Your Eyewitness knows the PNC Congress is nigh upon them, and would think they’d be focusing their energies on mobilizing their members to vote for their horse in the race and all that. So, he had to scratch his head when he saw in the announcement that the “Forbes Burnham Foundation” is hosting a symposium in which the PNCR, APNU/AFC, IDPADA-G and the Forbes Burnham Foundation would be participating. After all, IDPADA-G has been insisting quite fervently that it wasn’t “political”, but yet here it is, participating in what is clearly a political gathering!!
Why so? Well, just consider the topic under discussion: “Constitutional Reform and its potential to curb the emergence of a fascist state in Guyana”!! With the PNC distracted and divided because of the leadership infighting, the Burnham Foundation – not coincidently headed by the head of IDPADA-G/PNC’s Commissioner on GECOM – clearly is attempting to get the politicians to focus on their “enemy” – the PPP!! But a “fascist” state??
Whatever happened to the “illegally installed apartheid, racist regime”??
This is really putting the rank-and-file members in a tough spot. They might’ve just absorbed what “apartheid” was – and that’s only because some of our cricketers had been banned for playing in South Africa!! Apartheid had to be real baaad for Burnham to ban local hero Colin Croft!! But “fascism”?? What the heck is that?? So, of course, your Eyewitness went to that everyman’s fount of knowledge – Wiki!! (He’s not into the AI on his browser yet!!)
There, he was told that “Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultranationalist political ideology and movement, characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy, subordination of individual interests for the perceived good of the nation and/or race, and strong regimentation of society and the economy”!! Whew! The PPP “far-right”?? Jeez…didn’t they just throw out their far-left Marxism-Leninism Socialist label?? They’ve gone from far-left to far-right in just a couple of weeks?? Talk about revolutionary changes!!
And if the PPP has now adopted neo-liberal capitalism, where everyone’s for himself and the Devil takes the hindmost, how does this fit in with “working for the good of all and regimenting the economy”??
But Wiki wasn’t finished: “Fascism rejects assertions that violence is inherently negative or pointless, instead viewing imperialism, political violence, and war as means to national rejuvenation. Fascists often advocate for the establishment of a totalitarian one-party state and a dirigiste economy, with the principal goal of achieving autarky (national economic self-sufficiency) through economic interventionist policies.”
Now, hold it right there!! Isn’t this what the Burnhamite dictatorship was all about? A totalitarian one-party state with a paramount PNC; “autarky” through banning of so many imports, and “dirigiste” with owning 80% of the economy??
…and expanding democracy
Your Eyewitness has often brought up the subject of the PNC griping about not being involved in governance – when there’d been four Parliamentary Sectoral Committees formed to address just that!! After they’d rioted and burnt and beaten half of Georgetown following the 1997 elections! Anyhow, there has been a complaint that the Economic Services Committee – chaired by PNC Chair Shurwayne Holder – has invited PM Phillips to meet with them to cross-question him on the state of his power portfolio; and, not so incidentally, why we’re still having blackouts like under the PNC!!
They complained that PM Phillips wanted them to come over to HIS place, and they had to explain the protocol that it was HE who was summoned, and HE had to come and meet them!! Now, the protocol says the press could be present at these interrogations, where all questions have to be answered under the committee’s power to “scrutinize” the workings of Government in real time!!
So, where’re the reports??
…conciliation
The Labour Ministry is supposed to be the “conciliator” in the salary negotiations between the GTU and the Ministry of Education. But with disagreements breaking all over, it looks like there’s need for a “peacemaker”, rather than a “conciliator”!!
