Avoid the Rodney King road over Royston King

Aug 29, 2014 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

APNU and the AFC are prepared to go into an early general election. One anticipates the PPP will put up serious roadblocks to remain in office if the no-confidence motion is passed. It will be passed, inevitably, as day passes into night.
Whatever hurdles are used by the PPP to continue in power, there is going to be a general election next year, whether early or late in the year, but it will be in 2015.
Once they have made up their mind to contest the forthcoming poll, APNU and the AFC have to stay off the streets. This shouldn’t bother APNU, because since 2011 APNU wasn’t interested in road occupation. One suspected that after the close election result in which APNU could have been victorious in having the plurality, APNU settled down to plan for the next poll, when they figure they could galvanize a substantial percentage of those 120,000 registrants who didn’t turn up to vote in 2011.
No one knows who the bulk of those absentees would have balloted for, but my guess is it would have been for APNU. That policy has paid off for APNU and it has now become a big prize for APNU. With an election around the corner, APNU will observe the no protest sign with meticulous relentlessness.
APNU’s leaders can now say to people like me and David Hinds and others, “We told you so.” Of course what David and I meant was that you have to be tactical. You have to know when to take to the streets and when not to. But since 2011, APNU had a blunt attitude of not touching street protest.
Circumstances now favour APNU. Stay away from public demonstrations to avoid the race trap of the PPP. Since the announcement of the no-confidence vote, the PPP has unleashed its provocation strategy.
It has begun with the arrest and charge of the Public Relations Officer of the Georgetown City Council for forgery. Any fool knows that this is a political ploy to anger the PNC.
The Royston King charge is as politically odious as any in the history of this country. What is equally repellant is the assignment of $70,000 bail. Any first-year law student would tell you bail is a mechanism to ensure an accused returns to court.
Does Magistrate Latchman believe Mr. King will not attend his trial? Wasn’t self-bail the most commonsensical thing to do?
Let me interrupt this train of thought to say that I have complained against this magistrate to the Chancellor. He replied to say that he has decided that the Judicial Service Commission should hold an enquiry (see KN, April 27, 2014, page 12, “Chief Magistrate and Judy Latchman report to be sent to Judicial Commission”). But there is no functioning Judicial Service Commission.
Something out of a horror movie has descended upon this country and has eaten up the soul of this nation. Not one citizen has chided the magistrate for her unbelievable imposition of $70,000 on a prominent citizen who speaks on behalf of the City Council, which is the government of Georgetown. But back to the politics of the King charge.
It is possible that the Royston King nastiness was engineered to get the PNC so mad that it would go in the direction of the Rodney King protest in the US and the streets of downtown Georgetown would be filled with protestors? My answer is yes. This is the first salvo by the PPP to get into the minds of its Indian constituencies to paint African Guyanese as rabbles and tell Indians that these are the people the PNC depends on for its support.
Both APNU and the AFC should be made aware that their patience will be tested. The PNC has won round one. The Royston King harassment was gruesome politics, but APNU has read the script correctly. More horror stories are in the making. It will really be a race of endurance for these two parties, but they will have to bear up with some dangerous poison from the PPP.
The PPP is in a no-win situation. If they ignore the no-confidence vote, there will be enormous pressure on state institutions by powerful organizations like the political parties not to recognize the authority of the Government of the day, which will be an unconstitutional government. There is no doubt the ABC countries will call on the PPP to hold elections. Secondly, if the PPP wins back a plurality or loses outright, the game is still over. More Royston King eggs will be laid soon. APNU needs to be thoughtful.

Latest News

Avoid the Rodney King road over Royston King

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show|| February, 10th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Eagles survive shaky start on Rain-affected opening day

TCL hand over trophies for Mashramani Street...

Nagassar was re-elected as President of GCUC

Herstelling and Eccles SC chalk up wins in latest...

Golden Jaguars CONCACAF home match against...

Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport endorses...

Features/Columnists

An Open Letter to the election observer missions

OAS Secretary General Election and renewed OAS Consensus

Azruddin Mohamed development-the constants

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]

Avoid the Rodney King road over Royston King

Share this:

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show|| February, 10th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]