…déjà vu all over again
The PNC are in a bind. Their modus operandi after losing the election was to rile up their lumpen elements in Georgetown to put a good beating on “PPP supporters”, meaning any and every Indian-Guyanese they could get their hands on. And what happens to those Indian-Guyanese who may’ve voted for them?? Well, back in 2000, one PNC candidate advised them to turn themselves in to Congress Place, where they’d be given protection!!
The beatings – and burning any number of stores in Georgetown, thrown in for good measure – were intended to bludgeon the PPP into recognizing that while they could win elections, by golly, they wouldn’t be ALLOWED to govern. The template was created in 1998 after the PNC lost the December 1997 elections. The beatings, arson, kidnappings and mayhem drove the PPP to the negotiating table – even after a Caricom-conducted forensic audit of the votes showed the PPP had won fair and square.
A Caricom team then negotiated from the PPP concessions that made a mockery of the premises of democratic elections. The PPP conceded that the Guyanese electorate was by and large split along ethnic lines, and that the losers may feel left out from governance much stronger than in more homogenous polities. So, what did they do?? They accepted PNC-demanded changes that would share governance powers with the PNC in Parliament!! Plus, they introduced a host of amendments to the Constitution, which, among other things, would make the Executive President far less powerful.
And as the topping on the concessions cake, they lopped off two years from their five-year term, and scheduled elections so the PNC would have another shot at getting themselves elected democratically. Thing was, rather than accepting they’d lost because they needed to attract cross-over votes beyond their African-Guyanese constituency, the PNC openly supported criminal attacks on the Indian-Guyanese community! Their leader Desmond Hoyte even went to the funeral of the most notorious bandit, Blackie London, and draped a Guyana flag over his coffin!!
And after they lost the 2001 elections – no surprise there! – the violence escalated, this time to justify “power sharing” in the Executive. Seems the power sharing in Parliament wasn’t enough!! Does this sound familiar? Déjà vu? But having been in power for the last five years, the PNC have a dilemma: Knowing they’ve lost these elections, they can’t very well start beating Indian-Guyanese to have the PPP negotiate away power!!
The PPP have no power, just the legitimacy conferred by the international community!! Hence the call to scrap elections; burn the ballots cast; let Granger keep the presidency while the “PPP person” gets Nagamootoo’s neutered Prime Ministership!!
And the PPP should be grateful their supporters weren’t brutalised.
…time for the stick!
The attacks on the US from the PNC camp’s followers have intensified for “daring” to insist that if the PNC enters elections on the principle of “one man, one vote”, they can’t just burn the ballots when they’re losing! Yes…for “daring”!! You’d think that Guyana was a superpower even greater than China, which wouldn’t even think of spitting in the US’ face, as these PNC gnats are doing right now!!
Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, just made another pointed comment on the latest turn on our long and winding election road that’s sure to get the PNC gnats all a-buzzing! The Secty noted the Courts acknowledged GECOM’s authority to conduct a recount, and said, “We look forward to working with (Guyana’s) Elections Commission and the international observer community to ensure that that process is free, fair, transparent and credible.”
The PNC, of course, have insisted that only Caricom can come in to “look on” while GECOM “Mingoes” the recount.
The US, has just called their bluff!! Let’s see who’ll blink!!
…(Irfaan’s) action vs (Granger’s) talk!
During their campaign, the PNC emphasised Granger’s image. They had to…what accomplishment could they point to!?! Compare his disappearance during this COVID crisis with Irfaan’s activism and innovativeness.
There are talkers versus doers!! Irfaan’s the man.
