So, we know we’re gonna have elections in Nov 2025 to decide which parties or coalition of parties gonna form the next government. But from where your Eyewitness sits, it seems to him that we first gotta decide what form that Government will take. Up to now your Eyewitness thought we had a “democratic” government because it was elected by more than 50 per cent of “the people”. You know, government by the people, for the people and of the people. Trouble is – if you listen to the Opposition – that ain’t good enough and insist that only if ALL of the parties getting votes at elections come together, the Govt’s “democratic”! They call it “shared governance”.
But even though they took that line before they won the 2015 elections – and formed the Government with 51 per cent of the votes – they never invited the PPP with 49 per cent to join them in Govt as they’d promised!! No sharing with no one! Yet they boasted about their “democratic” credentials!! But the problem with the PNC’s vacillations isn’t just their hypocrisy, it has to do with their historic refusal to follow ANY particular rule to get elected – if it doesn’t get THEM elected!! In their first foray, they entered Government by gaining a majority by coalescing with the UF. But by the end of the term, decided to rig their way into Government so they could do their own thing!! And called it democracy!!
But you would’ve thought they’d learn their lesson after the entire edifice collapsed and destroyed them and the nation!! – That they’d start following the rules of the (democratic) game. But imagine in 2019 even though they’d assumed Government with a 33-32 majority, when one of their own flipped, they argued 33 wasn’t a majority!! And after they were dragged kicking and screaming to elections, they tried to rig once again – which would’ve meant that if successful they woulda taken Government with LESS than 50 per cent!!
So, what do we do going forward? The PNC and their camp followers think they’re quite clever to seem “reasonable” and again call for “shared governance” – knowing that the PPP’s gonna win in 2025. But they just wanna get their toe into the door, knowing that with most Government workers in their corner, they’ll soon effectively control the entire Government. And more to the point, get their hands on the Oil Revenues over which they’ve been salivating!!
At this point, your Eyewitness gotta point out that the old bogeyman of one group having a built-in ethnic majority is over. If the PNC can convince folks that their “wrong-and-strong” days are over, they have an equal chance as any to form the Government!!
If our democracy ain’t broken, why fix it??
…Bidenomics
There’s the old saw about “Where does the 800-pound gorilla sit?” And the answer, of course, is, “Anywhere it wants!” The point being when you’re the biggest thing around, you can pretty much do whatever you damn well please!! And that’s true all the way to nations. So, with the US being the 800-lb superpower for the longest while, they can pretty much do whatever they please in so many ways.
Take how we run our economies. Around 1980, Pres Reagan decided to adopt the neo-liberal economic model where small governments, free markets and liberalised financing were the way to go. Fine and dandy for them, you say!! But through their control of the IMF and World Bank, every indebted country like Guyana had to go along with the programme – up to this day! Even though the entire system collapsed in 2008!!
But now Biden’s decided to throw all of that out the window for America. Does it mean we can also go along and reintroduce “big government”??
Let’s see!!
…visit?
The US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence touched down yesterday to discuss “Guyana’s bilateral defence and security partnership in support of regional stability.” So, your Eyewitness wonders whether Maduro will get his buckta in a knot again!!
