I can claim to be no political scientist nor analyst. I am a layman of some one-time Party affiliation and experience in Public Relations during three major elections campaigns. I was a staunch PNC member and supporter, under LFS Burnham in the early and mid-seventies. As a professional I served under Desmond Hoyte’s Presidency and watched him succumb to international political reality.
Now share this personal, political and moral dilemma I carried as a burden for most of the years when I favoured the People’s National Congress – the PNC: I never voted more than one time at any rigged elections. But I suspected the obvious PNC electoral engineering to deny thousands their choice and will. I stayed with PNC, up to 1996 however. Because I saw the brains within that Party and true nationalism and patriotism amongst many genuine leaders.
I also, suspected what certain PPP leaders could do when and if they seized political power to add to their then growing economic base. I grappled on with the fact that while I was a small, lesser minion of the Party, academic, intellectual and recognized giants such as the Kings, Shahabuddeens, Ramphals, Chandisinghs, Greenidges, Jacksons, Jeffreys, Hoytes, et al, served Burnham – knowing that governmental authority and power came their way through stolen elections! All would claim that, as accomplished patriots they merely wanted to serve “the people”, the “country”. So politics and power have no moral foundation?
Again, today I smile at a supreme irony which bedevilled me. You see, whilst active in the Party years ago, when I knew, even perceived, that very wrong, immoral things were being executed in the PNC’s name and which I had difficulty with, the three men I would turn to were Malcolm Parris, Robert Corbin and Oscar Clarke! No further comment. But what does all the foregoing have to do with David Granger?
Who is Granger? His ambition?
I knew, fairly well, Burnham, Hoyte and Corbin as Leaders of the PNC. I know not Mr Granger as a Party Leader. Now I don’t even vote. Anyone holding himself out as a potential national leader should attract constant scrutiny however.
To me, Frankly Speaking, Granger missed out in the army just as poor life-long PNC lieutenant, Hamilton Green was by-passed by his own Party. Granger, however, born into an “intellectual academic/military” upper middle class family, excelled at the local University. A Historian in his own right, he does have military/security credentials also, having been trained at both top British and American military institutions.
My musing now has to do with Granger being another normally-decent fellow who (allegedly/seemingly) benefits from dubious internal elections to satisfy political, presidential ambitions. Recall my earlier conundrum at brilliant minds benefiting from rigged elections at the national level.
Frankly Speaking, when the Brigadier justifies himself holding down three top positions in the political Opposition spectrum, that sends a message of power seeping into the gentleman’s veins and mind. Swiftly!
I would not rush into judgement of his entire leadership and personal objectives but will watch his metamorphosis into a politician genuflecting at the vision of power. Could he be committing political suicide by discrediting the PNC? The vehicle he wishes to use on the journey to ambition?
Aubrey Norton put it beautifully last week: “…it is immoral for one to not be responsive to the concerns of those who differ with them in their internal body politic, but want their opponents in the national body politic to be responsive to their concerns”.
I suspect Comrade Leader Granger aspires to be like Comrade Leader Hoyte. But with a Chief of Staff touch. What is certain is that there is going to be re-assessment. Luckily for David, the youth are fickle and given to acceptable mischief. And his alternatives are few. Discuss…
APNU? WHO? WHAT?
I won’t spoon-feed young political journalists or would-be analysts. They’ll do their own little research to discover what and who is this APNU. Besides the PNC (R–One G?)
There is the Keith Scott joke of a political “party”; the WPA is at best a useful Think Tank now attracting attention first thrust upon it 34 years ago but currently a mere “intellectual” shell; the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has an executive body but active registered membership pales into insignificance compared to the other labour movement grouping; (TUC folks probably vote PNC anyway). Now find out the other “Components” of APNU and you’ll discover, it is really the PNC. And David realizes that his APNU “Coalition” is merely for the record.
Our lost summer-time soul
Yes I’m at my losing battle again. Our soul-and-identity as a Guyanese nation is under attack. The Barons have made us a cocaine port. The Jamaicans have taken over our youth and radio stations. We are now an American dependency in terms of accent, music, fashion and migration. Strong elements of India are sustained by the “Guyanese” descendants of the Sub-continent.
The State of Guyana is still on the map of the Global village and I shall continue to promote folkloric identity and traditions throughout – and not only on Emancipation Day.
Who knows? After our “summers” and “winters” here, and celebrating Thanksgiving and Halloween in Georgetown, Comfa and Kweh-kweh migh soon hold forth in the Global villages of Alaska and Mumbai. Enjoy this week-end’s Guyana Festival however. Even the American and Jamaican Accents!
Power…
*1) My PPP General Secretary school-mate, Clement Rohee, speaks of Stabroek News’ bias and political line. What does he think of the political ghost-writer analysts, letter-writers and commentators of the People’s Chronicle?
And of the promise in his Party’s 2011 campaign Manifesto? (Page 40): To ensure, within one year of the 2011 General Elections, that Local Government Elections are held, bringing much-needed re-invigoration into Local Government entities”?
Til next week!
(Comments? allanafenty@yahoo.com)
