Increasing… Opposition inclusivity

From the word “go”, WIN and APNU’ve been demanding more consultation with the Government in the formulation of policies and national decisions as their “democratic right”!! Now, this is, of course, an admirable democratic principle – assuming the two Opposition parties can first establish what exactly they mean by “consultation”. The recent discussions between them over their stalemate on Opposition GECOM ‘s representation and the Local Government Commission have given us a useful preview of what “national consultation” might look like – and why the PPP/C Government’s so skittish!!
First was the skirmish about having a “neutral venue”!! Your Eyewitness couldn’t see how the venue could influence the discussions – after all, mind control instruments ain’t been invented that would’ve been deployed in either of their HQs!! They finally settled on a new joint on Croal Street – the Brandsville Suites – that boasts a bar and spa!! Now, as a true-blue democrat, your Eyewitness has been quite invested in these discussions – so while he hasn’t exactly been holding his breath for the talks, including a possible coalition arrangement, he was totally gobsmacked to learn they hadn’t even agreed on how they’d CONDUCT their meetings, much less settled the issues on the table!!
After their “discussions” were over, both Sanction Man and Norton claimed the meeting was “cordial”, and their General Secretaries were locked in a room to craft a joint statement on meeting protocols!! As your Eyewitness pecks away at this piece the next morning, there’s still no statement, and he assumes the General Secretaries might be loosening their tense muscles at the spa!!
The question that’s troubling your Eyewitness right now is what would happen if the Government actually invited the Opposition parties to discuss national policy!! He can imagine the meeting:
Govt: “Gentlemen and ladies, we’d like your views on the budget.”
Opp: “Certainly! But first, what’s the procedure for this consultation?”
Govt: “Shall we meet in person?”
Some confusion follows as WIN shouts, “WIN prefers physical meetings”, and is interrupted by APNU screaming, “APNU prefers Zoom!!”
As the Govt rep tries to still her rolling eyes, she suggests, “Can we have a hybrid arrangement?” and WIN replies over APNU’s attempt to speak, “Only if we first establish who decides whether it’s hybrid!!”
And there goes the first afternoon of Govt-Opp consultations!!
The second meeting would be devoted to agreeing on the agenda for the third meeting; the third would determine who’s got the authority to approve the agenda, while the fourth would discuss whether the minutes of the second meeting accurately reflected the disagreement over the agenda of the third!!
Looks like the Govt shouldn’t fear no “united Opposition” – just provide them with a conference table, and they’ll do the rest themselves!!

…the volume?
For more than a decade, the Police and EPA have been conducting a heroic experiment in acoustics – how much noise can a nation endure before somebody finally decides that enough is enough?!! Now comes the latest announcement that the Police are receiving “specialised” training to deal with the menace!! That’s great, innit?? After all, it takes considerable professional expertise to distinguish between the sound of a neighbour’s serenading music and what appears to be a full-scale military invasion involving speakers, subwoofers, and a generator!!
For years, we’ve been subjected to the nightly soundtrack of modern Guyana – music blasting from vehicles, rum shops, yards, and parties; amplified sermons competing with amplified dancehall; horns used as substitute conversation; and the occasional sound system apparently attempting to communicate with satellites in space!!
So, the problem ain’t new. We’ve had more than a decade to discover that noise pollution ain’t an unavoidable feature of development.
The national strategy goes beyond complain, call someone, wait – and complain again!! Jail them!!

…oil revenues
Now that Exxon’s recovered its sunk costs in the Stabroek Block and we’re getting almost 40 per cent of cost oil, the Govt critics still aren’t happy! They’re crawling out of the woodwork with new nit-picking!!
Some people eye nevah full!!