…leader
It’s truly said that “abused children become abusive parents”; and it can happen at the national level: look at the Jews, persecuted for millennia, now committing genocide on Palestinians. And at the personal level, your Eyewitness points to Opposition Leader Norton unilaterally stripping PNC MP Jermaine Figueira of his portfolio as the shadow Sports, Youth and Culture Minister. He’d already removed him as Campaign Manager of Reg 10. Figueira, however, has been one of the standout Opposition MPs as Chair of the PAC, carrying out the constitutionally defined Opposition function to keep the Government on its toes!
As he pointed out in a letter to his fellow Opposition MPs, Figueira was shocked by the sacking. That’s the only word for it, since it wasn’t discussed – much less approved – by the PNC’s Central Executive!! As such, he’s calling on them to rescind Norton’s intemperate action. While he didn’t say it, Norton’s implicit message was that Figueira was getting too big for his britches.
Was it because he was studying law, and would soon follow in the footsteps of their Founder Leader Burnham – unlike the uncredentialled and pugnacious Norton??
Was it because – as PNC Reg 10 MP – he raised funds to distribute “5000 toys, several hundred bicycles and footwear to thousands of Reg 10 children” last Christmas?? Or was it the earlier donations of sport gear to clubs and helping to foster new businesses in his region?? Evidently, Norton dismissed those initiatives as “social”, and not “political”, work!! And here your Eyewitness thought Figueira was demonstrating that even though the PNC weren’t in office, they didn’t have to concede the entire social assistance field to the incumbent PPP!! And Norton shoulda been telling other MPs from other areas to do the same!!
But Figueira figured that his greatest sin against Norton was to’ve suggested that the Leader mightn’t have made the best POLITICAL decision in refusing to shake Pres Ali’s outstretched hand!! And he, Figueira, went on to do just that, and recently bantered with the latter when he visited Reg 10!!
So, this SOCIAL grace by Figueira was a POLITICAL sin in Norton’s book?? The Leader’s truculence and bad manners had to be followed by all in HIS party?? If the dismissal, just before the Big Budget Debate coming up next Monday, isn’t petty and vindictive, what is? Maybe then PNC Leader Desmond Hoyte’s summary dismissal of Norton back in 1998 as General Secretary of the PNC because – as the one who’d appointed Norton – the latter was his “creature”??
The unkindest cut gotta be that Figueira was the most prominent MP who’d endorsed and campaigned for Norton to be the Leader of the PNCR after Granger and his crew had banished him!!
Ingrate!!
…Budget 2024
Well, here we go again: the BIGGEST-ever budget in the history of our country is gonna be read out in Parliament next Monday! Of course, we’ve been hearing this line from the beginning of time, but this time the budget’s really gonna be big – not only in our monopoly-money GY Dollar, but even if it’s converted into Yankee greenbacks!!
Now, your Eyewitness isn’t going to bore you, dear readers, with details on any specific spending. The Minister of Finance has that honour annually when he regales us for five to six hours by reading a document that’s already been circulated!! Your Eyewitness usually keeps count of the number of glasses of water the Minister downs while reading – and the number of MPs who nod off!! The Government have already signalled the contours of their spending over the past three year – and there should be no major surprise. Infrastructure, baby!!
Even the jump in the GDF’s allocation should be expected after the high-level visits of US officials!!
…punishment
“Genocide” was defined in the Genocide Convention of 1948, following the Holocaust in which 6 million Jews were murdered by the Nazis. Today, the Convention is invoked by South Africa against Israel’s Jews for slaughtering Palestinians in Gaza!!
