…in finance
Your Eyewitness just can’t get these revelations from the Panama Papers out of his mind. No…not the US-30 TRILLION that’s supposedly squirrelled away from the taxmen of the world. Not the shadowy law firms from London to Timbuktu that ran the scam. What gets him is the hypocrisy of the leaders of the developed world who routinely beat us Third Worlders over the head about our “greed, avarice and lack of civic pride” that supposedly keeps us underdeveloped.
Fact of the matter is that the US Trillion (let’s split the guesstimate down the line, shall we?) that’s siphoned off from the world’s tax system hurts us all – including the poor of the developed country. How many times haven’t we heard the collapse of the developed western economies in 2008 precipitated our own economic slowdown? Can’t sell our primary products. Well, it’s the financialisation of those economics that put those trillions in the pockets of their one per cent.
And taken us all beyond the business downturns Marx predicted as profits are sucked out of the economy. Those profits were supposed to be reinvested. But in the off-shore tax havens like Panama – and even our own Barbados and Cayman Islands – the SUPER-PROFITS now generated are just sucked out of the system entirely! They might’ve as well gone into a black hole to reappear in some other universe. Which is where the banks behind it all are located.
And we return to these worthies who’re greedy enough to have their own people go homeless (NINJA mortgages, anyone?) yet have the temerity to lecture us about probity and such like. And we return to David Cameron – who after being outed in the Panama Papers finally admitted he cashed in his tax-evaded loot inherited from his father. Cameron who lectured his own people about “fiscal constraints” and “need to tighten belts” as their recession kicked in. And of course announced in Jamaica that reparations are a no-go and we have to just work harder!
That the Chinese leaders are tax evading with the best in the Panama Papers shouldn’t surprise us. Along with the western businessmen establishing all those factories in China to fill the shelves of WalMart, would’ve been the lawyers to educate them on the wonders of tax evasion. In a scene in Godfather 2, Michael Corleone is castigated by a Nevada Senator for being a “Guinea wop” involved in criminal activities. And the new Godfather simply reminds the “upstanding” WASP representative of the American establishment that the two of them aren’t really that different.
It’s just that the hypocritical establishment has the power to dub their illegal activity “legal”!!
…on political investments
It would appear that the doctrine of “political investment” – adumbrated by Raphael Trotman doesn’t apply to Joseph Harmon. The said doctrine promulgated the notion that campaign contributors to political parties view their action as “investments” which obviously must deliver a dividend to justify the outlay.
It all came about after Minister of National Security and Vice President Khemraj Ramjattan bigged up his businessman friend, for funding the AFC’s headquarters – just as he’d bid for billions in Pharma supplies to the state and also was awaiting an approval for a power purchase agreement from GPL for electricity from a proposed wind farm.
While pro quid quos had long been suspected in the new coalition Government – witness the murmurs on the case of the Specialty Hospital involving the same Ramjattan and one Fedders Lloyd – it seems to be confined to the AFC wing.
As Opp. Leader Jagdeo pointed out, Harmon’s been “slaughtered” while Trotman and Ramjattan’s riding pretty!
Was this part of the Nassau Accord?
…on LG interference
With the launching of three new towns – and one aborted due to “technical difficulties” – several new ones are evidently on the cards. And Pressie’s promised “no political interference”.
Has he informed his power-drunk Minister of Communities, Bulkan?
