Winner takes all

Show no mercy

And the beat goes on. That is, the beat of the APNU/AFC opposition to seize total control of the political system. After conniving to ensconce AFC/PNC’s Trotman as the Speaker and PNC’s Backer as his deputy, the APNU/AFC continue to educate the Guyanese people of the meaning of the term “winner takes all”. The term has long been used to criticise the British Westminster system of government we inherited. But nobody’s ever seen anything like this.

Even the much derided dictator Burnham (Trotman and Granger’s hero) had always conceded the deputy speaker to the PPP/C. But just as how the so-called democrat Desmond Hoyte out-rigged Burnham in 1985, the APNU/AFC seems determined to also outcontrol the master of control. We had written about the strategic implications of the APNU/AFC changing the rules of Parliament to grab control of the Selection Committee of Parliament. Well the other foot has now dropped – and it is in a fascist jackboot.

The eponymously named “Selection Committee”, now controlled by the APNU/AFC met – still hot and sweaty after their Mash gyrations. But any hope that the demonstration of their Republican unity in the streets would migrate into the halls of Parliament were soon dashed. APNU/AFC demanded control of every committee in Parliament! And imagine the APNU had promised to ‘share governance’ with the PPP/ C if they had won the election! But at the last moment someone decided that this abominable power grab ought to be discussed by the principals – at the Tripartite Talks initiated by President Ramotar. We doubt that anything new will come out of those talks – it’s just an excuse to rub the president’s nose in the dirt. The climax of “winner takes all” will be reached when the Public Accounts Committee – traditionally controlled by the opposition – is retained by them. It’s ‘larwaa” all the way for the government.

Listen up government! It’s the motto of the army: winning is everything; give no quarter; show no mercy. Is it not said that “politics is war by other means’?

Twisted psychology

Recently we referred to the Muckraker-in-Chief Kissoon’s opening line in his Thursday article: “Any learned person will tell you that you can repair a defective biology but a damaged psychology is not easy to fix.” Well, in the article this man claimed that the PPP/ C rigged the last elections. They were assisted in this illegality, according to the Muckraker-in-Chief, by the absence of the AFC and the APNU election agents on Election Day at the polling stations in PPP/ C dominated areas.

“I know that for sure in Cane Grove where some mischief took place.” Well up comes one Earle Lambert, who declared that “Since 1997 I have been the point person for the PNCR for the Mahaica-Cane Grove Area… I don’t know where Mr Kissoon got this false and fictitious story from, but I can tell you that all nine polling stations in Cane Grove were manned by the APNU polling agents.” And this is the man that the lecturers of UG are supporting? One ex-lecturer – Bhulai – even gave testimony that Kissoon is the epitome of what a ‘professor’ is all about. Bhulai waxed eloquent of the injustice of asking Kissoon to produce research when every day he ‘professes” his “researches” in the press.

So if the professor professes lies and falsehood to malign and impugn the integrity of anyone who crosses his path, this is what UG is all about? It might then be best to let UG crumble into dust.