As your Eyewitness described in some detail yesterday, these PNC Congresses ain’t no child’s play!! The mold was set by their founder leader Forbes “Fat Boy” Burnham himself and since all his successors feel compelled to vow to continue his legacy, we already know they’ll begin right at the beginning – General Congress!! Even before he’d split the PPP – in which he’d been given a squeeze -he’d showed up at the Metropole Cinema Congress having already packed the pit and the stage with his supporters – who duly elected him Leader of the Party!! That, of course, led to the split in the PPP and Burnham’s rump became the PNC with it’s DNA hard-wired in rigging!!
So when Roysdale Forde complained in the press that Norton had done the same thing – to stack the deck in his favour as your Eyewitness had predicted but with a concrete example – it was just another day in the life of the PNC!! What else could Norton do? He HAD to “follow the leader” – as his band of supporters boisterously belted out in their march to Congress Place on Nomination Day!! So what can we predict going forward??
Will Forde call in the self-appointed “Elder” of the party – Hamilton “Bilal” Greene?? If “he who knows it, feels it” then the latter certainly knows how Forde feels since he was maneuvered out of the party by his bete noir Desmond Hoyte. There’s no love lost between Norton and Green since both of them believe they are “man crabs” – and we know two of them can’t live in the same hole. Here the hole being the PNC!! The question, of course, is whether Green commands the respect of those who’ll be coming to Congress. And if – as Forde says – these were mostly handpicked by Norton, there’s precious little gained by bringing in Greene!!
Now, we understand Forde is backed by Granger and Harmon. These worthies, of course, have men who’re trained in intimidation – as was displayed by that fella with the gun at the Congress where Granger was pitchforked into the PNC’s leadership!! Ironically, that was when Norton had led a walkout with his Linden comrades – protesting the entire elections process!! What goes around came around, for Norton?? So, will we see some muscle to support Forde?
Your Eyewitness believes more likely, there’s gonna be a fracas or two since tempers will be frayed! As for Carl Greenidge, he’s gonna make the Shermanesque declaration: “If drafted, I will not run; if nominated, I will not accept; if elected, I will not serve.”
So the contretemps will be launched by fringe nominees who can only get attention if they behave big and bad.
…in war
Burnham practiced politics in the spirit that it was “war by other means”,. And in war one shows no quarter!! Today is the 44th anniversary of the assassination of Walter Rodney on the orders of Burnham. At the 1979 August PNC Congress, Burnham had publicly declared the WPA as the “worst possible alternative” and asked them to write their will. He knew they’d infiltrated the army –even though the officers swore their loyalty to him at the Congress – he took no chances.
He flung down the gauntlet and ominously announced his ‘steel was sharper”! Rodney and Roopnarine had been accused of burning down the PNC Headquarters but had been freed by the Courts. Burnham was livid and as a Commission of Inquiry found in 2014 – 34 years after Rodnay was assassinated – his hand was behind the dastardly act.
Your Eyewitness echoes Martin Carter: “Now from the mourning vanguard moving on dear comrade/I salute you and say/ Death shall not find us thinking that we die.”
…and some play
Tuesday, June 11, was the first International Day of Play. Imagine that!! It was followed by the World Day against Child Labour. The theme was “Let’s act on our commitments: End Child Labour”. So, kids should only NOT work, but MUST play!!
