Hang the scapegoat

There are twits and there are twits. This fella Mike Persaud has to be a major player in the kingdom of Twitland. Every now and then he feels compelled to inflict his vapid opinions on Guyanese – from his haven somewhere in New York. Maybe it’s the heat in summer and the cold in winter, but could he, maybe, get a life? Anyhow, he decided that the Guyanese just had to know his opinion on the Linden shootings in general and on Minister Rohee’s responsibilities in particular.
First off the bat, he jumps all over Rohee – à la Hoyte – for not being “qualified”. What’s with this ‘qualification’ business? Has Mike Persaud even checked whether he’s qualified to make pronouncements in the field of governance? As proof of the test of “individual ministerial responsibility”, the best he can quote is “Wikipedia”? Plueeeease!!! But for argument sake, let’s say that there must be some sort of qualification to be “home affairs minister”. Does the degree in geography that the present home affairs minister of Britain, Theresa May, possesses fit the bill, Mike? The point is Mike, is that in these matters, experience trumps all. So, say Llewellyn John, who was a lawyer, who was made home affairs minister by Burnham – did he do better than Rohee? Yes, the same fellow who took over the registration of voters from the elections commission so that the seminal rigging of the 1968 elections could be facilitated.
But we want to look at the ‘educated’ proposal of Mike Persaud to deal with the “Rohee issue”. He distinguishes between something called “smart politics”, as well as something called “dumb politics”. The source of his terminology escapes up, but maybe this is because he’s so “educated”. Mike then goes on to inform us that “Guyana is an extremely racially- divided country: Ethnic parties, extremely high levels of ethnic voting.” We would have never known: thank God Mike’s so educated.
Mike concludes with blinding insight that in the wake of the Linden shootings, “Racial tensions are rising.” So what does Mike’s “smart politics’ advise? Well, to defuse tensions President Ramotar should fire Rohee forthwith, because he has the power to do so. “No due process or commissions of inquiry needed”! yells Mike. Yes, you read that right. Due process, the foundation of all American jurisprudence, is to be denied the minister.
Self-inflicted damage The residents of Linden, whether under the promptings of the ambitious politicians in the opposition camp or of their own devices, seem determined to cut off the (economic) limb they’re sitting on. As we had pointed out, they’ve stopped going to work at the bauxite company – Bosai. Some have stopped voluntarily and others are being intimidated by “radicals”. Now, here you have a community that has been screaming that they have a high rate of unemployment.
We won’t go into the fact that billions have been pumped into the hands of locals to establish alternate employment opportunities after the bauxite industry collapsed. And we’re not talking about the millions that each worker received in severance and other gratuities when the industry downsized.
No, we’ll just talk about the effort to privatise the bauxite industry. If the locals don’t believe the government, they should ask the government of Jamaica. They’d be surprised at what it takes to attract investment in bauxite these days. The demand’s just not there. But Lindeners should ask the old heads as to why the industry collapsed in the early 80s.
We just couldn’t deliver the goods. Even with our calcined bauxite – best in the world, buyers turned to – get this – China… which at least delivered their lower grade stuff.

Alternative bauxite
Don’t be surprised if Bosai turns elsewhere. It just announced it will develop its resources in Ghana. Ghana, not Guyana. And the alumina plant? Last week, it said it will build one in Indonesia for US$ 1 billion.