…Frankenstein
In trying to create a “human being”, Dr Victor Frankenstein took various and sundry parts from cadavers dug up from graves, put them together, and with that surge of electricity from lightning, gave the creature “life”. But was it a human being? The recent convocation by the PNC-led Government of a “National Conference of Local Democratic Organs” (NCLDO) reminded your Eyewitness of that story; he remembered the origin of the NCLDO in our 1980 Constitution.
What Burnham did was take bits and pieces from various Constitutions to create a “Constitution” for a “socialist” state and “socialist” democracy in Guyana. But was it a Constitution – in the tradition of “Constitutionalism” that had developed in western liberal democracies over the previous three centuries? That it CERTAINLY wasn’t!! What it was, was a transparent effort to “legalise” his dictatorship, which rested on powers more extensive than those of any other ruler of the time! Constitutionalism, which insists everyone is subject to the “rule of law”, was certainly not ushered in in 1980!!
Burnham strode like a colossus among the rest of the Guyanese citizens. His favourite slogan was “the small man is the REAL man”. This was understandable since, compared to him and all his powers, EVERYONE else was small – in all senses of the word!! To emphasis how BIG he was, he liked to ride around, with jodhpurs and such like, on a horse. To make sure the point was made, he sometimes donned the uniform of a General — like we see in those old-time pics of Latin American dictators.
Burnham’s Constitution was made into his “creature” by those parts brought in from socialist countries – like North Korea, which defines “socialist” democracy. This wasn’t just substituting words, it substituted a new way of organising society; a “socialist” way, where power flows from top to bottom – and not the other way round.
Anyhow, we’ve all heard — ad nauseum! — of the efforts, culminating in the Constitutional changes of 2000, which were passed unanimously to cut the presidency “down to size” by reducing its powers. Supposedly it brought back Constitutionalism and Liberal Democracy. Right!! So why did Art 1 still insist “Guyana is in transition from capitalism to socialism”?? And we arrive at this socialist excretion called “NCLDO”!
The people of Guyana used to elect only 53 MPs directly, and the RDCs and NCLDO the remaining 12, remember? It was another PNC way to rig the election of MPs. The excretion was EXCISED in 2000, but it now looks like the PNC-Reloaded is bringing it back.
Did you see the composition of those who showed up at the meet, to listen to PNC leader Granger??
Frankenstein is back!!
…rules and SOCU
After the PNC/AFC mountain laboured about “corruption by the PPP”, it produced SOCU. It then promised there’d be so much wealth returned to the Treasury that Guyana’s spending would be funded for years!! Numbers like “$300 billion annually” were on the low side of the estimates on pilfering by the ‘criminalised” state – in the phrase coined by Clive Thomas – the head of SARA.
But not only has SOCU and SARA proven to be mice, so’ve been the comparable sizes of their prosecutions!! Asked by his erstwhile comrade, Clement Rohee, to supply details, Public Security Minister Ramjattan claimed it’s because — according to the courts — the AML/CFT Legislation doesn’t allow SOCU access to the Banks’ records of customers’ deposits!!
Well…duh!! If, up to now, there’s been NO access to the Banks’ records, how in the world did SOCU and Thomas pronounce so DEFINITIVELY on how much was stolen?? Do these worthies mean to tell us that all of their “sturm und drang” was just based on mere SUSPICIONS??
And there’s been no SUSPICION since 2015??
…discrimination??
The PNC-led Government is following up on its promises to fund African-Guyanese cultural activities with “millions and millions” of dollars.
Aren’t they afraid of being challenged constitutionally by other groups for discrimination, for NOT getting equivalent funding??
