Guyana Post

Guyana Post Providing News as it unfolds and keeping you updated on current events.

Adam’s notebook—Dec 4, 2024Confusion abounds in GuyanaConfusion seems to be the order of the day. The other day when a f...
06/12/2024

Adam’s notebook—Dec 4, 2024

Confusion abounds in Guyana

Confusion seems to be the order of the day. The other day when a fire broke out at a bond at the Eccles Industrial Site, the firemen were confused to find that there was no water in any of the hydrants in the vicinity.
Twenty-four hours later the Guyana Water Inc. had its team trying to remedy the situation. More confusion was to follow. People wanted to know the level of maintenance conducted by GWI. There has been no answer to date.
President Irfaan Ali met with the hierarchy of the Guyana Police Force to discuss the situation on the roads. Many directives were given to the police, as if any was needed. There was talk about cameras on the roadways and errant road users being charged.
After the initial flurry, there has been no more announcements of the widespread prosecution of the errant road users. And for all the talk about the traffic cameras the carnage continues. Long after the crash between two monster trucks on Sheriff Street there came the announcement that a driver had been charged.
Nothing more has been heard because that incident has been overtaken by many other such incidents. A minibus toppled on Carifesta Avenue, a truck ran the red light on the East Coast Demerara public road and slammed into a car, a car crash at Mahaicony left three people dead and car crashes in the vicinity of the Giftland junction.
And these were not all. There is a rule that people riding motorcycles wear helmets. Suddenly that rule seems to have gone through the window. Motorcyclists ride along the roadway past policemen who seem unaware of the law concerning the use of helmets.
Perhaps the most confusing thing surrounds the need for registration to collect the cash grant. The government announced the award of the $100,000 cash grant to every Guyanese over the age of 18.
The initial belief was that the distribution would be automatic. All that would be necessary would be the national identification card. It must have come to the realization of the powers that be that many people are not in possession of an identification card.
These were people who were not visited by the Guyana Elections Commission or were out of the jurisdiction at the time of the GECOM visit and could not be bothered. As far as they were concerned registration was for voting purposes and there were those who were not interested.
The political parties were not aggressive in that they did not spare the time to meet with the people in the various constituencies to ascertain such things as registration. The cash grant became the incentive.
Confusion arose when the potential recipients were called to register for the grant. They are being asked to report to registration centres during normal working hours. The working folk would be hard pressed to register unless they decide to take time off from work.
These registration centres would be operating between 8:30 hours and 16:30 hours. They close earlier on Fridays. With these centres not operating on Saturdays there is bound to be confusion.
The registrant is asked to produce a valid identification card many of these dating back sixteen years. The person’s image is bound to be different.
Ganesh Mahipaul, a Member of Parliament, remarked last week that a person who was sixteen when the photograph was taken would be in his or her thirties. Someone in their forties would be in his or her sixties.
So while the commercial banks and other major institutions are still accepting these cards without blinking, the government wants to take the identification further. At least this is what it wants people to believe.
So in addition to presenting the identification card or a valid passport, the government intends to have the registration centre photograph and scan the identification card and one can assume, the passport. It then wants a photograph of the registrant.
This seems suspicious. All the information would be on the identification card or passport. Why the photograph?
At the National Insurance Scheme, the pensioner has been signing life certificates every six months. The records of contribution and all the information of the pensioner is there. The only missing thing is the telephone number at which the person can be contacted.
The word is that the grant distributor would telephone the potential recipient to inform him or her of the collection date.
There is word that if the registrant refuses to have the photograph taken then the cash grant would be denied because the registration would be incomplete. Is there corruption involving the identification cards and the NIS pension?
Sporadically, or at least that is what is reported, people inside the NIS actually collect the pensions destined for other people whether dead or alive. It has been similarly reported that this is the case with the old age pension.
Some of the old age pensioners are also NIS pensioners. The good thing is that registration is a one-time process.
Who would be the custodian of this information collected during the registration? If this information is made public, then that would reduce the suspicion.
From whatever information there is, many of the people being registered would not see a cent until some time in the new year. Some should get the money before December 31.
For those who receive the cash grant before Christmas, beware that prices are higher at this time. The money would disappear before you blink. And don’t expect another cash grant in a hurry so the hard times would continue.
There is further confusion. There was a report that the government was preparing cheques at an alarming rate. That means that some cheques have already been prepared but will not be paid out at this time. Why?

