Dear Editor,
Deputy Speaker, Mr Shuman is calling on Dr Irfaan Alli to meet with the Opposition Leader, to make substantive the positions of Chief Justice, the Commissioner of Police as well as the Chancellor of the Judiciary. Mr Shuman is here standing in the position of a statesman and as a go between for the President and the Opposition, to make these longstanding acting positions permanent. Now, immediately the pro PNC press is trumpeting this latest move as a first for the Opposition and something that puts President Ali as the one reneging on one of his constitutional duties as President.
But this can be furthest from the truth, because anyone with a relatively fair knowledge of Guyana’s political history would be aware that it is the PPP/C party who instituted this confirmation process and not the PNC. In fact, that party was firmly against it, to the extent that we had to get foreign intervention to help tide them over into agreement. Government in consultation with Opposition for those top positions is all due to the tireless effort of the PPP/C, and not that of the PNC. So, Harmon’s attempt to put up a façade or appearing to be concerned is simply a duplicitous act on his part.
Another look at this matter would show a PPP/C Administration summoning the Opposition to a meeting to discuss issues of governance, which they bluntly refused. So, Mr Harmon is coming out to be more and more the foolish one, in that he has squandered a great opportunity to redeem himself in the eyes of his supporters and the nation on a whole.
But Harmon is not telling his supporters the real story behind this conciliatory position of his, the true fact is he is down on the ropes, if not on his knees, in this contest for leadership of his party. He is unsure of what his fate might be and as such anything that would make him look good in the eyes of his party he would clutch on to. So, pretend to be a “good Opposition” and agree to the appointment of those top officials, this is his objective, this is his campaign call. By so doing he is hoping to get the Government’s support on his public relations stunt.
However, I must assure him that the PPP/C Administration would not be a PRO for Harmon – it is not going to happen – that is something he would have to work out all by himself. So, the beat goes on for party leadership. It would be an interesting contest, if not combative, as is the usual occurrence when it comes to the PNC.
Respectfully,
Neil Adams
