By Ryhaan Shah
The news reports coming out of Guyana state: “Thousands took to the streets across the country to protest the unilateral installation of Justice James Patterson, age 84, as GECOM Chairman, a move by President David Granger that contravenes Article 161 of the Constitution of Guyana, which deals with the procedures that govern the selection of the chairman. The protesters represent every race, ethnicity, creed and political persuasion, and they vow to continue their protest action until democratic norms and the rule of law are restored to their country.”
That report is pure fantasy of course. Such a protest will never happen, because there is at the heart of Guyana a moral vacancy that moved in over 50 years ago with the advent of race politics. The battle lines are drawn, and there as yet has been no situation grave and critical enough to drive us to put aside partisan interests and act in unison for the good of our country.
Were there any moral suasion, Justice Patterson would have simply refused the appointment and insisted that Granger follow the rule of law. Instead, he is willing to accept the chairmanship, even though it casts him in the role of being a poodle of a PNC Government. Does age, then, bring no wisdom, no wish to leave a legacy of decency for future generations? If there was any question about our moral vacancy, Justice Patterson’s decision removes all doubt.
The unilateral appointment of the GECOM Chair was a natural progression for Granger, who, as a Burnham devotee, has vowed to oversee the resuscitation of the failed policies of the PNC dictatorship. He stated publicly that winning the 2015 general elections was an act of God, and it is clear that he intends to complete the mission started by the PNC founder/leader.
From his very first day in office, he simply shoved aside the Cummingsburg Accord, and has since proceeded to fulfil the PNC diktat of using Government as a weapon to exact vengeance on the party’s enemy, Indian Guyanese.
The “coolie” taunts hurled at Indian Guyanese by PNC supporters after their elections victory were a mere taste of what has now become Granger-approved pejorative language within the public service. This is a clear indicator of what is to come, and Granger is neither shy nor ashamed about this.
In fact, just hours before he installed Justice Patterson in the GECOM chair, he was lighting Diwali diyas and referring to them as symbols of the triumph of light over darkness and of good over evil. Then in a volte-face worthy of the worst, he did the deed and returned Guyana to the darkness of another PNC era.
The die is cast, the fix is in, and every move will be made by the Granger Government to rig Guyana’s electoral system in order to keep itself in power.
The PPP Opposition, if they are savvy politicians, must have had some inkling of the forces that were aligned against them to bring about this state of affairs. They, too, are rightly criticised for lacking moral authority, since, as a Government of 23 years, they conducted state business with more than a little arrogance, and faced their own share of corruption allegations.
Because of their conduct, the PNC could actually put a positive spin on its actions, and thus allay any doubts that might arise from the more moderate among its supporters. Even this unconstitutional move by Granger, which clearly indicates a return to PNC dictatorial tendencies, might not be enough to bring about a national crisis of conscience, thus making our moral vacancy complete.
Oil has replaced the Cold War as the reason for external interference in Guyana’s affairs, and oil will not save us. Granger, with all his cursing out of sugar, rice, timber, gold, etc., could be setting the stage for the real curse to be visited on Guyana: the oil curse.
His Government already condones thievery from the national coffers. Oil will simply make the thievery bigger, and with the agricultural and business sectors already being pushed to the wall, the country could become heavily dependent on oil earnings.
Venezuela is in the throes of the oil curse, brought on by continuously low oil prices. It should be a lesson learned, but Granger and his Government are too dizzy at the prospects of the millions of barrels and the millions of dollars that will flow to them and them alone.
They have cleared the way for that eventuality, and Thursday, October 19, 2017 goes down as yet another day of infamy in Guyana’s history. It marks the return to PNC darkness.
