…from untenable position?
they say “politics is war by other means’. But with what’s going down in our dear, old Guyana, it’s hard to tell the difference between the two. The verbal salvos are fired with such ferocity; they might as well be cannonballs! Take the latest episode in the “GECOM LIST” battle. After rejecting the Opposition Leader’s list, Prezzie promised the Opposition Leader to provide the requested explanation as to what wasn’t kosher about the six names.
But now up comes the Chronic with a banner headline on what they claim is Prezzie’s latest riposte to the Opposition Leader: “Speak to my AG!” Now if these aren’t fighting words, what is? The “Opposition Leader” is a constitutional office. His party received barely less than 5000 votes than the President’s. Isn’t that enough to earn some respect?
Back in the day, to comply with the constitutional requirement to “consult” with the then “Minority Leader”, Burnham would ring up Jagan, say something innocuous like, “Hey Cheddi, How you doing?” or such like, hang up and smirk to whoever was around – “There I just consulted with Jagan!!” But here it is, Prezzie doesn’t even bother to call Jagdeo when he’d personally promised to see him! But instead, if the Chronic’s to be believed – hands him over to an underling. Like we’ve been saying – “knock got knock back – and we can only wonder at Jagdeo’s ultimate response.
Don’t you bother, dear reader, with the official line that “my legal guy will meet your legal guy.” That’s just scoring political points for taking the “high road”. After all these two legal worthies have been sparring in the press for weeks on the issue. An irresistible force (Nandlall) meeting an object made immovable by his principal’s obduracy (Williams)!! They can’t settle a matter that’s gone this far…This is a matter for their principals.
Williams has already been pushed against the wall and forced to concede his principal has misinterpreted the pertinent article. An eminent former jurist from the CCJ has also done the same. What can Williams do? Embarrass his principal? So how do we get a ceasefire in this war – or at least a de-escalation – before things get out of hand? Jagdeo’s already suggested recourse to the CCJ to pronounce on Prezzie’s idiosyncratic interpretation that only a Judge can be chair of GECOM.
The CCJ route at least allows Prezzie a graceful exit from his quite untenable position. He can ask for another list. He can reject all the names.
But what he can’t do is interpret the Constitution and not have the courts decide whether he does or does not have a point.
…stymied?
Two years ago, David Cameron was still PM of Britain and flying high. Brexit hadn’t yet dropped on him like a ton of Newcastle coal!! Faced with calls from Caricom for reparations for the damage they’d done to Caribbean people of African origin with the horrors of the Atlantic Passage and the chattel, he flew into the Caribbean – touching down first in Jamaica.
There he refused to even apologise for Britain’s actions much less agree to reparations even though several Jamaican officials – including PM Portia Miller took him to task.
In what has to be a sop to his conscience, he offered a US$450 million loan for infrastructure, including US$75 million for Guyana. But he didn’t know where to stop and – get this – offered half of the cost of a prison for Jamaica! Given the Jamaican reputation for “plain speaking is not bad manners”, it’s surprising Cameron wasn’t thrown out of the island.
But they just decided to tell Britain, “no thanks” on the prison offer. Britain may now need it more than Jamaica!
…or stalking horse?
If the T&T company really wanted lands for ethanol and rum, why not take up all the abandoned Caroni infrastructure right in their backyard?
Your Eyewitness thinks they’re a stalking horse for a company closer home!!
