When he was a callow (snot-nosed?) schoolboy, maths was never his strong suit, but he did enjoy the otherwise boring lectures when his teacher got to “combinations and permutations”. In everyday English – used only in class; otherwise, it was “bruk-up”! – the word “combination” was used rather loosely – without worrying if the order of things is important. For example, if we say, “My fruit salad is a combination of mangoes, pineapples and bananas,” we don’t care what order the fruits are in. They could also be “bananas, pineapples and mangoes” or “pineapples, mangoes and bananas”; it’s the same fruit salad. But if we say, “The combination to the safe is 472”, now we gotta care about the order. “724” won’t work, nor will “247”. It gotta be exactly 4-7-2. Get it?? When we care about the order of the numbers, that’s a permutation, and when we don’t – it’s a combination!!
Now as you rub your eyes in bewilderment – and wonder as to where the heck your Eyewitness is going with this – let him (hastily) inform you, dear reader, that this disquisition came to his (warped?) mind when he saw the list of NINETEEN parties whose symbols GECOM approved – with three others pending. After all, over the last few months there have been parties forming right, left and centre – and as fast as they were formed, they started to form combinations of one sort or another. Combinations or permutations?
Take those interminable talks between PNC/APNU – with the latter itself being WPA, JFAP, NFA, NDF, and GAP – and the AFC, after they had more or less dissolved after 2020. AFC clearly didn’t want a “combination” in a new coalition – they wanted to be leader, so the ORDER was important!! They were really talking about a PERMUTATION!! And the fact that they didn’t define their goal properly played a big part as to why they didn’t get anywhere!! There’ve been hints they might still combine before Sept 1… But they better get their maths right!!
Just yesterday we learnt that three of the new contestants – Forward Guyana (FG), led by Amanza Walton-Desir, formerly contesting for the leadership of the PNC; the People’s Movement (TPM), represented by Pastor Nigel London, a homophobe from Linden; and the Vigilant People’s Action Committee (VPAC), led by that fella whose dodgy fuel-importing business was shuttered by the PPP – have come together. Will they be a combination or permutation? Meaning whose name gonna be first and second and so on down the line!!
Notice that in none of the permutations or combinations are there discussions about what’s in it for Guyana – just what it’ll do for their egos!! For two months someone gets to be “Presidential Candidate” – with emphasis on PRESIDENT!!
…of new crops
Your Eyewitness is impressed our agri experts are beating the bushes (literally?) to diversify our agricultural products. We can’t just keep bemoaning our penchant for wanting to eat stuff from “foreign”. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em!! But it ain’t all “foreign”, just those that have similar climates like our erstwhile European rulers. But that’s a clue right there as to why it ain’t gonna be easy – their climate is different than ours – and climate plays a MAJOR role in agricultural success.
Your Eyewitness read about the wheat trials. And while he respects that the strains being tried should be adapted to our tropical climate – shouldn’t the trials at least be in the regions of our country with the lowest overall average temperature? Which, your Eyewitness discovered, is the Cuyuni-Mazaruni area. Like all highlands, their temperatures are much lower than the plains.
Good for us, there are several Indigenous villages in that area – like Kurachi, Isseneru and Winiperu – and we can have them pioneer wheat cultivation!! Go hinterlands!!
…for America
Your Eyewitness’ eyes were caught by one new party whose name seems to spell out literally its manifesto – Guyanese for Accountability, Meritocracy, Equality, Reform, Inclusion and Collaboration with America – GAMERICA.
They’re aiming for America’s “G-Spot”??
