…to believe the mouthed inanities?
Your Eyewitness verily believes he’s now heard it all! At his first press conference in two years, President Granger opined he didn’t “believe” placing the US$18 million “signing bonus” from Exxon into a specifically-created Bank of Guyana account – rather than the stipulated Consolidated Fund – was “illegal”. And why isn’t violating the controlling Art 216 of the Constitution not “illegal”? “I would not do something that was unlawful,” Granger said with a straight face!!
Like the young George Washington, he evidently expects us to believe he can’t tell a lie and he is a living, walking exemplar of probity and rectitude!! But in the next breath, to affirm his faith in the “legal competence” of Basil Williams to fulfil his role as Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, absolutely rubbishes that claim! Williams, after all, has lost 90 per cent of his cases for the Government!
So, when the President goes on to say if his “legal team” says his act was “unlawful”, he’ll “correct it”, you know Guyana’s on a roundabout from which it can’t escape!! The problem is, in addition to being challenged legally, Basil Williams is obviously willing to tell the President whatever the latter wants to hear. Finally, he claims if the court rules the deposit in BoG is illegal, he’ll also comply.
But what your (curious) Eyewitness wants to know is now that the lid’s been blown on the “secret account”, wouldn’t those dastardly Venezuelans now KNOW (gasp!!) we had a “legal war chest” to pay the lawyers at the ICJ? Of course, going by the logic of Foreign Affairs Minister Greenidge, who said he advised the BoG secret stash, even though since the PPP Administration, Guyana’s been pushing the ICJ option the Venezuelans would’ve never suspected we’d put aside money to pay lawyers!!
Never mind Greenidge’s testimony on February 15, 2016 in Parliament asserted his government had already put aside $200 million for such fees (under the Budgetary category “other”). Wouldn’t that titbit been known by the Venezuelans via their resident Ambassador? Naaah! But not so incidentally, whatever happened to that $200 million? Wherever it was placed, shouldn’t it have been joined by the Exxon US$18 million, rather than invoking some non-existent “escrow account”??
If the $200 million hadn’t raised “national security implications”, why should the US$18 million?? Since he reiterated he’s ultimately in charge of “national security”, could President Granger possibly enlighten the Guyanese people as to what quantum of money for international lawyers on the border controversy triggers “national security” concerns?
The President may want Guyanese to believe his naivety led to the secrecy on Exxon’s US$18 million.
But they’re not daft enough to fall for that line!!
…on rigging?
Asked directly whether he plans to rig the 2020 elections, President Granger says he had “no intentions” to do so. While cynics may say, what else you’d expect the man to say, your Eyewitness’ doubts rise out of the President’s own words. Last month in Atlanta, speaking confidentially to the 5th Biennial Conference of the PNCR’s North American region, he said: “You have to ask yourself how did the PNC gain office in 1964. Ask yourself how did the PNC remain in office and what did it do during that period Ask yourself how the PNC regained office in 2015 and ask yourself how would the PNC retain office after 2020.”
The answers are: in 1964 the PNC gained office by coalescing with the UF and maintained power by rigging elections, while frinding down the Opposition. In 2015 it gained office by coalescing with the AFC, which is now “dead meat”.
Guyanese would be daft not to suspect the PNC will once again rig elections to remain in office post 2020!
…on Police cars?
The Police complain their salaries are abysmal. Yet tints on SIXTY-FIVE police cars were removed? Now where did these Police get the money to buy the cars, which can only be the tip of the iceberg?
Daft enough to believe THEY SAVED?
