…in Parliament
with the Government on the back foot after embargoing the Rodney commission of Inquiry (CoI) Report for over three months – and the Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) placing it on Parliament’s order paper for debate today – the People’s National Congress (PNC)-wing of the coalition decided that discretion was the better part of valour. They submitted the Report to the Speaker of the House yesterday, and beat a face off.
But they’re only delaying the inevitable, since they’ll eventually have to debate the contents. And that’s when the cat will REALLY be among the pigeons. Fulfilling its mandate to pronounce on who killed Dr Rodney back in 1980, the CoI declared unambiguously: “we conclude that Prime Minister Burnham knew of the plan and was part of the conspiracy to assassinate Dr Walter Rodney.”
Not surprisingly, the PNC faction of the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition opposed the CoI and its report tooth and nail. With Basil Williams as its lawyer, even though it didn’t “participate”, the PNC did its darnedest to derail the Inquiry. Even at the end, it refused to fund two more weeks of testimony to previous witnesses who might want to comment on the CoI’s conclusion if they were shown in a negative light. This included the Working People’s Alliance’s (WPA) Rupert Roopnaraine, the present Education Minister.
But that’s water under the bridge now. What’s on the front burner is what position the WPA and AFC will take comes the debate. There’s already a debate going on in the press right now as to how long can the rump WPA and AFC survive away from the coat tails of the PNC. From all the humiliations that the AFC was willing to endure over the past year – especially of Moses Nagamootoo – it’s clear they’ll swallow anything just to feed at the trough of the Consolidated Funds.
As to the WPA, for over three decades, they’d maintained their shining star Rodney was killed by PNC forces. Now they’ve been vindicated. So who’ll bell the PNC cat? MORE POINTEDLY, is what will Roopnaraine do? He’s the sole “WPA” face in the Government. Will be recuse himself, or will he call for justice for his old school friend Rodney, who was cut down in his prime and wasn’t allowed to live to see his children grow up?
We understand the PNC’s refusal to have the CoI debated right now. After all with Burnham being “bigged up” as the “father of independent Guyana” and all that, they don’t need the unsavoury past to be dredged up, right now.
But will the Speaker EVER bring it up for debate? He should be reminded that “black lives matter”.
And Rodney was proudly black.
… In the economy
All counsellors and therapists tell us problems can’t be solved if folks don’t accept they have problems. So we’re making progress if Prezzie conceded cheap electricity should’ve been higher on his agenda. But why wait till now? Not only this newspaper but every commentator worth his salt – not to mention the business community – had been pleading for cheap energy.
But here we think the Government “cut its nose to spite its (economic) face”. Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Project was already on the cards. It’s been practically signed, sealed and delivered. It was just their own intransigence while in Opposition that made Sithe Global, the operating company, walk away.
And nose cutting is never a good strategy. After a while, you can’t even “follow your nose” to pick out opportunities. You just don’t have a nose to follow! To give Jack his jacket – Business Minister has been bemoaning the need for an increase in manufacturing.
He just never connected the dots to point out we first needed cheap energy to attract the manufacturing companies!
…with blaming victims
Imagine a mob burns your house to the ground and threatens you with mayhem. And after you defend yourself with guns you have legitimately, the Police charge YOU will “illegal” gun possession.
Victims of the world unite!!
