By GHK Lall- Minister Indar unwittingly got himself into a fine pickle. In talking about negotiations with the Turkish electricity barge executives, he ventured into the realm of incomprehensible ecstatic manifestations. “Our government led by President Ali, we made sure that we took some strong positions on negotiation.”
I am awed by unrestrained merriment that took hold of the honorable minister. Apparently, Minister Indar is more the Minister of Public Comedies than he is as Minister of Public Utilities. I humbly petition Excellency Ali to do his duty. Make it official, please, Mr. President: Reappoint Deodat Indar to the Minister of National Hilarity portfolio.
When has “our government led by Pres Ali…made sure that we took some strong positions on negotiation?” Because it is my government and my president, I search for such a record, hold both accountable. To my fellow Guyanese: Seen as many Cuban medical personnel recently? Check in Havana or Guantanamo. And there stands the government’s self-celebrating position of taking “strong positions on negotiation.”
Old friends thrown into a furnace and to the lions. New friends embraced: up with capitalism, up with America [and Exxon]. Tradeoff compulsory – down with Cubans. If that’s taking a strong position on negotiation, then I’m Vladimir Putin. Or, incredibly, Delcy Rodriguez. If pushed, my preference would be Putin.
The PPP Govt, as led by Pres Ali, took a strong position on deportees. Not those who hailed from Demerara, Berbice and, (yes) Essequibo. But those from far and farther away. But then not even those that the government would be proud to invite to dinner at State House. If the PPP wouldn’t welcome them at Congress, then they shouldn’t be in this country. Game over. Except that this isn’t a game.
Hence, when Marco Rubio came sailing here like Christopher Columbus on his new voyage of discovery, he should have been given a return ticket there and then. Take that message about third country deportees, and stuff it, buster. How about that for taking a strong position on negotiation. Gimme some Cubans doctors, and Guyana is duty bound to take in some Guyanese deportees. The U.S. milked them in their prime. The U.S. must drink them in their grime and brine.
The Canadian gold people came here. They put in a dollar and get an acre. Thousands of acres. From the small dollars invested, they swap out, flip over, and switch around those same now rich gold acres to new parties. A million for a hundred more. Sweet odds, lavish returns. What strong position the PPP Govt, as led by Excellency Ali? It happened once -nothing. It happened again – no reaction from the Ali-led PPP Govt (again). Some kind of special position and exceptional negotiation is that, from Minister Indar. The foreign gold people pulled that one once.
Therefore, it made perfect financial sense (and leadership ones, too) to take a truly strong position and put a stopper in that loophole. The situation cried out for that form of justice. Like the blood of Abel cried out for recompense when the hand of a brother was raised fatally. It was against what taints, even tampers, with the fabric of friendship. What ought to have been a strong position taken (as led by Pres Ali) for a respectful relationship between Guyana and investors who rush here to grab a load of free gold.
I regret that in extoling the PPP Govt’s virtues: strong positions and the leadership of Dr. Ali, re negotiations, Minister Indar gave short thrift to history, and delighted himself with comedy. Surely, he has to know that when he gleams with words like those that he descends into the old, soggy territory: what’s recklessly merry, of rank hilarity. I think that Minister Indar has a second career waiting. A master jester. Hailed for making his mark as a determined, but still unskilled, entertainer. The PPP Govt seems to spawn them by the hundreds every week it’s in office.
