By Ryhaan Shah
There’s no doubt anymore. With the independence of the Judiciary now compromised, Guyana is once again under People’s National Congress (PNC) dictatorial rule and this is the worst possible situation for the country’s fate and future. As I wrote in last week’s column, racism is winning, and the PNC support base, including the professionals, are either unconcerned that party loyalty demands disregard for the rule of law or it could be that fear of intimidation already stalks the land. In the PNC’s fight for power, Machiavellian tactics – the ends justifying the means – have always mattered most.
Acting Chief Justice Roxane George’s ruling that Granger’s unilateral appointment of James Patterson to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) chair is lawful, makes the Constitution and the laws of Guyana wholly irrelevant. The ruling places President Granger above the law. So, too, did Burnham elevate himself, and history, no matter how contorted and rewritten to suit a PNC narrative, is clear on the destruction of the country’s social and economic fabric that followed.
The loss of an independent Judiciary is the last nail in the coffin. All the other signs that Guyana is under dictatorial rule were already there. Intimidating the media is one such signal and Granger’s statement that he finds the free press a “daily challenge”, the sedition clause in the Cyber Crimes Bill, and the firing of two critics from the State media are steps in that direction.
Politicising the civil service, another sign of a dictatorship, began as soon as Granger came to office and the ethnic cleansing of Indian Guyanese at every State agency continues. That even eminently qualified Indian Guyanese are not being employed at GECOM fits the pattern of the Granger Government’s racial hiring pattern.
The Pharmagate scandal of Government renting a bottom house for over $25 million from coalition backer Larry Singh is just one example of the handing out of State funds and contracts to party supporters, another sign of a dictatorship. The collapse of the base for the Indian Monument at Palmyra was another such situation where a public contract was awarded to an obviously incompetent builder whose only qualifications were most likely that he was a loyal PNC supporter.
People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) critics would counter with arguments that the PPP/C Government also indulged in cronyism and corruption no matter that the millions spent by the Granger Government on forensic audits of the PPP/C Administration turned up no substantive corruption issues or illegalities. In fact, had the PPP/C Government ever usurped the rule of law, there would have been violent PNC protests in the city streets and the diplomatic community would have moved to publicly condemn the Government.
Despite the fact that the audits uncovered no widespread corruption as was alleged during the 2015 election campaign, the Special Organised Crime Unit has brought charges against former NICIL CEO Winston Brassington and former PPP/C Finance Minister Ashni Singh, and there are now additional charges filed to implicate Guyana Times publisher, Dr Bobby Ramroop in a “corrupt” purchase of the former Sanata Textiles Complex. Demonising the Opposition and using State powers to go after political enemies are textbook signs of a dictatorship.
Whereas the diplomatic community had no compunction about condemning the PPP/C Government for alleged wrongdoings, their absolute silence in the face of the Granger Government’s numerous transgressions speaks volumes. It would be logical to conclude that there is a quid pro quo in place.
The trade-off that put Burnham in power had to do with US Cold War strategies. Premier Cheddi Jagan’s left-wing politics was seen as counter to America’s interests so he was ousted in favour of Burnham who used the opening to establish PNC party paramountcy, institutionalised racism, and a militarised society which all led to Guyana’s destruction.
Is the US and its partner, the UK, prepared to back a return to PNC dictatorial rule – this time for control of the country’s oil reserves? The State contract signed with ExxonMobil is a giveaway. Had the PPP/C won the 2015 Election it is very unlikely that the oil corporation would have escaped with a deal so wholly skewed in its favour since the PPP/C Government displayed a good grasp of macroeconomics, high finance, and contractual law, and would have consulted with experts in the field before signing any contract.
But the Alliance For Change was created to ensure an election win that would return the PNC to power. The oil find was then made public. Rigged systems: another factor of dictatorial regimes.
Burnham was willing to betray his country and countrymen to be a neo-colonial puppet for the Americans and British. Granger, a devoted Burnhamite, appears willing to do the same. Clearly, for the PNC, massa day nah done.
