(Continued) 

What could make the Opposition believe such a policy will work this time?

Old Kai will continue today to briefly look at the alternative cabinet the Opposition is hoping to replace the PPP/C Government with. It is important that we assess exactly who are these individuals and what are their qualities, but more importantly how are they likely to function in the interest of advancing our country. We need to get as much information as possible which will help to inform our decision in the likelihood of impending elections.
Yesterday, we assed David Granger’s leadership abilities but what was not included is the tremendous division he has created within his own party. Let us also be reminded that no one knows for sure if Granger was legitimately elected to lead the party at its last congress, following widespread allegations of fraud and rigging. A gunman was even brought in to prevent disgruntled members from querying the voters list.
Therefore, we have a de facto Opposition leader who does not even enjoy majority support from his own membership but wants us to believe that the majority of Guyanese will somehow vote to elect him President of Guyana.
Following Granger, is another individual who has failed in his bid to become PNCR leader and also failed miserably, during the time he was appointed Finance Minister where he oversaw our economic ruin in the 1980’s until 1992. That individual is no other than Carl Greenidge, who is hoping Guyanese will ignore his track record in the past and place him to manage the finances of our nation once again at a time when we are experiencing record economic growth.
But let’s not focus on his past incompetence, including the fact that there were no audited financial statements provided to this nation during his term at the helm of the Finance Ministry. Let us forget that he made absolutely no effort to improve transparency and fight corruption and we still do not know what happened to all the money which vanished from our treasury, while poverty reached historic levels.
We will instead focus on the past three years he has been the shadow Finance Minister for the PNCR=APNU.
Mr. Greenidge finds it convenient to tell us now that he is interested in transparency and fighting corruption, yet he was the one that objected to the presence of the media and the Private Sector Commission to observe the proceedings of the Parliamentary Select Committee reviewing the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Legislation. This was after the PPP/C had objected to the strange delaying tactics employed by Greenidge and Co. as Guyana faced impending economic blacklisting and our business sector already beginning to face increased hardships.
On the corruption front, the Opposition led by Greenidge had over the past few years made a number of accusations that the PPP/C Government was encouraging the drug trade and money laundering, which was fuelling corruption.
Yet, when the time came for them to support the enactment of the AML/CFT bill which ironically the very PPP/C Government had piloted and which was internationally compliant, the Opposition suddenly became quiet.
The very Greenidge who talked about stamping out corruption from one side of his mouth, was now bobbing and weaving better than Muhammad Ali to deflect concerns about the pro-corruption approach the Opposition was now supporting, by their continuing refusal to pass the bill.
This is the individual who has attacked both foreign and local investment projects over the past three years, refused to support the Amaila Hydro project, the Specialty Hospital, the CBJ airport expansion and the Marriott hotel; has attacked investments by Chinese companies etc., has called for the closure of the sugar industry and yet wants us to believe that he will attract investments were he to become Finance Minister of Guyana once again.
It is such an approach which caused Guyana to become the second poorest country in this part of the world during his time as Finance Minister, therefore, Old Kai is left to wonder what could possibly make Greenidge and the entire Opposition believe that such a policy will work this time around.(to be continued)