…about rigging
When it comes to rigging elections, the PNC has done it so many times, they probably can’t even help themselves – even if they wanted to. Rigging is their default “factory setting” when it comes to elections. You remember that old ditty, “Fifty ways to leave your lover?” Well, just going by their record, the PNC has at least EIGHTY ways to leave their opponents in the dust at elections time via rigging!!
And just when you think you’ve managed to head them off from one route, they come up with another!! They set the ball rolling back in ’68 when Burnham decided he wasn’t going to be second-guessed by his UF coalition partner – even though they could’ve most likely won the elections.
But the overseas and proxy votes that did the trick then was “given up” in 1973 when he moved on to having all counting done in Camp Ayanganna in Georgetown. The army was conscripted to transport the ballots, and of course, could “take care” of any pesky citizen who wanted to ensure his vote was counted!!
But the National Register which was launched in 1968 – and then sprung at the last moment at the Opposition that the voters’ list would be extracted from it after insisting that it wasn’t going to be!! – is still around to offer some elections rigging.
While the Opposition has been given the royal run-around to sanitise the voters’ list through its PLE, C&O, and OLE incarnations, have they checked to see whether the NRR has been fiddled with?? Back in ’68, quite a few youthful PNC supporters had their age accelerated so they could vote. Have we checked exactly what Felix has been doing with the birth certificates and other records that maintains the NRR?
Then, of course, there’s the old standby that’s pulled out at every election – rushing the place of poll just as they’re about to close. If the Owl of Minerva flies at night, so does the PNC “nightshift” at the close of polls!! So we really don’t need the wisdom of Minerva to know this is in the cards this go around: Volda kindly reminded us of it some time ago!! We might also have moved away from the army transporting ballot boxes to be counted. But we now have the challenge of getting the equivalent “Statement of Polls” – conceded after a herculean struggle – physically up into the GECOM place of counting, don’t we??
Then, did you know that in the private-houses-as-polling-stations in the city, they always have a 100% turnout?? Every little bit helps!!
Like your Eyewitness’ been saying, he doesn’t know exactly HOW, but he KNOWS rigging’s in the cards!!
…about coronavirus
Over in Shenzen province, the authorities have banned the consumption of cat and dog meat. Now while we may snicker, we should realise that the consumption of foods is a culturally induced behaviour. What do you think about all those Frenchies who down frogs legs with gusto!! But what the Chinese action has signalled is we’d better get serious about the coronavirus which is now a pandemic – that is, an epidemic that has spread to several countries, including our neighbour Brazil.
Now, there’s absolutely no need to be coy about the fact that the virus will sooner rather than later pop up here. And even though the Minister has assured us that “we’re ready”, the truth of the matter is we aren’t. And this is not a case of blaming the Government of the day – like foreign affairs, coronavirus isn’t a partisan issue! There’s so much that isn’t known about the virus at this stage, that while we shouldn’t panic…we must take precautions, like washing hands fastidiously.
And avoiding crowds. After March 2!!
…about political investments
When Ramjattan gave a shoutout to a businessman who’d paid for their new HQ, Raphael Trotman pointed out that these are “political investments” which have to deliver returns.
Well, the fella just got 164,000 acres of land!! Some returns, eh??
