Campbell's Commentary - MY CORONA AND ME. SIX FEET OF SEPARATION

By Aubrey Campbell

NEW YORK, NY. Tuesday, March 17, 2020 -- Last week, while gazing into my crystal ball as events were unfolding in the streets and the courtroom in the capital city, Georgetown, I opined that there are some Caribbean politicians who just don’t know when to quit!

Without the benefit of science, that was my political hunch. And as you would have it, my executive editor was having none of it, in pretty much the same way that Bharrat Jagdeo, the self-appointed spokesperson for the opposition, PPP/Civic is vowing to fight for power and control of a new and the emerging Republic of Guyana.

On Saturday morning during my regional news headlines on the radio show, I wrote/reported that 12 days after the ‘mother of all elections’ it was still unclear which of the two major political parties will form the government and by late Saturday afternoon, Michael Roberts, s senior journalist, majoring in Caribbean news coverage, called me to report that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), had called the election in favor of the incumbent coalition, headed by Brigadier David Granger.

No sooner was the announcement made, there was Jagdeo, the former president making his intent known, that in his view, the declaration was nothing short of an electoral fraud which he intends to fight in the courts.

After all and after all that investment, I would not go without a fight, either!

Those who are closest to the political mess, say that over the years, Georgetown can be considered the ‘swing’ state. Georgetown being the capital of a racially divided universe usually mirrors how the rest of the country votes.

Last week, I noted that Guyanese nationals did well to endure a 15-month hiatus without a government following a successful ‘no-confidence’ motion against the government by the opposition PPP/Civic, days before Christmas, 2018.

Yet, as brilliant as Mr. Jagdeo is, his grab for power was obvious. The courts gave him a glimmer of hope and that glimmer of hope was kept alive up until last weekend when the Chief Justice ruled that the Returning Office for Region 4, must complete the task at hand, get the votes counted and let GECOM do the rest!

GECOM has called it in favor of the ruling coalition and the coalition has called for the results and the rule of law to be accepted and respect, in that order!

Here’s what LOOP News is reporting from the Jagdeo camp. “This move will not absolve those implicated in the private criminal charges that have been filed with the court.”

Not even Ifran Ali, Mr. Jagdeo wants another day in court and from the look of things, he will get. He is as Guyanese as they come.

The question now is what implications are there for the wider Caribbean community with another six, count them, six general elections on the cards for the next 12 months!

Stay tuned!

While Guyana deals with its politics, the wider Caribbean community must face another ‘monster’ in the novel coronavirus – COVID19, that is threatening to bring mankind to an unprecedented standstill. Well, at least in my lifetime!

Washing, sanitizing, I get that. I do that all the time, but social distancing or distant socializing.

What is that?

And how much distance can you put between you and the other person in a crowded space like New York City? If you are staying home as the city and state government is preaching, you have to hope that home I a safe place to ‘quarantine’!

I love the novel approach. No pun intended! Prevention is better than a cure. And for this, I am proud of my little Jamaica.

On the big, booming Irie Jam platform on Sunday, Irwin Clare, Sr., and Lester Hinds ‘nailed it’ by recognizing how unstable the healthcare infrastructure is in Jamaica and ‘the fact of the matter’ that trying to contain the virus from the ‘get-go’ is the best option available to the government and minister of health and wellness.

But then, no sooner after the program ended and I saw the latest count at ten, I almost lost it!

Those who want to second guess the minister for scrubbing ‘champs’ and ‘scratching’ the Penn Relays Carnival from the ‘to do’ list this year, do so with an air of idiocy. Let’s be real. Jamaica has no hospital beds to treat this virus, so containment had to be the first option and limiting travel had to be part of that contingency.

They got it right from the start.

While the authorities are dealing with matters at home, on the rock, I was heartened by the sense of community that was demonstrated during a round-table, radio conversation on Saturday morning.

If you are not getting the job done, I’m gonna call you out and so, if you are getting the job done, you deserve a shout out! It’s that simple. No $m checks required!

As tertiary-level education campuses in the NE prepared to shut down in favor of distance learning, there was Karen and her team – Claudette Powell, Lorraine Smith – appealing for help for Jamaicans so affected. 

The bigger surprise was the involvement of the Office of the Consul General, giving the exercise some legitimacy! Good move.

Folks, listening to the powers that be as they tackle the uncertainties of this pandemic, I urge you to take heed. Pay attention. Life matters, especially a healthy one!

Happy Easter!

You have the floor!

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The Power Hour is changing…dial, time & focus. Stay tuned! And here’s something else. There’s no ‘corona’ on SECOND BASE, just ‘red stripe’, so you are invited to the party, Tuesday, March 17, 2020 at 7.00 pm, at www.weeradioonline.com