Just as the year was ending, a popular phrase used as often jocularly as insultingly, has become very contentious. Two politicians, who are likely to be with us for a long time, have been squabbling for two weeks over it. Unless resolved early in this New Year, the dispute can lead to the phrase dominating our political outlook. Its use may even be extended from politicians to the Guyanese people.
It will be recalled that Mr Khemraj Ramjattan accused the government of distributing the front lands on the East Bank to developers who were the government’s supporters and allocating the back lands to low income Guyanese. Minister Ali, responsible for Housing, invited Mr Ramjattan to a press conference at which he intended to address the accusations. Minister Ali’s staff, as instructed, reminded Mr. Ramjattan by telephone on the day of the press conference. What exactly transpired over the telephone is in dispute. However, it is admitted by Mr Ramjattan that he told Minister Ali’s staff to tell Minister Ali to ‘hall his ass.’
At this point the Minister might have considered allowing the issue to die a natural death. After all, ministers do not want it to be bandied about in public that ten per cent politicians are telling them to haul their asses. This might encourage one of the large number of persons who attend the Minister’s one-stop shops for housing, who do not get a
