…that PNC Congress
Your Eyewitness just loves a good mystery. But nowadays the genre seems to’ve withered on the (literary) vine, with the pickings getting slimmer daily. How many times can he reread Agatha Christie, PD James, Sue Grafton, or even hard-boiled Raymond Chandler and Mickey Spillane. So, he entertains himself with the real-life mysteries that occasionally present themselves as he trawls the dailies for his ruminations.
No…he doesn’t get into those philosophical mysteries such as why Granger has pulled a Marlene Dietrich and secluded himself from the paparazzi and adoring fans – some of whom had even thrown themselves in front of his car as it exited State House! He takes on more mundane cases, like the one presented in yesterday’s Stabber by a letter writer signing “name and address provided” (henceforth NAAP). “Regional Congress’ costs may limit participation and deliberations by PNC delegates” was the caption of the letter.
Now, you know your Eyewitness’s interest would be piqued by anything having to do with the PNC Congress!! This was like red meat – especially when the author was too coy to declare who he was. And yes, it’s a “he”! Generally, the topics dealt with don’t have enough specificity to solve the mystery, but then that’s half the fun, no? So, let’s dig into the clues! Right off the bat, NAAP declared, “Since this is the first time during the term of this Executive that I am officially receiving a copy of an e-mail to CEC Members on any matter, albeit, an invitation to our Party’s anniversary.”
Your Eyewitness concluded that the fella’s a member of the PNC’s Central Executive Council, and is obviously pretty miffed about being kept out of the loop on the goings on in that body! Like, for example, when the CEC rapped Granger on the knuckles for making decisions unilaterally? NAAP allowed that he was concerned about the upcoming Congress, and once again kvetched about being left out: “Regrettably, for reasons already stated, I considered it inappropriate to offer any uninvited comments, as by now it is obvious that my counsel was not needed.” Oooh! Nothing like a PNC CEC member scorned!
Then came the nugget that cracked the case as far as your Eyewitness is concerned: “On reflection, however, it may be a grave dereliction of my duty as a former leader and as a COVID-19 survivor, still suffering from the long-term effects of the virus one year after, to remain silent.” A former leader of the PNC? One who’d contracted COVID-19 but recovered?
Who else could NAAP be but ROHC?? Who’d rigged Congress to anoint Granger as his successor!! Why’d he take the trouble to sign as NAAP? Another mystery!!
…that WCB Inquiry
Your Eyewitness always liked Omar Khayyam’s line, “The moving finger writes, and having writ, moves on.” Meaning that time moves on inexorably, regardless of our proclivities. Maybe it does, but, more mundanely, what about when the moving finger doesn’t write but simply moves on? What happens to those stories not recorded for posterity? Suppose some were wronged, how would justice ever be done for them?
And this is what troubles your Eyewitness about what happened on the Public Road of West Berbice, after Granger and Harmon riled up the folks of the villages where the murdered Henry cousins lived. The PNC leaders made the murders political by linking them to the elections, which they’d attempted to rig but had been stymied.
And in making it political, in Guyana that means “racial”. And so it was that dozens of Indian Guyanese were beaten, battered, mauled, and had their vehicles and trucks damaged and burnt etc.
Will the finger move on without justice being done for them?
…the Brickdam fire
And here we thought we had an open-and-shut case on the Brickdam Police Station arson, and we could move on with straightening out the lackadaisical attitude of the Fire Service.
The Police are back under scrutiny!
