…and the constitution
Every Sunday, the man who so much craves to be Prime Minister again – even though he complained bitterly he was gypped by Granger of his promised powers and his party has selected Ramjattan – gets a chance to brownnose his way into the PNC’s good graces. There’s his weekly Chronic column he has to justify the outrage de jour of the PNC!!
This Sunday, it was the constitutional crisis that’ll be precipitated on Sept 18 since the PNC-led government will become illegal since elections should’ve been held by that day. “Not so!!” cried Nagamootoo stoutly and promised, “The sky will not fall”! But he knew better and this was revealed by his Freudian use of the phrase, “the sky will not fall.”
Even though he entered law school in his dotage, Nagamootoo did scrape through and is aware of the Latin legal phrase, “F?at j?stitia ruat cælum”. This means, “Let justice be done though the heavens fall.” Nagamootoo, the erstwhile Christian substituted “sky” for “heavens”. So, the imperative for justice was definitely preying on Nagamootoo’s mind: that no matter what happens, justice must be realized.
And that’s the whole point about what’s going on now, isn’t it? If the constitution is the highest law of the land and it’s through the application of the law by the Courts that Justice is served, how can there be justice for Guyanese when the PNC govt Nagamootoo’s shilling for, is traducing the constitution?? And, as his words reveal he knows this, but then goes on to try to square the circle.
Let’s quote the mendicant’s argument fully since he often complains his words are being ‘twisted’: “They (the PPP) had petitioned the CCJ, Guyana’s highest court, to name September 18 as the deadline for elections. But the CCJ declined jurisdiction to do so, and refused to set any time-frame within which these elections could be held. The CCJ ruled that it was for the constitutional players – the Parliament, Elections Commission, President and Opposition Leader – who could best do this in fulfillment of the requirements of Guyana’s Constitution and through a consultative process.”
But that’s not so, isn’t it?? If Nagamootoo was Pinocchio, his nose would’ve been two feet long!! The Court ruled that elections should’ve been by March 21, but since the PNC resorted to the Courts, the clock went on “pause” and resumed on June 18, when the CCJ threw out the PNC’s ridiculous NCM’s claims.
To wit, that elections were constitutionally due three months from June 18, and this needed no “gloss” nor explanation.
Excepting for the Nagamootoo. All that Lawwah must’ve made him bassidy!!
And he still ain’t gonna be the PM candidate!!
…and fostering divisions
The Government-controlled Chronic is playing a dangerous game…made even scarier ‘cause it’s a game crafted to provoke racial and political tensions in the country at a time when, historically, tensions rise and nerves are frayed. What they’ve been doing is rehashing particular acts of violence that were committed during one or the other “troubles” precipitated by the PNC as it launched its “mo fyaah; slow fyaah” strategy to oust the PPP from office.
This week, they selected the killing of Donna McKinnon. They were forced to concede this occurred when PNC protesters were rampaging along Regent and Robb Streets lighting fires as they went. Even though a coroner’s inquest that couldn’t identify killer the market vendor, the Chronic headline the story “Gunned down outside Freedom House”. Regurgitating discredited claims made at the time by Mark Benschop, “correlation” was made into “causation” to once again pin the act on the PPP.
The ERC should investigate this kind of “reporting” during another crisis precipitated by the PNC.
…and race
Barbados and Suriname reimposed a visa requirement for Haitians – and Bahamas never waived theirs. Yet when Guyanese raise concerns of their unchecked influx here, Felix and his comrades play the race card.
What’s race gotta do with it??