On Scottish football and local motor sports
I don’t suppose former Finance Minister Winston Jordan is a dyed-in-the-wool PNC “comrade”. (I’ll never know unless I ask him.) But he was a faithful professional Brigadier-Leader’s man. And the Brigadier was both PNC and (something named) APNU Leader.
However I find the finance/accountant Comrade most interesting for a few reason. Why? I seem to recall him heading the Finance Ministry’s Office of the Budget. Under former Finance Minister and President Bharrat Jagdeo. (In 2015 I heard Mr. Jagdeo throwing quips at him in Parliament after he became the brand-new Coalition Finance Czar). In a rush of blood perhaps, Jordan once threatened “war break” during a PNC/“APNU” campaign outing in an hinterland location. That was uncharacteristic and somewhat “political” of him now, bless his loyal Granger-soul, he has been given to writing stout, reasonably-persuasive letters of defence explaining his coalition’s fiscal and economic policies and it is his most recent spirited response to the anonymous “Peeping Tom” Column in Kaieteur News which occasioned this piece.
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Governments amidst need, poverty
Two or three months after the current PPP administration was allowed to assume office in early August 2020, a feisty female PNC Member-of-Parliament bemoaned the state of some East Coast Demerara Village roads!
No honeymoon period whatsoever for President Ali’s “fraudulent, illegal installed” government! Didn’t she notice those roads from 2015 to 2020?
But that’s what new governments should expect! They campaigned for office and national responsibility. Expect no reasonableness, not fair play, no constructive criticism. It’s not at all for me to defend PPP policies even though their own public education/PR is not the best there is or ought to be. But the opposition surrogates and some dedicated daily letter-writers can detect not one positive move by the government! Rather phenomenal, what?
Mind you, some government policies and programmes do seem to lend themselves to partisan characteristics. Then a few senior or junior representatives say and do things which are either discriminatory or blatantly ill-conceived. Scrutiny and criticism are therefore warranted.
But like numerous broken village roads pockets of poverty have persisted throughout our land since 1966. Objective examination, in hindsight, should reveal government “successes” and failures regarding remedies.
A devastating pandemic, floodings and a foreign three-month war have all impacted both development and struggling economies. Naturally citizens and dedicated critics here have their right to examine the PPP government’s responses to increased national and sectional needs. Reason however should always trump political machinations.
Former Granger Minister Jordan just defended the coalition’s Rural Agricultural Infrastructural Development (RAID) project. He explains that the predominantly Afro-Guyanese villages which were chosen for the project’s benefits merited their status, having been neglected for years.
Generously, I’ll grant comrade Jordan a little credence. Just a little. But this I must remind: For 28 years Forbes Burnham’s Party never allowed any other electoral opponent a fair chance to win elections.
His Food-Security and Production programmes therefore ruled the national roost. But some entity recently played Dr Jagan extolling the benefits of eating what we produce and producing what we eat. Long before Burnham did! Which sensible strategic government wouldn’t promote policies to feed ourselves? So even comrade Jordan may ease up preaching the coalition’s food strategy over others.
Frankly speaking, I think he’s a bit more credible pointing out the Private Sector Commission’s (alleged) pro-PPP embrace. But even that perceived stance has a reason. Stay strong, stay objective, comrade Winston.
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Damn everyone’s racism!
Reasonably, people have a right to prefer/embrace any racial/ ethnic group they fancy. Familiarity, culture, birth and belonging, even religion sometimes determine racial preferences. It’s when one group or individual demonstrate hostility and discrimination – or denies opportunity to others based solely on racial considerations, that is when the spectre of racism raises its divisive and dangerous head.
Slowly but surely some local politicians and their surrogate-bigots on social media are getting to my old soul with their racist rantings. Really or perceptively some government behaviours are feeding this racist frenzy. So the government should step back. Be real, be fair. Sure the sugar workers and fisherfolk need assistance .But so do bauxite workers and the villagers of Mocha and Buxton.
Deep down racism is not natural to this Guyanese generation. Minus the politics! Hindus have become staunch Christians. Our First People have little time or opportunity to discriminate. Most of us eat the same foods, go to the same markets, or to cricket. We are not racially polarised. Without politicians. Individual instances of racism should be separated from government policies. Agreed?
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Afro-Scottish? And our GMR and SC
Truly friends, I tire over even the subtleties of race. Jimmy Adams, Mariah Carey, a half- Guyanese Scottish footballer and Barack Obama – all mixed are deemed “black”. By whom? Why?
The Motor Racing Club here is dominated by those who can afford motor sports. Predominantly one group. How did that come about? Assist me. I tire…
Coming soon: What elder Hamilton Green doesn’t say!
‘Til next week!
