…the Code be ready
During the election campaign, the APNU/AFC coalition were all hot and sweaty about their “Code of Conduct” that would guide them on the “straight and narrow” if they got into office. Speaking scornfully of the PPP that was guided by the official “Integrity Legislation” which the Opposition refused to sign on to, they promised their Code within the “First 100 days”. Ministers who broke the Code would be forced to “demit” office!
Well, 365 days later…and counting…the fourth draft has just been presented to Prime Minister Nagamootoo. The first one (Draft I) was presented to Raphael Trotman last November when he had the “governance” portfolio. He put it in a website and asked for “public input” – he got three. Later when the Prime Minister was handed the “governance” Ministry – because it had been promised to him in the first place in the Cummingsburg Accord – he was given Draft II AND HE also pleaded for more public input.
He now reported that he received “twelve” and then added these to Draft III and passed it on to a Committee to compare with other Commonwealth Jurisdictions. And it is this Committee that’s handed over Draft IV back to the PM. So can we expect the finished Code soon? After all, Moses received the Code that’s guided Jews and Christians for over 2000 years from behind a burning bush in a matter of hours. And those were carved in stone which had to’ve taken time!
But the PM now advises an expectant nation he can’t really say when the finished product’s gonna be ready. Seems he’s now going to pass on Draft IV to the “Parliamentary Counsel” to get his advice on how to integrate the Code with the “Integrity Legislation” they’d rejected for years! You ask what’s going on, Dear Reader? Well, the Chronic gave us a clue in its report of the last handing over ceremony. The head of the Committee – according to the “paper of the people” (your Eyewitness isn’t sure whether it’s also “for the people”…but he’s certain it’s not put out “by the people”!! – Britton lauded the efforts of the sub-committee, which sought to “cover the gambit of what public life and ministerial duties entail”. So now we know the Code has been nothing but a “gambit” of the APNU/AFC coalition. Just a ploy to get them some votes at the last elections. More likely than not, it’ll never see the light of an enactment in this Parliament.
But that’s politics, nuh? Who’ll want to sign their own “go to jail card” after what they’ve been doing after just one year in office?
…feeding the poor end?
It made headlines in all the papers and no one thought it shameful: “Food For The Poor celebrates 25 years in Guyana”. Imagine that! After 25 years we still need folks from “outside” to feed us – even as we spent $1 billion to ALSO celebrate 50 years of Independence!! You say it’s “only $300M”, Dear Reader? Well…that’s what was budgeted…wait till you see the Supplementals for the final bill!! Not to even mention the political investments”…ummm…”donations” that were made.
So what’s going on? Nothing really, according to one school of thought. For them, the poor will always be with us. The poor, you see, performs a host of functions to keep society stable. They do the grunge work on the cheap; they give us somebody to look down on; they produce all the good music which we polish up; they provide jobs for people who “feed the poor”; or conversely, can sell the poor substandard goods.
But, more importantly, the poor provides votes to politicians who’ll promise them anything!
…the rains end?
Let’s give Jack his jacket, shall we? The rain’s been pouring cats and dogs and even rats…but Georgetown hasn’t been flooded.
So with all the brickbats for Jubilee SNAFUS, here’s a bouquet for the Administration.
