Rather than the Opposition Leader leading off the Budget Debate, as your Eyewitness commented yesterday, some of the freshmen (so to speak) spoke in his stead. First off the bat was Amanza Walton-Desir of “mentally lazy PPP supporters” infamy!! One suspects she didn’t repeat her charge because she wasn’t facing supporters but PPP MPs?? Anyhow, your Eyewitness is very disappointed at the reporting of her speech by one of the dailies.
Imagine them referring to her as “regally attired with a hairstyle to match”!! Now, if this isn’t downright sexist, your Eyewitness doesn’t know what is. Did they describe the sartorial accouterment of the male MP who followed her on the floor?? Your Eyewitness had remarked about the fellow – he goes by the colourful nom de guerre of Phoulerie Joe! – who’d stuck to the SUBSTANCE. To wit that the PNC MP’s presentation reminded him of his mother’s yard fowls!! Squawking and flailing around like a headless chicken in the mode of Chicken Little who went around squawking, “The Sky is falling!!! The sky is falling!!”
Now, his analogy went to his perception of the SUBSTANCE of the MP’s presentation – that it was alarmist and incoherent! He didn’t patronise her by referring to her dress or hair, as the newspaper did!! So, THEY hadn’t noticed Phulourie Joe’s snazzy Cabana Stripe suit?? Your Eyewitness was a fashion pate in his day(!) so he knows about pin stripe and chalk stripe – but Cabana Stripe?? He’s seen this on bikinis and throw pillows – but men’s suits?? This was breaking new fashion ground! And yet it didn’t draw comment.
And that’s how they still put women in their PLACE, don’t they? The MP could’ve made the most piercing analysis of the Budget, but she’s trivialised by prefacing her presentation with a description of her dress and hairdo!! Now, your Eyewitness will show what should’ve been done – and hope he’s not now ironically accused of “mansplaining”. The theme of the Opposition MP’s presentation was “show me where you spend your money and I will tell you what you value.” And taking her seriously, your Eyewitness did just that in the PPP’s budget.
The largest chunk of money was on capital spending – $217 billion!! Which, to apply the MP’s aphorism, meant that the PPP values Guyana’s future!! And the specific allocation illustrates this – $88 billion to Public Works – meaning roads and bridges etc!! This has been the single greatest failure of past administrations, and it’s now being fixed. Then there was $27 billion for hydro-power and other means of producing cheap power. Aren’t they of GOOD value – as are the $19 billion for Health, $14 billion for Agriculture and $12 billion for Housing??
So, c’mon members of the press; enough with the anti-feminist tropes!!
…by PNC
Now that he’s listened to Day 2 of the Budget debate, your Eyewitness must confess that while he wouldn’t describe them as “headless yard fowls” (since he isn’t too familiar with the species and picks up his chickens headless in the supermarket’s frozen section) he did discern a pattern that emanated from the missing leader in the PNC ranks. It was all attack, attack, attack!! And no proposals that might cause fence sitters like yours truly to give them another look come 2025!!
An Opposition Leader would’ve had his brain trust come up with a comprehensive, coherent response to the PPP’s five-hour budget, and divvied it up to his foot soldiers, but with his opening address setting the overarching vision, showing that the PNC wants to take the country somewhere with THEIR plan. As it was, with the MPs just attacking the PPP’s Budget, they allowed the PPP to SET THEIR AGENDA!!
And you know, in any debate, when you do that, you’ve already lost!!
…on $2000 Bill
Why would the PNC say the new $2000 Bill signals hyperinflation?? Didn’t they hear about the $1million peso bill introduced in Venezuela last year to deal with their hyperinflation??
Smaller bills mean our money value’s rising!!
