July 31, 2022
>>>Encouraging Events, Disturbing Developments<<<
By GHK Lall
Kaieteur News – I am encouraged by developments circling around Guyana. What encourages to me would definitely disturb many of my fellow Guyanese, especially those in high government offices. The warnings from me were that the Americans are serious, and stop messing with them, as it could backfire. This is what is happening, with one Guyanese leader after the other hopping around from frying pan into the fire. The heat from both, as generated by my American friends, is relentless. Playing with fire usually ends up with people getting burnt, and in this instance Guyanese leaders are being scorched.
President Ali was ordered to turn up in Washington pronto, and the other order was for the Hon. Vice President to be very visible in his entourage. When both showed their faces in Washington, the Americans let them have it with broadsides. To cut to the chase, it was transparency and inclusion in governance. If there is one thing to be said, it is that the Yanks never give up. They have been pounding away at those two themes (transparency and inclusion) at every opportunity that presents itself. This tells me that something is wrong on both counts here, and the Americans will have none of it. They keep on chewing on the ear of the President, and likely gave him a good chewing out behind the scenes, which doesn’t make it into the official releases.
Regarding the Vice President, the biggest, ‘baddest’, pit bull on this side of town, I can only imagine how they dealt with him behind closed doors. His presence in Washington was not to make up numbers, a joyride, or by accident. The gloves had to have come off to make it clear to him and the President that he is in deep stink. I think it was to share with him (and the President) a little bit of the goods that the Americans have on the Vice President. If I know the Americans well, they would have presented the Guyanese with a peek only, and left them to worry about what else they know and have. My motto is simple: live by the sword, then the sword usually takes down. Regardless how this is said, he is in trouble, and we are in trouble. This is because when they put the squeeze on him, there is sure to be some trickledown into wider Guyana, so embroiled is the Vice President in everything that goes on here, and that involves investing and spending.
For his part, the President has worked overtime to pull the wool over the eyes of Guyanese on the issues of transparency and inclusivity, by saying that both are present, when he knows that it is not so. He may fool some of us, but the Yanks are having none of his futile pawing in the air. What I think I gathered from all of this: is shape up or we are going to ship the whole clique and crew of you out into the wilderness. This was exactly what was done to Cheddi Jagan, and clearly, his political descendants didn’t learn anything, and insist on pulling fast ones.
But that was not all, for while the President and Vice President were being kicked silly in Washington, another set of Americans were in Guyana and facing off across from the Hon. Attorney General. The interests of the FBI, much to the concealed discomfiture of the Guyanese, focused on money laundering and narcotics. My, my, there is now even bigger trouble in Georgetown. I say this because the astute Attorney General must know that the unhappy people at CFATF are sharing information with the FBI, and they name names, and some of those names are known to his PPP Government. I go so far as to say that they are friends of the AG’s government. Now this is getting out of hand, but nobody should say that I didn’t do my duty and beg PPP Government leaders to get serious, get real, and get rid of the baggage dragging them down. They all laughed, and now I want to cry. Because the squeeze is on, and Guyanese are in for it.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
