Moving on…

…with politics?
Ahhh…for the good old days of politics when all you had to do was to show up at rallies and meetings where politicians would promise you the moon and the stars and you lapped it because you knew it was all a pappy show and you’d already figured who you’d be voting for!! But times have certainly changed. Your Eyewitness is getting so groggy with all the constitutional challenges by the politicians and decisions by the Judiciary that he just can’t keep up. It’s like swivelling your brain back and forth like you’re at some intellectual tennis match!! Is this going to be the new foreplay before Guyanese elections??
But come to think about it, maybe this is progress – speaking totally from the perspective that the PNC is in power? After all, during their last turn at the helm, with their rigging and killings, they didn’t give you the incentive to even think that your vote mattered!! All folks, wondered about then was what was going to be the PNC’s margin over the PPP they were going to award themselves!! Two-thirds like in ’73 or 80 per cent in 1985?
So to the question posed? Your Eyewitness thinks, that yes…this playing fast and loose with the Constitution is going to be the new foreplay. Why? Cause the PNC wants to have its cake (pretend that it’s different from the Burnham days) and eat it too (ensure that they’ll “win” the elections). So while they can’t have the GDF seize ballot boxes any more (not because they REALLY CAN’T – but because they want to present a “kinder, gentler face” to the international community), they gotta make sure those stipulations in the Constitution that were inserted after 2000 to create a more level playing field are degutted! The field has to be tilted in their favour!
Take that unilateral appointment of the GECOM Chair Patterson by Granger. The INTENT of the framers of Article 161 (2) was to encourage both sides to compromise to select a candidate acceptable to both sides. But that was ignored by Granger and supported by the local courts in a decision that was clearly aberrant. Your Eyewitness thinks it’ll be overturned at the CCJ tomorrow, but in the meantime, the PNC has bought time with the assistance and connivance of Patterson.
The no-confidence vote was a bolt from the blue that the PNC never saw coming. Heavens know why – unless it was their reputation for playing hardball against those who didn’t toe the line. Remember their “sharper steel”?? Their 33 is not greater than 32 gambit, will definitely also be thrown out by the CCJ – unless it’s a Caribbean fix!
Some foreplay can be rough!!

…but 2 steps backwards
Yesterday supporters of the PNC twisted their arms patting themselves on their backs for the announcement that their four dual-citizen MPs handed in their resignation to the President. Your Eyewitness expressed grave doubts that the PNC could ever “do the right thing”. He wasn’t sure what legal limb they’d jump on to keep their wuk but suggested maybe the “Technocratic Minister” route.
But it’s clear that your Eyewitness’s mind can never match the barefacedness of the PNC. As the Opposition Leader pointed out, before the day was out, they announced that other Ministers who filled in for them previously when they were out of the jurisdiction would hold the posts. Bright and early this morning however, there was another message from the President (who’s supposed to be in Cuba!) This one said that the resignations won’t take effect UNTIL ALL THE PROCESSES HAVE BEEN COMPLETED!! And what exactly are those “processes”??
Just more foreplay, dear reader…more foreplay!!

…with genealogy of lists
We’ve just been informed that this rejecting of lists didn’t begin with Granger. Seems that back in 2015, while on the way to Georgetown, a funny thing happened to the AFC Region Six list of candidates from which their MPs would be extracts.
It was “interfered” with by some big ones!! Ouch!!