…Rodney and development
You could’ve knocked over your Eyewitness with a feather when Ogunseye took issue with the PPP giving the Government an “F” on the economy. It isn’t that he disagreed – hey! Everybody has an opinion, OK? But it’s the main criterion on which he constructed his rebuttal – growth. Ogunseye delivered the finding by the IMF that the economy would grow by 3.3 per cent… and concluded – so THERE!!
But it’s not as simple as that, is it? And of all the people in Guyana, Ogunseye should know better because he was taught better. Ogunseye is a self-professed “Rodneyite” and if there was one thing Rodney opened up the eyes of his followers on, it was the critical difference between “growth” and “development”. Surely Ogunseye hasn’t forgotten this? If not, the PPP can contend the IMF had verified ad nauseam that Guyana’s economy had grown consistently by an average of 5 per cent during the Jagdeo years.
And Ogunseye can be asked why’d he criticise the PPP (just as ad nauseam) over the course of its two decades at the helm? Well, according to him, because African Guyanese didn’t benefit proportionately in that growth. Whether true or not, Ogunseye’s contention confirms that “growth” is an omnibus term that has to be disaggregated to mean anything. Rodney had shown that there can be “growth”, but no “development” – since the latter considers improvement in real peoples’ lives rather than numbers on a national balance sheet.
So why hasn’t he done this with the present IMF claim? And your Eyewitness isn’t even going down the road of PPP’s analogous claim on ethnic differential benefits as Ogunseye’s. He’ll simply reiterate the point he’s been making ad nauseam – that it’s gold production that’s delivering the “growth” of which the IMF speaks. And while we know that quite a lot of African Guyanese are in the gold bush, surely that’s no comfort to the much vaster number of citizens who’re in the stagnating sectors dubbed the “six sisters” by Prezzie. Much less other Guyanese. So Ogunseye gets an “F” on Rodneyite, humanist economics!
But contradicting himself, Ogunseye then lists a host of factors to “explain” why the economy’s on the ropes!! Like Schrodinger’s cat, the economy’s both dead and alive – depending on who’s observing it? He mentioned the “political challenge” posed by Ramotar proroguing Parliament – but NOT the “no-confidence” motion of APNU/AFC!! He also invoked the “underground economy” that was fuelling growth under the PPP.
Really? So why did Clive Thomas insist this “underground activity” wasn’t captured by PPP’s stats?? “F” up to now!
Finally, Ogunseye says there’s “sabotage”. There’s sabotage, all right.
Inflicted by the Government that keeps shooting itself in the foot!!
…what’s an SC
So what’s going on with the apology Judge Holder demanded of Slick Willie? Or, as he would have it – AG Basil Williams, SC, Minister of Justice. But he’ll never get the irony of demanding to be recognised by all those titles, while refusing to behave in a manner befitting them. Everything he did in that courtroom was to reinforce his lifelong reputation as “Slick Willie”. You can take the hustler out of the hustle, but you can’t take the hustle out of him.
Even if your Eyewitness stretches his credulity to the max and pretends Slick Willie didn’t threaten the Judge, what kind of lawyer would tell a judge “I’ll talk to you, any which way I want!”?? A shyster lawyer, that’s who! And that’s why he’ll never apologise to the Judge. If he wasn’t such a hustler, he’d take a page out of Burnham’s book.
Walking out of Parliament in protest, Burnham still took time to genuflect to the Speaker. Slick Willie would never have this class. Disbar him!!
…forensics
One of the trenchant criticisms by APNU/AFC of Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee was he couldn’t get the high-priced Police Forensic Lab going. Two years later, Ramjattan still hasn’t rectified matters.
A no-confidence motion on the cards?
