We live in interesting times, that’s for sure!! It’s said that the wish, “May you live in interesting times”, is actually a Chinese CURSE!! Meaning that it might be best to live in dull times, since life’s then predictable, so you know what’s ahead! And be prepared. Interesting times? Two-edged sword, eh?? But here we are, in VERY interesting times – so we might as well look carefully at what’s “interesting”, and figure out why it may be dangerous.
The news du jour, of course, is the mayhem that was unleashed at Mon Repos at the end of a so-called “protest march” that started at Golden Grove. We don’t have to repeat the (sordid) details about a clear case of Police overreach, do we? The parents of Quindon Bacchus were clearly upset that the Policeman who had killed him hadn’t been charged in two weeks. Your Eyewitness didn’t expect them to be sympathetic to the workings of the law, as the GPF had sent the case to be investigated by the Police Complaints Authority (PCA). Problem was: if the Police hadn’t followed their own procedures, the rank in question could’ve gone to the courts and claimed his due process rights were violated!!
So, the family and friends started to protest in their village and its environs – even after the Top Cop had visited and promised the process was in flow. Still can’t blame them. But this was exactly what the Opposition opportunists on social media were waiting for. They’d been hovering like carrion crows to find a pretext for a protest that would bring out what they called “boots on the ground” – to oust what they called the “wicked and vindictive illegally-installed cabal”!!
They’d used the phrase so often over the last two years that it now came out like one word: “wicked-and-vindictive- illegally-installed-cabal”. We’ll abbreviate it to WAVIC…get it?? Wavic!! It would’ve been funny if it weren’t for the poor shmoes who mouthed it seeming to believe that, like some medieval incantation, it would actually REMOVE the PPP Government!! Now, as any real Opposition party, with a Leader of the Opposition and all that, the PNC were in a bind. How could they accept being the “Opposition” if they weren’t opposing a “Government”?? Opposing WAVIC meant giving recognition, which would neutralise whatever sting it had!! Talk about dilemmas!!
Anyhow, the poor schmoes kept on chanting WAVIC in all sorts of one-man and two-woman protests, (there are always more women in the Opposition protests!!) and the opportunists seem to’ve finally hit paydirt!! They’re busy signing up membership cards for their moribund party, which their newfound hero called the “Worst Possible Alternative”!!
The fly in the ointment, however, is: where does that leave the Leader of the Opposition??
Over to you, Aubrey!!
…on democratic change
Some very smart fella once pointed out that “democracy ain’t instant coffee”. You gotta be patient!! America launched their democratic revolution since 1776, and they’re still busy straightening out kinks. And it’s not even a matter of what the Yanks are doing; it’s more about whether we want to live in a democracy or not!! If we don’t – like China, for instance – that’s fine, especially since they’re doing so well!! But we can’t run with the hare and hunt with the hounds, can we??
So, we gotta accept that, if we don’t win an election, we gotta “take our licks like a man” – as one Caricom PM advised – and try again next time. And until then, fix what went wrong and get ready. But it seems that the “wild men” in the Opposition enjoy yapping at Aubrey’s heels to undermine his credibility. Meaning, they’re guaranteeing that they might all lose “corn and husk” in 2025!
…and democracy
The saddest thing is: democracy in Guyana needs the PNC. In these divided societies, most will still gravitate to a party of “their own”. Fortunately, the PPP and PNC are pretty balanced – so there are enough fence-straddlers to get either one in!!
