…for the PNC
Old people say, “Moon a run ‘till day ketch am”! And even though the PNC ain’t no moon, a very wise man once moved the sentiment into the realm of human action: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice”.
And justice was delivered to the PPP by the full panel of the CCJ yesterday in the matter of the blatant traducing of the Constitution by the Granger-led PNC in their desperate bid to hold on to power at all costs. The Justices unanimously ruled against every contention of the PNC in the cases they brought to stymie the NCM and also in Granger’s unilateral appointment of James Patterson as GECOM Chair!!
Now, no one had seriously thought the CCJ would go along with the cockamamie idea that 33 isn’t the majority of 65, did they?? That was just a “Hail Mary” thrown to the PNC, who grabbed on to it for dear life; which literally it was. It bought them time, since, after the Chief Justice — in a masterful interpretation of the Constitution, which was upheld by the CCJ — had rightfully thrown the PNC pleaders out on their ears, the PNC must’ve known they had the Appellate Court in the bag.
The acting Chancellor and her colleague on that Court really committed legal hara kiri when they made what was clearly a political decision to ingratiate themselves with the political directorate. JOF Haynes must be spinning in his grave!! The CCJ bench, on the other hand, knew their decisions would redound and rebound in courts across the Commonwealth, and they had no desire to be torn apart legally, time and again!!
Unlike the Caribbean politicians in CariCom, who’d turned a blind eye to Burnham’s excesses, the CCJ held the line against the comity of skin, and upheld the rule of law.
The CCJ gave the PNC another chance to redeem themselves and start acting like civilised citizens who’ll uphold both the letter AND the spirit of the law. They advised that the Government and Opposition lawyers huddle and reach consensus on the consequential orders arising out of the rulings; notably, agreement on the status of the Government and Cabinet; on a new GECOM Chair, since the incumbent was illegally appointed; and on a new timeline for elections.
But Granger’s already signalled his rejection of democratic norms, even though he claims to have accepted the verdict. In a pugnacious address to the nation immediately following the ruling, he announced flatly there will be elections only AFTER house-to-house registration! Never mind that if there’s no agreement between the two teams, the CCJ can set a date.
That is the old PNC bullyism on show!
…and the PNC’s true colours exposed
After the PNC’s rude awakening at the last LGE, their Chairperson, Volda Lawrence, spoke to a PNC regional meeting about their elections strategy: “We don’t have to wait no three years, comrades; there are mechanisms for us to go back to the polls. You see this long, long story, me ain’t able buse and cuss and waste me time; I lash you in you head and done the story. Done the story. Sometimes we like to yap, yap, yap, yap too much.”
Well, Volda was at it again with the CCJ Ruling. She posted this pithy instruction to the PNC fateful on her Facebook page: “As Comrades of the PNCR, I ask that you give life to that line of our Party’s Battle song which reads, “Hold the Line of battle Comrade, link our arms in UNITY, Organise and charge the forces of our haughty enemies. Trust shall be our Marshall Weapon Brotherhood our Armour Plate.” Lawrence knows exactly what she’s doing.
This is Burnham’s coded call for violence against the “PPP enemy”
…on AFC
In Medieval times, the Scholastics in the Church debated extensively on such earth-shattering questions as “how many angels could dance on the head of a pin?”
Sorta like the AFC arguing that the Cummingsburg Accord’s still valid!