Every now and then I bore many who read this by listing some of my professional life’s significant disappointments. Like a few biographies, I’m never writing; not seeing a great Public Education Project in Lodge though and being stymied in recent years, in terms of contributing to a national understanding of the “mysteries” of our Parliament. Ho-Hum-
And when days ago, I realized that Dr Nanda Gopaul had produced the biography of Mr Ashton Chase, I sighed again in self-defeat. How I had longed to write that from slightly different perspective of course. But two things prevented that ambition: I’m not aggressive or persistent enough and I would not have qualified to be “in the circle”.
Oh but I welcome Gopaul’s Ashton Chase the Bengal Tiger. Simply because I regard Mr Chase as a quiet but shrewd and pivotal player in our politics of the past and a now aged, veteran legal luminary lending legitimacy to an otherwise confused political party in the corridors of power.
Students of our political history deserve to know much more about this relatively unknown icon.
These paragraphs won’t help a lot, except to project two significant occurrences in Mr Chase’s life and status. One is somewhat familiar amongst those knowledge of our fifties “founding” politics. The other to me Frankly Speaking, is now belatedly startling!
The first is the reminder that with the establishment of the mass-based People’s Progressive Party (PPP) in 1950. Ashton Chase, “a foregone conclusion” for its chairmanship, informed Cheddi and Janet Jagan and HJM Hubbard that he (Chase) would defer to the newly-arrived Forbes Burnham.
Gopaul’s Page 60 tells us that “Chase…readily gave way to and supported Mr LFS Burnham mainly because of scholarship, good tactics and philosophy …” Oh we older Guyanese are left to wonder, how would our political history have turned out had Chase taken up what was rightfully his?
But it’s on page 62 that I now learn of something about Chase the Tiger which I never knew before. It turns out that after the PPP 1953 Elections Victory the instantly- ambitious Burnham craved then lobbied to be Leader of the Party in the House! Young LFS actually wanted to replace Cheddi! And Ashton Chase actually supported Burnham in this ambition! (This caused a great division within the Party’s hierarchy.”) “Chase supported Burnham in his demand, in that he thought the latter was better equipped in the circumstances for the post; that Burnham had the right qualities to ensure the party pushed its mandate and manifesto pledges that Cheddi Jagan had made to the people…”
Ironically, it was Forbes’ shrewd sister Jessie who influenced a chastened Chase to persuade Burnham to drop that ambition. Oh the politics of our founding fathers of the fifties! And what has been their legacy to us? Any real surprise at the behavior of today’s remnants? Get Gopaul’s biography for much more…
First thoughts on
America’s Elections
Why American Elections? Well if only because who leads the western world is important to most of the world. And more Guyanese live in the US than live within Guyana’s borders.
I have a lovely little book that teaches about America’s electoral system–for children.
(Someone, or I, should do something similar with regard to our sometimes- complex system.)
Fifty-two days before President Obama or Governor Romney is chosen, here are just two curious facts about America’s electoral history: American’s Founding Fathers, bright as they were,” Did not feel that ordinary people – Humble Americans were capable of choosing their President wisely!” (In those 1700s many Americans could not read and there were no media to speak of.)
So they came up with the concept of an Electoral College. This is a system whereby each of the American States has a certain amount of electoral votes equal, or corresponding to, that State’s Senators and Congressmen/women in the House (Parliament). Big States, many electoral votes, small States, fewer votes. Two hundred and seventy (270) or more of those votes give a presidential hopeful the presidency.
Even though Barack and Mitt want more Americans to vote for them, it is not the popular vote- the simple, grand total – which determines the presidential winner. It really is the bigger popular vote in each State which gets that State’s electoral votes. Ultimately whoever wins more of 538 electoral votes – 270 or more – wins the presidency. Confusing? Not really, but more next week.
Just who owns our Guyana?
Yes, I admit. It’s one of my newer fascinations.
Just as I agonise over the changed value-system which okays support for drug lords enterprises, I am now intrigued by the owners – through some means – of our Guyana.
When, a few days ago, I saw a full-page advertisement purporting to enquire how and why Amerindians should own so much of Guyana, I harked back to those who now own much of the capital Georgetown.
Here’s a good exercise for some young investigative journalist. (These are permissible public disclosures, like tax payments.) Go to the Deeds Registry, the Lands and Mines People, City Hall and the RDCs and find out who owns what in this land. For simple starters: who owns those dozens of large unoccupied spaces in the capital Georgetown?
Along with the current national Census, this Directory would present enlightening revelations – from State ownership to absented surrogate landlordism. Go to it young journalist
Oh, let’s ponder…
1) The wealthy potatoes and onions people laugh out loud (LOL) at me as they continue to park outside the Capital’s Promenade Garden – desecrating the aesthetics.
2) And poor Howie and his new house-to-be. They did not tell him of the barely-passable track costing him to get his materials to his lot. Nor about the difficulty to access water for his cement. He was so proud just to get the lot…
3) Mourn, grieve for the late controversial commissioner. But spare many thoughts for the relatively-angelic little girl who perished too.
Til next week!
(comments? allanafenty@yahoo.com)
