Dear Editor
WHEN Change Guyana (CG) was birthed, most Guyanese sat expectantly awaiting the new outfit to unveil its political identity. The wait was not long since information was soon descending on their heads faster than that of the Kaieteur Falls. First in the headlines and on the political radar were Robert Badal and Nigel Hinds, who introduced themselves as the political catalysts behind the newly founded featherweight political movement. Robert Badal, who is a local businessman with several business interests, attempted to endear himself to the electorate by claiming that he was not doing this for financial gains, but rather out of patriotism. He boasted that he is super-rich and will forgo his monthly remuneration, if he is elected President.
Even though that presidential fantasy was a long shot, what he did not clarify was more concerning. Will he use his political position to develop business interests in the oil industry? He never answered. And his prime ministerial candidate was the long-legged accountant Nigel Hinds, who is an excellent political long jumper. First he jumped into the long-jump pit of PPP then with a record jump he was in the APNU+AFC camp. Full of energy and enthusiasm, the long-legged then hopped into the Change Guyana sandpit. Anyway, Nigel Hinds followed his presidential candidate lead of forgoing his remuneration, but also omitted to clarify potential interests in the oil industry.
Then Nomination Day arrived. The six-footer Nigel Hinds was alongside the diminutive Robert Badal, as they both strolled towards GECOM which was temporarily housed in that local structure for our Indigenous peoples. It did not take long for the mysterious and unusual union to unfold. According to GECOM sources, a tremulous Nigel did not sign the legal declaration to confirm that he had emancipated himself from his American citizenship. You see, from a CJ ruling in 2019, information regarding dual citizenship was spreading faster around Guyana than the Coronavirus in China, resulting in many casualties. During this saga, Nigel Hinds by his actions mislead the populace into believing that he had given up his citizenship of the country of the Stars and Stripes. Now sensing that his dual citizenship deceit will be released like bowel gases, he decided to announce that he has a medical condition that required urgent medical intervention. He further announced, in full Bill Clinton remorseful mode, that he requires this urgent care in America, hence the reason he didn’t renounce his citizenship. That was in January 2020.
As a doctor I know urgent medical conditions need to be addressed within hours to days, or it can deteriorate to an emergency condition. Anyway, since Nigel’s revelation he has been running around campaigning with CG with no evidence of physical exhaustion. Multiple interviews he was able to do with obvious clarity in thoughts. Physically he looks athletic and not particularly bothered by this unknown medical condition. Then two months after Election Day and days after, Nigel was still full of energy which was evident in him jumping up and down like jack in the box. By March 6th, the “ailing” Nigel was part of a brigade that wreaked havoc in GECOM. He was full of calories as the office door of the Lady Chairperson was kicked in. The point I am making is that Nigel demonstrated no evidence of medical illness that required urgent medical care. Let me be honest, at this point I thought this must be another of Nigel’s compulsive confabulations.
That position completely changed on the 26th March when I saw a letter in the PPP’s local news outlet, Stabroek News titled, “I congratulate President-elect Ali and look forward to a government that is inclusive and transparent.” The letter is authored by no other than the “ailing” Nigel Hinds. It took me some time to digest and make sense of the 250-word missive. Let’s address the sense or lack thereof of it first. Let’s assume that Nigel is right in his prediction of a PPP win. Him begging the PPP to be transparent and inclusive is an impossible task. Fact is, Nigel, it would be easier for the PPP to fetch water in a basket. The reason is simple: Ali’s selection process was far from transparent. As a matter of fact, presidential candidate selection has never been a transparent process in the PPP. Also, for 23yrs in power, PPP governments have never been transparent and inclusive, so much so that Ali himself has 19 criminal charges. So much so that many former PPP ministers are facing criminal charges for fraud. So much so that Transparency International characterised Guyana as one of the most corrupt countries in the world during the PPP’s 23 years in power. Why would Nigel believe that his plea will transform the communist party?
So the question that many may wish answered is why would Nigel make such an outrageous statement when GECOM’s numbers clearly demonstrate that APNU+AFC won? Is Nigel one of the Afro-Guyanese professionals the PPP has coerced into undermining a diverse APNU+AFC win? I do not have any evidence to support this but it is definitely a possibility, in view of their pre-election strategy of hugging a random black. Was he paid to pen that letter? I doubt it. He boasted on television that he is rich.
Is it this confused state that has caused Nigel to believe he is the Chairperson of GECOM? Is it this confused state that deludes Nigel into believing that he can declare Irfaan Ali winner of the 2020 elections and in the process usurp the role of Chairperson Justice Singh? Is it this confused state which has clouded Nigel’s judgment, leading him to wrongfully believe that he is the Lady Chancellor Justice Cummings-Edwards, hence he can swear Irfaan Ali in as the President? I’m reasonably confident of my clinical conclusions, therefore as a responsible doctor I am compelled to offer Nigel some free medical advice.
Nigel, with 19 years of medical experience, I can only see this getting worse without the urgent medical care that you suggested you needed two months ago. Nigel, these delusions are being driven by your underlying medical condition, if not addressed with some urgency, it will get worse. Left untreated, you may believe that you have powers to allocate parliamentary seats. Left untreated, you may delude yourself into believing that you are Speaker of the House and should be treated as such. It is for these reasons that I beseech you to seek that long overdue medical intervention. There is no need to worry about Change Guyana. They are going nowhere apart from the political scrapheaps. Irfaan Ali will be joining them too.
Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_e-paper_3-27-2020