“This land is my land”
I return briefly to the issue of choices before and whenever His Excellency “proclaims” the elections date.
In various overt and covert forms campaigning has begun. The incumbent Coalition campaigners – primarily ministers, Directors-General(s), multiple governmental CEO’s and other surrogates freely use tax dollars to seek another term. As all incumbents do despite denials. The Opposition dudes create controversies, expose, expertly, government wrongdoings and illegalities; use the media and try now to secure campaign funds locally and from vested-interest sources overseas.
Frankly Speaking this next mother-of-all oil-and-Jubilee Elections will ignite furious interest. And some serious societal destabilisation. Yet, I tend to be actually bored by what to expect. Even if more vicious, it will be more of the same as Guyana’s elections go.
There will be the usual elections rhetoric and promises. Additional “flavour” has been already added from the invited interventions of Guyana’s highest court – the CCJ. And yes, the prospect of oil wealth drives the Coalition to want to remain. By any means necessary! The PPP and all the usual and emerging groupings – describing themselves as “political parties” – also are extra-motivated by seeming positive transformation of our economy. So are the contenders interested primarily in shepherding the improvement of our lives beyond 2020?
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What alternatives? Balance? Leverage?
Again I pose the question within the context of whether I, or some of us, should bother to vote again: what are the viable genuine alternatives to the leviathan PNC and PPP?
I’m too lazy to actually know all the names of those holding themselves out to be full-fledged registered political organisations. A few: ANUG, JLP, FED-UP, TUF(?), Organisation of Victory for the People(?), Saphier Hussain’s independent grouping, the Rastafari “Party”, and all those others we’ll hear about. (“Parties” – baby parties – “led” by the Sharmas, Keith Scott and the WPA “Think Tank” and the dead-meat survivalist group are effectively absorbed by the PNC nicknamed “APNU”). So I ask you thousands looking for a group, the “party” that is supposed to be the one to exercise balance and leverage when some big one “wins” Parliament: where is the entity now? Which one offers supportive, constructive criticism right now?
I refrain from sharing my own frank opinion at this time but would ask that you who are still interested, to consider the fate of the UF, the GGG, the WPA, the AFC. Leverage? Alternative – my eye!
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“Unbribable” amongst rogues
Still harbouring some sympathy and support for Police Commissioner Leslie James, I remind of three points upfront: as a post-1838/slavery establishment (1839) now 180 years old, the police force is one of Guyana’s oldest, vital institutions. Secondly His Excellency recently influenced the removal of two other commissioners and reformed the Force’s hierarchy appointing four deputies; and thirdly saying publicly he wanted a Top Cop who was/is “unbribable” he chose Mr James.
So the conclusion is simple, clear: like His Excellency himself Commissioner James cannot be bribed, cannot be corrupt, cannot be partisan. Just as a President should be. But oh boy, His Excellency can’t swear for many assisting his hand-picked Commissioner. No need for me to repeat the weekly sins of the Force’s rogue members as others do daily. I want to focus on the Commissioner himself briefly.
He promised to reveal and for us to experience his fundamental reforms since April. Stymied? Last Monday he outlined programmes being implemented under his watch. Effective? Great in theory, in paper but inspiration at stations along the East Bank and Coast of Demerara, in the hinterland, must produce technology and transportation for honest cops to implement the plans.
The other evening I did not agree fully when the fellas started to heap criticism on the Commissioner for significant events like the O’Toole attempted murder, Balwant Singh Hospital critic and alleged political bias.
How neutral and purely professional will the Commissioner and his force be as elections loom? When the bribe-demanding traffic rank points to the misdeeds of his seniors, what does the Commissioner think? Poor Commissioner. Poor us.
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“This Land is my Land”, whose?
Ho-ho! I certainly was not being clairvoyant nor prognosticator when I wrote my column – three weeks ago – captioned “Homes for all! Land for whom?”
Recall that I had noted the concerns of former Minister Rohee who had been critical of the programmes of Trevor Benn’s Guyana Lands and Survey Commission (GLSC) – Benn’s geo-spatial policies and general land management and allocation; even his purported intrusion into marine mapping and resources.
That column outlined the GLSC mandate – much “re-invigorated” – under Benn. And promised to keep GLSC in focus. Two weeks after, Rohee’s boss Dr Jagdeo took my intention to “higher heights”. Right or wrong, wicked or not, shrewd politician that he has become, Jagdeo has used evidence garnered by his informants – (not all “Indians”) – to stir up a pot of Benn’s alleged discriminatory practices as he (Benn) unfairly contributes – allegedly – to empowering Afro-Guyanese with increased ownership of the “national patrimony”.
Mr/Dr Jagdeo, through informed surrogates is claiming insider knowledge at the powerful Presidency Ministry was used to apportion land ripe for future oil-and-gas-related enterprise. How much of Dr Jagdeo do you believe? Is he all wrong? Are the Coalition dudes now doing a PPP? Shouldn’t Afro-Guyanese, large and small be empowered? ’Til next week!
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Please ponder well…
1. Two vital political truisms in Creole and English: Tiefman nah like see E mattee wid bag and the more things change the more they remain the same.
2. “This Land is my Land” is a wonderful American traditional (adapted by Guyanese).
3. Graduation time! Even tiny tots at Nursey Schools are costing poor parents too much. What sacrifice! To please whom?
4. At the Cricket ODI World Cup in England when Pakistan and India play you can feel that you are in those countries.
5. Do you know His Excellency as the Burnham in the Brigadier? Or as Africanist?
Coming soon. (This place needs/will get balance!)
Til next week!
