The 2025 elections are proving to be very educational for your Eyewitness. They’ve made him realise he’s getting somewhat outta touch with the goings-on in his dear ole Mudland. Take those folks now evidently at the centre of political mobilisation in Georgetown – and further afield (?) – Scrapeheads or Scrapes. He’d been au fait with the old theory that we’re all “blank slates” – tabula rasa, in Latin – into which information can and will be written to guide our actions. Wanna-be leaders, of course, would do their darndest to get into our heads – where the blank slates were supposedly located – to create slavish followers.
The Scrapeheads – he’d learnt a few months ago – themselves boasted that whatever was in their heads and between their ears was “scraped out” – so voila!! – Scrapeheads!! Your Eyewitness guesses that they weren’t aware that “Tabula Rasa” already described their condition!! Anyhow, looking on from behind his keyboard at the parties’ launches and Nomination Day processions, he thought he detected a whole lotta Scrapes!! So it looks like nothing much has changed from when Burnham had mobilised that strata by filling their “blank slates” with a hodgepodge of economic and racial pie-in-the-sky rhetoric. Being a socialist, he dubbed them “lumpen proletariats”, and they did all his dirty political work – like intimidating the opposition – when they came to town!! So from this tradition, your Eyewitness figures, Scrapeheads, are the new lumpen elements. The name changes, but their function remains the same!!
He’d been informed by some middle-class Coloured types – when the present generation of Scrapes rampaged in GT and further afield, burning and looting to “bring justice for Adriana” – that these strata would be the ones to develop Guyana. In fact, several card-carrying members said they’d once been Scrapes!! This assertion jumped out at him this morning from his newsfeed when he saw WIN’s Chief Organiser – a Scrape named “Doggie” who returned from farin – pistol-whipping a member of the WIN procession. She dared complain she’d received only $5000 for her presence rather than the $50,000 promised. A Police Warrant is out for his arrest.
But the biggest eye-opener was another WIN Scrape top executive named Fatta – who, like Doggie, got her fame from social media. She let loose such an expletive-laden denunciation against those who went on social media to voice their displeasure for not receiving their full $50,000 that even your Eyewitness blushed. And if you know your Eyewitness, you’ll know that takes quite a lotta doing since he’s quite melanin-rich!!
But the biggest fallout on Nomination Day was the fallout in support for the AFC!! Their then leader, RumJhaat, had warned they’d be “dead meat” if they hitched up with the PNC.
Well, the carcass has now rotted!!
…from media questions
An interesting discussion followed an exchange between an ANUG exec who linked up with WIN and a reporter. The ANUG fella rushed in where angels feared to tread – to speak for his (sanctioned and tongue-tied) WIN leader on policies. As your Eyewitness had explained, the WIN leader was following in the venerable tradition of the 19th-century American “Know Nothing” party!! ANUG-F claimed that WIN would “diversify” the economy!! Having just joined WIN, he didn’t realise his answer should’ve been “We know nothing”!!
The journalist followed up by pointing out that the PPP Govt had already been “diversifying the economy” – e.g., in agriculture. So, what would WIN do differently? Well, who told her to ask that!! She was pilloried for “debating” with ANUG-F!! It’s rather ironic that a journalist is told she must be a “blank slate” – Scrapehead? – at a time when Rickey Singh is being feted as our greatest journalist ever – for following up on hard questions!!
Hoyte slapped Rickey for a follow-up question!!
…from complaints
The Opposition’s determined to challenge every decision of the PPP Government. That places the courts in a critical role to interpret the Constitution for going forward legitimately.
The CJ just ruled the top CoP’s appointment was kosher!!
