…and Irfaan Ali
There’s the old story of the scorpion and the frog. Wanting to cross a swollen river, a scorpion pleaded with a frog to take him across on the latter’s back. The frog demurred, raising his fear that the scorpion would sting him. The scorpion asked if the frog though he was mad: pointing out that if he did so, they’d both drown. The frog thought this was a reasonable answer and allowed the scorpion to hop onto his back.
Midway across the river, however, the frog felt the scorpion sting him and as he began to sink under the water, he asked the scorpion, “Why?” The scorpion replied laconically, “It’s my nature!” And they both drowned. The PNC’s demonstrating that, like the scorpion, they just can’t help using brute force and ignorance against their political opponents – even though they need the latter to govern this country to deliver the “good life” to all its citizens. Especially after the rejection of the PNC by the people of this country at the LGE.
Take for example SOCU eerily rushing over to a house in Georgetown to arrest Irfaan Ali, the former PPP/C Housing Minister at FOUR AM in the morning!! Now let’s not even discuss the retort we’ll be hearing that the PNC is not SOCU!! Really??! We all know where SOCU’s directives come from…and it sure ain’t from Police HQ! This arrest is pure political spite, intended to deflect from the news of the PPP’s overwhelming wins at the LGE – and especially their inroads into traditional PNC territory.
SOCU’s been hinting at this arrest in relation to the ex-Minister’s role in the Pradoville land sale, for months. Why was it necessary to trek into the torrential rains to Leonora and drag him from his bed at that unholy hour?? Jeez…the fella didn’t even have time to perform his Fajr (morning) prayer! How come when they finally decided to question Minister David Patterson on his unilateral $148 million sole-sourced contract award for the Demerara bridge design, they politely asked him to show up at their HQ??
If they wanted to lay charges on Wednesday for Ali, why not ask him on Tuesday to show up at SOCU’s HQ?? Why the double standard? Did they think he’d flee the jurisdiction? Patterson was a better flight risk? But as they nurse their wounds from the drubbing they took and look anxiously at the upcoming no-confidence motion, the PNC’s instincts have taken over. They know Ali’s one of the upcoming young leading lights of the PPP/C, as is Nandlall, who’s already been dragged before the courts.
The PNC would rather drown than go down in defeat to another generation of PPP leaders!!
…on energy
To continue where your Eyewitness left off yesterday on the Budget, he wants to continue discussing our manufacturing sector’s dilemma on their astronomical electricity costs. He perused the releases intensely to see whether any of David Patterson’s fat talk over the past year about a “gas fired” $200 million generator using excess gas the Lisa field was being catered for. He didn’t see a penny! It was all a gas!! And very foul gas at that!
The episode illustrates another characteristic of the PNC – and have no doubt, Patterson is PNC! – their proclivity to talk and their inability to “do”!! At this time Patterson doesn’t even know how much gas will be available – so why’d he have to mouth off and give the business community hope that electricity prices might head southwards? And then again, did they factor in the carbon dioxide emissions from a gas fired plant in their “Green Development Strategy”, which they still can’t release?
Balanced against the dinky solar panels they’ll install, it’s one step forward and 10 steps backwards!!
…and AFC’s “unequivocal” Budget support!
The AFC announced that the PNC has their “unequivocal” support for the Budget!! What else could the “dead meat” party do??
Protest that there was nothing for sugar workers who now have to strike for better wages??
