…by City Hall
The Auditor General (AG) – not to be confused with the other AG, who clearly doesn’t know his a55 from his elbow! – revealed that of the $300 million passed over by the Central Government to City Hall back in August 2015 to “restore” the city to its former “pristine state”, in the words of Finance Minister Winston Jordan, 50 per cent remains unaccounted for. After the money was transferred, the Town Clerk announced as to how Georgetown would be transformed to a “world class city” comparable to any other in the world. The “Golden Apple”??
Well, if half of the money was “siphoned off” – as the PNC used to accuse the PPP of doing – and the rest went to friends and family newly baptised as “contractors”, can we be surprised Georgetown still looks like the armpit of the Caribbean??!! Now don’t get confused, dear reader. This $300 million has nothing to do with the billion or so the Central Government blew on the sprucing up of the City for the Grand Jubilee Bash!
And we won’t even mention the billion dollars spent on the D’Urban Park Stands for which some “political investors” are being stiffed for their “contributions”. Seemed that unlike the Natural Resources Minister, the Finance Minister doesn’t appreciate that even though “political investors” dub their cash infusions as “contributions”, it’s still an investment with its expected rate of return!
Your Eyewitness mentions the above fleecing of the taxpayers (where do you think the money eventually comes from?) as the background to the Parking Meter Heist conducted by City Hall in full view of all and sundry. Your Eyewitness had railed against this “eyepass” from the moment it was sanctified by the Gang of Four after they returned from their all-expenses-paid trip to Latin America. Imagine the contract is still secret!!! He must confess he was beginning to doubt anything was going to be done after the PNC elevated the Mayor and Oscar Clark to their Executive Committee in the Party – along with their subject Minister Bulkan. Who was going to reprimand who?
But it appears there is a God! Who, of course, works through us mortals! The protest against the meters and more germanely the boycott, has clearly stung the kleptocrats in Central and City government. Your Eyewitness knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Forget about killer penalty clauses in the contract: the fly in the ointment is, if the contract’s altered in favour of the people, will those in City Hall be able to return the proportionate amount of the graft they collected?
We all know these Latin American types have rather unorthodox methods of collecting their debts!!
…by the money changers
The story’s told in the Good Book that Jesus was terribly upset with the Jerusalem Temple “money changers” – the precursors of the Bankers and Cambio dealers today. “And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.” Now this is serious precedent!!
Your Eyewitness was reminded of this incident when he saw the directive from the Governor of the Bank of Guyana – after Finance Minister Jordan complained about Cambios destabilising the exchange rate by spiriting away US$100 million abroad. Now while the money changers are crying dirty pool, they should take comfort no whips were used!! Up to now!!
Nowadays while everyone gets skittish when governments intervene in the operations of the ‘free market”, we should know no market’s ever really “free”. At a minimum, there’s the “asymmetry of information” making the banks always winning.
There’s got to be a “light touch”.
…of Gaga’s bod?
After her Super Bowl halftime show, imagine Lady Gaga had to defend her right NOT to have her tummy taut and rippled, “washboard” style!
Hadn’t she explained after she wore that dress of beef (yes beef!!) she’s “not a piece of meat”??!!
