…in the land scam
A Dickensian henpecked husband, Mr Bumble, was being cross-examined in court on a matter, which he asserted had been committed by his wife. The lawyer, however, insisted that he was also responsible, “for the law supposes that your wife acts under your direction”. Looking around to ensure his wife wasn’t within earshot, the brow-beaten man replied, “If the law supposes that, the law is an ass”!
The point, of course, is that sometimes, reality doesn’t conform to the premises on which the law was made. And not surprisingly, those appointed in the Courts to ensure that justice be done will have to interpret the law to ensure it’s not “an ass”. As even the Romans insisted, “F?at j?stitia ruat cælum “ – meaning “Let justice be done though the heavens fall.” Surely, we in Guyana should expect our Courts to be held to that standard in the 21st century.
This thought flashed into your Eyewitness’s mind (limited, as it might be!) when he read of the latest legal strategies deployed by one member of the Bar in defence of this Heath-London fella who doled out lands to PNC cronies like they were “sweeties”. This lawyer, not coincidentally, was the one who threw that life raft to the PNC after Granger, Nagamootoo and Volda Lawrence had accepted they should demit office after the passage of the NCM. He cited some non-relevant dicta from some obscure jurisdiction to insist that 33 wasn’t the majority of 65 – even though the PNC was the government by just such a majority!!
The Courts (CCJ) ultimately ruled in the interest of justice that the lawyer and his argument had more holes than a colander! And as they say, the rest is history – but what a labyrinthine history!! And so we return to the counsel’s latest attempt to throw a monkey wrench into the land scam. The first one was to assert that the since-deceased CEO of NICIL – who obviously can’t defend himself – had concocted a “Board Memo”, in the absence of a Board Quorum, to remove the need for NICIL to give permission before its lessees could sublease lands.
When that ruse was exposed, the crafty fella jumped on this second limb: that “government lands” aren’t all subjected to the same laws. Some are “transported” which he claims don’t need permission for subleasing, as opposed to those that have “titles”, which do! The lands that were passed on to James Bond by Heath-London didn’t need permission, he insists!!
As with 33 isn’t the majority of 65!! The point, however, is what was the purpose behind the law?
And not being an ass, it would certainly not permit this absurdity!
…on the GPL underwater cable
On these continued GPL blackouts, your Eyewitness feels compelled to paraphrase Henry II’s plaintive cry when he felt he was being hounded beyond reason by Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury: “Will no one rid me of this turbulent supplier of electricity?” How much can any one man take? Aren’t sixty years of blackouts enough? Especially now that one is now in the age of COVID-19, which is depressing enough!
Last June, the underwater cable connecting GPL’s Vreed-en-Hoop generating sets to the rest of the grid was snapped by some passing ship. This resulted in extensive blackouts when the damage was finally fixed. At the time we were assured that there’d be no recurrence since the cable would be buried FIFTEEN FEET BELOW THE RIVER BED by the company that had laid it in the first place – China’s CMC.
But lo and behold, it was snapped again by a ship’s anchor. This can only mean CMC didn’t do its job.
Penalties must be imposed – for Guyanese pain and suffering.
…in Granger’s petition
Basil Williams, Granger’s lawyer, confirmed that by withdrawing as a petitioner. his client only wants not to present any evidence. Including those SoPs he insisted show he won the elections!
Yet he wants to be declared President!
