THERE IS something quite pathetic to observe about the thinking and public posturing of both, Mr. David Granger, Leader of the Peoples National Congress/Reform (PNCR) and his fellow Opposition partner of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan, as they separately jostle to grab media headlines in their ongoing politics of denigration to hurt Guyana’s social and economic progress.

So, while the AFC’s Ramjattan was accusing the governing People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) of being involved in a scheme to offer bribes to a trio of unnamed Opposition parliamentarians in the sum of G$30M each, to vote down the coming “no -confidence” motion against the Government, the PNCR’s Granger was separately engaged in his own political game.
Do not expect the AFC’s Ramjattan to come forward with ANY evidence in support of his sensational claim. But the PNCR’s Granger has an obligation to extricate himself from the self-created trap in seeking to make a distinction between planned “street protests” for local government elections now and his mealy-mouthed contention that the “protest does not necessarily mean that persons will take to the streets…”
Granger could perhaps fly-a-kite, as the saying goes, in relation to his claimed “mobilisation” of international support (via printed petitions (?) to overseas-based organisations and agencies or their local representatives.
However, the ex-Brigadier of the GDF certainly has a hard row to hoe if he is honestly looking forward to involving a significant
showing of PEACEFUL street protests—without a rent-a-crowd show and the PNCR’s traditional divisive politics that mock our prevailing rule of law environment.
The head of the Private Sector Commisson (PSC), Mr. Ramesh Persaud has already considered it necessary to publicly question the timing, at this stage, of the PNCR leader’s mobilisation for local government elections ahead of new general elections.

The status quo
He is well aware of President Donald Ramotar’s publicly stated position that once the coalition of Opposition parties go ahead with their threatened “no-confidence” motion in the 65-member parliament, for which they have a guaranteed ONE-seat majority, he would resort to his constitutional authority to order a snap national poll. Thereafter, the arrangements for new elections would be fully in the hands of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
Further, both the PNCR and AFC are quite aware of the Government’s stated position for following through with a countrywide Local Government poll AFTER snap or scheduled national elections.
Given its long history-as well-known even by its opponent and detractors—of peaceful struggles for electoral democracy and national unity, the governing party should have no problems with the PNCR’s campaign to energise international and local support—hopefully peaceful—in favour of scheduled local government elections.
Nevertheless, there should be NO confusion between overseas-based organisations/agencies, or their local representatives, expressing their positions on the conduct of local government elections in Guyana. They would, hopefully, also reflect their own understanding of the norms of democratic parliamentary governance as well as the constitutionally-based powers of our Head of State that currently reside with President Donald Ramotar.