…opportunists
The consequential orders of the CCJ are serving like inkblots in Rorschach Tests to reveal the true nature of some characters, who’d like us to believe they have “open” minds on matters political. There’s this WPA fella who insists that after the CCJ defined the PNC-led Government as a “Caretaker”, they can carry on smartly with whatever they were doing (like looting the State coffers?!) but putting new elections on the top of their agenda – presumably with the State funding their campaign!!
And this fella’s supposed to be moulding impressionable young minds in Arizona!! But maybe he’s more au fait with the situation in the US? However, he betrays his ignorance of the American political system when he asserted, “a caretaker government is no different from a lame-duck government”. There couldn’t be two things more different from each other than a “caretaker government” and a “lame-duck government”, the latter being a unique US concept.
A “lame-duck” politician is an elected official who isn’t seeking re-election and is often used to describe US Presidents in their second and final terms in the White House. They’re usually seen as ineffectual. The term can also be used to describe Administrations of US Presidents who’ve lost the elections in November, but continue in office until a new President’s inaugurated the following January. But here, there’s legislation on the books – the Presidential Transition Acts – which are focused on getting the teams of the new President into their new roles. Most pertinently, the outgoing President doesn’t take any action that would saddle the new Administration with any new policy initiative. In other words, they work as a “caretaker” administration.
A “caretaker government”, on the other hand, is a fixture in the parliamentary democratic system, and is most frequently one where elections have been scheduled, the Assembly stands dissolved but they just have to hold the fort until the elections are over and a new government is elected!! More infrequently, a government can fall upon the passage of a “no-confidence motion” in the Parliament and elections have to be called pronto – in the case of Guyana, three months. The incumbent Government becomes a “Caretaker government”.
In parliamentary democracies like Guyana, “Caretaker Conventions” – detailing the parameters of the incumbent Government for the duration, have been explicitly articulated. According to the Canadian version, such “a government should restrict itself – in matters of policy, expenditure and appointments – to activity that is: routine, or non-controversial, or urgent and in the public interest, or reversible by a new government without undue cost or disruption, or agreed to by Opposition parties (in those cases where consultation is appropriate).”
Does that sound like “keep on keeping on”?? Gwan da side!!
…prostitutes
One has to understand the reality of the handful of WPA survivors who’ve lived off the political capital paid for with the blood of Walter Rodney, but now’s exhausted. How else can they get their offspring and relatives a piece of the Guyana giveaway being run by the PNC? The situation of the AFC, however, is different. They went into the coalition with the PNC with eyes wide open and articulated what they’d do to move the politics of Guyana into a more positive direction.
At all times, they knew that in coalition governments – especially ones holding power by small majorities –- the smaller parties have absolute make or break power on the margins with their votes. It’s like jiujitsu!! Just look at how the minuscule Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) of Northern Ireland was able to force the Tories of Theresa May to torpedo Brexit because of their demands!!
But being political prostitutes, the leaders of the AFC – Ramjattan and Trotman (Trotman was always PNC) – sold out for filthy lucre.
And now are fighting for the “best bootlicker” title!!
…has-beens
One can now appreciate the resentment, envy, and anger of fellas like Eric Phillips against the PPP. It had nothing to do with the claimed “marginalization” of their constituency.
And everything to do with self-enrichment!!