Dear Editor
ALL of the media have carried pictorials, so far, that seek to portray the disingenuous duo of Bharrat Jagdeo and his preferred pick for party presidential candidate Irfaan Ali, illustrating an Ali poise that is abjectly pathetic, in which the latter presents a physical outlook of a whipped school boy, who under the watchful eyes and listening ear of his master, has to know his place, at all times, until allowed to speak, on chosen pieces by his boss. Ali’s eyes betray a fearful gratitude to his master for being allowed to sit at the latter’s table and with a look of terrified resignation that concludes that unmistakable experience of being dominated by his political master, who continues to pull his puppet strings, at will; deciding what media issues he should address, apart from which questions he ought to dodge, or defend with less than convincing answers.

Surely, Ali cuts a picture of someone — not a real politician, of course – who is totally lost, and at sea, in the vast expanse of another contrived deception, of which he has long been groomed as a puppet, for a dangerously power-hungry political party master, in the latter attempts to continue his evil agenda of governance, for his personal aggrandizement, if his political party is favoured by the electorate come March 2020.

Never before, at least not in the history of the English- speaking Caribbean, nor in any western democracy, has such a degrading political party scandal, of a candidate — handpicked by a dinosaur that has been allowed to seize the reins of his political party — foisted upon, first, the party, and second, on its constituents, with just muted protest, although there has been raging internal party controversy. But that must be a matter for Ali’s party and its constituents, whose sadly known traditional behaviour of closing ranks, and not questioning their party leadership about policy and principles, have left them with the tragedy of a candidate which among themselves, they have known to deem as undesirable. How do they explain their party presidential candidate, whose public appearances have been guided, with simply unconvincing statements about Guyana?
Therefore, for Ali to declare that “he is no Jagdeo puppet’’ is not only the biggest LIE yet, and again, from its bottomless sewer where these emanate at FREEDOM HOUSE: it is a continuous insult to those in his party who know better, but have all been compromised and helpless, because of owing Jagdeo so many favours; as well as the party followers, who are generally treated as having to accept the leadership dictates, without question/protest.
But it is also a degradation to self-decency, for any such would-be candidate to continue to be involved in both a political hoax and a fraud – a scandal. For it denudes intra-party democracy, and the right of members in deciding its leaders, among other democratic rights.

But, let us understand this one, clear fact of the Jagdeo/Ali puppet arrangement. Such a selection could have only occurred with the willing consent of a candidate, who is perceived as weak, and a very willing tool for political manipulation. This type of unholy and dishonest duo has never done any good, for any state in which it is allowed. In fact, it is the known deceptive ploy of leaders who would have led criminal states, and who further seek to circumvent constitutional term limits, through dubious judicial challenges, to either perpetuate their rule or to desperately seek a return to power through the back door. This cannot be proper democracy, in any form, given its context, even if it is being attempted through legitimately held elections. Instead, it is an ugly attempt to insert a dangerous malformation into democratic electoral politics. Guyanese are wise enough not to allow such a distortion.

Regards
Earl Hamilton