What’s with…the extradition?

Some folks are getting a tad impatient at the time it’s taking for Sanction Man to be extradited stateside – Miami, Florida, to be more precise – to face the music. The phrase – quite appropriately – originated from the military practice of “drumming out” delinquent soldiers in front of a military band!! But it actually shows we have a robust democracy here in Guyana – ’cause we’re observing its central value – every dog having his day in court!! The “rule of law”, we call it!! It’s not like back in the days of Alice in Wonderland when the Queen would simply order, “Off with his head!!”
Under the rule of law, everyone can challenge even the law under which they’re being arrested!! For instance, by claiming it doesn’t jive with our supreme law – the Constitution!! And no matter how ridiculous the objection is, the courts still gotta hear it!! Remember after forming the government with a 33 to 32 majority over the PPP in 2015, the APNU/AFC coalition went to the courts claiming that Charandass’ crossing the floor to vote with the PPP didn’t matter ’cause “33 wasn’t the majority” of 65?? Went all the way to the CCJ!!
What this means is that Sanction Man and his handlers are gonna try every trick in the book – and then some – to wiggle out from wearing those orange jumpsuits the Yanks favour – because he’s got the money to pay (PNC?) lawyers to be creative!! And it ain’t even just the lawyers!! A couple days ago, one wise guy in the press claimed – after a dozen extradition requests from the Yanks were handled on the basis of the 1931 Extradition Treaty we inherited from the Brits – that oops!! – we never REALLY inherited the treaty! Ignoring, of course, that international law on treaties arises simply from two states accepting a written agreement as valid!! Which is what the dozen cases did!!
Right now, the Magistrate has scheduled the next hearing – where additional evidence to show there’s probably a valid (prima facie) case for the extradition – will be presented. That’s all!! There’s gonna be no TRIAL of Sanction Man and Daady in Guyana – that’s taking place in Florida!! So the question is what if the Magistrate doesn’t think there’s sufficient evidence to justify extradition?? Well, the government has the same right as Sanction Man – to proceed to the higher courts to hear their (conclusive) opinion!!
So either way we should gird our loins with patience – always a virtue in democracies where the wheels of justice may turn slowly – but grind exceedingly fine!! Sanction Man’s gonna get his just desserts – have no fear!!
And those desserts will be served in an American jail!!

…the LOO?
Another thing keeping folks antsy is wondering, where’s the LOO?? No, no, no!! NOT the toilet, which the Brits call the LOO – after the French l’eau (water), which was an allusion to the chamber pot – our “posey” – into which we “passed water” at night!! We Guyanese are (justly) famous for “holding it in”, so what’s keeping them antsy is what’s taking so long with electing the Leader of the Opposition (abbreviated LOO)!!
Most impatient, of course, is Sanction Man, who didn’t even realise he had to be elected by the Opposition MPs!! He thought just because his WIN won the largest number of seats in the Opposition benches – he AUTOMATICALLY became the LOO!! Clearly he wasn’t following politics in 2022 when Norton was elected leader of the largest opposition party, the PNC, but had to wait until Harmon resigned, be sworn in as an MP, and only then be elected Opposition Leader at a meeting called by the Speaker!!
So he just gotta wait on Speaker Manzoor!! Sorry, we’re a democracy!!

…the cash grant
But if your Eyewitness is to be honest – which is his default state!! – what’s on most people’s minds is, where’s the cash grant!! We know that Christmas comes but once a year – and it’s fast approaching!!