…uber alles
Prezzie’s part of the generation would’ve enjoyed the voice of Johnny Nash, especially with his reggae hit, “I can see clearly now”, from 1972. Now that he has finally confessed to being a member of the PNC since 1965 — the year he was sent off for military training in England by Burnham — it must’ve taken quite a weight off his chest.
He might’ve even burst out after his confession in Georgia: “I can see clearly now the rain is gone, / I can see all obstacles in my way/ Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind/ It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)/ Sun-Shiny day.” And why not? It was obvious from his speech that Prezzie had been subjected to some sniping (back-stabbing?) from within, about his seeming lack of credentials as a “born PNC”. Well, now they know!
And snipers from within and without had better beware!! Within — Prezzie pointed he’d noted those who were in or came into the PNC holding their noses about Burnham’s policies. Hoyte, of course, was one of the main transgressors!! When he’d cleaned out the entire Burnhamite faction, some wondered why he’d elevated Joe Singh to Chief of Staff and demoted Granger to just an “advisor”. Hoyte would’ve known Granger was a Burnhamite PNC member!!
Expect, therefore, a winnowing out of those in the PNC who didn’t keep the faith of the founder leader, and that faith is: there can be only one man-crab in a hole! And this isn’t just about Prezzie once being a general and expecting folks to “follow the leader”. He was there at Sophia at the 3rd Biennial Congress, where Burnham boasted about his “sharper steel”. But Burnham also had words for his party faithful: “The trouble with us, comrades, is that we don’t know to read between the lines; we are always reading on top of the lines; we are more democratic than the people who teach us democracy.”
Expect him to resuscitate Article 22 of the PNC’s Constitution: This authorised the leader to “exercise any, or all of the powers of the Biennial Delegates Congress, the General Council, the Central, Executive Committee, any other committee, group, arm, organ or any officer or official of the Party”.
Outside the party, no one should be surprised at the line taken by Prezzie’s lawyers: that the Court cannot tell him what to do on the GECOM Chair. That would violate the “Separation of Powers” doctrine!! This doctrine declares that the powers of the Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary are separate – with interpretation of the Constitution the function of the last.
Yet, the Courts can’t interpret Art 161 (2)!!! Pressie uber alles!!
…and the Russian revolution
But if Prezzie is a real Burnhamite, shouldn’t he be bigging-up the 100th Anniversary of the Russian Revolution? We know — like the Chinese and the Vietnamese — Burnham insisted on introducing his own version of the Socialist Utopia: Cooperativism — but even there he was cogging from Mwalimu Nyerere, wasn’t he?
But the Russian Revolution was the grand-daddy of all revolutions – if you were a socialist. And Burnham did have a running feud with Cheddi and the PPP as to which party – the PPP or PNC – were the REAL Bolsheviks, and NOT Mensheviks!
Prezzie, after all, has now come home; and, like Burnham, can now come out of the (commie) closet. Burnham didn’t have to be afraid of the Big Bad Gringos – look who’s waiting in the wings, he’d warn!!
Isn’t this what Prezzie can also say? No more feral blasts!
…and Nation time
The Chronic’s editorial calls for “Nation Time”. This, of course, was/is the call for a Black Nation by the Black nationalists of the US, going back to the 1960s with LeRoi Jones/Amiri Baraka. What time is it? Nation Time!!
So, like Burnham, will Prezzie bring back some Black Nationalists like Julian Mayfield, from the American South?
