PPP General Secretary, Cde Bharrat Jagdeo, went to the late Mr. Robert Corbin’s celebratory hour and delivered a bouncer. He stole a march on (and the thunder of) the assembled PNC aristocracy. It was during that soothing interlude dedicated to Mr. Corbin’s remembrances that Dr. Jagdeo unveiled his latest masterpiece. A monument dedicated to himself. The Bharrat Jagdeo New Guyana Order. From the Bharrat Jagdeo Bridge to the Bharrat Jagdeo New Guyana Order. If only pigs could fly….
For the thousandth time, anyone and anything that gives this prostrate, helpless, ravaged land a chance to get off the ground, and be a respected nation, I am 150 percent for it. Recommended. Endorsed. Oversubscribed. Even when the author or sculptor of that monument is someone as shaky and silky as Dr. Jagdeo. I know this Friar well; he deserves the accolades. For what would a PPP-PNC coalition mean for Guyanese, but not that elusive Holy Grail -national unity. It’s not the year-round masquerade labeled One Guyana. But about anywhere from 60-70 percent of the population all in harmony and singing their homages lustily to Jagdeo. In fact, the arithmetic must be extended to include those of mixed ancestry who identify more as Afro-Guyanese or Indo-Guyanese, for they too would join the Jagdeo cavalcade. As always, Guyana’s First Citizens remain Guyana’s last citizens. Left out, forgotten. Respectfully, who needs them, when elections are less of a pressure cooker, and more of a finished pancake? Thus, I say this man Jagdeo must be regarded with four eyes.
Regarded, sure. How about trusted? Who besides PPP hardcore still trusts him? Who but PNC hopefuls, banished to oil’s backside, wouldn’t grasp the straw extended by Jagdeo at Corbin’s lying-in state? The drowning will clutch at anything. Jagdeo’s open invitation represents something. Something is better than nothing. It is more sophisticatedly described as politics. Play it, and there’s inclusion. Play at your own risk, though.
For who can, or should, trust PPP tribal chiefs when they come with their lavish platters? Recall one Guyana grandee: “review and renegotiate.” After that carrot was swallowed (whole) and he emerged victorious (headmastership), he promptly went into reverse gear: sanctity of contract. If trust is still present in Guyana, it should be honest enough to mark its name in the idiot column of the attendance sheet. Jagdeo himself spoke so glowingly about half-price electricity for Guyanese living in darkness. They still live there. Aside: does Prado-Ville get blackouts? Know the answer. Couldn’t help myself; had to ask. Around the last elections, Prophet Jagdeo promised Guyanese petitioners cleaner, smoother, straighter access to information. Either he or his prophecy is a farce. Because when petitioners reapply for information, they are roundly pushed around. If I were to list Friar Jagdeo’s promises and projects that had hidden teeth, that boomeranged to bite deeply, it would be a full-time calling, with no time left to pray for him and the PPP.
Frankly, a PPP-PNC coalition (even of the mind) has huge potential. But what happens after Mistah Jagdeo gets what he wants? WIN and Mohamed dispatched. Would that mean all those great promises are disowned? That is, the PNC used; then the PNC refused. There’s another consideration creeping up on Guyanese. With the population expected to reach three million by the next election cycle, what’s the chance those new arrivals will form their own political party? If only to minimize their own exploitation. Commercial, sexual, and political exploitations. For clarity, those three are often inseparable.
Here’s my last word on this Jagdeo-Corbin saga. With Robert Corbin moving on, Bharrat Jagdeo was already planning to move further up. He’s still relatively young, has another 5-year cycle (maybe two) in him. After this PPP-PNC togetherness business is consummated, would the PNC still matter, then? Food for hungry Guyanese, and the full ones, too. It first has to be cooked, boiled, and fried in trust. Jagdeo and trust have their own long history. Guyanese are the judges. Could be beneficiaries. Or victimized yet again.
Goodbye.
