Skip to main content

FM
Former Member

President Granger’s politics is becoming bizarre


By the time this edition of KN is released, the date for the 2020 election may be announced. But the essential argument of this analysis here would not be irrelevant. It centers on words the President uttered yesterday morning in relation to accepting GECOM’s letter to him that GECOM can hold elections by the end of February.

 

Granger is quoted as saying; “The dissolution of Parliament will occur when I am satisfied that the entire process as required by the Elections Commission can move without obstruction on to the date the Chairman herself has nominated …I have to find out from her (Gecom Chairman) if she has any needs and it is for that reason I have not dissolved Parliament and it will remain in session until…naturally, we would like to get from her more details … so I will meet the chairman to find out from her what her timelines are, what her schedules are… (that) she has all the resources the Commission needs and that she complies with the requirements of the law including ensuring Claims and Objections”.

These words of Granger are misleading and are dismissive of the constitution. Granger is quoted as saying that he cannot name a date for election until GECOM is ready and GECOM tells him that it is ready. He repeated ad nauseam that GECOM is a constitutional body that he cannot interfere with. He even went on in his defense of not calling a date for election by saying he cannot print ballots, employ polling staff, etc., that is for GECOM to do.

GECOM has told the president that it is in a position to conduct the election. Granger has now moved the goalpost, for which he has no authority. He said at Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, the Cabinet did not examine the schedule GECOM has set itself. The Cabinet has no constitutional authority to see the schedule. The President and the Cabinet have no constitutional right to delay complying with GECOM’s timeline for holding elections because it did not see the schedule. The PNC has three commissioners serving its interests. If GECOM said it is prepared, then GECOM’s logistics could be explained to the PNC by its commissioners.

The question in relation to the conspiracy of APNU+AFC wanting to hold on to power into 2020 and beyond is now graphically appropriate to ask. President Granger in simple grammar is saying, I will not dissolve Parliament if I am not satisfied that GECOM can hold the election. Which part of the constitution delegates that power to the president?
When the no-confidence vote (NCV) was passed and it was litigated in the CCJ, the chairman of the court asked why GECOM was not in preparation mode to conduct the election. The nation has now learned from GECOM that it was not. It now is. But now new factors are at play. The President says he must be satisfied that GECOM is ready.

What the above quote from Granger has done is to put Justice Singh in a problematic position. She said that GECOM will be ready in February. In saying that he wants to be sure that GECOM can deliver in February, Granger wants to ask certain questions of GECOM. Is this a ploy to further delay the election (if there wasn’t an announcement last night)?
If there is a date set, what is to make Granger change his mind because, since the NCV on December 21, he has violated the constitution and kept violating it even though the CCJ said election must be held by September 18? Granger covered himself by shifting the focus onto GECOM.

GECOM has chosen the end of February. Is Granger telling us that GECOM made that announcement without doing its homework, so he has to dialogue with GECOM to see if it exaggerated its ability? Granger is getting deeper in shark-infested waters because the three PNC commissioners did not object to February. It was the opposition that did so.

These glaring facts compel one to think that Granger and his colleagues in APNU and the AFC are not going to make the February deadline an easy task for GECOM.

As I said above, I don’t know if a date was announced because this column was done yesterday afternoon. But the above quote from Granger is troubling and unnerving. All eyes will now be on the sycophants in civil society, persons at UG, some in the trade union movement, etc., that have protected Granger, by insisting that GECOM must decide when an election is, and not Granger. Well GECOM has. But Granger wants more assurance from GECOM, a request he has no power to make.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)

https://www.kaieteurnewsonline...AZ_vJS5cnCnptzG9hczc

Replies sorted oldest to newest

VishMahabir posted:

Its not bizarre....he knows fully well what he is doing.

People now have every right to question his integrity and commitment to free and fair elections.

Furthermore....this means that oil money is now coming in, the economy will improve and Granger will be smiling all the way to the bank because he can and will claim the credit.

YES...Granger will be crowned as KING DAVID.....

AND, like my uncle like to say...the “PPP Kak duk” (meaning that the opposition will be out in the cold for 28 years.....this time.....most likely legitimately!!!!

Now watch dem Indos like Persaud come here and call for PARTITION!

 

V

During the 2015 elections campaign I kept saying here on GNI that any coalition between the AFC and the PNC would result in the PNC being the dominant partner. What we are witnessing here is total control of the government by the Burnhamites. The Jaganites in AFC have been marginalized to nothing. Most have returned home to the PPP or just remain quiet.  The few like Moses and Ramjattan have no choice to hang on the PNC raft until it sinks. 

Billy Ram Balgobin
VishMahabir posted:
VishMahabir posted:

Its not bizarre....he knows fully well what he is doing.

