‘King Solomon’ wisely concedes defeat
– Grudgingly admits PPP/C has always had Linden’s back
OLD Kai was inspired by the strength and determination showed by supporters of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) who turned up in their numbers on Saturday, January 25, 2014 to reopen their regional office in Linden.
This was despite the atmosphere of fear which APNU, led by their point-man in Linden, Sharma Solomon, attempted to create in the mining town in the lead-up to the opening.
However, Old Kai is grateful to Solomon and his other opposition colleagues who were kind enough to mobilise and bring their supporters to the event. Ordinarily, the opposition media would not have carried news about the opening ceremony of the PPP Region 10 office, as it goes against their agenda of painting the PPP as only an East Indian Party, and being uncaring of the people of Linden.
By publishing such an article, their readers will begin to question them and their opposition masters, as, if the PPP and the PPP/C Government are guilty of all their accusations, how can they still command such a large support base in the mining township!
My contention is fortified by the fact that neither the Kaieteur News nor Stabroek News carried any article specifically on the PPP opening ceremony on Sunday; but you would have noticed their long diatribe on the APNU protest action outside where the event occurred, with only a passing mention of why they were there.
Hence, Old Kai is being grateful to Solomon and company, as, if they did not engage in their protest, the PPP would not have even gotten a mention in these two opposition-controlled tabloids, and their readership would have been left in the dark about this significant development.
It was most amusing to read that the APNU leaders in the Region were upset that the President and Prime Minister went to the opening ceremony, but could not find the time to stop and interact with them. This peaceful, law-abiding bunch was so disheartened, I almost shed a tear; a tear for their acting, which deserved an Oscar, no less!
According to APNU Member of Parliament, Vanessa Kissoon, “This is total disrespect! It is disrespect to the highest for the President to come to this Region and not even have the common courtesy, or manners, to inform or pay a courtesy call on the Regional Chairman (King Solomon); it is total disrespect!” Just in case you missed it, this was the very woman who was exposed during the Linden Commission of Inquiry for lying to the judges.
Old Kai is puzzled as to her reasons for getting all ‘huffy and puffy’, as, in the first instance, the Regional Chairman was aware of the impending visit several days before the event, as he was in the media trying to get support to ‘shut down’ Linden when the President arrived. And, apparently, she wanted the President to pay a courtesy call on ‘King Solomon’ at the opposition-organised protest action.
Well ‘mad-am’, if you and your APNU brigade were seriously interested in meeting the President, then you fell way short on basic courtesy and manners when you preempted the situation and announced you were ‘shutting down’ Linden.
Now, you will recall that the last time you decided to ‘shut down’ Linden, and Prime Minister Samuel Hinds (who has responsibility for the electricity sector, the supposed genesis of the protest), in all his commitment to the development of his hometown, visited and tried to interact with you and your crew, not only did you reject and ‘cuss him down’, but your supporters openly bore placards with some of the most heinous statements. We will never forget the one which boldly exclaimed, ‘Kill Sam Hinds!’ That was so courteous of you and your APNU crew.
So, your crocodile tears that ‘dem big-boys ain’t even stop and talk with wid y’all’ (this time around) will not have any traction; no security detail worth its salt would have advised the President and Prime Minister to go into that crowd, based on such a public threat to the life of the Prime Minister of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. The APNU leaders only have themselves to blame; but don’t expect them to take any responsibility. Like everything else, ‘Is de government fault!’
Then we come to our boy, King Solomon, better known as ‘Little Kabaka’, who apparently feels that the entire world revolves around him and him only! He wants the President to call him, then come pay a courtesy call on him. He wants to shut down Linden; he advocates destruction; he wants investors; he does not want Amalia; he wants cheaper electricity; he does not want any increases. He want, he want! Is only about what ‘he wants’. Well, sorry, Mr. Solomon! You are in for a rude awakening, because Old Kai ‘gun skin you’ up once again.
