When it rains it pours…as we well know with this May-June rains we’ve been doused with since January!! But for Aubrey Norton it’s been a deluge – rivalling the one for which Noah had to create that Ark to save mankind!! Here it is, the man’s been toiling away in the boiler room of the PNC since he was a kid in short pants out in Linden. And after more than fifty years, he finally gets to be the bride rather than the perennial bridesmaid, and look what’s been dumped on him!! Life ain’t fair. Is it?
But the problem arises from the very reason he got that chance to become leader. Even though he’d been an army general and all that, Granger was seen as a softie for bending to international pressure and stepping away from the presidency after they’d rigged the elections in the sordid tradition of Burnham!! Burnham would NEVER have done that…all the PNC faithful cried in unison!! Now the hated PPP was back in power, and with all the oil moolah to play around with, they knew that it would’ve been harder to prise them out than the innards of an awara seed with one’s teeth!!
So, they turned to Aubrey – who’d twice challenged Granger for the leadership and been found wanting – for all the qualities that the “kinder, gentler” Granger couldn’t demonstrate.
Pugnacious street fighter who was always ready to rumble, glowering even when he was smiling – and certainly no choir boy dropping on his knees to drop a prayer at the drop of a hat!! So, after the humiliation of having Desmond Hoyte literally dismissing him as General Secretary because he (Norton) was his “creature”, he was elected Leader of the PNC! And some think he’ll go quietly into the night, because he’s been accused of “sexual harassment”?? Gwan da side!! The “Elders” chosen to judge him will probably congratulate him, since they know personally he’s acting in the tradition of the Founder-Leader himself!!
But that was just a rivulet!! The river that was dumped on him was the resignation, just four days before the Congress, of the General Secretary! Her resignation letter was more like an indictment for his beheading!! First was the timing of Congress: “…the one-month period for preparation for such a congress can lead to confusion rather than having a fair and transparent process and outcome.” Then removing the vetting of observers; removing from her the invitation of delegates; messing with the now missing computer CPU that stored the members’ names; humiliating her for checking a membership question that was requested; put on hold the GS request for a financial statement; creating a toxic work environment at Congress Place with his constant screaming and berating.
Whew!! Bye-Bye, Aubrey!!
…Kenya
Your Eyewitness had brought to your notice President William Ruto of Kenya sending the largest contingent of troops and police to bring some sorta stability to the beleaguered Haiti. Ah…what a show of solidarity by Mama Africa for her long-lost children – who’d been sold down the river back in the day. So, what if it might’ve been to save the US blushes!!
But no sooner than the planeload of troops had landed came news that Kenyan citizens were storming Parliament – and police were firing live rounds into the protestors!! At the last count, 23 were dead and 37 seriously wounded – with more protests promised!!
Now, this has to be a serious blow to Ruto, who was hoping he’d be seen as a world statesman with his Haitian gambit!! What gives?? The Kenyans are rioting because of taxes Ruto had imposed at the dictates of the IMF – which had been called in to bail Kenya out!! Even Obama’s sister was hit by teargas!!
Will Kenyan troops be firing at the Haitian gangs??
…Hughes
Nigel Hughes’s candidacy is seen as throwing a life jacket to the Dead Meat AFC – which was in a death spiral. Then he went and was caught shaking Nagamootoo’s hand. Kiss of death??
