…at GECOM
GECOM? It’s now definitely GEGON! And your Eyewitness isn’t even alluding to Lowenfield and his 0M radios and M pliers! That’s small potatoes in the grand scheme of things – like stealing the entire country for the next 28 years! Your Eyewitness was so gobsmacked at Pressie’s action on the GECOM Chair, he decided to wait a day before putting pen to paper (so to speak!)
But the day’s wait and cooling down made your Eyewitness realise, he shouldn’t have been surprised at Pressie’s unilateral declaration on the GECOM Chair. After all, didn’t the man announce almost immediately on the assumption of office his goal was to continue “the Burnham legacy”?
And the “what’s the legacy?”, you ask? Didn’t he anoint Hamilton Green with oil and unguents and shower him with honey and myrrh? (Well, actually, with a retroactive PM’s pension based on Moses’ rates – and not the Moses with the stone tablets!) That was setting right Hoyte’s banishment of Burnham’s right-hand (with a stick!) man.
The GECOM Chair? Burnham had a sense of humour and a long memory. The two Chairs he selected were Judges who he had to literally bow and scrape before, when he was an ordinary lawyer. He couldn’t enter their stratospheric zones – them being connected directly to the white ruling class and all.
They were both knighted, weren’t they? Sir Donald Jackson and Sir Harold Bollers!! Well, just like he rode his horse and whipped some of the coloured elite from the Civil Service at Hope Estate, it amused him to turn these “high and mighty” men into toothless poodles who would subvert the very laws they swore to uphold!! Burnham operated on the Machiavellian principle – everyone has a price.
Well, Pressie might’ve been just a lieutenant back in the sixties but he had to have seen how Sir Jackson jack-knifed to allow the 1968 elections to be rigged. And so on and so forth in 1973, 1978, 1980 (Bollers) and 1985. So Pressie knows that while James Patterson may be a straight up fella and all that, when the chips (or ballots) are down, he will know in which direction to look. And insist whatever shenanigans are committed aren’t in his remit to monitor. Judges do work in strict accordance with the law, don’t they? At least that’s the way Jackson and Bollers played the game.
But Pressie wasn’t as cold as Burnham when informing Jagdeo of his choice. Burnham used to just call Jagan, enquire of the weather and hang up. He would then chuckle to his underlings, “Meaningful consultations!!”
Pressie called over Jagdeo to State House and spent 5 minutes with him!!
…by AFC
And talking about “toothless poodles” and folks having “a price” brings Public Security Minister and VP Khemraj Ramjattan to mind!! His titles might be equivalent to a “Sir”, no? Anyhow asked what he thought of Pressie’s dictat, the man jumped to attention faster than the loyal lieutenant he is and avowed it was all hunky dory to him!! All he was concerned about was AFC’s Leader Trotman (who replaced him) wasn’t in the pic, even though he was told ahead of time. Just Pressie and Harmon.
Ramjattan can be sooo insensitive! Has be forgotten Trotman’s a newlywed? Jeez!! Anyhow, Harmon did stand up for him after the Georgetown PNC – which IS the PNC!! – panned him for his performance as Public Security Minister. As far as they were concerned, Ramjattan was just “performing” and not doing!! So was Ramjattan’s fervent and fervid support for Pressie’s Constitutional traducing a quid pro quo for Harmon taking care of his back?
He sure needs that support, since he didn’t sign no Nassau Accord!
…on Local Government Commission
Two years on, the government finally appointed the LGC which they’d jumped up and down and held their breath for, when they were in opposition.
Aaah…the things you do for power!!
