The struggle …for the PNC

We’re living in a time of changing of the guards in our political parties. The founder-leaders in the PPP, PNC, and WPA have been long gone but their influence remains palpable. Their successors up to now have felt compelled to insist they’re following in their footsteps. The PPP, however, just took the revolutionary step of expunging “socialism” and “Marxism-Leninism” from their constitution, which was the raison d’etre for the PPP as per their leader Jagan!!
The situation’s reminiscent of the old saw about whether – if the handle of a knife is changed and sometime later so’s the blade – is it the same knife!! So here we have the old leader (the handle) gone; now the ideology (the blade) is dumped hence the question of whether it’s the same PPP?!! But since no one’s raised the question, your Eyewitness guesses the silence means “yes” – it’s the same PPP!! Which will get the same support – which is what democratic politics is all about, innit??
So now the PNC’s gonna have its own Congress end June – where all sorts of questions gonna be asked. In their case as soon as the Founder leader Burnham passed – after eating some of his beloved condensed milk which he’d banned – his successor Hoyte jettisoned his philosophy of “co-operative socialism”. He didn’t expunge it from their constitution but expunged all the socialists and Burnhamites through banishments as ambassadors and dead-end jobs!! Like Mc David to Moscow and Granger as “Security Adviser” – whose advice was never sought!
So at this Congress, we’ll seeing if they’ll elect a new TYPE of leader and so present the question of whether we have the same PNC. MP Amanza Walton-Desir just threw her bonnet into the ring by declaring if nominated she’ll stand, and if elected will serve as leader of the PNC. Now the two who’ve already announced they’re in the race – Norton and Forde – have both been insisting they’re from the mould of the Founder Leader Burnham. Forde has even cultivated a little goatee to suggest he’s channeling Burnham in both body and soul!!
So it’s only if Amanza comes out the winner we can pose the question of whether we have a new PNC or not. While women were always a powerful force in the PNC, they were never able to make it to the top rung. So what are her chances?? Not too bad, if you ask your Eyewitness. Some might feel that being a woman might disqualify her but your Eyewitness thinks otherwise. She might just be the difference that the PNC needs to quit hiding behind fake names like PNC/R or APNU etc to cover its past.
Amanza can pull a Shaggy and claim, “Wasn’t me!!”

…to defend Guyana
There seem to be two schools of thought on what Mad Maduro’s up to on our Western Border. Some folks think he’s just jumping up and down like a frustrated Fowl Cock to impress some hens in Venezuela – seeing as how an election’s in the offing. Others – like your Eyewitness – believe whether or not he intends to invade Guyana is irrelevant. In these situations, there are all sorts of factors and actors in play to make such preparations for war an inevitability.
Take the Venezuelan armed forces that’ve taken an oath to defend Venezuela – and its constitution which declares that Essequibo’s an integral part of Venezuela. Just like a hammer everything’s a nail – to armed forces every obstacle to its mission gotta be eliminated through force. Armies don’t do diplomacy!! So our clear and present danger comes from some captain – or even a sergeant – on Ankoko firing across the border to set off a conflagration!! Boom!!
“Be prepared” gotta be our motto!

…to be lazy
It’s a good time to live in Guyana with all the oil money circulating. But it’s gotta be hard on those who’ve gotten used to bitchin’ and moaning – when confronted with all the opportunities to be trained and get jobs!!