Since I’ve decided not to vote for anybody to lead me, I certainly have to abide with other people’s choice. However, I’ll always retain an interest in election goings – on, determined to be as neutral and impartial as I could remain, with respect to criticism or praise/support for parties and their Candidates.
I won’t now develop my own (Elections) “Best –of–the–bad–lot” theory and principle, but slowly, even surely, soldier–scholar–historian–emerging politicians, David Granger, is keeping my interest which his doings and sayings attracted a few months ago. Just two aspects of his early campaign declarations attracted me again, over the past fortnight.
David’s Women,
Granger’s Veterans
Our male contenders for the Presidency and all it means and promises, should be men of impeccable, unimpeachable integrity. Huh?
In this land such exist? Who can tell? You take your pick, knowing we are quite short of political or social angels. I know the retired officer to be blind to race when it comes to ladies. Generally speaking, I know many a Guyanese male could be a family man, as well as a ladies man. Good ole Guyana Guys!
Granger has vowed to “enlist” ladies as his “foot–soldiers”. He said, publicly, that they – his female Guyanese Comrades – will be the “shock–troops” in “the” front–line” of his campaign. Great strategy to raise the status and consciousness of all female voters – young and matured.
Let’s hear more from the Ladies Man/ Candidate as to exactly what he’ll offer to our stressed – out working-class females from year-end. If he wins. Meanwhile, the military idioms entertain.
The second significant point I pounced on during David’s T.V. conversation with an admiring female, had to do with alleged PPP/C rigging at the last elections. The Brigadier’s beliefs went like this: (Forget nonsense about the PNC’s expertise, history and reputation for Polling Day Ballot Rigging which allegedly denied a generation their preferred political choices!). The PPP manipulated and stuffed the Ballot Boxes in faraway, riverine Polling Booths in such places as the Corentyne, Black Bush and /or Region One, where the PNC could not manage to situate vigilant scrutineers.
Not this time vows the Military Candidate. There will be enough vigilant volunteers as scrutineers for his PNC Polling Day Campaign. He even used – or let slip the term “veterans”.
I am conjuring up the Ex – GDF New Yorkers coming home to join the Brigadier’s Buddies and other squaddies to man the booths against the electoral enemy. Yes Sir, Commander–in –Chief , this Candidate, who can make this new eighteen-plus generation of voters ignore historical PNC wrongs, is recruiting knowledgeable loyal veterans, if only for image!
Which brings me to GECOM
Poor GECOM
(I never imagined myself being sympathetic to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM)– even up to a year ago. But the fearless, articulate chairman clarifies his commission’s constraints graphically for all to appreciate. His positions take some refuting.)
So if Candidate Granger alleges that the PPP somehow committed successful electoral malpractices last Polling Day, how should GECOM take that? What are the implications for then? And now – Election Day 2011?
Past Polling Booth rigging would indicate either GECOM officials’ ineptitude or connivance. Incidentally, foreign neutral Observer Teams frequently pass judgement on elections and even when they discern malpractices, tend to declare that the malpractices “were not significant enough to influence (any other) outcome”.
My David won’t be satisfied with that sort of assessment even as he shrewdly casts electoral rigging as a PPP thing and, by implication, GECOM’s failings. I wonder what GECOM thinks about all that.
Ogunseye for the PPP?
I hope that I’m actually being overly simplistic with this view now in 2011.
Because, to me, one of two things, two reactions occur when exhortations such as Ogunseye’s alleged call to arms are made. PPP “traditional supporters” band together with “their own” seeking safety and (perceived) security in numbers, or they hope “the others” win – for Peace Sake. To me the latter position hardly attracts any currency, so just as if Indo-Guyanese voters, whatever their choice of political party, say, from Black Bush, are attacked in Georgetown or Victoria, they rally round, back to their Freedom Houses, even if they were considering switching allegiance.
What!? I’m insulting your intelligence and that of traditional PPP voters who now want to change. Well I hope you all are accurate. But for now I still see the actual or perceived threats from people like Ogunseye, an electoral plus for Mr Ramotar’s campaign. No matter how strongly all “deplore” the alleged message in those threats. Discuss.
Other goings –on
*1) The Joint Opposition Parties, I see, are the PNCR, the WPA, the NFA and the GAP. Now tell me, do the WPA and the NFA attract 1000 members? Perhaps GAP does. It’s useful to have a WPA think tank around, but tell me not of any electoral “strength”.
Even Mr Granger can’t fool himself on that. It’s really a coalition of one. With or without the AFC.
*2) The former PPP members are seemingly oh so bitter. “When Yuh Own Louse Bite Yuh…” Suppose the newspapers carried no “political” letters? Oh the blogs?
*3) Bharrat, Bouterse – and blood – – there are Surinamers who lost relatives when many were executed during Mr Bouterse’s military reign years ago. Is Blood On His Hands? President Jagdeo has be-friended Bouter as a Great Neighbour. Because “the people “ chose the soldier. Watch those soldiers, Bharrat!
*4) Was it no nice? Thoughtful. India’s reps here hosted a presentation for the UN’s International Year for People of African descent. What about a grand lasting economic project local reps? Y’all check out the CLC-book-land endeavour!
Til next week
(Comments? allanafenty@yahoo.com)