Adam’s notebook—Nov 27, 2024Confusion surrounds the distribution of the cash grant. There was a message that people need...
30/11/2024

Adam’s notebook—Nov 27, 2024

Confusion surrounds the distribution of the cash grant. There was a message that people needed to produce a photograph of their identification card. They then need to have their photographs taken when they are collecting the money.
However, there are reports that none of these things happened in certain cases. Some government employees merely presented their identification cards and collected the cash grant. It was reported that in other quarters, some who refused were denied the payment.
Most people are still in the dark about the requirements. There is no word about the collection. Old age pensioners hear that they will get the grant when they collect their pension books.
At the same time the government has gone to the National Assembly for some $80 billion. One can only assume that this was because of the queries on the source of funds for the payout.
Without stating what was the population, the government had announced that the cash grant payout would amount to $60 billion.
It is not known what population figures are being used.
The dissemination of information in this country is sporadic. The government only tells people what it wants them to hear. For example, it is saying nothing about the census that was completed more than two years ago.
The census would have provided figures about the labour market. This is important for investors. They all want to know the source of labour. The government awarded a number of infrastructure contracts without appreciating the source of labour for the contractors.
As it turns out, cheap Venezuelan labour is in full display. The people of Linden spoke about contracts being awarded in their region but they could not get jobs. Instead, Venezuelans were in full supply.
One Minister actually rebuked the people of Linden for asking for a decent wage. He pointed to the fact that the Venezuelans were working for so much less. He failed to understand that the residents have overheads. They know what it takes to live in Guyana.
They have children who need to be maintained; some have rent and other expenses. The Venezuelans live in enclaves or communes with little to worry about. All they need are somewhere to sleep and food on their table.
It is not dissimilar for those Guyanese who travel to the United States to become illegal residents. They work for less than the minimum wage because all they need is money to survive. They are supported by relatives and friends, live in substandard facilities and eat the barest minimum.
They can’t afford dinners and entertainment; they can’t afford vacations like their American counterparts; and especially at this time of the year when clothing to ward off the cold is needed, they would wear any castoff. They couldn’t care less about the unwanted stares.
And these people prefer to do this than remain in Guyana where their future is not guaranteed. Some people will never be able to own their own homes and foot medical bills in this country. The money paid to them is not considered a living wage. The cost of living says as much.
The sight of their friends and relatives who took the step to venture abroad only to return with enough to build a substantial home and live comfortably is the major pull factor.
But travelling requires money to buy a ticket for airfare. So many are resigned to their fate. The more adventurous opt for a life of crime with support from the very police who are supposed to protect the public. This is no secret.
Of course, the police and the criminal come from the same background. Neither has been academically inclined for the great part. The records are full of cases of the police seizing drugs from one source and selling it to another.
Some act as enforcers for a tidy fee and others provide es**rt. Some have been caught but that is not even the tip of the iceberg. Yet these are not the only criminals.
It came to light the other day that enterprising people had forged old-age pension books. Somebody had to print the bools at a cost. These books then had to be smuggled into the Ministry and stamped. Getting them encashed was no big deal.
How this scam was discovered was never made known. All the public heard was that a search of some woman’s home unearthed large sums of money and bogus pension books. This matter seems to be quietly dealt with. Reporters are not questioning anybody at the Ministry of Human Services.
What is known is that many people would get rich during this payout. Without the census figures, lists would be padded. Already there are those from abroad who expect the government to travel overseas with money to pay them.
If these people have their identification cards and are in Guyana no one would have a problem giving them the cash grant although this money is being seen as a relief measure to struggling Guyanese.
The overseas-based Guyanese do not have the same cost of living woes being experienced by those at home. Any money given to them would be extra spending money, unless they are in the category of those who are illegal and struggling.
So it is back to finding out the additional qualification requirements for the cash grants. There is an aversion to having the identification cards photographed. There is even a greater aversion to having one’s photograph being taken at the time of the collection.

