…dem down
The theme for this year’s Mashramani is “Celebrate 49 with victory in Mind”. Now your Eyewitness would like SOMEBODY to tell him that this theme wasn’t selected by the PNC-led Government with the elections – precipitated by the No-confidence Motion (NCM) – in mind!! For a Government that insists the NCM’s ‘of no effect”, you know they’re just whistling Dixie when you consider all the campaign activities – outside of Mash – they’ve launched.
You already know about the second invasion of the Rupununi last weekend by NINETEEN Ministers – out of a Cabinet…oops! – PLENARY of 27, complete with their fawning entourages!! The poor residents had never seen so many coastlanders at any one time in their territory, much less Government officials!! But in the face of all the giveaways and promises to deliver the moon and stars, the PNC insists they aren’t campaigning!! If that were so, imagine what’ll happen when they REALLY start to campaign!!
Well, Mash 2019, which is next Saturday, will give you an idea. Talk about “bread and circus”!! The PNC will be pulling out all the stops as they pander to the notion that becoming a Republic is all about ‘wining and grinding”. We all heard about the origins of the festival in Linden back in 1970 and all it has become is a cheap version of the carnival of Trinidad. Celebrating after a hard day’s work!! Ha!! The Trinis’ Carnival is redolent with THEIR heritage – starting with the French planters who brought it from Haiti and were escaping from the revolution of Toussaint L’Overture. But this isn’t OUR Republican heritage, is it?
Mashramani is supposed to use symbolism to bring into the minds of the people the sacrifice of our peoples to make Guyana become completely free of the colonial power. And the sacrifice it would take in the years ahead to realise the potential in our six peoples. We start with the revolt of Cuffy in Berbice back in 1763, who against all odds took over the entire Dutch Colony and declared it free – even if for a glorious moment!
Do these philistines in Government think that valiant act of liberation was achieved by “wining and grinding”? At each age of our struggle, brave men and women had to have their blood spilled into our soil from the beheadings after the Revolt of 1823 to the “leaden argument” of the rulers – as so stated after the massacre at Devonshire Castle in 1872. This continued with the Cent Bread riots of 1856 and Georgetown 1905 – all the way to the killings at Leonora of 1939 and Enmore of 1948.
But this PNC wants to keep us in mental slavery to “wine and grind”!
…down democracy
Your Eyewitness is bemused – NOT amused – by the outrageous efforts by the PNC-led Government to again make us into a Banana Republic for which Latin America is famous. British colonialism had insisted on our political class in the Caribbean imbibe Liberal Democracy before they could take over the reins of government. And for the most part we did….just look at Trinidad, Barbados and the rest of the “British Caribbean”.
The one that broke the mould was Guyana under Burnham and his PNC from 1968 to 1992. Out of the window went individual rights and the right to dissent – not even that most sacrosanct of democratic spaces – the voting booth. Our ballots were snatched and counted by the Army at their headquarters – even as that Army was ordered to march through the villages dominated by the PPP Opposition to intimidate them into terror.
Burnham strutted around in a 4-star General’s uniform as he saluted officers who’s just swore fealty to him.
And that’s what his 2-star successor (Brigadier) is consummating right now!!
…GECOM
Constitutionally, elections should be held on March 19, which should be OK since the list is certified till April. So why should the PNC be rewarded by extending the date when their foot dragging is making the list obsolete?
Stand firm PPP!!
