…the political tree
With the demise of the AFC, another third foot is about to be dropped in the political arena. The outspoken ex- Vice Chairman of the National Toshaos Council, Lenox Shuman, has finally given a date for the launch of the second Indigenous political party. Let us not forget that, try as it might to shake its original name – the Guyana Amerindian Party – by changing it to “Guyana Action Party”, it remained to the end an Indigenous Peoples’ party in the eyes of Guyanese.
And it’s important that Shulman reflects on why both the AFC – which insisted it was the vehicle for “change” in the Guyanese political morass — and the GAP have both disappeared. And have no doubt about this: they HAVE disappeared. Although, like when you have an amputated extremity you still get a feeling it’s still there, leaders like Ramjattan and Allicock still “get that feeling” about their party. It’s called the “Phantom Limb” effect in the first instance, and your Eyewitness suggests that the latter be called the “Phantom Party” effect. The phenomenon is worse when a dead meat party suffers from the “Phantom Party” effect!!
First of all, Shulman should have no guilt about forming an “ethnic” party. If, for the past sixty years, both the PPP, PNC and every other party in Guyana did their darndest to be “multi-racial” yet remained ‘ethnic”, surely there must be a good reason for this!! And the reason is that there’s nothing in and of itself bad about “ethnic” parties. The problem pops up when the ethnic parties pretend they’re national and represent ALL the peoples of our land. Like President Granger just declared at the PNC’s Biennial Congress!
With the AFC — notwithstanding Ramjattan’s protestations — they got mostly African votes in their electoral first foray in 2006, because that community was fed up with Corbin and wanted to try another leader – Trotman. In 2011, the tables were turned, with the PPP getting stale and the PNC revitalised as APNU. Shulman should be happy with the two, or at most three seats, he might capture from his Indigenous base. But he has to stay the course with his commitment to “non-coalescing” with bigger parties.
Once again, your Eyewitness has to repeat his earlier advice to Shulman: Resist spending all your time and resources trying to woo “other ethnics” into your party. It’s a waste of time, and doesn’t do anything for your people in the end. Stay in the centre, and negotiate with the Government of the day to improve the lot of Indigenous peoples.
And know that there will be a continuous pressure to buy or steal your MPs by the aforesaid Government!
…the PNC (not Guinness) Bar
Just after jumping on their high horse and denying they were imbibing high-end liquor to their gills at the expense of us poor taxpayers, during Parliamentary lunch breaks, the PNC MPs and Ministers became so sloshed at the Georgetown Club after their Biennial Congress that they became embroiled in a multi-vehicle smash-up outside the Club!! So, dear reader, if you’re wondering how such a smash-up could occur within feet of the Club’s premises, then (thank goodness) you don’t know enough about the disorienting effects of driving under the influence (DUI)!!
Only recently, President Granger lashed out at ordinary PNC members at an Emancipation function for hanging out at “Guinness Bars”. They’d be pissing away their money. Your Eyewitness guesses that it’s OK for upper rank PNCites to hang out at the Georgetown Club and at the Parliamentary Dining Room and get sloshed. After all, it’s no strain on THEIR wallets – it’s all on us, baby!!
But if Policemen have to pay for their crashed cars, what about sloshed MPs??
…Lusignan Prison
Used to be the Camp Street Jail was always in the news! But right now Lusignan and its seizures of contraband have seized the moment.
So, was the garlic found in the latest bust to be used for warding off vampires?