…and power deals
For a fella who has had to’ve completed some courses in history, President Granger seems to not understand the importance of going to original sources for his facts. Take the case on the PNC’s rigging from 1968, when his hero, Burnham, set the ball rolling by using the overseas vote to give himself an absolute majority that allowed him to dump the UF. Even if he’d been living in a cave since that time, surely he’d have seen the BBC’s investigation — broadcast interminably on TV — showing horses placidly munching grass in pastures that had produced oodles of votes for the PNC!
Or more germanely, has he never bothered to read the US Declassified Files that give chapter and verse on Burnham’s fiddling with the ballot? OK…so he wasn’t at Camp Ayanganna when soldiers were substituting the ’73 ballots, but surely the grapevine would’ve alerted him that something fishy was going on!! Or what about the Observers’ team that said the 1980 elections were “more crooked than barbed wire”??!! Is it a matter of “They have their perception and I have mine?”
Anyhow, asked bluntly whether he would rig elections, since he’d vowed to continue in Burnham’s footsteps, Granger said, “I am not aware that rigged elections (were) an ideal of Forbes Burnham”. But he admitted he admires the late President Burnham for the ideas that he “implanted” in the PNCR. Now, isn’t this another case of hair splitting on a distinction without a difference??
What were Burnham’s “ideals”?? Burnham’s explicitly stated he was a follower of Machiavelli, and the ideals the latter expounded in “The Prince” on a leader’s position on power were his mantras. The most important rule was: the leader must disjuncture his political actions from morality, and do whatever it takes to retain power! “By any means necessary” was ironically Burnham’s cry as well as Rodney’s!! To keep power for Burnham and to remove Burnham from power for Rodney!! Rigging would’ve been the least objectionable of Machiavelli’s approved actions, which included murder and mayhem. Burnham, of course, also practised the latter.
Machiavelli also advised leaders that while they should ACT immorally to retain power, they should PRETEND to be virtuous. Granger, of course, has honed this skill to a “T”, so folks think butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth!! He’s obeyed Machiavelli’s exhortations even better than Burnham, and he should take a bow for keeping his vow! Rigging’s a cert!!
If you’re surprised about Granger’s actions on sugar, here’s Machiavelli’s advice: “Never do any enemy a small injury, for they are like a snake which is half beaten, and it will strike back the first chance it gets.”
…versus the facts
In addition to raising the “straw-man” of claiming rigging wasn’t an “ideal” of Burnham — when we all know it was a specific application of the ideal to “keep power by any means necessary” — Granger claimed, “I have never rigged an election in my life”!! But not because he doesn’t like to “fact check” means we have to follow suit. What does the (googleable) record say about Granger and electoral rigging.
The very first hit declared that at the July 2014 PNC elections for party leader, when Granger was opposed by ex-PNC General Secretary Aubrey Norton, the latter accused the former of just that – electoral rigging!! And Norton knows about these matters!!
The day before the elections, Norton’s handed a list of eligible PNC members; but lo and behold, on election day, a new list is circulated that omits most of the three busloads of members from Linden!! Norton, Sharma, Kissoon and Greenidge protest, and Norton withdraws from the elections in disgust.
Taking Machiavelli’s advice, two protesters were bought out by Granger, while two were banished!!
…on the right thing?
Okay, he might’ve closed his eyes when he overlooked the secret “bonus” account at BoG…but at least Goolsarran is doing his mea culpa by championing higher royalties for our oil.
Better late than never.
