Rushing… fools

In the 18th century – when public education had expanded and made even the common man believe he “knew everything” – Alexander Pope wrote, “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.” The fuller quote bears repeating: “The bookful blockhead ignorantly read, / With loads of learnèd lumber in his head, / With his own tongue still edifies his ears, / And always listening to himself appears. […] / Nay, fly to altars; there they’ll talk you dead, / For fools rush in where angels fear to tread.”
This thought came to your Eyewitness’ mind when he heard Opposition types – mostly from the decimated PNC – criticising Pressie for not convening Parliament immediately. Chicken Man Campbell – the Aubrey Norton anointed one to lead the 12 MPs which PNC/APNU has been shamefully reduced to – screamed he was ready to rumble!! Implying that the PPP might be ducking him!! He, of course, had compared himself to Jesus, who’d led his 12 disciples to change the world – and HE was chomping at the bit to change Guyana!!
Since, during the campaign, the PNC/APNU had insisted 48 per cent of Guyanese were living in poverty – quoting outdated figures from when THEY were in office! – your Eyewitness had wondered at the time whether Chicken Man was gonna feed Guyana with five pieces of chicken – as Jesus had done with just five pieces of bread!! But sadly, when Chicken Man elaborated as to what he’ll be focusing on if Pressie were to convene Parliament, it was ELECTORAL REFORM!! Imagine that!! No chicken thighs, much less breasts for the poor!! Guess he figures “the poor will always be with us,” and he might as well see if he can tinker with the electoral system to give the Opposition more reasons to scream after elections – “WE WUZ ROBBED!!”
But what’s the scoop on convening Parliament? Art. 69 (1) definitively pronounces on the matter and says, “Each session of Parliament…shall begin…four months from the end of that session – if Parliament has been dissolved – as the President shall appoint by proclamation.” Now since the 12th Parliament was dissolved by Pressie on July 3, 2025, for elections, that means he’s got till Nov 3 to convene the 13th Parliament. So what’s the fuss??
The PNC Executive Council’s meeting is as your Eyewitness types this piece. Shouldn’t Chicken Man wait to find out the extent of his legitimacy – depending on whether his godfather’s gonna be dumped before being big and bad?? The fact of the matter is Chicken Man’s gonna be irrelevant to the Parliamentary agenda since the Opposition Leader, Sanction Man, got his own axes to grind!!
One of them being to ensure the PNC – from which he snagged the majority of his votes – becomes irrelevant!! Ambition should be made of sterner stuff!!

…to destroy
Winston Jordan was a nuts-and-bolts number cruncher in the Ministry of Finance for donkey’s years. As such, it wasn’t within his remit to look beyond the numbers he was given on specific projects or budgets. And as a civil servant, “his was not to reason why” but just to “do or die” as ordered!! In such environments the guiding philosophy becomes “CYA” – cover your ass – and from all accounts Jordan protected his rear very well, thank you!!
But when the APNU/AFC coalition got into office – surprising even them! – they needed a Finance Minister. And having no credible candidate who Granger trusted, they turned to Jordan – who’d probably been surreptitiously supplying them with info!! With Jordan’s recent outburst that the Government shouldn’t be supporting the rice industry, he’s revealed his plebeian, journeyman mindset.
Otherwise he would’ve known that modern Governments – such as the US – identify certain agriculture crops as STRATEGICALLY important for both food security and commercial reasons.
Allowing rice to fail is like chopping off your right arm!!

…to boost dictatorship
Mad Maduro has seized the opportunity presented by the US naval force off Venezuelan waters to seize new powers that’ll give him and the military generals in his Cartel of the Sun absolute control over the economy!!