People now have every right to question his integrity and commitment to free and fair elections.

Furthermore....this means that oil money is now coming in, the economy will improve and Granger will be smiling all the way to the bank because he can and will claim the credit.

YES...Granger will be crowned as KING DAVID.....

AND, like my uncle like to say...the “PPP Kak duk” (meaning that the opposition will be out in the cold for 28 years.....this time.....most likely legitimately!!!!

Now watch dem Indos like Persaud come here and call for PARTITION!

 

Vish,

You are too pessimistic about the political situation in Guyana.  You don't see strength in yourself much less those of your ilk. I think you should look back at those same kind of attitudes many Indos displayed in the seventies and eighties thinking that the PNC was impregnable and will be in power forever.  Be a little more positive and stop painting a hopeless and gloomy picture of Indos in Guyana. They are not all politically naieve.  They have many smart ones.

Billy Ram Balgobin
Billy Ram Balgobin posted:
VishMahabir posted:
VishMahabir posted:

Its not bizarre....he knows fully well what he is doing.

People now have every right to question his integrity and commitment to free and fair elections.

Furthermore....this means that oil money is now coming in, the economy will improve and Granger will be smiling all the way to the bank because he can and will claim the credit.

YES...Granger will be crowned as KING DAVID.....

AND, like my uncle like to say...the “PPP Kak duk” (meaning that the opposition will be out in the cold for 28 years.....this time.....most likely legitimately!!!!

Now watch dem Indos like Persaud come here and call for PARTITION!

 

Vish,

You are too pessimistic about the political situation in Guyana.  You don't see strength in yourself much less those of your ilk. I think you should look back at those same kind of attitudes many Indos displayed in the seventies and eighties thinking that the PNC was impregnable and will be in power forever.  Be a little more positive and stop painting a hopeless and gloomy picture of Indos in Guyana. They are not all politically naieve.  They have many smart ones.

Pessimistic is an understatement....after more than 50 years, what does this country have to show for itself? 

My entire family are scattered in the international diaspora...away from the land they built from slavery and indentureship...

My point is that after 28 years of dictatorship, followed by 23 years of corruption, from what I can see, the country remains where it was from the 1960s. 

OIL is a savior and a blessing but for democracy to flourish it will not come with a PNC rule (given what transpired in the last few years) or a PPP rule. Either one spells disaster if they continue to control the Executive and Legislative arms of government.

Not much was done in the 1970s and 1980s, except the appearance of Rodney, who gave people some hope.

I been to Guyana recently....but it will not be a politically stable country if this division continues.    

 

V
VishMahabir posted:
Billy Ram Balgobin posted:
VishMahabir posted:
VishMahabir posted:

Its not bizarre....he knows fully well what he is doing.

People now have every right to question his integrity and commitment to free and fair elections.

Furthermore....this means that oil money is now coming in, the economy will improve and Granger will be smiling all the way to the bank because he can and will claim the credit.

YES...Granger will be crowned as KING DAVID.....

AND, like my uncle like to say...the “PPP Kak duk” (meaning that the opposition will be out in the cold for 28 years.....this time.....most likely legitimately!!!!

Now watch dem Indos like Persaud come here and call for PARTITION!

 

Vish,

You are too pessimistic about the political situation in Guyana.  You don't see strength in yourself much less those of your ilk. I think you should look back at those same kind of attitudes many Indos displayed in the seventies and eighties thinking that the PNC was impregnable and will be in power forever.  Be a little more positive and stop painting a hopeless and gloomy picture of Indos in Guyana. They are not all politically naieve.  They have many smart ones.

Pessimistic is an understatement....after more than 50 years, what does this country have to show for itself? 

My entire family are scattered in the international diaspora...away from the land they built from slavery and indentureship...

My point is that after 28 years of dictatorship, followed by 23 years of corruption, from what I can see, the country remains where it was from the 1960s. 

OIL is a savior and a blessing but for democracy to flourish it will not come with a PNC rule (given what transpired in the last few years) or a PPP rule. Either one spells disaster if they continue to control the Executive and Legislative arms of government.

Not much was done in the 1970s and 1980s, except the appearance of Rodney, who gave people some hope.

I been to Guyana recently....but it will not be a politically stable country if this division continues.    

 

You are talking trash.  The PPP had 23 years but of those years they only functionally fully as a government for 19 years.  From 2011 all budgets proposed by government were killed by the coalition in parliament.  Those years the PPP were in government saw Guyana moved from a low income nation to a middle income nation.  That alone says something about progress.  Corruption became a problem but never as much as reported by the opposition parties and their media sidekicks.  The country's economy progressed during the PPP years and investments increased significantly.  Since the 2015 the economy has been on downward spiral and the nation did not see any alleviation of the problems of crime and corruption. On the contrary, the problems of crime and corruption continue the upward spiral and major sectors of the economy have continue to decline leaving thousands of workers on the bread line. 

