…but you can’t hide
David Granger’s old enough to remember the taunt: “You can run…but you can’t hide”, attributed to the iconic heavyweight boxer Joe Louis. The latter was going to face the light heavyweight champ Billy Conn and someone suggested because of the latter’s quickness, he might adopt a hit-and-run strategy. Joe proved himself a prophet when he knocked out Conn cold – after being initially behind on points!!
So, Mr Granger should know he can’t run from the press forever. They’ve put up with him having only two press conferences since 2015 and he should know from their growing impatience and testiness, they might just decide to knock him out before 2020!!!
His amiability can only go so far…even with the pussycats in the Guyana press corps! Imagine his excuse for not presenting himself to the direct scrutiny of the fourth estate was because “he’s been travelling a lot’!!
Well, duh!! That’s one of the reasons the press wants to speak to him about!! What’s so important him attending, say, the Sixth Assembly of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) in Vietnam?? Is he competing with Jagdeo to have a presence on environmental matters?? If so, wouldn’t it serve his interest to go along with the AFHEP – which Norway had certified as the best option for us to reduce our Carbon footprint?
And what’s with developing trade with Vietnam? Does Granger know Vietnam’s the third largest exporter in the world for rice?? After destroying the sugar industry and forcing DDL to import molasses, is the PNC leader now signalling the rice industry’s doom and he’s securing supplies from Vietnam?
Anyhow back to him dodging the media. Now, you can’t say it’s because Granger’s tongue tied and unable to express himself. Apart from being trained at our expense for decades in the Army, we also funded his studies at UG and UWI on history. In these courses he had to make countless presentations. So there must be other reasons.
Your Eyewitness thinks, the answer’s very simple. The PNC’s performance on every facet of governmental activity has been so piss poor, there’s no way even an articulate fella like Granger can trust himself not to put his foot into his mouth!! What really can he say about the scandals in the pharma sector? Or about Jubilee “Ants Nest” Park?? Or after all the denunciations of “PPP corruption”, his Government has been unable to get a SINGLE conviction??
Fact of the matter, there’s no way Granger can run any longer. It’s either he faces the (media) music directly…or be destroyed in absentia!!
It’s “sayonara” time, baby!!
…but not from venality
The PPP’s never been able to even get NEAR the seat of power in City Hall, much less occupy it! The closest they got was when in 1994 they cut a deal with the PNC and Hamilton Green’s GGG to ROTATE the Mayoralty after the three-way elections. PNC got first dibs with Randwell Jordan; then Hamilton to be followed by the PPP. Green, of course, didn’t let go for the next two decades!!
Anyhow, for all those years there were warnings that the Gothic structure – which literally WAS City Hall – was crumbling. And the PNC couldn’t blame the PPP!! Not that they didn’t try!! Annually monies were collected from the local Treasury and from foreign donations to fix the landmark structure. But while every years there were new scandals of featherbedding; outright stealing as verified by the Auditor General; graft; cronyism; jet setting lifestyle for the Mayor and cronies, pieces of the structure kept falling on peoples’ heads!!
Now we’re told that they need over $900 million to fix the building!! Or fill more pockets??
…but it’s still City Hall
The philosophical question posed: if the handle of a knife is replaced, and after a while the blade follows suit, is it the same knife?
And thus the question if City Hall is ever “fixed”!!
