Upcoming elections rich with opportunities

Dec 20, 2024 Features / Columnists, The GHK Lall Column

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Hard Truths…

By GHK Lall

Kaieteur News- There is the strong sense that one of the traditional underpinnings of Guyana’s elections has undergone a change.  Blame it on oil.  For once in the spotted history of this country’s elections, the blindness has eased, voters from all points are watching, considering.  Here are some commonsense assertions that can be challenged, but hard to overcome.

First, I believe the racial count has narrowed.  It is more than migration of one demographic over the other on a sustained basis.  People see and know the fat cats, top cats, and alley cats that live large off the wealth that belongs to all Guyanese, but from which the majority has been excluded.  It’s not so much about government policy, but more the result of insatiable greed.  Covetousness and acquisitiveness always trump clearheaded and cleareyed policy.  This has riled those who once told themselves that they will only vote one way.  Oil is the mover and shaker, and a great many Guyanese have been shaken and stirred, then taken for a ride.  They don’t like it.

Second, the census results are now long overdue.  The PPP Government, the custodian of that sensitive Blackbox, has gone underground with it.  Only the comatose, or Guyanese space cadets, need enlightenment as to why.  I report this differently.  If the demographics favored the government, or were closer to some confidence in electoral viability, both government and leaders would have been full-fledged noise nuisances.  Study the tensions in the two leaders.  Anything riles them, not just inquiries about their poor oil management.  The usually garrulous, unstoppable twosome are strangely silent about that census, then did what couldn’t have been more revealing.  They have been ducking it.  The longer and deeper they duck it, the more quickly and powerfully it floats before Guyanese.  This is more than losing an election.  It is more than losing illegitimate intimacies with the people’s oil money.  It is about serial crimes that hang over the unvaccinated.

Thus, one side of the local electoral mudwrestling extravaganza has been pummeled by a two-fisted attack.  The census numbers and the ever so slightly shifting voter sentiment.  Sure, it isn’t a mass rejection, but just enough to cause profuse sweating at Freedom House.  It’s why the air conditioners are always on, and the curtains drawn.  Citizens want piece of the oil pie.  Guyanese can read, they have cellphones, many of them are on Facebook.  Guyana is the biggest news around, but ordinary Guyanese must still fish around for a tadpole or a teabag to get by.  So, the PPP dug deep, and came up with a believed winner -$100,000 per adult.  Many Guyanese are delirious, reinforcing how bad things are.  After all, a hundred is a hundred, and when there is nothing, anything is something.  The PPP Government is gambling that the hundred isn’t too small, not too late, and recipients will remember.  Like the singer sang, “remember who, who use to wipe yuh nose fuh yuh, who use to hug and kiss you.”

Meanwhile, PPP hustlers are busy selling that song.  But when Sir Alistair put up his luscious billboards, and the PPP li’l buoys (they bob and weave like one) went around trying to roundup the faithful, the people knew courtship was happening.  The difference is that there are neither flowers nor perfume; not even some cheap chocolate.  The peeple nah stupid like lang time.  What a difference this oil makes, 24 little errors…

Looking at these scenarios, the opposition should be sitting prettily electorally.  Whoever has that thought in their head, should swallow a bottle of aspirin.  The PNC and the AFC are either tacticians of peculiar ability, or have some secret elections sauce.  Like, the ruling party’s supporters, some of the opposition parties’ supporters are saying not so fast.  Show what is in hand.  Show how much readiness there is.  Show what is different, better.  Remember that slogan about every vote counts?  Now try this, Guyanese who are utterly disgusted with the PPP, want the PNC and AFC to show them what they have got.  Why y’all and not dem?  Why even vote?  This is no longer about the lesser of two evils.  It is about which side could deliver more money, and other goodies.

It is my position that there is a decent basket of votes that is up for grabs.  Call them whatever suits: independent, malcontent, intelligent, or just plain damn belligerent.  They are fed-up and mean to get the most from their vote, if they vote.  If the opposition can rise to the challenge with the proper form and figure, it may surprise.  If it doesn’t, something tells me that it could be a low voter turnout come September or whenever.  A purely oil party could be a homewrecker, but that depends on who is doing the jilting, who gets jilted.  A foot in the house and soon seats could be occupied.  Is who house is dis?  Is who runnin’ dis place?  Move over, Manzoor.

Oil has lubricated the upcoming elections every which way.  The action is now starting.  Incidentally, I’m watching to see if Mr. Alistair Routledge would be voting.  He has been here long enough.  Yeah, sad movies made Sue Thompson cry.  Oil is doing that to Guyanese.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of this newspaper.)

(Upcoming elections rich with opportunities)

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• blackbox, luscious billboards, oil, serial crimes, undergone a change

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