The “yes” people, the “no” people and “De Donald”

May 29, 2014 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

Will we get anyway in the stalemate in the body politic of this sad nation aggravated by the arrogation of total power by a minority government? The scenario is a pessimistic one. Two possible reasons can explain this; one is based on mischief, the other on psychology.
When the leadership of the PPP, without exception, dissects the body politic of this nation it sees a superior agency, the PPP, fighting an evil opposition which in the collective mind of the PPP also includes independent organizations and critics bent on removing the PPP. Is this conceptualization based on a psychological prism that has taken on an independent function in the collective soul of the PPP?
A psychologist would argue that what lay people see as mischief in those who hold power, may be the subjective, Freudian mechanism at work. In other words, the dictator is driven by a phantasmagoria of objects that he/she considers real and is not being deceptive and devious.
How do you know that Tony Blair did not want his Macbethian moment of fame so he deceitfully lied to the British people about Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction? A lot of British citizens believe Blair was a conspirator who schemed with President Bush to bomb Iraq and if there wasn’t the weapons excuse, he and Bush would have invented one.
Blair on the other hand, in his memoirs, tells a different story. He wrote that he truly believed that Iraq was a threat to the world and he acted out of that belief. Whichever way you look at it – mischief or psychology – authoritarian leaders should not be tolerated because they are driven by psychological fixations rather than deliberate lying.
They should be punished for the wrong things they do and should be made to understand that there can be no excuse for hurting a nation because you believe you were doing the right thing.
It is this tragedy that is playing out in Guyana. Since the results of the last general elections, the PPP leadership has invented a political conversation named “we versus dem” or “yes” people versus “no” people. The “we” is the PPP and its beneficiaries who are building Guyana. The “dem” are the enemies of progress who want to stop the PPP
The “yes” people are the PPP and its extended cabal who are saying yes to all the things that need to be done to make Guyana better. The “no” people is a broad conglomeration of people who criticize the PPP.
So President Ramotar (I like the usage of, “De Donald”) was on the attack again on the “dem” and the “no” people during his Independence anniversary speech. He intoned that the politics of “no” in the current Parliament is damaging Guyana. But who is in the “no” in this type of politics in Parliament? That is not so important a question as compared to whether “De Donald” really believes in the existence of a “no” group.
My take on this is that it is mischief and not psychology at work. “De Donald” knows very well that in Parliament there is no opposing side saying no and a concurring side saying yes. The opposition says no, and the PPP says no and “De Donald” says no quite often. Ramotar has said ‘no’ to the Bill limiting Jagdeo’s extra benefits as a former president. Ramotar has said no to three other Bills including important local government legislation. Ramotar has said no to the holding of local government elections.
Ramotar is saying ‘no’ to the enactment of the Procurement Commission. Ramotar has been saying ‘no’ for three years now to the opposition demands for their ideas to be included in the national budget. This is the same Ramotar who yelled out, “For Christ’s sake, let’s try them” referring to the ideas of politicians for developing Guyana whether from PPP or the opposition.
A wonderful idea by the AFC to break the deadlock on the Procurement Commission has met with a resounding ‘no’ by Ramotar. The AFC has submitted the plausible suggestion that Cabinet can retain the right to object to a tender but that right will be extended to members of the Procurement Commission. “De Donald” still says ‘no’ to the idea.
In his address, the President called for renewed patriotism and nationalism from all the political parties. Make no mistake about it, this renewed patriotism and nationalism must come from “dem” not “we” since “we” are committed patriots and nationalist.
An English poet, Richard Aldington once wrote: “Nationalism is a silly cock crowing on its own dunghill.” Inside the PPP, there are lots of cocks.

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The “yes” people, the “no” people and “De Donald”

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