“Try to avoid downtown Georgetown, Ole Folks”
This opening sentence promises that today’s offering will be brief. (Could I keep that promise?)
As important and vital to our country’s electoral democracy as my lead issue is, my “brief” must contain levity, humour.
The political and “civil-society” opposition, now in top-gear aggressive mode, has mounted continuous and sustained critical attack on the Ali/Jagdeo 16-month administration. Lively issues seem to present themselves – from salary increases, to Covid responses, to First-People alleged marginalisation, to PPP governance, to PPP real, perceived and potential electoral rigging!
I remark firstly on the strategic methodology by the PNC Public Perception Performers (PPP) to situate the PPP Think Tank planners as election riggers – equal or surpassing the traditional reputation of the PNC as Guyana’s and the Caribbean’s long-standing electoral rigging machine. This will be a hard sell. Even to the young who only experienced last year’s five-month bold-face adventures and not even the vintage Burnham voting heists of `68 to `85. (What!? I Fenty should know?)
Current rigging allegations against the Ali/Jagdeo outfit encompass something about 40-plus suspicious East Coast ballot boxes after polling day 2020, Aubrey Norton’s “complaints” about West Dem “irregularities” and 115 000 votes being suspect. All the above allegations, mind you, were manufactured after the GECOM chair declared polling day 2020 an unblemished “success” and the then GECOM Secretariat being enthusiastically pro-PNC/APNU friendly up to the Region Four count which indicated the coalition’s electoral defeat. Mingo’s bedsheet or no bedsheet!
Within a context wherein Burnham’s overseas votes once included horses and donkeys at their British “residence” and where the PNC acquired more than 100% of the vote in Linden at one election, the imposed but mutually-agreed upon Caricom recount was still rejected by the basodee oil-and-gas losers. Even as the Brigadier-President honoured his recount results. Bless his soul.
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PPP “assistance” for its accusers?
The usual now-routine elections petitions will hardly hand craven losers governmental power any time soon. So the strategy for now, in terms of elections and the incumbency is to brand the Ali/Jagdeo government as “installed, illegitimate, imposed, racist” and a few other choice descriptions. As well as to allege, relentlessly, PPP electoral “rigging” plans. So to shift the rigging capacity and character from PNC to PPP, current “issues” are raised. As in the following paragraph.
Opposition spokespeople and surrogates point to: the proposal; to sub-divide Region 4’s electoral district – already deemed planned “subversion”; the PPP’s control of GECOM’s budget – even though the current GECOM is deficiently in disarray whereby even local government elections must be deferred; electoral reform does not yet attract effective consultations; the PPP had something to do with 48 suspicious ballot boxes in the 2020 elections. Even when in opposition; and a comatose “Human Rights Association” is calling for a proposal “single–seat constituency”.
Indeed, electoral reform must be wedded to constitutional reform, something all previous governments were deliberately sluggish about. It does fall to an opposition to insist that this government do what others failed with. But the now converted underminer David Hinds has no basis to describe his PPP nemesis as “thugs”.
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Salary increases: Burnham, Jagdeo…
Look, whatever the government would have offered its employees as long overdue salary increases would be pounced upon negatively by the usual opposition opportunistic suspects.
But I myself had hope that ministers Ashni and Bharrat, with oil takings in the NY bank, would have been generous with between 15% to 20%. (Who, except Mr. Harmon in 2015, would realistically offer some 50% immediately?)
I can’t help recalling the classic year-end Burnham formula. PM Forbes would offer public servants an interim-relief increase “with no prejudice to on-going govt-union negotiations, but I want my workers to enjoy their Christmas celebrations”.
Of course no further increases would be forthcoming after December. Workers “enjoyed” those bonus-increases however. Then I lived to see young Jagdeo adopt the Burnham technique. However go to it – Lincoln, Patrick, Coretta and PNC. Ole Fenty offers support for more this time.
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Avoid Georgetown, “old people”
I can’t continue, ad infinitum, to express my impatience with, even rejection, of just what the Christian festival of Christmas has become.
Even before current “old-age” had beckoned I could not reconcile a celebratory religious event with the now characteristics of a commercial monster. Even as children should still experience the spirit of the gifts from European and Caribbean/Guyanese “Santas”.
I now caution Guyanese citizens over 70: desist from visiting downtown Georgetown! I guess it will be unavoidable for many who are not even that mobile or agile anymore but the chaotic city is not ours anymore!
Stores and vendors now have fully taken over the pavements and sidewalks. City Council craves their fees. Old folks must use the dangerous roadways. Try to stay away! Battery operated electric, bicycle-riders might hit you! Then there will be “no Christmas for you”. Be warned!
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Consider, ponder…
1. Our police: diversity, and other hopes – coming soon.
2. I’m awaiting the PNC’s Brigadier-Leader’s farewell remarks. I beseech him still: please produce a full History of the Christian Church in Guyana.
3. A Michigan USA university professor is advising America to vaccinate the world. It’s in their interest, he says.
4. I thought I had heard all in radio advertising until earlier this week I listened to the ad promoting one brand of condoms! Users can even win cash prizes with chosen endorsements! Ho-ho-ho! Have a happy, merry, safe-sex Christmas!
5. Where in Guyana can I find our Kanhai-Lloyd International Cricket Stadium?
‘Til next week!