𝗙𝗔𝗧𝗔𝗟 𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗣𝗜𝗧 𝗖𝗔𝗩𝗘-𝗜𝗡Police are investigating an incident which resulted in the death of Owen Smith, a 31-year-old Go...
17/11/2024

𝗙𝗔𝗧𝗔𝗟 𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗣𝗜𝗧 𝗖𝗔𝗩𝗘-𝗜𝗡

Police are investigating an incident which resulted in the death of Owen Smith, a 31-year-old Gold Miner from Kaburi Village, Middle Mazaruni River. The incident occurred at about 14:30hrs on Thursday, 14th November 2024, at 10 Miles Backdam, Issano, Middle Mazaruni River.
Enquiries revealed that the deceased was employed by his younger brother, Dorwin Smith, a 30-year-old Miner, to work as a 'jet man' on a four-inch land dredging operation at 10 Miles Backdam, Issano, Middle Mazaruni River.
Dorwin Smith reported that, on the date and time mentioned above, he was working alongside his now-deceased brother, their father Oliver Smith, and younger brother, Jason Smith, in a pit measuring approximately 40 feet in length, 50 feet in width, and 30 feet in depth.
While operating the jet, Owen Smith was caught in a landslide when a large section of land broke off and fell into the pit, submerging him. The others ran to safety and escaped unharmed.
Afterwards, they returned to rescue Owen but took about fifteen minutes to extricate him from the debris, by which time his body was unresponsive. He was then rushed to the 72 Miles Health Center, where Health Worker Audrey Welcome examined him and pronounced him dead on arrival.

U.S. DEA Partners with Guyanese Law Enforcement forComprehensive Narcotics Investigation Training The U.S. Drug Enforcem...
17/11/2024

U.S. DEA Partners with Guyanese Law Enforcement for
Comprehensive Narcotics Investigation Training

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), in coordination with the DEA Georgetown Country Office, successfully conducted two intensive training courses on Basic and Advanced Narcotic Investigations from November 4 to November 15, 2024.
The training, hosted by the Guyana Police Force, was attended by 35 officers representing several key agencies in Guyana, including the Guyana Police Force (GPF), Guyana Defense Force (GDF), Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), and the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU).
The training was made possible with funding under the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative from the U.S. Department of State’s International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) office at the U.S. Embassy in Georgetown. This collaboration highlights the shared commitment of both countries to strengthen law enforcement capabilities and effectively combat transnational narcotics trafficking.
This initiative underscores the DEA and INL’s ongoing commitment to working bilaterally with Guyanese law enforcement partners. Participants received comprehensive instruction on critical topics such as case management, deconfliction, surveillance, intelligence sharing, as well as key information on regional and worldwide drug trends.
In addition to the classroom instruction, participants engaged in hands-on practical exercises designed to enhance their operational capabilities. These exercises focused on interview and interrogation techniques, surveillance operations, briefing and presentation skills, and link analysis chart training.
“This training exemplifies the power of collaboration between the DEA and our Guyanese counterparts,” said Denise Foster, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Caribbean Division. “By enhancing our collective expertise and operational readiness, we are better equipped to confront and dismantle narcotics trafficking networks that threaten the safety and security of our communities.”
At the training’s closing ceremony on November 15, Ambassador Theriot gave remarks and presented certificates to the participants. She highlighted the exercise as a significant milestone in the U.S.-Guyanese partnership to combat transnational drug trafficking and address shared security concerns which, if left unaddressed, could harm Guyana’s economic growth and investment climate.

Adam’s notebook for November 13, 2024It’s about Donald and IrfaanMany issues dominated the news this past week. All of t...
17/11/2024

