Aubrey Norton’s old enough to remember that song by Aretha Franklin – RESPECT. It summarizes what’s going on in his mind right now – as his PNC negotiates with the AFC to form a coalition to face the PPP at this year’s elections. As the Queen of Soul crooned, “What you want/ Baby, I got it/ What you need/ Do you know I got it?/ All I’m askin’/Is for a little respect”!!
Ain’t that the truth?? What the AFC wants, it’s Aubrey that got it – the support the PNC’s always had!! What the AFC needs are those same folks to put their Xs in their box, and it’s Aubrey’s PNC who can get them to do that!! Ain’t no two ways about that!! And all Aubrey’s asking “is for a little respect”!! But the bottom line is the AFC’s showing Aubrey ABSOLUTELY no respect when they have made it clear that under no way, shape or form, do they want Aubrey as the presidential candidate for any coalition!!
This was made clearer when they announced they’d accept a fella who’s got absolutely no experience – zilch! Nada! – in politics to be that candidate. So Aubrey’s fifty plus years in politics from a kid onwards, don’t count?? His street cred don’t count?? His leadership of the PNC – elected at a party elections – don’t count?? His leadership of APNU don’t count?? His constant campaigning don’t count?? His foreign service experience don’t count??
So what exactly is it that disqualifies him and makes a complete stranger to politics better than him?? Is it his looks or demeanour?? Well, your Eyewitness will concede that Aubrey isn’t exactly Mr Congeniality…but since when was political leadership dependent on looks?? Let’s take Abe Lincoln who’s regarded as one of the greatest of American Presidents. In his time,“He was as ugly as a scarecrow, they said. He was ungainly and cadaverous, they said. Eventually even the man who sculpted his likeness at Mount Rushmore joined in, saying his face was “primitive” and “unfurnished”!! And the Opposition does say they want to remove the PPP from office, innit??
But we can look at the new fella being touted to see what he got that Aubrey doesn’t. Well, since ethnicity’s such a big factor in Guyanese politics – some might say THE BIGGEST! – your Eyewitness notes that the fella is “Coloured/Mixed” whereas Aubrey’s African to the bone!! Look at that Assante Chief in Brittanica and you’ll swear it’s Aubrey!! So the question becomes whether an African looking man is disqualified from leading the PNC??
Actually, it ain’t just looks but also his grounded cadences and habits!! Not elitist!!
…qualified
One of the most egregious mistakes of the APNU/AFC government is to not get our country prepared for servicing the oil industry and its ancillary offshoots that had arrived the month they entered office. They had FIVE YEARS to do it but just sat on their hands as they drove around in their SUVs with outriders and sirens clearing us out of the way!! Lets look at the basic technical needs like welding and workshop technology.
Your Eyewitness just found out – from some event being commemorated – that the Board of Industrial Training (BIT), been around since 1910?? Then we had the Govt Technical Institute near Queens College along with the ones introduced by the Government at New Amsterdam and Leonora. Not to mention the GuySuCo Training School at Port Mourant!!
Anyhow the PPP government has been working feverishly to expand what we got – for instance at Port Mourant and TVET programs and the engineering program at UG – plus building new facilities at Essequibo and utilizing the GOAL opportunities!!
…the facts
Your Eyewitness is pleased the RSS team ain’t just already in Guyana but are in Linden – along with locals from the Office of Professional Responsibility – investigating what went down in the fatal shootings in that town.
Just the facts!!
