…on constitutional treachery
Lincoln Lewis enjoys running with the hares and hunting with the hounds. But as is inevitable in these matters, when it comes to the time for the kill, he’s forced to show his hand. So with elections now appearing (rather dimly) on the horizon, he came out defending Granger and the PNC with one of the most vicious and lowdown attacks on Opposition Leader.
He defends Granger’s delaying elections by shifting the narrative to the “responsibilities” of the Opposition Leader. Using the Constitution, he shows that the Opposition Leader is part of the Executive Branch of Government, and enumerates his compensation package to demand he does his “job”. Not a word about Granger’s far more generous package, which he bumped up as soon as he slid into office, nor about his responsibilities under the same constitution.
But the question arises: What are the “responsibilities” of the Opposition in a parliamentary democracy?? Let’s look at a description from one of the least edgy practitioners: Canada.
Former Canadian PM John G. Diefenbaker described it thusly: “If Parliament is to be preserved as a living institution (the) Opposition must fearlessly perform its functions. When it properly discharges them, the preservation of our freedom is assured. The reading of history proves that freedom always dies when criticism ends. It upholds and maintains the rights of minorities against majorities.
“It must be vigilant against oppression and unjust invasions by the Cabinet of the rights of the people. It should supervise all expenditures, and prevent over-expenditure by exposing to the light of public opinion wasteful expenditures or worse. It finds fault; it suggests amendments; it asks questions and elicits information; it arouses, educates and moulds public opinion by voice and vote. It must scrutinize every action by the government, and in doing so, prevents the short-cuts through democratic procedure that governments like to make.”
And according to that desiderata, what has Jagdeo been doing, if not his job? Has he not been “scrutinising every action of the Government”? When he “finds faults”, does he not “suggest amendments”?? Did Lewis not witness Jagdeo and the rest of the Opposition deconstruct the Government’s woeful budget, but had none of their amendments accepted? Has he not been “exposing to the light of public opinion wasteful expenditures or worse”?? Has Lewis forgotten about the Durban Park and other scandals?
Lewis wants Jagdeo to return to Parliament to rubber stamp Granger’s sordid refusal to honour the constitution by resigning and calling elections in 3 months. Isn’t Jagdeo’s responsibility to “prevent the short-cuts through democratic procedure that governments like to make”?
Between Granger and Jagdeo, who has been characterised more by “recklessness and hunger for power”?
…on oil
With that FPSO Lisa Destiny parked off our Atlantic shores, your Eyewitness is getting a tad tired with the wailing Jeremiahs griping about the contract with ExxonMobil. What makes their weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth more annoying is that they never ever bring up the man responsible for the contract they complain about – Raphael Trotman. Shouldn’t these handwringers be demanding that SOCU and SARA investigate this fella for giving away the store??
What’s still not happening is the crafting of a national consensus to decide what to do with the (oil) bird we have in the hand – the 2+12.5% of production? At this time, all we know is that the PNC insisted that the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) be used to “balance the budget”!! Meaning that they’ll continue with their profligate spending (over $1TRILLION spent since 2015!!) with nothing to show for it, as far as Guyana is concerned. Their pockets and bank accounts, of course, are being well swollen.
The PNC Govt say they’ll sell our oil directly. Really??
The same set of folks who couldn’t negotiate the oil contract??
…on Haitians
GPHC officials noted recently that “over the months, the institution has seen a great influx of Haitians, Brazilians, Cubans and Venezuelans seeking medical services.”
Really?? Haitians?? Naah…Felix couldn’t be lying!! They’re in Brazil!!
