Latest update April 25th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jan 25, 2015 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon
At the time of writing, there is no proclamation dissolving Parliament, yet there is an election date announced by the President. Before we come to the right or wrong of that decision, one needs to take a really hard look at who made that decision.
When one does that one is faced with the inevitable question – why do post-colonial countries put up with some of the asininities inherited from colonial powers? The man who called an election date in Guyana and did not issue a proclamation dissolving Parliament – meaning that he can change that date if he wants to – is a person who will contest the election when the time comes.
To the mind even of a little schoolboy that does not sound right. That politician can time the election to give himself an advantage over his rivals. In the case of Guyana, this politician can change the announced date of May 11 tomorrow. In many countries, the date for the election is not a prerogative of the politician, but is fixed to prevent politicians from manipulating the timing of an election.
Having got that point out of the way let’s look at the election date. Even the Attorney-General has admitted that a proclamation has to come and Parliament has to be dissolved. Why was that not done and a watertight date announced? Because unlimited power make leaders possessed of such power feel that they could do anything unimaginable to a country and the people would have to accept it.
There is a court case involving some Parika vendors and the Region Three administration. A group of us came to the vendors’ rescue and sought an injunction. One of the close relatives of Cheddi Jagan said to me that we may lose the case, so it is best that we advise the vendors to form a delegation and go to see the leadership of the PPP or Luncheon or the President. He told me that with local government elections in the air, the PPP dare not mistreat the vendors. This conversation took place over six months ago.
I said to him that he was a decent man with a decent mind, and that he is projecting that mind unto others possessed of unlimited power and who would not be able to see reality the way he does. I asked what makes him think that Freedom House wouldn’t show the vendors the steps.
He insisted that with local government elections around the corner, they wouldn’t do that. My advice to the vendors was as simple as looking at the grass on the parapet – take your chance in the court and stay away from cruel politicians whose judgement has fled to brutish beast and who have lost their reason.
Since that discussion, the people with unlimited power have done unimaginable things with their uncontrollable, untamed power. One day after the election announcement, the PPP did what is beyond imagination. I told Dr. Mellissa Ifill, the head of the union of academics at UG, that for all my years of studying the PPP, I would have never believed the PPP could or would make Bibi Shadick the Pro-Chancellor of UG.
There seems to be no end to this madness, and this is because leaders possessed of unimaginable power do unimaginable things.
The Pro-Chancellor, Vice Chancellor and Chancellor’s seats are essentially academic positions always reserved for people in academia. This obtains throughout the world. But let us say you haven’t got such a person, you try for someone near to those qualities. Without any comment on Bibi Shadick, it is a fact that in politics and law, the two professions Ms. Shadick is in, she has not distinguished herself. This is my opinion and I would like to see an argument against it. Surely, there is the concept of “achievement” and we comment on lack of achievement every day in our lives when we see certain cricketers selected and others not picked.
We come back to the election date without the proclamation. It was done because the PPP Government knew that it could do it and it would bring no protest and even if there is rebuke, it will die down in days’ time. Often in this column, I have argued that it is important for readers to understand that they must not expect the logical and the rational from the PPP leadership, because logic and reason die a natural death in the halls of government when oligarchs and tyrants become invincible.
The Bibi Shadick case came in the midst of election campaigning and the PPP is campaigning, but will the PPP appear gentle, tolerant, generous and democratic as the election fever heats up? Think you know the answer?
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