Dear Editor,
For some time now I was pondering President Jagdeo’s declared position that he would not engage Mr. Corbin, PNC leader, until the latter declared that Buxton was a safe haven for criminals.
The more I thought about this construct, the more confused I became. And then last Tuesday evening, enlightenment came during a televised discourse between Dr. Luncheon, Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Westford, Minister for the Public Service, and Mr. Nadir, Minister of Labour.
I was particularly struck by the vehemence of accusatory expressions against the PNC only, as if there were no other opposition to the administration, including several sections of civil society.
It was instructive how much aggression the Afro-Guyanese on the panel tended to generate. They clearly were overplaying their prescripted roles.
Any yet, one could not but help detecting the defence mechanism implicit in the harangue – made up of Luncheon’s obfuscations, Westford’s garrulousness, and Nadir’s irrationalisations.
The thrust of the argumentation was that the whole ‘insecurity’ environment has resulted from the machinations of the PNC. Then I recognised the technique instigated by Jagdeo – it is what in cricket is called ‘the reverse sweep’. They were playing (or toying with) ‘the reverse sweep’.
It befuddles the mind that an authority fully in charge of the disciplined forces, and which has them deployed in a community for two years has not sought accountability for their operations, in relation to the perception that the community is still a safe haven for criminals. Why should the ‘intelligence’ of the joint forces not be able to provide the appropriate answers? If they don’t know, who else should, and what would be the basis for assuming that other non-investigative entities would know? If just perchance there is such a perception, then the same disciplined resources should be utilised to pursue the available evidence in the direction it points.
It is instructive to note that all the pronouncements have been essentially political speculation; while there has been the most deafening silence from investigative authorities; probably because they have been told not to think, but just do as they are told.
So in the absence of results from any forensic investigation ‘the reverse sweep’ is employed, to implicate the opposition as being complicit with ‘havened’ criminals. ‘We don’t have any evidence, but we would like you to confess anyhow’!
But the opposition wouldn’t give up. They have made a counter offer. If your administration admits to harbouring lawbreakers in the Cabinet, and that Guyana is a haven for white collar criminals and druglords, then we’ll have a basis for negotiating.
Yours faithfully,
Eliah Bijay
