Dear Editor,
The just concluded CPL cricket season provided us with great entertainment. For some, it was a moment to brag and boast while for others, it was a moment to bewail and bemoan. We have been appeased when, with the flick of the bat, the ball was smashed to the boundary for a four or six to provide a thunderous applause, if, the runs scored were for your supporting team. If the wicket was shattered by a legitimate delivery or the ball was caught from a hit, especially on the boundary line, we were appalled and become annoyed. Such was the fate of the bowler or batsman in a fast-paced game of glorious uncertainties, played gentlemanly in a packed ground. President Dr. Irfaan Ali has, time and again, displayed his proven skills as a talented cricketer, both with the bat and ball. The other side is yet to stake any claim!
One of the key ingredients in the game’s perfection is the application of proper timing. Poor timing may produce devastating result. That is exactly what happened to the PNC as they choose to go galivanting to Capitol Hill, Washington DC, when, the US House of Representatives were engaged in trying to pass a bipartisan Bill in order to avoid the Federal Government’s fourth partial shutdown in a decade. So, they went to play a game and found the other side ignored and avoided them by not turning up. Peaceful, Preferential and Priority Catering is rolled out on a red carpet for the PPP/C, being defenders of democracy and not for the PNC election riggers! When will they start seeing the ball?
What were they thinking? That the wanted Burke will bark on Jeffries to order the White House to drop everything and meet with the propagators of propaganda who are agitators of animosity? Guyana’s business is the US business and so Capitol Hill must pave the way with garlands of red flowers to welcome the royal family of dictator Burnham who are loyal to PNC party politics flying above the heads of the people of Guyana! This peeved and aggrieved contingency which was a grand representation of illusive oppression, suppression and depression must be given an immediate hearing so that they can air their views, present their case and receive accolades, applause and appreciation for their bold, brave and brazen attempt to expose and defeat the deniers of defenseless dwellers domiciled in Guyana! The PNC was devastated by a yorker! Whom will they beg for an appeal? The two umpires, the Democrats and Republicans have given them out. Maybe the third umpire, New York’s AG?
The distinguished professor who teaches Politricks 101 made the side. He was seen on and off the field. The water boy post was vacant and so… Was he not smart enough to duck the beamers and bouncers and declared himself unfit for such a game? Guess his interest is more for a game’s commentator position. His chess move may have payment for potential dividends. Hindsight has better foresight for judgement in this game. The team was short of a couple of players. Did they run out of context, or, was it a case of being unable to come up with players with the requisite skill and ability to be considered? Maybe, no one else wanted to be part of the despicable display and a predictable loss. The scorebook keeps ticking with ducks!
Of course, they were caught off balanced, not properly grounded and stumped. Like they say, the proof is in the pudding. Don’t talk about how good you can play or how bad the other side is. Demonstrate, display and deliver the “Mckoy” stuff to prove whatever you are saying is true. They can’t because they are the ones who have consistently: rigged elections, hid their SOP’s, deny an US$18M signing bonus, agreed to the worst oil deal, bankrupt the country twice, skinned the Treasury, engaged in financial mismanagement, dwelled in corruption, destroyed records, denied audits, professed conflict and not peace, resorted to violence, spread hate, encouraged mo fya, slo fya, declared ‘war break,’ closed sugar estates, put people out of work, made babies go hungry, contributed to suicide, took away school children’s ‘pocket piece,’ raised taxes, gave themselves salary increases, told others to ‘hold strain and tie their belts,’ lied to the courts, lost to the CCJ, are poor in mathematics, are bent to break rather than build, practice racism, indulged in discrimination, employed their own kit and kin, used party cards as passports, banned essential food items, created hardship with too many lines in a non-aligned country, ruled with the gun, governed with dictatorship, drove fear into people, draped criminals, caused citizens to abandon their homes and seek refuge for greener pastures and are guilty of an endless list of misdemeanors.
That infamous team was blindly hitting at thin air as the ball spun away and they came up short. They made a bad decision and left the wicket wide open. Their meek and timid attempt to impress Capitol Hill, boomerang back on them when the PPP/C declared a string of successful developments to show investor’s confidence: over 50,000 people gained employment since 2020; the opening of a $1B West Central Mall at Leonora; Optique Vision Care announced the building of a 1st Specialty Eye Hospital by 2024; the commissioning of a $28M Haslington Nursery School; the distribution of 63,000 Black Giant chicks countrywide to boost agriculture; Courts announced a $10B mega complex at farm; the opening of a Shell Service Station at Enmore; 575 residents assigned house lots in Lethem; City Hall’s roof will soon be completed; the completion of 6 bridges to reach Lethem, etc.
Certainly, the PPP/C has the limping PNC trotting all over the globe, clueless about the game they definitely are not equipped to play. With Trinidad & Tobago fielding a trade mission to Guyana, that certainly hit the PNC where it hurts most. The PNC has returned, battered, bruised and beaten from an embarrassing trip that could have been played right here on their own home turf!
Yours respectfully,
Jai Lall