2019: One of the most macabre years in Guyanese history

Jan 13, 2020 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

TIME magazine has a fixed criterion by which it arrives at the PERSON OF THE YEAR. They do not include values, virtues, achievements etc. Its only requirement is “impact.”
Whether the impact is good or negative, it puts weight on the impact the person created. Based on this criterion, Donald Trump would easily beat out all others.
In 2019, Charrandass Persaud could be on the top of the list for Guyana. He created the absorption that riveted Guyanese in 2019. But that was all he did. He did not command an active presence in 2019.
In my opinion, President Granger could be a serious contender using the TIME magazine determinant.
One has to look hard to find in the past a Guyanese president that in one calendar year composed so many concepts that were oxymoronic – dangerous yet laughable. The obvious one will always be conjured up when long from now Guyanese talk about President Granger.
It was simply unbelievable and incredible. When the chairman of the Caribbean Court of Justice advised the lawyers for both opposition and government that they must work out an amicable solution to the GECOM chairman issue and compromise along the way, Granger said he interpreted that to mean that the CCJ ruled that he can select a list of his own.
Well since he could do that then it means he has to submit it to himself because it is the president that has to accept the chairman.
It was an acrobatic leap of immense strides since the constitution of Guyana remained unchanged after the CCJ chairman made those words. And the constitution stipulates a list from the opposition leader handed in to the president not the other way around.
Granger summoned the heads of foreign missions and delivered his interpretation to them. For me, this was one of the lowest points in 2019.
I will analyse another disturbing faux pas of Granger in a separate column. He has a definition of fair reporting and concluded that state advertisements should be pinned to fair reporting.
No one has asked him if his criterion applies to the Chronicle which in case you are from another Planet and don’t know; that is not a paper invested with private capital but operating with taxpayers’ money.
For me, the man of 2019 title was shared by Donald Ramotar and Bharrat Jagdeo. One writes a letter each week in three daily newspapers, the other holds a weekly press conference. But there is no announcement of the words, “I’m sorry.”
I gave both men the title because of their rush to support the wife of Walter Rodney in her condemnation of government’s refusal to make the Commission into Rodney’s death public.
Why would Jagdeo and Ramotar commit self-decapitation by supporting the public viewing of the report? Both presidents became close to persons who were involved in the planning of Rodney’s death.
Two of these persons were named in the report. These two persons have become stupendously rich through close affiliation with these two PPP presidents who knew of their involvement. You can say the year 2019 was the year of shame personified in Ramotar and Jagdeo. I truly feel sorry for Walter’s widow.
Nasty things happened in 2019 that made the egregiousness of that year stand out in the history of Guyana. A young woman from the WPA was made the Minister of the Public Service and within days fired three persons for allegedly giving out information about government’s business.
This young lady wasn’t born when WPA leaders in the seventies were receiving confidential information from state officials including army officers.
Her APNU leaders should tell her they too were receiving confidential files when the PPP was in government and APNU was in the opposition. But here is the thing. She had no proof against the trio and had no legal authority fire them. This barefaced woman has refused to apologise to Walter Rodney and the people of Guyana for a gargantuan act of stupidity.
I will continue to look at the Draculean tentacles of 2019 but I will end with the title of clown of 2019 – rejected Chairman of GECOM, Justice Patterson. I use the word, “rejected” because the CCJ ruled that he was illegally installed therefore he had to be removed.
Patterson told the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) that he voted against Vishu Persaud for the position of Deputy Chief Election Officer because he found him not trustworthy and shifty.
Guess what? Patterson never met or spoke with Persaud. Patterson never interviewed him. Patterson told the ERC that he arrived at his decision from a paper trail. Where is the paper trail? There wasn’t any.

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2019: One of the most macabre years in Guyanese history

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