-Victoria: – More fallout from the Floyd protests
As like last Friday, again as this is being written earlier in this week, I am/we are not blessed with any conclusion to the March 02 elections. (Finality by now?)
So since I was brazen enough to attempt to explore the mindset and mission of His Excellency last Friday – and since I’ve decided not to even “consider” His Excellency’s Fit-and-Proper Judicial Iron Lady GECOM Head – I share a few thoughts today regarding former GDF Major K. Lowenfield whom I’ll address respectfully herein as “Officer Lowenfield” – The GECOM CEO invited to be the Elections Body’s operational/managerial Executive Chief by another former GDF officer – a Major General who, after retirement, was once Chairman of the Elections board, Joseph G. Singh.
My personal conclusion about Officer Lowenfield’s professional character will be unkind.
But yet it is arrived at after the acceptance that no human being could always be always bad – wicked, discriminatory, mischievous, evil! Yes some amount of good resides in all of us, in the worst of us. So as I judge now I’m conscious of all the above about me. But then, I’m no CEO of a vital institution which manages our electoral democracy.
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Affable, professional, partisan, ridiculous
In my bygone “PNC days”, I knew a few top managers of the Elections Commission fairly well. We even socialized. CEO Stanley Singh, DCEO Albert Henry who was expert at the Elections procedures and was once a pupil of mine in Third Standard (Primary Three). Also from the West Dem was CEO Ronald `Andy’ Jacobs – a lovely poor fellow who was exposed regarding the Magical Super Voters List (1990 – 1992) which had to be heavily sanitized after Jimmy Carter. I knew CEO Boodoo “at arms length”. Then came K. Lowenfield.
At a personal level seemingly affable, jovial “over drinks” but GDF-disciplined and professional as well. (I often wondered which was/is his favourite political party here: UF? GAP? URP? JFA?)
Under the erudite Veterinarian Chairman Dr Steve, CEO Lowenfield competently shepherded a few elections to national satisfaction. Kudos were the order. Even in May 2015 when His Excellency triumphed by just 4500 votes and the PPP filed a petition never ever heard!
Then came 4th March, 2020, after the March 02 polls. Those polls were praised for their free, fair, orderly, credible execution. Kudos to officer Lowenfield up to March 03! The rest is very soiled and tainted electoral history. Lowenfield’s reputation now tough/impossible to be rescued. Again, frankly speaking, what a pity!
As this is being written (Tues 23rd June) Officer Lowenfield has, reportedly, just submitted his second report to GECOM. This latest Lowenfield presentation gives His Excellency’s Group another narrow “victory”. The valid numbers from the 33-day Recount do not impress officer Lowenfield.
Frankly Speaking, even as judicial bodies are being asked to interpret for constitutional bodies, I’ve concluded that CEO Lowenfield has made his employee, Comrade Clairmont, look like an altar boy. It was obvious that Mingo had his handlers – the real authors who did the electoral mathematics on March 02/03 last to determine votes needed for His Excellency’s “win”.
Whatever “legal technicalities and decisions” conclude, I conclude that Lowenfield has decided to conclude his GECOM tenure by attempting to disenfranchise thousands in aid of a specific result. A confounded shame!
East Coast Demerara Ballot Boxes without necessary documents? So the PPP “invalidated” votes in their own strongholds? Ho-ho! Again I lament: Why has His Excellency’s “invalid-votes strategy” been allowed to prevail? Ask CEO Officer Keith! His Excellency plans ten more years! On the back of a “Voter-Fraud” narrative.
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Transformation ever possible?
This issue cannot be properly analysed in such a limited space. I ask your pardon.
As I hear of alleged last-minute transfers of national assets by the de facto administration, contracts awarded after March 02, I experience PPP-like behaviour.
Whichever one is “allowed” to assume office (some time), is transformational change within the PPP or PNC possible? Look who’s benefiting from the perks, the largesse, the assets. Not the protesters. Election Manifestoes’ promises and opportunistic appeals for “shared or inclusive” governance are one thing. Greed when in actual government is another. Much more later at the appropriate time.
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Post-protest tragedy – and humour
Far far be it from me to trivialise both the reasons for and the actual countrywide American protests generated by police killings and non-white inequality.
But two things I regret: the infiltrators’ tactics to eliminate or dilute needed policing. American police reform has to be “sensitive” to multiple considerations; and to desecrate statues and monuments of those hated does not eradicate history. The better thing is to remove them to museums or affix notes of their crimes for the youth to understand.Back in my own Beautiful Blighted Land, I hope that the newly “conscious”, the aggrieved and a few would-be philistines don’t get over-ambitious. Just as some American are removing Aunt Jemima’s image from products, (Col Sanders next?) and Johnson is to make black and brown band-aids (plasters), there are calls here to remove Queen Victoria!
I’ve written about Queen Vicky. I actually like her! Careful proud offended Afros! Change the names of Victoria, Queenstown, Buxton, Georgetown???
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So much to ponder today…
● 1) Questions from a Concerned Guyanese in Scotland! (a) if the GECOM Iron Lady says the Commission is neither a court nor investigative body, why did she assist His Excellency’s Re-Counters by sending complaints to the unbribable Chief Immigration Officer? And (b) how did the “APNU” folks know who the jumbies and the migrants voted for? So all the dead and migrated were PPP voters only?
● 2) Commissioner Alexander “caught” CEO Boodoo who attempted to misallocate one seat. What does Commissioner Vincent think of CEO Lowenfield?
● 3) Which GECOM official has acres of land by Linden’s Millie’s Hideout? And at Mocha?
● 4. Like the two PPP comrades, the two working-class PNC comrades – Ms Moore and Ms David – saved up millions to retain overseas counsel. Loyalty!
● 5) Coming Soon: Officer galore! Officers deployed! A Brigadier Prime Minister? Possible?
‘Til next week.
