…on PNC rigging
Inevitably, as always occurs when the PPP’s about to win an election, the PNC and its acolytes try to shift the narrative to one which claims “African-Guyanese” will be consigned to “another round of slavery” – or worse. If that can be imagined. Back in 1992, conceding that the previous four elections had been rigged by the PNC, they objected to Cheddi Jagan leading the new government. If that were to happen, the Army and Police would rebel, they said. He was “Indian” – an ironic label for a fella who held nothing but contempt for ethnic labels as a dyed-in-the wool communist!
How about Roger Luncheon, the PPP countered, he was “Black”, no? “Nah…too red,” was the riposte!! After 1992, the PPP was castigated for committing “ethnic cleansing” when it made some changes in the civil service personnel. That it was impossible to make such changes in an institution that was 90 per cent African-Guyanese went unacknowledged!! Interestingly when the APNU/AFC Government came in and also made changes, no such comment was made even though the changes were primarily from the 10 per cent “other”!!
Another hyperbolic charge was made by a trade unionist, who recently described himself as “an angry, Black Guyanese man”. He insisted the PPP was committing “economic genocide” against African-Guyanese, even though “Household Income and Expenditure Surveys” had shown that African-Guyanese had been economically worse off under the previous pre-1992 PNC and their condition had improved to match Indian-Guyanese by 1999!! And we know where all these apocalyptic announcements led to between 2000 and 2008, don’t we?? Mo fyaah; slow fyaah!!
Anyhow, here we are in 2020, after the elections of 2011 and 2015 showed conclusively that the PPP can be beaten in free and fair elections, the narrative’s again being floated that if the PPP were to get in, it’s genocide time again!! The big question is why?? The PPP doesn’t have its old built-in majority of Indian-Guyanese, so doesn’t this mean it got enough African-Guyanese votes, to put it over the top?? Just as the PNC-as-APNU was able to do with Indian-Guyanese in 2015??
If the PPP took its whuppin’ and stayed around for another re-election, why can’t the PNC?? Or, hold it!! Does it think that because it fired 7000 mostly Indian-Guyanese sugar workers during its turn at the helm, the PPP will do the same?? Just because Eusi Kwayana said, “Do fuh do na abeah??”
So, the old chestnut of “power sharing” is back in play. Never mind that the PNC-as-APNU still hasn’t said if its rigging succeeds to form the next government, it’ll practise “power sharing”.
Nope! That’s only for the PPP!!
…on the ABCE
Oh, how things change when the shoe’s on the other foot!! Back in 2014, after a feral blast from the PPP had helped sour relations with the Americans, the PNC-as-APNU shed bitter tears about the PPP insulting our “nearest and dearest ally”!! It embraced the “vote like a boss” initiative that was sponsored from those quarters and which did quite a bit to arouse its alienated youth base in 2015.
But suddenly, the sounds coming out from the APNU camp against not just the Yanks but against the entire western bloc – the Brits and the Europeans and Canadians – are sounding suspiciously “feral”. Why, Hamilton Green even suggested that the Carter Center are nothing but a bunch of rednecks, who’re out to lynch the PNC!! The trope has been picked up by a wide swathe of PNC myrmidons and extended to the Brits for working to extend our “enslavement” into the future. Why is this??
Just because they dared to say, “Please if you’re going to rig, at least give us deniability??!!
Even Caricom had to balk!!
…on COVID-19
The US is arguing whether total shutdowns will violate the vaunted rights of their citizens. Your Eyewitness wonders whether a threat that exceeds Pearl Harbour and 9/11 doesn’t inspire some flexing??
Just do it!!
