Opposition spongers

Opposition media

The rationale for the government to have its own media has always been that the private media wouldn’t cover its activities. Not “sexy” enough. But the Stabber and the Muckraker have shown there are other biases at work that have nothing to do with ‘politics is dull’. And everything to do with them being in the opposition’s pocket.
Take this Sunday’s Stabber. Their headline blared “Politics, poor training lead to police incompetence – Granger” and the article went on for two pages. A second (sub) headline complained “Gov’t, Region 10 plan talks on lagging Linden agreement” and filled more than half a page. Inside, other half pages were devoted to “Enough parliament sittings says opposition leaders”; “No common agenda, but opposition wants higher standards of governance”; “Opposition sees need for parliamentary legal office” and “Gov’t delaying public accounts review – Greenidge”.
A letter from Greenidge at 2600 words (covering two pages) with the appropriately prolix title “Copyright piracy might appear alluring but is destructive and has contributed to the de-skilling and de-industrialisation of Guyana” was slightly shorter than his 2800-word one published last week. Then, of course, there was the full-page Chris “Suspenders” Ram’s ongoing hatchet job on the auditor general with its typically snide caption: “Auditor General’s report 2011: sanitising or whitewash? Not to forget the WPA’s Clive Thomas full-page criticism of the government’s sugar policy. Whew!!
Not a single word about a government programme or a governmental response to the opposition. And the reprobates in the opposition complain they’re not getting coverage in the state media! What’s worse is the articles hadn’t even the slightest semblance of impartiality. Take the last one from Thomas. He claims from 2000, employment costs rose much more rapidly than in the 1990s. Of course it had to! The PNC had made sugar workers into serfs on subsistence wages!
Granger should not be the one complaining about “politics ruining the police force”!!! Wasn’t it the claims of “kith and kin” by the PNC that tore the force apart. We can now understand Felix’ phone conversation with Basil Williams after the Agricola Massacre. Turned them (the investigators) away, didn’t he? Then there’re Ramjattan and Roopnaraine claiming 28 meetings in 10 months is enough for Parliament. They should be ashamed to be tooling around in their duty-free SUVs.

By any means necessary
The “No common agenda, but opposition wants higher standards of governance” article revealed the opposition’s total fixation to remove the PPP government “by any means necessary”. If they cannot find common parliamentary ground – and if they have the interest of the country at heart – how come they can’t try to work with the government? Isn’t that what they both promised – especially the AFC – after November?
The opposition’s common goal of ‘higher standards of governance’ is simply a code to reflexively reject anything the government does – to “oppose and depose” them. But the opposition are a bunch of ‘smart flies’ and we know where they’ll end up in the end. APNU seems to have forgotten how AFC set them up at Linden. The bottom line is AFC is going after APNU’s constituency for the next elections – when there’ll be an African-Guyanese as the presidential candidate of AFC.
Even though Ramjattan’s pretending amnesia about that founding principle of the AFC, you can be sure Nigel Hughes will be reminding him. Soon. And we don’t mean by taking positions unilaterally like he’s been doing (“48-hour ultimatum”). Hughes wants to succeed Burnham.

Eating humble pie
Carl “Barry” Greenidge’s been busy as a beaver since he returned from vacation recess. In addition to his mammoth letter in the Stabber, he dashed off one to the Muckraker that forced Muckraker-in-chief Kissoon to apologise abjectly. Barry claimed he hadn’t taken advice from Teixeira on PAC rules as Kissoon claimed. If he didn’t, he should: the advice was sound.