The PPP government was not perfect but they did a fantastic job building the economy, improving the people's living standard, and never resorted to undemocratic rule by hijacking the ballot and throwing the constitution under the truck.

Billy Ram Balgobin
Billy Ram Balgobin posted 

 

You are talking trash.  The PPP had 23 years but of those years they only functionally fully as a government for 19 years.  From 2011 all budgets proposed by government were killed by the coalition in parliament.  Those years the PPP were in government saw Guyana moved from a low income nation to a middle income nation.  That alone says something about progress.  Corruption became a problem but never as much as reported by the opposition parties and their media sidekicks.  The country's economy progressed during the PPP years and investments increased significantly.  Since the 2015 the economy has been on downward spiral and the nation did not see any alleviation of the problems of crime and corruption. On the contrary, the problems of crime and corruption continue the upward spiral and major sectors of the economy have continue to decline leaving thousands of workers on the bread line. 

The PPP government was not perfect but they did a fantastic job building the economy, improving the people's living standard, and never resorted to undemocratic rule by hijacking the ballot and throwing the constitution under the truck.

When a country comes out of an era (one which an entirely new generation has lived through), the 28 years, that is, it is expected that the challenge for any new government is to find new, creative and meaningful ways to ensure that the problems of the past are not repeated...you know what Santayana said about that...

The fundamental problem is that the PPP, even with the short time that Jagan governed after 1992, refused to do so, largely because of 3 things:

a. The PPP felt they were a morally superior force

b. With their majority support and ability to win elections, they felt they were invincible

c. To some extent I believe some members of the PPP felt that Afros were gullible and will support the PPP (they claim to me a diversified party).

You are correct about the PPP’s contribution towards getting Guyana out of debt, but the PPP destroyed its credibility by engaging in its own extraordinary and wanton corruption practices, and then they took Guyana along the dangerous path of becoming an established drug haven and drug transshipment location (the fact that the PPP could not control the crime wave and had to resort to securing the services of Roger Khan, is never justifiable or acceptable, as some of you have argued here). The PPP allowed itself to become its own enemy,  a party which seemed to elevate its own supporters, and not others. THis image will not be easy to shake, unless the PPP undergo traumatic reformation, starting with its top leadership.

That being said, the PPP became a rag tag party, with its leaders incapable of reinvigorating the party and attracting new blood. Look at the bio of the people who now make up that party, check their background, their occupation, their education, etc...its pitiful.

“Not perfect”, yes but far from doing a “fantastic job”.

So blaming the PNC for destroying the country is one thing...the question is what has the PPP done to make the case that it is more responsible, diverse, incorruptible, etc. More importantly, I have asked this question before, with no acceptable answer:

Assuming the PPP wins, how will that party deal with an unstable environment and convince Afros and others that it will genuinely represent all Guyanese?

 

 

V
Billy Ram Balgobin posted:
VishMahabir posted:
VishMahabir posted:

Its not bizarre....he knows fully well what he is doing.

People now have every right to question his integrity and commitment to free and fair elections.

Furthermore....this means that oil money is now coming in, the economy will improve and Granger will be smiling all the way to the bank because he can and will claim the credit.

YES...Granger will be crowned as KING DAVID.....

AND, like my uncle like to say...the “PPP Kak duk” (meaning that the opposition will be out in the cold for 28 years.....this time.....most likely legitimately!!!!

Now watch dem Indos like Persaud come here and call for PARTITION!

 

Vish,

You are too pessimistic about the political situation in Guyana.  You don't see strength in yourself much less those of your ilk. I think you should look back at those same kind of attitudes many Indos displayed in the seventies and eighties thinking that the PNC was impregnable and will be in power forever.  Be a little more positive and stop painting a hopeless and gloomy picture of Indos in Guyana. They are not all politically naieve.  They have many smart ones.

Bai, if jimmy Carter did not intervene, PPP would have remained in opposition.  So not sure what you hanging your hat on!

With oil on the horizon, there is a swathe of Indians who can care less who rules as long as money flows.  

The international community seems ambivalent and are talking more than doing. I have a feeling they don’t want the PPP back in so quickly.  

Baseman

Billy, people like Vish are either naive, ass kissers or just plain stupid!! It is simple but he will never get it. Take a picture of Guyana prior 1992 and one in 2014, look at them and see the difference!!

Nehru

Add Reply

×
×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×
×