…oil
Back in the day — waaaay back in the early twentieth century — there was a type of movie called the “serial”. A story would be broken into a dozen or so parts, each shown weekly in cinemas. One of its characteristics was “the cliffhanger”, which had episodes always ending with the hero or heroine literally hanging over a cliff, with the villain hideously gloating about his bete noir’s imminent demise.
The fans, of course, would be in suspense all week, waiting to discover how their hero or heroine would escape. There was no doubt the escape would take place; the only uncertainty was “how”! Well it looks like the APNU/AFC govt is one long serial, where weekly they end up with another scandal, leaving their supporters in a panic as to how they would escape the censure. But escape, they know, was certain!
After all, the Govt produced and directed the serials!! Up to now, their “get out of jail” card is to just create another scandal, or extend an older one. Pretty soon, they’re so many of these scandals piled up, who can remember them all??
Take the latest one involving whether or not oil blocks have been given out to AFC friends and relatives. This serial began as soon as the coalition slid into office, since oil was serendipitously “struck” just as the PPP was about to be eased out of office by a mere 4000+ votes. The main plot, which was in chapter 1 of the serial, was to keep the oil contract under lock and key even tighter than the one the Mayor and Town Council signed away to the aptly-named Smart City Solutions. Couldn’t afford to let that cat out of the bag!! The subsidiary one was how to give the contracts for ancillary work in the industry to “political investors”, as it was so quaintly put by AFC leader Raphael Trotman.
Trotman plays one of the main stock characters in the serial genre: the “Brains Heavy”. He’s the fella (or, occasionally feline) who issues the orders to his henchmen. He often wears a suit and pretends to be an upright, lawful member of the community. Trotman earned this part via the “Nassau Accord”, since he isn’t particularly heavy in the brains department. There were chapters and cliffhangers on “advance oil payments”; a US0 million oil facility, ministerial trips to Houston; etc.
This week, however, involved Minister Patterson of the AFC, who claims ALL blocks were awarded by the PPP, when Trotman had said he’d be opening bidding for ‘remaining” blocks.
Patterson’s playing the role of the “sidekick” who provides bumbling comic relief!!
…on ANSA payment
Another story line in the APNU/AFC serial genre is the pharma scam. This one also is long-running. Starting with holding back on issuing orders for needed pharmaceuticals to create a “crisis” in the health sector, it introduced another stock character – the “Fall Guy”. This is someone who takes the blame for “Brains Heavy” — in this case the Minister of Health. The latter strenuously denied there was any shortage of drugs, but it turned out that Brains Heavy had rented a bottom house for a warehouse and was paying millions and millions for it!! The Fall Guy took the fall.
The new Health Minister got with the programme, and “observing’ there was in fact a drug shortage, agreed to a $605 million contract to ANSA McAL – but, in bypassing the NYTAB, broke the law. Said she didn’t know – even though there’s that old maxim known to anyone who’s caught speeding: “Ignorance of the law is no excuse”! Some second-tier fall guys took the rap.
Now, the Finance Minister, refusing to be the ‘action heavy fall guy’ had Cabinet “take note” of a half-a-billion-dollar payment to ANSA!!
Look out for next week’s episode!!
…on bridge
An engineer wrote some pertinent questions on the new bridge, but didn’t put his name on the letter.
Can you blame him, with this Government’s vindictiveness?
