…equivalence
One of the most insidious (and annoying) behaviour that pops up with great regularity as the political climate heats up is some folks wallowing in false equivalencies as they strive to walk some thin line of political correctness. “False equivalence”, of course, is what happens when someone tries to convince you that two things should be given equal weight in your considerations as you come to any given decision, while those two things aren’t in any way actually equivalent.
Take Justice Claudette Singh in her new job as GECOM Chair. When she was back being just a judge, do you think she gave rapists the same right to rape women, as the right of the women not to be raped? Of course not!! After all, the law says you can’t go around raping people just because you have an itch – and she threw the (law) book at those who raped! Yet, here it is, the law says – and not any old law but the highest law of the land, the Constitution – that elections must be held within three months after a NCM.
And what does she do in her new job as GECOM Chair? She orders 370,000 unverified names be merged into the old NRR and then a preliminary voters’ list be extracted for Claims and Objections. Elections March 2020!!And why’d she do this?? She wants to give equal weight to the demands of the Government Commissioners that there be H2H Registration and those of the Opposition that the constitutional command be given primacy and the present list be subjected to C&O immediately to have elections in 3 months. Worked before with no complaints from the PNC, and it can work again!!
But just this morning another example of false equivalence popped up on your Eyewitness’ radar. He read where the Chairman of the PSC, Gerry Gouveia, pleaded unctuously, “We need to besiege our politicians to stop fighting…” Your Eyewitness immediately wondered whether Govt’s GECOM Commissioner Desmond Trotman’s broadside at the Gouveia for being “racist” had made the goodly gentleman bassidy!!
What does he mean “the politicians” – meaning all politicians, including the Opposition, must stop fighting?? Is the PPP’s fight to have the Constitution upheld the same as the PNC’s fight to cling on to power by any means necessary?? Is the raped person’s right to defend herself equivalent to the rapist’s “right” to batter his victim into oblivion?? Was Gerry not rapped because he himself had defended the Constitution??
Why this volte face?? Does he want to run with the hare and hunt with the foxes? Your Eyewitness hopes not.
There comes a time when we must all stand up for what is right. And that time is now!!
…dilemma
As opposed to “false equivalence”, a “false dilemma” is one where folks present matters as “black and white” or “either this or that” when in reality, there are other choices available. An example that’s pretty popular in the US right now and being used against immigrants is “America: love it or leave it!!” Now, one can still love America but appreciate it isn’t perfect and critique those imperfections, but remain.
Now take the way Charandass’ decision to support the NCM is being presented by the PNC and its partisans. They insist he’s a “Judas” and a “betrayer”. But Charandass’ choice wasn’t limited to staying quiet or quitting the party (whether he did it on his own or have the party throw him out!) but also voting against the party line on the NCM!!
This is always an option for any MP. Why else is there that provision for an NCM in the Constitution? Most MP’s don’t consider the option because they want to keep riding the gravy train.
Charandass did the right thing!!
…alarm
Raised on the “boy who cried wolf” from nursery school, we all know about false alarms. Well, for those who felt the political bitterness had damaged our psyches, three Warriors victories in a row disproved that.
Look at Guyanese “sporting”!!