…AFC style
Your Eyewitness is supposed to keep abreast of the news, but it’s clear he fell down on the job. He didn’t even know there was a “Social Cohesion Day”, until he read about its commemoration at the National Cultural Centre. Seems the blessed “Day” is May 11, and it was even given a theme and everything: “Celebrating Lasting Relationships in a Diverse Society”. Imagine that!!
Your Eyewitness was challenged to find out exactly which “lasting relationships” were being “celebrated”…since even the one launched on Valentine’s Day 2015 – the AFC/PNC coalition — appeared to have hit a rocky patch. AFC leader, Trotman, had made some thinly veiled threats about his party going it alone at the upcoming Local Government Elections (LGE) – implying, of course, they’ve not been given their fair share of the spoils; or even been given a fair shake!!
But some say that, given Moses Nagamootoo and Ramjattan’s warmer embrace of the PNC and its leader, Granger, Trotman’s threat might just be the ejaculation of a fit of pique occasioned by the removal of the OIL sector from his Ministry of Natural Resource to the Office of the Presidency!! But then that would mean an even older “lasting relationship” – the Nassau Accord between Trotman and Granger – is becoming frayed around the edges! Naaah!!
But back to the celebration of “social cohesion” at the Cultural Centre. Moses Nagamootoo — the man who would be Prime Minister, if he could chair Cabinet meetings!! – gave the feature address that left quite a lot of people scratching their heads. He spoke feelingly about the 16 fishermen who’d been hacked to death over in Suriname:
“It is enough for fishermen to contend with the angry and sometimes treacherous waves and unfriendly weather as they risk their lives, which always (places) their loved ones in anxiety and uncertainty. But to share the sea with murderous men is at the root of the tragedy that has taken too many lives.” Nagamootoo concluded ominously that such actions can have “far reaching effects on social cohesion.” Really??!
Your Eyewitness wonders whether there are aspects to the crime that Nagamootoo knows about that haven’t been released to the public. How exactly would the pirate atrocity lead to less social cohesion? From what we know, it wasn’t a racial thing, was it? Like, say, Fineman at Lusignan. As far as your Eyewitness can see, most Guyanese – of all persuasions – have rallied together to condemn the dastardly act. This is an increase in social cohesion, no?
Could it be Nagamootoo was distancing himself from his AFC colleague Ramjattan – Minister of Public Security — or not addressing the piracy, by arming the fishermen as he’d promised??
Whither (wither?) AFC’s cohesion??
…and AFC adhesion to the PNC
Well, even though Nagamootoo and Ramjattan swear to high heavens there’s absolutely nothing needs fixing in the Cummingsburg Accord, it was announced that “talks” were started between Joseph Harmon (PNC) and Patterson (AFC) on the very same “accord”. Must be because the AFC’s National Executive Council (NEC) demanded the talks – in line with Leader Trotman’s stated position??
What could they be discussing?? There’s the PM’s position, which was degutted rather than enlarged. Not because Nagamootoo’s satisfied with the fat salary, with appropriate pension looming; SUV, with driver and outriders; housing, with servants; travel, foreign medical, etc, means the AFC has to go along. Then all the so-called “senior” Ministries given to the AFC have also been degutted. Natural Resources just had its biggest sector – oil — pulled; Public Security had immigration yanked; Agriculture wasn’t even filled by an AFC nominee!! Public Infrastructure’s the only one left intact.
Is this why Patterson, rather than Trotman, is representing the AFC at the “re-negotiation’??
…and frank exchange
PM Nagamootoo hosted a meeting of Government Ministers for the visiting Indian Minister. He invited his wife, so your Eyewitness is disappointed he didn’t invite his DPI, said to be “like a son” to him.
Was it because he’d objected to India’s PM as a “fascist”??
