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POLITICS IS FUN IN GUYANA… AND FUNNY TOO!

Dec 14, 2012 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

 
Guyana is the best country in the world. The level of political humour found here is unmatched anywhere else in the world.
Two recent events illustrate how funny politics can be in Guyana and why it is such an enjoyable pastime for many. The first was a statement made by an official of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, to the effect that permission was not given to the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) for the use of the National Stadium by the players selected to represent Guyana at next month’s regional 20/20 cricket tournament. The second statement of humour was made by the main opposition party, complaining over the Government Information Agency (GINA)’s language and opinion.
In short, it is concerned about the language used by GINA and its opinions. This is another way of saying that it has problems with the sort of bias shown by GINA.
Why would it have an issue with the opinion of GINA? What else does the opposition expect? GINA is the government information agency and it is expected to be one-sided. Its job is to promote the business of the government, not to be balanced.
Since when does the opposition expect GINA to be balanced? The complaint by the opposition is so funny that it should make international headlines as one of the most comical statements ever made.
In should be recalled that GINA was one of the agencies which was subject to Budget cuts by the opposition. When this happened the government was quick to point out the absurdity of the opposition’s justification, because the job of a government information agency is to be partial to the government.
Now that the opposition is confirming that GINA is biased, it means that GINA is being effective in its job and therefore should expect the opposition to, in next year’s budget, restore the amounts that were cut.
But politics in Guyana got funnier when there was a reaction to a question raised by someone connected to the government-appointed Interim Management Committee. The official wanted to know how come the Guyana Cricket Board-selected team was utilizing a government facility to train the players selected.
This was a logical question, because it is known that the Guyana government does not recognize the Guyana Cricket Board and has been trying to impose its will on the management of local cricket. Therefore the question was asked as to how the government, which does not recognize the GCB, could give permission for a GCB team to use the National Stadium, and more so considering that the government’s IMC had also named its own team.
The West Indies Cricket Board has, however, not allowed the government to run roughshod over one of its affiliates and has refused to budge from its position that it recognizes only the Guyana Cricket Board, and will not countenance government interference.
The GCB is not illegal as is being misrepresented. The Courts have ruled that the GCB has no legal personality. This simply means that it cannot sue in its own name or be sued, but this lack of legal personality does not delegitimize the GCB.
The government of Guyana, which is peddling the line that the court deemed the GCB as illegal, has since found itself in a serious dilemma. It knows that if it does not allow the team that was selected by the GCB and accepted by the West Indies Board to participate in next month’s competition to utilize national facilities for training purposes, there will be a huge  public outcry that the government is subverting the team’s chances in that tournament.
The players will also be angry, since they know that if they win this tournament, they will go to the lucrative Champions League later next year. Some of the players are also hoping to use this tournament to impress the West Indies selectors. So there is a lot at stake for the team and the players.
On the other hand, the government cannot be seen to be giving recognition to the GCB. When the question was therefore asked as to what was the GCB team was doing training at the National Stadium, the authorities had to find an explanation, and they found the most comical of reasons to justify their actions.
They said that permission was not given to the GCB, but to the players. So whose team do the players represent?

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