What is Mervin’s beef with Corbin – public mischief or fatal attraction?

Jan 24, 2011 Letters

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Dear Editor,
I reply to Emile Mervin’s, Opposition Leader’s ineffectiveness against Government’s shenanigans fueling public suspicions” (Kaieteur News, 23/1/2011).
It is unfortunate to mask his initial lies about Mr. Robert Corbin; Mervin continues to get his knickers in a twist. His initial lies were Mr. Corbin will get a “generous retirement” package as Leader of the Opposition; there is a Jagdeo/Corbin third term deal; and Jagdeo and Corbin having secret talks.
When the lies to the pension and third term deal were exposed to cover those lies he created some more. When he was asked to provide evidence of “secret talks” he continues to pile on the lies. I say to Mervin today, I will make it my duty to expose your lies about Mr. Corbin and the PNCR. For too long he has gotten away with these lies because it was thought his conscience will prick him someday, since that day will never come the public has to know the truth.
When President Jagdeo said he challenged Mr. Corbin to provide evidence that he was seeking legal advice to extend his term in office, Mr. Corbin said he is sticking by his story. Refer to “Jagdeo challenges Corbin to identify legal advisors,” (KN 9/1/2011). SN of 23 January 2011 in the article ‘GECOM sought legal advice on extending life of current administration – source’ reports, “The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) had sought legal advice on the extension of the life of the current administration following a request from a government minister, a source told SN yesterday. According to the usually reliable source, who chose to remain unnamed, the body had sought advice on the possibility of extending the government’s term through the dissolution of parliament and things of that nature and not a third term for President Bharrat Jagdeo who is constitutionally limited to two terms.”  Mr. Corbin and the PNCR are once again vindicated.
At no time did Mr. Corbin talk about a “third term.” Mervin should take note that Mr. Corbin has always spoken of “extending term in office.” He, the AFC and other agent provocateurs are the ones talking about a “third term.” They are two separate and distinct issues of which Mervin and the legally trained leaders of the AFC are aware. The things “fuelling a third term talk” are the voices in the heads of Mervin and his political masters and their penchant for public mischief.
They will continue to peddle the lies which are tantamount to being irresponsible. Is this the “new politics” Guyanese should applaud and join – one built on lies, chicanery, lawlessness and irresponsibleness?
Mr. Corbin has repeatedly said there is no “third term” deal with him and Jagdeo and the PNCR will not violate the constitutional two-term. Refer to Kaieteur News, “Jagdeo Third Term…Out of the question-Corbin” of 6 August 2008 and SN “I have never discussed with President Jagdeo the issue of a third term” of 7 October 2007, as evidence for how far back Mr. Corbin has sought to put this lie to rest.
I can bet though, Mervin, the AFC and other agent provocateurs will not put their lie to rest because it gives them relevance and stirs the cauldron of public mischief. For them this was never a matter of truth and personal integrity, it remains to then efforts to further the PPP’s agenda and hoodwink their supporters. This is the only logical explanation to the AFC parliamentary voting support with the PPP, constantly attaching the PNCR, and refusing to join the calls and efforts of the PNCR to do things for the constituents.
On what Mr. Corbin and the PNCR should be doing, yes, there is more work to be done and consistent pressure to be applied to this government. Can Mervin say why the AFC is not helping the PNCR to secure the support it needs, since the party shares similar constituents.
He refuses to answer my question on why AFC parliamentarians vote in agreement with the PPP, including voting to deny public servants their rights as seen in the Public Service Commission fiasco. He refuses to answer the question why the AFC did not join the PNCR, workers and bauxite union when they protested Minister Nadir’s office on November 22 on the BCGI matter. If persons think the PNCR needs beefing up, the PNCR is not un-mindful to concerns from the public, but Mervin is also asked to encourage his party, the AFC, to join with the PNCR to add weight to the effectiveness of the opposition.
Hope he is not going to hide behind the longstanding excuse that the AFC is still in its infancy and should sit on the couch and only suck its thumb even as its members are being paid by the public to equally serve them. Again, I ask Mervin to name me three achievements the AFC won for its main constituent?
The United Nations has dedicated this year ‘The International Year of People of African Descent.’ The PNCR, ACDA, TUC and others have come out and condemn the government’s refusal to get Africans involved in planning a year designated to their interests. My heart goes out to African Guyanese whose year of events has been hijacked by this government. Ronald Waddell and the 400 killed by the phantom squad must be crying in their graves.
I too cry for justice, my people and my country. The AFC remains silent to the government’s bullyism in as much as its constituent is primarily from the African community. If Mervin may not know I am Indian and equally condemn what this government is doing and join with others in calling for the respect to be given to Africans in the year designated to attend to matters of interests to them. For me and many others the AFC’s silence is another show of support to the PPP discriminating against Africans. Are we wrong, Mervin?
Mervin wants to know if Mr. Corbin is “vicariously” writing for me. Let me assure him truth has company. So it follows that if Mr. Corbin’s exposure of the truth is similar to mine, he needs not worry. Similarly too lie has company, but I would not stoop as low as him and wonder if  Khemraj Ramjattan, Raphael Trotman, and Sheila Holder are “vicariously” writing for him. The untruths Mervin peddles in the letter columns are identical the ones peddled by the AFC.
Now Mervin comes up with an “age” lie to fuel his lie of a Corbin “generous retirement package.” He says because Mr. Corbin is in his sixties and is still a Member of the National Assembly and Leader of the Opposition it amounts to him receiving ‘special retirement benefits.’ This new lie needs to be exposed. There is no age limit to serve as a minister, president or member of the National Assembly.
The Jagans have served into their 70s, they were and are also other Members in the House of Mr. Corbin’s age group and older, including the Speaker of the House, but Mervin applies no grand scheme to their presence. If I not mistaken Sheila Holder of the AFC is older than Mr. Corbin! So what is Mervin’s beef with Corbin – public mischief or fatal attraction?
The danger in what Mervin is doing and his continued failure to acknowledge his initial lies puts him in a position where he has to tell more lies to cover up the previous lies, now creating a mountain of lies that is swamping him. His pride or political directors will not let him do the decent thing and acknowledge his humanness to err. So he keeps up the knickers twisting. It is my sincerest hope it doesn’t twist the breath out of him.
B. Beniprashad Rayman

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