…about money
Looks like the PPP government has defined the talking point – cash grants – that’s gonna dominate the hustings till the 2025 elections are over and done with, and beyond!! And since the whole raison d’etre for political parties is to get people’s attention with attractive initiatives and proposals that’ll make them place their Xs next to their symbol at election time, it would seem they’re doing what they’re supposed to be doing!! After all, money to the tune of $100,000 in every adult pocket beats Roosevelt’s “a chicken in every pot” by miles!! And Roosevelt was elected and re-elected so many times that they had to pass a law bringing in term limits!!
The Opposition’s suggestion for an annual sum of $1million to be paid to every household as a universal basic income (UBI) missed this basic aspect of politics. Once a voter’s gonna be given that “basic income” by law, it stops being a promise they’ll look forward to, and becomes an entitlement that is the law of the land!! Does anyone thank any government for their Old Age Pension?? No Siree Bob!! It’s an ENTITLEMENT earned by living to be sixty-five – and comes with new demands that it be increased to deal with inflation and such like!! And old voters get angry when their entitlement gets diminished!!
With the cash grant, however, that’s done at the discretion of the Government – that is, the party in office – and it comes with an implicit quid pro quo!! If you vote for us, there might be even more coming down the pike!! There’s a direct connection to the party, especially if elections are in the offing, and votes become more likely!!
Following this line of reasoning, we can now understand why VP Jagdeo took time to mention this ain’t gonna be the last cash grant. Not that it’ll be coming every year or at some stated time; just that, once the money’s available, there’s gonna be more cash grants!! And guess who decides whether “the money is there”?? The party in office, of course!!
Now, some may say that this is cynical. And, of course, the Opposition has already made the accusation that the PPP made the cash grant proposal with an eye on the elections. Well, so what?? Wasn’t it their founder leader Burnham who declared that any politician who says he’s not doing the running to get power is either a fool or a scoundrel?!! How else can a party do all the good things they’ve promised – like building infrastructure to set the stage for an economic take-off – if they don’t have power??
They’ll just be like the Opposition – spinning all sorts of fabulist ideas, but can never get them done!!
…police business
The other topic that just won’t go away concerns the shenanigans that’s bedevilling the police from all sides!! Used to be just about rotund traffic cops panhandling hapless motorists for more fried rice, but that pales into insignificance with the present contretemps. We have this Assistant Police Commissioner who doesn’t think that receiving $46 million in “wedding gifts” from various and sundry “businessmen” should be cause for the Government ordering an investigation!!
Now, your Eyewitness knows that some folks snicker at our “monopoly money”, but Gy$46 million amounts to some US$225,000!! That’s nothing to sneeze at, unless you’re inhaling cocaine by the ounces!! What makes matters worse is that depositing this money into a local bank triggered the reporting protocols to detect money laundering!! But the police chappie’s going to the courts – claiming his CONSTITUTIONAL rights are being violated!! Your Eyewitness guesses he’s thinking about his constitutional right to be befriended by businessmen who’re simply smitten by his charm and good looks!!
Nothing to do with possibly looking the other way!!
…mobilization?
In the meantime, while the buzz over elections might’ve been somewhat muted by the above distractions, political mobilization is still going on apace. But while the PYO’s being resuscitated big time, your Eyewitness ain’t seeing the YSM. What gives?
