…by Baby Jesus
One of the dailies has an interview with Van West Charles on his campaign to become leader of the PNC. Van insisted he doesn’t want to talk about his (infamous) father-in-law. But that’s a bit rich – even maybe ungrateful – isn’t it? If he hadn’t married Burnham’s daughter, would he have even been in the picture, much less Min of Health forty years ago?
Anyhow, back to his campaign. Earlier he’d rejected a reference by Norton to him as a “latecomer”. But when you’ve been abroad for more than two decades in a cushy PAHO job you got courtesy of your Guyana Burnham-bequeathed portfolio – you REALLY can’t pretend you were in the “trenches”, can you? He also claimed he’d sold New Nation in the markets. But HE was lucky: most of the class to which he belonged had to do manual labour at Hope Estate under the baleful gaze of a horseback-riding Burnham!! He also said he was in a party group and that’s why he was elected to the PNC Central Executive!! Really?? He forgot why he was called “Baby Jesus”? Since his father in law was God…
Since he wanted the interview to focus on himself, he should’ve concentrated on his role in helping that party. When he ran for the leadership before and was such a sore loser to David Granger, he could’ve claimed he wasn’t doing it for himself, but insisting on democracy INSIDE the party! But then all Granger did was to use the tried-and-true method of rigging elections introduced by his father in law!! And even though Van he’d leapfrogged over to the AFC, Granger made him head of Guyana Water. And the following year a license to import chickens for Christmas and a license to import fuel -a sure-fire way to make some quick bucks!
He could say he only accepted this to show the PNC was encouraging entrepreneurship!! He was so adept at this boondoggle that the GRA a hauled him before the Courts for “under-invoicing”!! He’d learnt this at PAHO and maybe the profits were used to support the PNC? But his biggest contribution to the PNC on record came with his GWI a position. While Volda only TALKED about only giving jobs to her “PNC friends” – Van West walked the talk!
He hired one convicted drug smuggler as a “debt collector” – who his Board had to fire for being “unqualified”. And he doubled the staff with “PNC friends” and more than doubled the payroll!! Hundreds were hired just as the coalition was being ousted. 157 of them had to be fired by the PPP.
PNC to the bone!! Go Van West!
…for Climate Change
Well, we know for sure that the commitments made up to now by the biggest emitters of Climate Warming gases will ensure that global warming continues on its northward climb!! One Report by the IEA concluded, “Even if we fully achieve all net zero pledges to date and the Global Methane Pledge by those who signed it would limit global warming to 1.8C.” The goal was 1.5C. Then there were the pledges on spending to assist poorer countries to comply. This was supposed to hit US$100B by 2020 – that won’t happen till 2023 – if the commitments are NOW kept!! Which they won’t!
The other letdown was the exclusion of Indigenous People in the COP 26 negotiations. They make up 5% of the world’s population yet protect 80% of the world’s biodiversity and received only 1% of the funding. It’s not a coincidence they were hardly visible at Edinburg.
One bit of good news (?) is after spending $5.5B on a single space flight, Amazon’s Bezos will now donate US$2B to fighting Climate Change!
…for electoral reform
Your Eyewitness is happy that the Electoral Reform Group (ERG) hasn’t folded. How else could the PPP prove that “Civil Society” is alive and kicking.
Well, not exactly “kicking” but they did “issue a statement”!
