There’s none so blind…

Revisionists

One of the most sickening features of oppositional practice is their refusal to concede the PPP has done anything positive since they came into office. The PPP reduced the PNC’s debt – which Greenidge called the ‘highest per capita in the world’? Nah! That was just handed to them!!! Never mind that to reach the first ‘decision point’ for 67 per cent reduction in Paris Club Debt, the PPP had to establish a track record of economic reform over three years and continue at this level for another three years to reach ‘completion point’ and 80 per cent reduction. There are none so blind as those that would not see!

Yesterday (Saturday), another of these self-willed blind revisionists challenged pollster Bisram “to name one functioning major or minor recognised institutional underpinning of democracy that the PPP has implemented since it allegedly restored democracy to Guyana in 1992. And it must be one that did not exist under the PNC.” How will we even move on with this sort of diseased mindset?

One PPP institutionalised democratic innovation? Well what about the increase in the powers of the opposition in Parliament in which APNU/ AFC are now revelling? What about the Parliamentary Management Committee introduced after 2001 in which the opposition and government jointly set the agenda of Parliament?

Care for another? What about the four Sectoral Committees established after 2001? Through these, the opposition and the government members can call any official from the government, state or its corporations – such as Guysuco etc – and question them in real time about what is going on in their bailiwick. Which other democracy in the Caribbean has such powers? And the opposition gets to even share the chair of the committees on a rotating basis!!

What the opposition and its acolytes would not admit is that they have been too damn lazy to take advantage of this opportunity to scrutinise the workings of every and all aspects of governmental activity! Take this opposition hullabaloo about NICIL. The Economic Services Committee could have grilled Brassington years ago on the alleged malfeasances they now say he committed. But they would rather primp and preen on the public stage and play to the unwary voters!!

Insulting African Guyanese

Freddy Kissoon continues to wash his mouth on African Guyanese. He claims that none of them are fighting for equality for their group in Guyana. “Where are the African Guyanese that want to have their say?” he demanded caustically. He evidently believes that he’s the only one bearing this awesome burden. But we think he ‘eyepass’ a whole lot of Africans on several grounds.

There’s Lincoln the Loud of ‘economic genocide’ fame. What about Kissoon’s pal Benschop with whom he spent a night in a cell at Brickdam? The Guyanese “Malcolm wannabe’ has been picketing ‘even and straight’ with Kissoon and Lewis. Then of course, there’s Nigel whom Kissoon himself has anointed as the “new Rodney”.

But Kissoon also insults all those African Activists that may believe that deeds rather than just words might be the way to go: Recently Eric Phillips (of African Renaissance fame) reminded us of some of these institutions: the Pan African Movement of Guyana, the African Cultural & Development Association, the Commemoration Committee and the Friends of the Museum of African Heritage, the All African Guyanese Council, the Guyana United Apostolic Mystical Council, the St Peters African Apostolic Church etc.. As Kissoon said, “Indeed monkey knows on which limb to perform his acrobatic acts.”