Ukraine again – real and surreal
For old veteran People’s National Congress (PNC) man – now brand new Opposition Leader – Norton, there must be a few in-betweens from confrontation to recognition. Such as the Constitution, the Petition, accountability and peaceful parliamentary participation.
A political Opposition Leader holds one of the crucial keys to a society’s stability; even its development.
In Guyana an Opposition Leader whose (PNC) Party has been known, over the decades, in CARICOM and globally, to have epitomised electoral thievery, has the Devil’s Job these days to reform and cleanse that party’s image and reputation. I can only wish my poor former Comrade Aubrey well. Even though I’ll forever remember one of his signal “declarations” made most recently. Said he: “The PPP likes to rig then blame others”. Ho-ho-ho!
Will Comrade Norton’s confrontations, now promised, be responsible? Consider his key elements and tactics, as his PNC endeavours to cross over into the same social territory which supporters of his party attempted to kidnap after March 2020.
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Image and legacy as new Leader
Even as I now mellow politically, it’s still both a challenge and a stretch for me – a former long-time PNC operative – to abandon the still-fresh memory of attempted electoral power grabs.
Still, humanity and personal relations manage to persuade me to wish that Man-of-the-People/ Political Scientist/Law-of–the–Sea expert, Comrade Leader Aubrey, may still be able to pull off two basic “successes”. That whilst retaining his macho/aggressive persona, he tempers personal political behaviour to emerge with an image – and character – befitting a responsible leader commanding respect in this society and elsewhere. (The PPP knows well all his old “baggage”.)
And secondly, with a little help from certain overseas influencers Norton may well be able to re-fashion his beloved boyhood PNC into a partially-new political entity bolstered by the current crop of younger qualified and enthusiastic executives.
Whether his long-shot petitions are successful or not Comrade Norton heads a political institution which some Afro-Guyanese regard as their “salvation” still. Younger “don’t-care” voters could ignore the party’s battered image and even assist their new leader to fashion a legacy of decent achievement. And status. Not possible??
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This darn “installed” Government
Comrade Norton’s Party still insists – do they? – that the PPP government has been installed! By the British? Americans? The EU? The CARICOM? The ballot-recounters? Who!!?
Since I don’t have the final 2020 recounted results at hand, remind me: by how many votes did the PPP triumph? If the PPP rigged and cheated in March 2020, by how many votes could the PNC and its coalescers have won by? Assist me please.
What I do know still is that if only the PPP could find it in their party’s political DNA to distribute oil and gas earnings equitably (Cde Norton’s folks will be destined to be necessary long-time opposition monitors. Ably assisted by newly-militant Civil Society Scrutineers and the coalition of daily professional letter-writers.
But could the majority count on the PPP? After the mega-projects and guileful acumen of foreign friends? Poor us.
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Ukraine again – the ultimate in crime
Whenever I hear or see talk of Russian “War-Crimes” across the disappearing Ukraine I wonder about the term “crime” in the context of war.
After all in a war it is expected that members of one army can kill at will. Forget war-time “civil” behaviour, norms or conventions. Often to defend is to capture, wound or kill. (All outlawed in peace time.)
Then again it seems that even Putin-like modern-day monsters have their “admirers”, supporters.
Some professional responder-bloggers even seek to contextualise Russia’s barbaric invasion within American’s own past interventions. The U.S. – when it is not justified in encroaching militarily – must be criticised soundly. And it always is. Shouldn’t Putin’s incomparable war crimes be similarly rejected?
Then again, it’s obvious daily that Satan and his activities have loyal supporters. And participants. Genocide in Ukraine is both real – and surreal. The Devil’s Disciples are truly global.
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Post–Easter ponderings…
● 1) Immediately after the Carifta 49 Games concluded on Monday evening I penned a letter – hurriedly – congratulating our determined Guyanese athletes.
That letter appeared on Wednesday. Little did I know that a funding “issue” would cloud the team’s heroic efforts. Poor us…
● 2) Our relatively young Head-of-State really demonstrated his participatory youthfulness from Easter’s Good Friday to Easter Monday. Churches, Mosques, Lethem Rodeo, Leonora Market, kite-flying – all country-wide! The PNC’s Norton and Walton-Desir tried. But then they didn’t access state resources.
● 3) Is the US Secretary of State Blinken coming to meet Comrade Aubrey?
“Til next week!”