Adam’s notebook for November 13, 2024

It’s about Donald and Irfaan

Many issues dominated the news this past week. All of them were worthy of a commentary or at least some discussion. For example, there was the return of Donald Trump to the presidency of the United States. Many people voted for him despite his propensity for skewing the facts.
His often crude and shocking comments did nothing to deter his supporters. There were those who offered reasons for his re-election. His felony convictions notwithstanding, they expressly preferred him to a woman.
In fact, Kamala Harris was the second woman to challenge him for the presidency and lose. Before her there was Hilary Clinton. The conclusion was that the United States is not yet ready for a woman president.
Others pointed to the migrant situation. The Americans in some cities claimed that the migrants were being provided with money that could have gone to American citizens. They spoke of schools being commandeered forcing their children to remain at home.
Some migrants did not help the situation. They indulged in criminal activities that cost the states and the cities. Some simply moved into vacant homes. Donald Trump promised mass migration. Ironically, all those targeted for deportation are not white.
One can rest assured that the migrants from Europe would not feature in Trump’s mass deportation plan. That speaks volumes for the drive for America to remain a white country. Some have openly decried the changing face of the country.
The talk of diversity being good for the country is not on their agenda. Many Guyanese would surely be caught up in this mass deportation plan. Some are already worried.
It must be noted that while most heads of state refrained from congratulating Trump, perhaps until after his inauguration, Guyana was among the first with both President Irfaan Ali and Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo offering fulsome praise in their congratulatory messages.
Vice President Jagdeo was quick to announce that he would court Trump on what he considered lies being peddled about Guyana in the United States.
But there was a bigger issue. It had to do with contracts for various projects. For as long as the government has been in office there have been complaints about the award of contracts. Contracts are awarded to anyone who has a close affinity to the government.
There was the contract awarded to a company named Tepui for some $800 million. A well was supposed to be dug and the project should have been completed by now. It goes without saying that no work has been attempted.
Another contract was awarded to a group of entertainers for the construction of a school. By the entertainers’ own admission, they may not know about construction but they do know how to manage money.
Despite Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo reporting that the school had been constructed evidence supported by videos and photographs reveal otherwise. That project is nearly two years overdue.
There was the construction of the North Ruimveldt Multilateral School. The contractor had previously been sanctioned for works on a school in the hinterland.
At the sod turning of the North Ruimveldt Multilateral School project the Education Minister read the riot act to the contractor. She secured a promise that the school would be completed on time. It is way past the deadline and this contract is still to be completed.
There was the road through Le Repentir Cemetery that took forever and the recruitment of other contractors for its completion.
Other projects include the construction of a 12-storey Brickdam Police Station and a 12-storey Works Ministry complex aback of Eccles. The mobilization fees totaling billions of dollars have already been paid. Neither of these contracts is being undertaken.
Just Tuesday, a contractor stated that he bid for the contracts for City Hall and the Bamia school. He lost out on both. The City Hall contract went to a Trinidadian company. He said that he would have finished both, on time, and on budget.
City Hall is still surrounded by mesh and scaffolding.
The contractor concluded that from appearances he is branded PNC, hence persona non grata. And that is the crux of the matter. Many excellent contractors have been ignored because of political expediency.
So it was that when President Ali decided to rouse his Ministers, Permanent Secretaries, the engineers and the consultants for a sunrise meeting on Tuesday, the news rang out. The failure of the contractors to even complete one project on time and without cost overruns must have really stung him.
The meeting was torrid. Some said that the President had an opportunity to fire some people on the spot. At least one Minister turned up late. Some contractors were also late. Whether the foreign contractors were present is not known.
The reality is that the president has only himself to blame. The contract award system is so skewed that even contractors who were blacklisted were awarded contracts. Most did not have the requisite skills, hence substandard work.
The consultants have the power to force remedial action on the job. Most of the time they do not but are quick to certify payments.
Bribery plays an extremely important role in the award of contracts. Some at the top must get their cut thus reducing the contractor’s profit margin. The contractor is forced to collect his profit from the project.
Then there are those who have no equipment to undertake works but who bid nevertheless. If awarded they must wait on the contractor who is using his equipment elsewhere, hence the completion delay.
Above all, there are those contractors who are awarded multiple contracts but who can only undertake one at a time. And the president has expressed his anger over contract delays.
Some contractors must be smiling because they don’t expect any penalties despite the meeting.

Adam’s notebook for October 23, 2024The US elections could threaten Guyana’s futureThe elections in the United States ar...
26/10/2024

Adam’s notebook for October 23, 2024
The US elections could threaten Guyana’s future

