Third term drama: Where is Navin Chandarpal?

Dec 29, 2009 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

Mr. Navin Chandarpal has been relieved of his job as Science Advisor to the presidency. Since then, this country has not heard from Mr. Chandarpal.
He hasn’t written anything to the press. He has not been interviewed as far as I know. So there is no solid reason which we can write on as to why Mr. Chandarpal was removed.
But this is a small society and news travel fast. The explanation making the rounds is that Mr. Chandarpal was denunciatory of any potential manoeuvers in third term directions. I am putting it mildly here but my sources told me that Mr. Chandarpal was blunt that his party should not give Mr. Jagdeo an opportunity to run for a third term.
Unlike normal, modern political societies where political leaders feel the need to address the media and the nation on conflicting politics, Mr. Chandarpal has not spoken about his removal and the possible reasons. I say normal because when these things happen, lawmakers and political leaders show some respect for the people of the country by stating their position. It is called moral obligation.
When Prime Minister Basdeo Panday of Trinidad left the country and overlooked senior party ranks to act as Prime Minister, three members of his Cabinet disagreed and made known their views as to why the Prime Minister was wrong.
It is the same with Mr. Keith Rowely of the ruling PNM in Trinidad. He had publicly articulated his negative perceptions of Prime Minister Patrick Manning. In fairness to Moses Nagamootoo, while being part of the executive committee of the PPP, the real decision-making body even though in name the Central Committee is supposed to be more endowed with authority, he openly voiced his criticism of corruption under the reign of Minister Ronald Gajraj, the then Home Affairs Minister.
Mention must be made, too, of the courage of Khemraj Ramjattan when as a member of the PPP Central Committee, he denounced many episodes of bad governance and corruption.
I stress that what is involved here is moral obligation. Mr. Chandarpal must know that silence creates confusion and rumour-mongering therefore the best course is for him to explain to the society about his attitude to the third term scenario.
If we agree that he was eased out of his advisory position because of rejection of the third term preparations, then it would be to the advantage of the third term rejectionists if Mr. Chandarpal expresses his opinion to his PPP constituencies. No better way of doing this than to speak to the press.
There is an interesting scenario unfolding here. President Jagdeo was not shy or afraid to move against Mr. Chandarpal. Why should Mr. Chandarpal then be intimidated or sheepish in saying what he has on his mind?
Mr. Chandarpal must be sleeping in a pool of wishful thinking if he thinks the term-term bandwagon has been dismantled. The vehicle is in the garage waiting for the word to go on the road again. I would like to repeat what I wrote previously.
Too much, way too much money has been invested in the establishment of Guyana Times, the purchase of all of Tony Vieira’s Channel 28’s assets, and now the imminent opening of a radio station to the Queens Atlantic Investment (parent of Guyana Times and channel 28) to now extirpate the term-term spirit
Hundreds of millions of dollars have gone into the purchase of these media houses named above to just walk away from the third-term plan. I repeat once more- the third term motorcade will take to the road again next year after a number of goodies would have been distributed to the nation. No setback will derail the third-term train.
Copenhagen was to be the show case of the third-term campaign but with the failure of Copenhagen to bring in the enormous sums that were expected each year, alternative icing on the cake will have to be found.
One hopes that the Guyanese people are not so naïve to think that the third-term fight is over because Copenhagen failed.
The third-term is definitely on. We will not see its reemergence until the local government elections slated for mid next year but it is definitely a reality If Mr. Chandarpal wants to stop it, he has to act sooner than later. He has forty years of political experience.
Surely, he must have learnt a thing or two during all those years. Has he?

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