Wanted: one Opposition Leader
Khan's Chronicles
GEORGETOWN -- In Chile, his supporters are overjoyed and dancing and celebrating at how their beloved ex-dictator General Augusto Pinochet outfoxed the British government and escaped being sent to trial for his crimes against humanity. Reflecting the indignation at being made fools of by an old bully who pretended he was almost at death's door so that he could be sent from London back to Chile without going to trial, a British newspaper dubbed the former Chile strongman `Pinocheat'. Neat label. To the point and bang on! So, what do we call the ex-strongmen here who had perfected the art of cheating for almost three decades before October 1992 when the combined forces of British, American, Canadian and local pressure pulled the rug from under their feet? Guyocheatas? Pinochet playacted for just over a year. The ex-strongmen here did it for almost 30 years. But Guyocheta, Guycheat, whatever - it doesn't matter. There's a different kind of problem - who is to be dubbed Opposition Leader? Officially, Guyana doesn't have one but a lot of people pretend that we do. Actually, the search should be for the official Minority Leader that's required under the current constitution. The term Opposition Leader was dropped under the gospel according to the former government and replaced with Minority Leader because the pretence was that that person in Parliament represented the minority. Dubbing the late Dr Cheddi Jagan Minority Leader when he was kept in the opposition because of the dirty tricks of the former strongmen was another great act of pretending and terrible delusion. Dr Jagan, whose third death anniversary is being observed tomorrow, was in reality the leader of the party that has long had majority support among the population - as the results of the October 1992 and the December 1997 general elections showed. Dr Jagan took his rightful place as President in October 1992 and his People's Progressive Party/Civic alliance maintained its winning ways in the December 1997 polls. He took his rightful place as President until his death and the country continues to have a President. But where/who is the Opposition (Minority) Leader? Is it the thoroughly thrashed presidential candidate of the 1997 elections since trying to run the country from the studio of his TV station, regularly claiming that the government is not doing a proper job and suggesting, not so cleverly, that he can do a better job? His regular ministering on the airwaves, ably assisted by his also well-beaten prime ministerial candidate of the same elections who is fond of preaching the same bad tidings on the same station in the mornings, cast him in the mould of the Opposition/Minority Leader. Maybe he should apply for the job. He wouldn't need the perks of the job - just give him the title and let him continue from the TV station pulpit. That would save money which could go to helping all the needy cases presented to him at the studio, with strict accounting by the Office of the Auditor General. Oh, he would enjoy having the Police Commissioner, the Chief of Staff of the Army and policemen and women and soldiers saluting him every time he shows up as Opposition/Minority Leader. And he would want the Police to provide him with the bodyguards that go with the position just in case anybody tries to mess around with him. Since some are pretending that votes do not really matter in who becomes Opposition/Minority Leader and that the governing party is not really the governing party, other criteria have to be applied for the job. The post shouldn't go to somebody who's boring. All the candidates for the job say pretty much the same thing anyway (always criticising the government) so there's need for an Opposition Leader with flair who could entertain the sections of the media always ready for the lurid and the ludicrous. The choices are obvious. This problem of the vacancy should be settled soon because the media are confused about who's the Opposition/Minority Leader. The person who gets attention from some media as the holder of the position gives the impression that someone else should be in that post and that he is someone else. Confusing? Indeed. So, let the job be advertised and let the applications come in. Pulling a name from a bag filled with the applications would settle the issue. And stop the uncertainty - until the next elections.
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