I am no doctor but from what I know so far about Guyana politics, I share these opinions....some of these are conjectures and my own biases..there are obviously knowledgeable people here who know a lot more than me...hopefully I can learn from them:
1) ...Ali’s selection indicates very clearly that should the PPP win the election, it will continue the Jagdeo agenda that was interrupted when the party lost power in 2015...
I believe this is a myth being peddled by the PNC (the likes of Hinds, Ogunsese, etc). Look at it this way: there seems to be more interest froups (TI, etc) that will play a watchful eye on any government, making it difficult for ANY government to become corrupt while in office. There is now much information to consider since 2015, and one would like to think that Guyanese are much smarter to the lies of politicians today, than before.
2) ...Jagdeo agenda [is] of ethnic dominance and the criminalized state. In effect, I see an Ali presidency as a Jagdeo fourth term.
This is a reflection of Hinds bias. Afros will not allow the PPP government to establish any kind of dominance. They will make this clear before and after the election (should the PPP win). Like it or not, the PNC will force the PPP to institutionalize constitutional reform that will prevent this from happening. Street protest has always worked well for the PNC.
3. ...given his close ties to the Jagdeo agenda, Ali is in effect the best candidate for that section of the PPP’s base
This may be true...but it leaves littre room for the unexpected...How do we know Ali is not smart enough to understand that he needs to find ways to demonstrate that he is not a puppet, with Jagdeo pulling his strings?
4...whatever his negatives—and there are two that have been in the news—I don’t think those would negatively affect his candidacy among the PPP’s wider base.
I agree. Indos will vote for the PPP, regardless of who the Presidential or Prime Ministerial candidate is. Race is a key factor.
5...is Ali’s relative youth an asset? I am not so sure. As I indicated above, if he is tied to the old agenda then his youthfulness matters very little..
I disagree. His youth can be, given that most young people might be disenchanted with both parties. Hinds' analysis does not consider other variables...like having a credible PM candidate and having a good Public Relations managing the PPP's and Ali's image.
6. ...the PPP has chosen a Muslim as its standard bearer. ... it could also be read as a submerging of religious contradictions in favor of the ethno-political imperatives.
This is an asinine statement that makes no sense. Hinds sees everything through a racial prism. The PNC might be inclined to exploit this but Irfan is married to a Hindu (I believe).
jes my 2 cents.