The IMF isn’t known for handing out bouquets… brickbats are more their specialty!! In fact, just ask the leaders of Sri Lanka, whose country’s is presently undergoing their ministrations!! Burnham, forced into their arms by 1980, refused to deal with them, after insisting the initials meant International Mother F***ers!! When Hoyte had to keel over by 1989, their Praetorian Guards descended on him, and left the country pretty much bleeding on the floor. “EMPTY RICE POT” the PPP called their “remedies”! Formed after WWII by the West to keep the global economy on the straight and narrow, they don’t mess around!!
Anyhow, even if a country isn’t in an IMF programme, they send down a team annually to “examine the books” – much like the headquarters of a multinational corporation. They set criteria to judge the performance of an economy, and when they issue their report, countries take notice — if for nothing else than the world’s bankers look at their reports like parents scrutinising their kids’ report cards!! And decide whether to take them out of school to work for a living – or remain in school a while longer!
Anyhow, they did visit us, and have just issued their Report. All your Eyewitness will say is, if the PNC were counting on the economy tanking to help them slip back into office in 2025, then they’re gonna have to go back to the drawing board!! Their goose is good and cooked, unless they can put in a thumb and pull out a plum by 2025!! So, what did the IMF Mandarins say?? While they’re known for their kiln-dried prose, your Eyewitness can’t tell it better that they did!
“Staff strongly support the authorities’ efforts to reduce electricity costs, improve transport infrastructure, diversify the economy, improve access to and quality of social services, and advance more broadly towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Staff commend the authorities’ efforts outlined in the Low Carbon Development Strategy 2030 to maintain the country’s forest coverage and address climate change challenges by shifting towards renewable energy sources, while entering the international carbon credits market.
“Staff welcome the recent amendments to the National Resources Fund Act. The recent amendments to the 2019 Natural Resource Fund (NRF) Act set clear ceilings on withdrawals from the Fund for budgetary spending, and promote transparency in the management and use of oil resources. Staff praise the authorities’ thorough review of the 2019 NRF Act before making amendments, and the restraint in using any oil revenues before the passage of the amendments.”
But these fellas being the IMF, they had to find some nit to pick: “While Guyana’s medium-term prospects are favourable, they caution over the pace of public investment.”!! Slow down??!
…and the Judiciary
Remember when the CCJ gently suggested to the PPP that maybe they should float a balloon or two by the PNC under Granger as to who they wanted as the next GECOM Head?? They obviously didn’t know the PNC in general, or, more particularly, Granger!! They thought a signal from the PNC would make things easier. Granger, of course, interpreted this hint to mean that HE SHOULD BE THE ONE GIVING NAMES TO JAGDEO for himself to pick!! And he then gave that list of six to Jagdeo!!
Well, something similar seems to be playing out with his successor, Aubrey Norton. Invited to discuss the President’s choices for some Constitutional Commissions, he insisted on setting the terms of the engagement – and eventually didn’t show up at a meeting to conclude the consultations. Don’t the PNC leaders know boundaries? Well…em…NO!!
Out of the blue, Norton proposed his choices for the top judicial posts – and is now kvetching that the President hasn’t responded!!
That’s not chutzpah…but delusion!!
…handshake
From a pic in the press, it seems Pres Ali and LoO Norton ran into each other at the British HC’s bash for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, and they shook hands.
Norton looked like he was handing a hand of bananas to Ali!!
