…to recognise and honour
Once again, your Eyewitness is more than a tad befuddled – this time by the National Awards handing out ceremony. Here it was, Prezzie explained, “The national honour system is about service”: concrete service to the country and community in some way or other. But he was hard pressed to understand both the rhyme and the reason for some of these awards.
Right up there were the awards to the three journalists who’d been servicing the PNC’s interests through thick and thin these past three decades – Adam Harris, Enrico Woolford and Julia Johnson. Is the PNC equivalent to “Guyana” once again – as Comrade Forbes had decreed – so that service to the PNC is service to Guyana? Your Eyewitness knows this newspaper isn’t in the running but was there not even one veteran reporter from the Stabber News worthy of recognition?
And if (as APNU/AFC maintains) removing the PPP from office in 2015 was the greatest service to the nation in 23 years, just from the journalistic sector, didn’t Freddy Kissoon and his boss, Glen Lall, perform greater yeoman service??
And while not full timers, who filled more column inches that Chris Ram and Anand Goolsarran to get the PPP out? Are their services not worthy also? Do they not also bleed? But these fellas have shown some independence afterwards. The lesson is: only total loyalty will be rewarded!
Another enigma was 10th VC of UG, Ivelaw Griffith – who, your Eyewitness believes, wouldn’t mind if Prezzie address him as Chancellor Griffith X. And that’s not the “X” of Malcolm X, who rejected the slave title “Little” and used the “X” to signify his unknown lineage. No siree Bob! This Griffith is talking about Chancellor Griffith the 10th!!
Now, your Eyewitness doesn’t mind old pals getting a squeeze; but honestly, Prezzie, what “service” has ex-YSM member Griffith done for Guyana since he was hired in a not-so-transparent process one-and-a-half-years ago? Is it because of the brown nosing “Renaissance Magazine” that burnishes his crest? Or because he just made the Army Officer’s training module a UG Diploma…or proposed the army retirement age be raised?
So, with the press and the university in hand, Prezzie handed out awards to the new Chancellor and Chief Justice of the Judiciary. Your Eyewitness won’t even mention the incestuousness of the Chancellor, who heads the Committee proposing awards, bagging the top award!!
But what took the cake of the evening of backslapping was the Prison Chief getting an Award!! After 17 prison deaths, two escapes, and the torching of the Camp Street jail!!
…for elections
In the wake of Prezzie taking his sweet old time getting around to looking at Opposition Leader Jagdeo’s THIRD list of nominees for the GECOM Chair, the state controlled Chronic bigged up a statement from the US Ambassador. In bold Banner headlines, it screamed: “GECOM not in crisis!!” Implying that everything was hunky dory with Prezzie’s foot-dragging.
The headline demonstrated that the DPI — into which GINA’s being merged — has already taken over the propaganda machinery. It failed to mention that the ambassador actually said GECOM wasn’t in crisis – as yet!! And who’ll quarrel with that? The ball’s in Prezzie’s court to ensure the crisis never materialises!
Because as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow morning, when Prezzie unilaterally appoints Justice La Bennet – who he’s had in his sight from day one – and the Opposition Leader takes him to the courts…there is gonna be a crisis. Even if Prezzie thinks the local Justices are “safe” (esp after their awards!) the various appeals will take time.
And elections have to be held in 2020!!
…on procurement
The deadline for bids to be prequalified to construct the “Demerara Ming Swing Bridge” has been extended. Nothing to do with the late entry of the UK firm BAM!!
The bidders have already signed that they can’t protest!!