The elections in the United States are about a fortnight away. People all over the world have an eye on these elections since they feel that the results will impact their countries. And they are right.
The last time Donald Trump was President of the United States there was a direct impact on Guyana’s political affairs. The year was 2020. Guyana’s elections were held that year. The impact of Donald Trump’s administration led to the removal of President David Granger from office.
Pressure was put on some elections officials to fudge the results. There was also the involvement of foreign governments that shared an allegiance with the Trump administration. Illegal ballots were counted. David Granger against the laws of the country, agreed to a recount that exposed all manner of irregularities.
When the dust settled Guyana got its first visit from the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo. Needless to say, the opposition was markedly absent from events surrounding the visit. Nobody was invited. This trend continued across the board.
The US elections are due again. It is clear that this government wants Donald Trump to win. Trump has no regard for law and order. He has little regard for truth and above all, he exhibits a disregard for minorities.
Haitians have been accused of eating cats and dogs in one state. Others have been accused of taking black jobs as if there is a specific category of jobs for black people. Crime has been laid at their doorstep and the list goes on.
There is a similarity between the present government and the Donald Trump administration. People in the opposition are marginalized. The difference lies in the fact that the United States have media that immediately fact check statements. They do their research. The same is hardly the case in Guyana so statements by the government go unchallenged.
Because of the fact checking, Trump refused to be interviewed on CBS. He also recommended that the licence of one television station be revoked because of an interview it did with Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
On the Guyana side, former head of the Environmental Protection Agency Dr Vincent Adams reported that President Irfaan Ali at the recent Caricom summit, proclaimed that the athletic track at Linden was completed.
Dr Adams was in no position to confirm that statement. To my mind he could have called someone in Linden. Instead, he chose to believe President Ali until he found out otherwise.
Last week, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo said that the school being constructed at Bamia on the Soesdyke Linden Highway was completed. One day later Stabroek News visited the school to find that it was nowhere near completion.
There are other examples of lies being deliberately told to the public. These are exposed later but by then the bird has flown.
When the government came to office it was fiercely critical of the Granger administration for work on the Cheddi Jagan International Airport. Minister Juan Edghill vowed to complete the project by correcting the deficiencies he claimed that the previous government allowed.
Today, four years later the airport is still being worked on and there is no end in sight for its completion.
There is the gas to shore project that should have been bringing gas to a factory on the shore by next month. This was to have been the end of the first phase. The nation now knows that this is nothing but a pipe dream.
Just last week, it became known that ExxonMobil that had agreed with the Granger administration to bring the pipeline to shore is now lobbying to have this government stop the project. Something must be wrong but the government is saying nothing.
The very government had promised to review the contract that Exxon had signed with the Granger administration. There was no mention that the previous contract was signed by the then President Janet Jagan.
It had described the contract as severely flawed. Now it is saying that it will not review the contract. And to compound the issue, former Prime Minister Sam Hinds simply told Guyanese that they should be thankful for whatever pittance they are receiving.
Other instances of government pronouncements that have fallen flat include the promise to create 50,000 jobs. This has not happened and the people are not prepared to ask questions. It was the same with the communication cable from Brazil that was supposed to make communication in Guyana dirt cheap.
That cable died along the way as did the US$6 million investment. That was reminiscent of the Skeldon Sugar factory that was supposed to produce sugar cheaper than it ever was in the country. Bharrat Jagdeo’s dream project is stillborn and Guyana is poorer.
One can only wonder at the amount of money wasted with impunity. At the same time the public servants with their tongues hanging out of their mouths are waiting for a decent wage. If they are lucky they will soon get a $100,000 cash grant, the equivalent of a month’s salary for most.
The same cash grant will be received by President Ali, Bharrat Jagdeo and every senior government official.
So it was that I listened to President Irfaan Ali when he made a site visit to the construction site of the Karasabai Secondary School. He read the riot act to the contractor and to the consultant. He said that should the school not be finished by next June there would be liquidated damages and contract termination. He has to be dreaming.
I am certain that the contractor laughed because he had heard a similar threat dozens of times. The North Ruimveldt Multilateral School is still to be completed years after the stipulated deadline.
The Cemetery Road project was a similar case. Jumbies chased away some workers and not others. In the end that project is said to be completed but at what cost?
Forget the wells that should have been completed but have not started. Do the same with the government complex to be constructed at Eccles.
It was Henry Wadsworth Longfellow who said that life is but an empty dream. The Everly Brothers said it all in 1958. “All I have to do is Dream”. Martin Luther King also had a dream.
Statements by the government these days simply create dreams.

FIRE AT CID COMPOUND, GEORGETOWNOn the evening of October 2, 2024, at 18:27 hrs, a fire broke out at the Criminal Invest...
05/10/2024

FIRE AT CID COMPOUND, GEORGETOWN
On the evening of October 2, 2024, at 18:27 hrs, a fire broke out at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Compound, Eve Leary, Georgetown.
The fire response team, consisting of Water Tender #118, Water Tender #95, Water Carrier #18, and HP #2, supported by Ambulance #16, was immediately dispatched to the location. The first unit arrived on the scene at 18:33 hrs and the first jet went into action at 18:34 hrs.
A total of 12 firefighters, led by Section Leader King and supported by Leading Firemen Roberts and Edwards, responded to the incident and swiftly extinguished the fire.
The affected building was a single-story concrete structure used as a storage facility, formerly known as the Identification Room. The structure is owned by the Government of Guyana.
Fortunately, there were no injuries reported. However, the building sustained significant damage, and its contents were destroyed. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
Police personnel were instrumental in the initial firefighting efforts, using 6kg and 4kg dry powder extinguishers along with buckets of sand to suppress the fire before the firefighters arrived. The fire crew used one jet from Water Tender #118 to fully extinguish the blaze.
Further updates will be provided as the investigation continues.

