One of the problems with starting out “fresh” by throwing out all the old guard is a loss of institutional memory on all the nitty gritty that doesn’t get written down – like where the skeletons are buried!! But the big things ARE written down so when something significant is missed, one wonders what the heck’s going on with the new lot drafted in to keep the ship on course!!
We were just told that six PNC stalwarts were inducted into the PNC “Hall of Heroes” by the new Leader and his Central Executive Committee. Clever move…it connects the newbies – who’re virtual unknowns – with the folks who built the PNC. And sends a signal of their legitimacy. But Norton might be laying it on a bit thick to bring in at one fell swoop SIX new heroes since it raises the question of why the heroism of these worthies hadn’t been recognised till now. After all, since they’re all in the great beyond – some for decades – surely their heroic deeds on behalf of the party would’ve been known!!
But your Eyewitness is baffled by one inductee – Desmond Hoyte – since he’d already been inducted back in 2006: !! That’s right, squaddies. Desmond was inducted into the PNC Hall of Heroes on Dec 23 of that year – after the PNC under Robert Corbin’s leadership had caused the party to suffer its worst-ever drubbing at the polls!! Maybe Corbin had been trying to burnish his own credentials then?? At his side then was Winston Murray, who’s one of the new six inductees. Murray, of course, is widely regarded as the best leader the PNC never had!! And it’s to Norton’s credit that just before Murray passed, he’d nominated him for that position. While Murray was “mixed”, he looked Indian and coulda have been the bridge to the “multiracialism” the PNC had craved from the beginning!!
But is Hoyte’s double induction into the Hall of Heroes – alongside Burnham and Reid – actually due to a loss of institutional memory? Or is Leader Norton signalling that he holds no hard feelings for Hoyte throwing him out on his ears as the General Secretary back in the day?? The man was so nice, he gotta be a hero twice!! Awwww! The third inductee was Shirley Field-Ridley. who was quite a package of brains and beauty in addition to being Minister of Education. Sadly, her death and rushed cremation precipitated all sorts of dark rumours. Since there is no statute of limitations on murder maybe an investigation might be started now that she is a PNC Hero.
The other heroes are Comrade Vi – who wasn’t just Mrs Burnham but the livewire of the Women’s arm; Hyacinth Godette, Cammie Ramsaroop, and Oscar Clarke.
…political manoeuvring
Apart from the canvassing and pressing of the flesh by all the political parties, Guyanese can tell elections are in the air from all the trash talk in the Opposition camp about a new voters list and biometrics. This, of course, has absolutely nothing to do with the integrity of the voting and everything about the said Opposition being able to scream “RIGGING” after the elections! To provoke disgruntlement in their supporters and riots in the street.
What’s the issue about the Voters List? The Opposition screams it’s “bloated” by a couple of hundred thousand names. These reside abroad and they want them off with new house-to-house registration. But they had their representatives when GECOM decided on continuous registration in 2022 – which obviates the need for HtH exercises. The folks abroad are still eligible to vote!! And biometrics? Well, the picture on the National ID – which must be produced – is biometrics, innit??
Is the PNC telling us its agents all fall asleep during voting??
…a gadfly
A “gadfly” is a person who provokes others into action by criticism. And that’s what Rambo Gaskin – who just passed – was to the nth degree. A communist by training and temperament, he always told it as he saw it!!
