-Our vital institutions – A layman’s lament
I was thinking of alerting my Editor that every Friday I would just record repetitively, my personally-held refrain: That the PNC – masquerading as “APNU” – will triumph at the next elections whenever His Excellency so proclaims them. B.A.M.N – By any means necessary!
What do I mean by BAMN? “Any” way! Any method or tactic! “Means”? “Means” means all available resources – legal, constitutional, moral or not. “Means” could also mean a fair, free, popular electoral victory. Winning by rigging with or without GECOM’s collaboration; securing parliament by a majority or a plurality. “Necessary?” Necessary because the PNC – as do others – regards victory as vital to continuing on-going national projects; retaining the international goodwill and assistance still being proferred; retention of authority and power to empower Afro-Guyanese as never before even as other groups are allowed to share in the national patrimony. Of course, management and control of imminent oil and gas resources and revenues must never fall into PPP hands.”
If Editor allows I’ll preach my “by any-means-necessary” sermon all or most Fridays.
It is not that I don’t regard the commentaries, analyses, predictions and academic dissertations relevant to the state of governance, opposition tactics and/or electoral realities. These experienced and qualified experts are necessary to provide important contextual reasonings for how they see our body politic. From the transformation of his Excellency’s former benign bullyism to his manipulation of Dr Jagdeo to the constitutional and judicial edicts and responses to them to the awakening behaviours of a saturated electorate slowly retaining its separate Party tribalism.
Intellectual, analytical opinion and guidance will, expectedly, proliferate. But I A.A Fenty one-time party enthusiast, declare again: His Excellency’s party will never relinquish power! However slim or “negotiable” retention will be. And my own view about that view? Well Frankly Speaking even as I won’t accept Dr Jagdeo’s Irfaan, I do not appreciate His Excellency’s PPP-like behaviour currently. Should I vote? Third-leverage-Party? Ho- Ho.
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Non-Tribalist Electorate Decisions
Did I vote in eleven elections? I think so. So I’ll never influence any eligible 18-plus citizen not to vote. But I’ve grown to understand those who don’t bother to, for various personal reasons. As a footnote to earlier comments above, I offer the following for the consideration of those voters not wedded to one of any major political tribes.
Despite my foregoing “PNC-victory”- position, you try to prove me wrong! Don’t accept that your choice will lose. Vote to give it victory. Or at least the much-vaunted “leverage” in the assembly. Not voting at all will benefit some competitor. Which one? Assuming the Electoral list 2019/2020 will be clean and acceptable how many of the thousands of youths – 18-30 – will vote for whom? Try your best to influence them to be issue-oriented, non- tribal. You’ll need all my good wishes. And luck.
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Institutions of State: Forever hopeful
Somewhat frequently some well-meaning friends, readers – and critics – criticise me, advised me against recording that I’m under-qualified, having never attended any secondary school nor University. They hint I sound of an “inferiority complex.” Unnecessarily. They feel I do quite well.
Never-the-less, I invite readers with time and interest to consider seriously my Man-in-the-street, layman’s consideration with respect to the vital institutions and agencies which serve us as a sovereign nation – hopefully – and define us as a Democratic State of some quality.
All I’ll do now is to record a partial listing of just two categories or levels of national institution and agencies. You carefully consider how they are constituted. By whom. Should you be satisfied with their qualitative status? Is Guyana really properly served? Here goes …
Executive Government, Parliament, Ministry of the Presidency, its numerous ministries and “departments”, our judiciary, Government and private media, co-operative department and the constitutional service commissions and GECOM.
Now add to these the Trades Union Congress, FITUG, Guyana Revenue Authority, public utilities, GuySuCo, NICIL, private sector organisations and “established” churches.
Fellow citizens! Spend a little time, even as a layman like me, to study the prescribed roles and actual workings of the listed entities. How well do they serve the nation? My view? Frankly Speaking, after 53 years as an “independent” State, to me every one of them is woefully deficient! Discuss why. If you agree.
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Take time to ponder…
● 1) How is the effective, productive work of SOCU and SARA proceeding these days? (Dr Thomas and Major Retty assures us external agencies were assisting)
● 2) Does the PPP have any solid counter to His Excellency’s all-round defiance? Depending on Judicial support? Ho-Ho…
● 3) How are the new political parties appealing to the non-tribal indifferent portion of the electorate?
● 4) Could there be actual revenue advances from the newer oil finds?
● 5) US President Trump is indifferent to climate change. But what a rainy August in Guyana 2019!
Til next week