Adam’s notebook for October 2, 2024October; a month rememberOctober is here. I wouldn’t delve into its history. The hist...
05/10/2024

Adam’s notebook for October 2, 2024
October; a month remember

October is here. I wouldn’t delve into its history. The historians say that it was the eighth month of the year way back when, centuries before Christ was born. The Romans then added January and February to the calendar year but October retained its name from the days when it was the eighth month. It is now the tenth month of the year.
There are many jokes surrounding the situation. When February was added, the architects borrowed some days from other months but not enough to make it as long as the other months. It does get an extra day every four years and so becomes a leap month.
A comedian said that someone asked a local politician to state the number of calendar months in a year. The politician said twelve. The person then asked the politician to state the number of calendar months in a leap year. The politician said thirteen.
This may explain why Guyana is still struggling despite the oil wealth.
October is breast cancer month. Many people the world over have lost loved ones to breast cancer. There have been a number of survivors, and still more undergoing cancer treatment. The colour dedicated to this month is pink. It is always refreshing to see a sea of pink each year at this time.
It shows solidarity with the unfortunate.
In the cricketing world, in Australia, one ground is covered in pink for a Test match in memory of Jane McGrath, the wife of former Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath. She succumbed to breast cancer in 2008.
In England, Lords cricket ground was decked in red, recently, in honour of Ruth Strauss, the wife of former English Test player, Andrew Strauss. She died in 2018 of incurable lung cancer. She never smoked.
In Guyana, the telephone company that now goes by the name One Communication, has designated this month, Pinktober, in honour of breast cancer victims and to draw awareness to cancer in all its forms.
There are other things that should be remembered this month yet for some reason they are not. Every October I remember October 6, 1976. I had flown out of Guyana to Jamaica to pursue studies the previous Wednesday, September 29.
There may be people who cussing me for being here today but as some say, there is a reason and a purpose for everything.
Sitting in a living room on University Crescent and watching a small black and white TV, the news hit that a plane had exploded over Barbados. On that plane were a number of young people from Guyana heading to Cuba to further their education.
They had spent six weeks with me at Camp Papaya in the North West, doing National Service. None knew that they had a few more days to live. Their bodies were never recovered.
Some say that the plane exploded a mere three miles of the Barbados coast. The Bajans say that it was eleven miles offshore.
The then Prime Minister Forbes Burnham made a heartrending speech at the site of the 1763 Monument. He asked Barbados to try the criminals. Barbados denied having jurisdiction. Burnham then asked that the men be given to Guyana. That did not happen.
It was a long time ago but the incident is still fresh. It took the Cubans to help erect a monument in Guyana, to those who perished on the Cubans aircraft—CU455.
For a time, there were memorial activities to remember the victims, among whom were eleven Guyanese. Today, the event is all but forgotten. We still remember the Enmore Martyrs, five of them, who were killed 76 years ago.
Of course, the observances are not as impacting as they used to be. We are a people who have very short memories. Something happens and at the time it seems so humongous. A few days later and it is as though that thing never happened.
Someone once described Guyana as a seven-day wonder. Seven days after something happens and it is as though it never happened. Perhaps, we live for the moment. The government in the face of problems, announces a token financial handout. People soon forget the problem.
That is why the government feels that it is always good to keep the people in poverty. Panaceas are readily available.
Then there was another event that the world would recognise in October. Israel had been bombing Gaza and Lebanon to rubble in pursuit of Hezbollah and Hamas. It also targeted and killed the Hezbollah leader in Iran.
Iran responded with a barrage of missiles, yesterday. Some were intercepted but many got through, striking targets. Some fear that this may be the start of a Third world war—a war that would be different from all the others.
The threat of nuclear war is real. There are countries with arsenals that could annihilate the world. Each country has strategic partners. Fortunately, many of these partners appear to be sitting on the fence. However, one mistake could tip the balance.
So here we are in Guyana refusing to make people’s lives better. A global conflict would make the situation worse. It is time the government pays attention to the citizens.
And when such conflicts have the attention of the major powers smaller powers may be tempted to make a move. There is no need to spell this out.
While all eyes are on the Middle East some are on the local weather. It is astronomically hot. Even the fans are pushing hot air. Many have never been to hell but one can hear them saying that the place is hot like hell.
The comedians say that if this is the sun they would not like to meet the F

Address


Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Guyana Post posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Guyana Post:

Shortcuts

  • Address
  • Alerts
  • Contact The Business
  • Claim ownership or report listing
  • Want your business to be the top-listed Media Company?

Share