of Israel - the echoes of an ugly past; and the center of the whirlpool is an old actor named Joseph Hamilton.

Now if you don't know the House of Israel, think Tonton Macoutes. You'd get the picture. Or ask Joseph Hamilton himself. A member of this hooligan group powered by an American fugitive, Hamilton can reminisce the tribal battles they launched to contain the revolt initiated by the WPA. Due notice must be given that it wasn't Donald Ramotar's PPP that was in their crosshairs.

It gets real funky from here on. Joseph Hamilton, who is also a former executive member of the PNC, has thrown his support for Donald Ramotar. Without solicitation. Without duress ...a turncoat by volition. He just willingly scampered into the Donald Ramotar's camp like a dog ditching a chewed up bone for a fresh slice of porterhouse.

And Ramotar is happy. Of course, he is.

But he had to say something unilaterally, extraordinarily stupid on the occasion. He had to fuse Dr. Rupert Roopnarine's "betrayal" with Joseph Hamilton's "change" in the same breath. For Donald Ramotar is man who is a strong believer that people can "change."

The trouble with "change", according to Ramotar's logic, is that as long as you can jump ship, regardless of what your past is like, and seek sanctuary in the PPP's membership, then atonement is complete.  

Election politics has its own rhythm; the righteousness of the PPP passeth all understanding. Joseph Hamilton's transformation is symbolic because it represents how this politician speaks from both sides of his mouth.

That is the mark of political charisma: an assurance that articulates itself through sheer presence. A hero has it; so does Donald Ramotar. His cup runneth over.

Now that Joseph Hamilton has been cleansed; he sinneth no more. But for Dr. Rupert Roopnarine, his wages for the sin of siding with David Granger this election is death. Betrayal is as good as treason and is punishable by death.

How Donald Ramotar factored in history, contemporary developments and the prospect of becoming Guyana's next president, and arrived at this impressive amalgamation is quite astonishing. His intention is to make it work in tonic and toxic ways, so he gets a chance to kick ass for righteousness' sake.

But hypocrisy absolutely deserves the treatment it receives here: to accept his ratiocination is to accept the dumb idea that you can drive blindfolded in the middle of the night and not bump into something.

And right now his algorithm makes him look like he's some kind of agitated subatomic particle holding two opposite charges at once: dread and excitement.

And excitement it is. Donald Ramotar is no stranger to idiocy. He subscribes to the belief that failure can save the PPP. Earlier this week, he broke newer ground in the field of the bizarre. Here's what he said: If you find real corruption in society, let the law take its course.

Come again? In the comfort of his alternate, constructed reality, Ramotar is saying that we all have it wrong. The awful, mainstream media is out to lynch his party and the public's perception is really bad. A fierce intellectual, an intrepid scholar, a wicked wit and an uncompromising radical, this man shot out a few recent anecdotes and adamantly pursued a "No corruption" policy.

Ummm...really? Well, on the street it is called being deaf and dumb and stupid - all at the same time.

It's okay to go ahead and laugh - if you're not suffering from indigestion by now. But Donald Ramotar has an uncanny talent to construct a reality at a moment's notice. What this means is that the truth doesn't matter; that he can make up sheet - the more outrageous the better. Clearly, Ramotar is hell bent on going after the idiot vote.

So all those scams, the blizzard of scandals, all the unsavory contractors, all those shadowy business deals, the Auditor General's reports, Transparency International, bungled projects like the Pomeroon wharf and the Supenaam stelling, the messed up road construction projects, etc. - what category do they come under? What about the recent report on the Trafficking in Persons? How about the deals the PPP made with the PNC after the 1992 elections regarding justice for Dr. Walter Rodney? Does that fit his definition of corruption? Wanna talk about GuySuCo?

Is this man telling us that the masses just sat down, conspired with the media and fabricated this corruption charge and then broadcasted it to the international audience? Is it just bad luck? Is that why no major corruption case has gone to trial?

So much for the law taking its course on corruption under the PPP. It's been 19 years of a lawless law prevailing in a nation besieged by the rise of underworld creatures that dominate political management. Could Donald Ramotar be any more brilliant? Seriously. Doesn't he know that the law that once kept this nation civil has gone off track; that gangsta lifestyle now rules in every facet of the political culture?

All of this, compliments of the PPP. Sometimes it's hard. But in this press conference, Donald Ramotar was quick to point out why he's under-qualified to be president, much less, the PPP's front runner.

For the disaffected and aggrieved Guyanese of the Jagdeo era, Donald Ramotar could not have picked a better rallying cry. Because he has no backers at this moment. If Ramotar is cognizant enough (a higher IQ might work), he would have noticed that many of the influential party boys have gone silent since he won the candidacy.

He would have also developed an appreciation for the caricaturizations bloggers attributed to him, as well as his colleagues like Kellawan Lall, Clement Rohee, President Bharrat Jagdeo and the rest of the coterie at Freedom House and the sycophants who extol them. Translation: Guyana is going through one of its longest sustained periods of unhappiness and pessimism ever.

Which brings up another interesting observation. A lie cannot stand by itself; it needs a few more lies to hold it. And these back-up lies need another pack of lies to hold them in place, and so it goes on. The bad news is that the barefaced lies that the PPP perpetuate are falling apart. 

An implosion is inevitable. The cold shoulder Donald Ramotar is receiving from his comrades at Freedom House and from the intelligentsia signify that the party itself is at the point of fragmentation. Which means this campaign is not about the heart and soul of the nation; it is about the Donald Ramotar campaign.

Have you observed how many intellectuals have come out to fight his cause? That is why the uncontrolled giggling you hear coming from the big Red curtain is coming from the few academics within the PPP. Damn. It is time to reach for another Excedrin.

If Ramotar projects an exaggerated air of confidence, like he did last week, perhaps it's to make up for a certain lack of gravitas. The trouble is he tries so hard to make the case for his authenticity that he can sound, well, inauthentic.

That, in a nutshell, is the dilemma facing Donald Ramotar as he launches his campaign for the presidency.

The views expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect those of Demerara Waves Media Inc.