Solomon proclaims, in big headlines, in the Stabroek News, ‘Hold Government accountable’, but what about you, Mr. Regional Chairman? You presided over the wanton destruction of Linden: The robberies; the beatings; the burnings; the looting and, mysteriously, shortly before ‘this shooting’ occurred, the many leaders from the APNU and AFC, their sidekicks from the Unions etc., almost in unison disappeared in a choreographed manner from the scene, and, as a result, none were injured! All of your cameras managed to record everything else, EXCEPT the shooting! How strange is that, Mr. APNU Chairman! Even the AFC ballistic expert’s testimony disputed the allegations made by you and your opposition colleagues about who exactly did the shooting. I guess no one should hold you accountable for your actions, because, like everything else, ‘Is de government fault!’
Old Kai has also noticed that the esteemed Solomon, as part of his address, has evolved into a devout democratic idealist. Speaking about the PPP reopening its Regional Office, he is quoted as saying, “We are a very democratic Region; we believe in the rights of every citizen to exercise their religion or their politics, and whatever it is that individual chooses to practise; those things are guaranteed in the Constitution. We respect and believe that is the right of every citizen.”
Well, Mr. Solomon, it is a darn pity you did not recognise this before your calls for violence resulted in the destruction of the PPP Linden office in the first instance. But let us test his statements further: As I indicated in an earlier column, it is purely out of fear of being targeted that businesses would have closed last Saturday. Mr. Solomon had announced a few days prior that the entire business community was behind his ‘Shut-down Linden’ campaign, only for the Linden Chamber of Commerce to announce the next day that they were not consulted and were not in agreement.
So, at this point, our democratic idealist suddenly evolves back into a ‘little dictator’, as he also had this to say on the day of the protest: “The numbers of the registered members in the Chamber is 21; I have had over 25 businesses that have called and indicated that they will comply with my intention…”
Yes; you read correctly: Comply, which also means obey, submit, confirm. The businesses have been forced to ‘comply’ with the directives of Mr. Solomon to ‘shut-down’.
You have to admire the democratic credentials of this APNU Regional Chairman; from his own mouth, he has admitted that businesses were given an instruction. And if they went against that instruction and did not ‘comply’, well, we know the fate of the other businesses during the last ‘shut-down’ campaign by APNU and the AFC in Linden. But don’t expect him to take any responsibility; ‘Is de government fault!’
This guy is so clueless, and, as a result, confused, it is no wonder Linden is in such turmoil; it is like putting a child to drive a truck. He has caused so much destruction; it is unbelievable that APNU continues to have him in such an important position. He goes on to preach to the converted on bauxite: “…the Government is propping up the failing sugar industry with billions of dollars, while it allowed the bauxite industry to fail.” Solomon clearly sounds like he really believes his lies.
The records will show that the PNC, now APNU, left the bauxite industry on its death-bed when their dictatorship ended in 1992. In fact, back then, they were the ones advocating for increased electricity rates, as they had recognised how unsustainable this was.
When the PPP/C came into office, the International Monetary Fund had urged them to close down the bauxite industry, as it was a drain on the nation’s coffers. Sugar was still ‘King’, and this very ‘uncaring and racist PPP/C Government’ refused to close the bauxite industry, as no-way were they going to let all those workers be on the breadline. Even though the nation was bankrupt, and its debt burden unbearable, it was determined to find the resources to inject into the bauxite sector.
Billions were pumped into the industry every year since 1992, with the hope that someday, things will turn around. No doubt some of that money came from the sugar industry. At the same time, the PPP/C still had to find the money to subsidise electricity costs, and to invest in Region 10 in terms of infrastructure, including roads, bridges, schools, healthcare etc.
When you take this into consideration, added to the fact that resources also had to be found for the other Regions of Guyana, you will fully understand the great service this PPP/C party and government has done for this nation and our people.
Shame on you, Mr. Solomon! Not only for trying to hide this reality, but also for your attempts to twist the facts and mislead your supporters into believing that the PPP has been uncaring of Linden and Region 10.
However, as always when you are forced to keep telling lies to cover your tracks, sooner or later you will be exposed. And the crowning moment was when he admitted, as reported in the media, that ‘bauxite is on the rise again’. Yes! He did!
This simply did not happen by a miracle, or through anything the opposition has done; it is credit to successive PPP/C Governments that the APNU Chairman has admitted that bauxite is on the rise again in his Region. So, clearly they should not have been out there ‘protesting and shutting down’; they should have been there recognising how much the PPP/C had done for the region. After all, even Mr. Sharma Solomon has recognised this fact.
