Dear Editor,
Vocal public advocacy for a cause or political party has an upside rarely talked about; it brings you into contact with many who share similar views and passion. As the campaign for general and regional elections 2019 warms, my inbox fills with messages, pictures and videos of PPP/C activities. The activist members have been on walkabouts sharing informational flyers, talking to residents about their status on the voters list, possession of ID cards, need for transport on election day, answering questions posed by residents, normal activist work for any party.
Editor, one video sent a few days ago showed an interruption of one such walkabout by Annette Ferguson, where she attempted to ‘correct’ a misconception of her own making that the young group were conducting a ‘Gecom house-to-house registration’ exercise. At no time do these young people identify themselves as employees of Gecom, nor do they mention they are on a ‘house-to-house’ registration exercise; the flyers are clearly from the PPP/C and actually have no mention of Gecom. This pattern of building and flaying the straw man runs from top to bottom in the Granger administration, but it is ultimately an insult to the intelligence of their supporters and distasteful dissuasion to the undecided.
In promotion of the APNU+AFC protest of Gecom, attorney James Bond said “House to House Registration is extremely important, we cannot disenfranchise thousands of young Guyanese”. Another straw man built, with registration possible at attainment of 14 years and legally required at 16, young people who will turn 18 before 19th March 2019, have had ample opportunity during previous registration exercises such as in May/June 2018 to register. Bond is engaged in ‘over-compensation’ in an attempt to regain favour of his beloved PNC, his sin of an abortive challenge for the party leadership yet to be forgiven and he continues to be marginalized. Bond and other young persons in the PNC must be envious when confronted by the accomplishments of Irfaan Ali, who became a minister at 28 and is now presidential candidate at 38, while he sits on the outside awaiting a call to action from the elderly leadership of his party.
I will not dignify the nonsense that emanates from Bulkan, Ramjattan, Williams or Nagamootoo and his imaginative DPI; suffice to say they must believe their audience to be completely illiterate.
The maximum leader himself, David Granger publicly proclaimed at an office opening in Vreed-en-Hoop “I remain the President, until the next President is sworn in” in what seems to be a deliberate challenge to the Constitution as the supreme law of the land. Christopher Ram in his letter (Stabroek News 9.2.2019) lays out very clearly that without assistance from the parliamentary opposition, Granger’s turn as President devolves to the Chancellor of the Judiciary as per Article 95 (Vacancy in the Office of the President).
There have been many calls for reform of the constitution; however it may be better if those calls were directed to the incumbents to reread the constitution instead. No group of constitution framers would ever envision a situation where those sworn to uphold a constitution are deficient in basic literacy and reasoning skills as on display by the APNU+AFC administration.
Editor, when all these issues are sorted and an election is held, how can APNU+AFC expect support from the electorate following the displays of willful ignorance by Annette Ferguson; expedient misdirection to curry favour by James Bond; Jobs for party card holders-only utterances by Volda Lawrence; an ever growing list of corruption scandals; gross underestimation of the intelligence of the entire population by Bulkan, Ramjattan, Williams and Nagamootoo and the plain disregard of the constitution, a supreme form of bullyism from Granger.
I have no doubt that all the disrespect shown by the Granger cabal will be paid back in spades on election day, by a populace who have seen through the thin veneer of respectability acquired by the PNC, through a coalition with willing supplicants. Comeuppance eagerly awaits a date!
Yours faithfully,
Robin Singh
