Meaningless…

…meetings

Every business executive has some basic rules on “meetings,” and one of the first rules is to ask, “What’s this meeting about?” If you aren’t clear about the goals of the meeting, you’ll be wasting your time, and you might as well don’t show up.

We don’t know about politicians, but here it is: Prezzie’s rejected the Opposition Leader’s second list of nominees for the GECOM Chair, and now wants a meeting.

Is it your Eyewitness, or is it déjà vu? What happened after the meeting following the first rejection? Prezzie had intimated that only names of ex-judges should be submitted, but then grudgingly conceded it could be other “fit and proper” persons.

Jagdeo had wanted a meeting to clarify what the heck the President understood by “fit and proper” as it related to the constitutional criteria to fill the GECOM Chair. Barring that, Jagdeo said he’d want the matter to be decided by the CCJ. Interpretation of the constitution is, after all, solely the responsibility of the Judiciary.

Prezzie declined the meeting, but said he’d offer clarity via his Attorney General, Basil Williams. A couple of months later, Prezzie decided to meet Jagdeo, but promised only to make his position clear again. Nothing decided…just stalling for time…wasted meeting.

Most observers figured Prezzie was hoping to frustrate Jagdeo; and if no list was submitted, by provision of the Constitution, he could unilaterally appoint whomever he wanted as the Chair. The person he had earmarked, according to insiders, was ex-Justice Claudette La Bennet.

After that meeting, Basil Williams announced, via a press release, who was “fit and proper”: “His Excellency did elaborate a little more on that, and he identified the three ‘Is’, which is to say that: the person must be a person of Integrity, the person must be a person who is Independent and the person must be someone who is Impartial.” The problem was that those qualities were pretty general and were subject to wide interpretation; but Jagdeo did submit that second list — which was duly rejected, and we arrive at the request for the second meeting.

“What’s the point of this meeting?” your Eyewitness asks once again. To provide another opportunity for the state photographer to position himself so he could catch Granger looming over Jagdeo as the latter ascends the State House stairs and is forced to shake the former’s outstretched hand like a supplicant? It’s become the Chronic’s favourite pic of the two leaders.

Prezzie knows Jagdeo can’t go unilaterally to the CCJ, which only has original jurisdiction on the CSME. Initial interpretive recourse lies in the local courts.  Prezzie would be counting on the plasticity of the latter.

Jagdeo should test them, rather than waste his time with meetings.

…mumblings

It all started so promisingly when the APNU and AFC were in Opposition — especially after 2011, when they caught up with the PPP. So many things they were going to do! Procurement? No sweat…They were going to make that so tight and so transparent we’d know even the number of sweets bought to calm skittish kids getting injections!! But oh, what a tangled web they’ve woven as they bled the Treasury dry with pharma scandals; and yet, scarcely an aspirin tablet can be found!

All we get are vague mumblings! What about the details of all those contracts from which the PPP were “siphoning off” billions and billions to fill their pockets? Mumble…Mumble… They’ve had two years to check out, say, the airport expansion contract. Why not “out” the PPP? Mumble…Mumble… They couldn’t possibly be doing the same things they accused the PPP of doing, could they?

Could it be that their fire-and-brimstone vituperations were just projections of what was in their twisted psyches all along?? Bun dem!!

…revelations on Exxon contract

Who does Trotman think he’s fooling?? The days are long gone when Guyanese would accept just mumblings on what he’s given up to Exxon.

Don’t blame Exxon for driving a hard bargain. Blame the Govt for assigning Mr Clueless as our point man!