…after Cummingsburg The coalition relationship between the APNU and AFC was explicitly pursued like a marriage between couples. There was the “getting to know each other phase” during the 10th Parliament, when the logic of controlling the Legislature – if they cooperated – pushed them together. APNU was the pursuer, and they went out of their way to please AFC: originally, for instance, they didn’t think much of the AFC’s “no confidence” gambit – but then went along. The AFC, like most brides, had their last-minute panic attack about whether…
Read MoreYear: 2016
A rose may be a rose…
…but when is a Ministry a ministry? When your humble Eyewitness was in school, his lecturers tried to teach him about a philosophical concept called “nominalism”. Which is to say – if memory serves him right – there aren’t any things called, say, “chairs” – just particular, individual chairs… or trees or whatever. In other words, there are no “universals”, just particulars. It seems the APNU/AFC crowd has some nominalists in their ranks. Take their claim that there isn’t any “Ministry of Social Cohesion” – just a “Minister of Social…
Read MoreDeafening silence…
…from GPSU on contract workers For years and years, Patrick Yarde – President for life of the GPSU – has been jumping up and down about the hordes of “contract workers” the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Government hired to perform jobs that Public Service workers were supposed to do. Cynics said it was because the Union dues to cover his salary and perks were reduced that Yarde was upset. Not to mention undermining his ability to blackmail the PPP/Civic through strike action. But last year, in his impassioned testimony to…
Read MoreThe early Guyanese tadjah festival
The now dormant tadjah festival of Guyana had its origins in the Islamic religion of the Indian Shia Muslims who arrived as indentured workers in British Guiana almost two centuries ago which later came to include non-Muslims. Ironically, it was this national inclusion,to the disapproval of colonial authorities, whichwould lead to the festival becoming extinct on the local religious calendar today. The history of the tadjah The Guyanese tadjah was a procession of mourners marking the anniversary of the assassination of Hussain, who was the grandson of the Prophet Muhammed.…
Read More‘Give the Ball to the Poet’ Racism in Caribbean Literature?
By Sasenarine Persaud Part II The facts of this anthology again: Three (3) poems by three (3) Indian poets out of 90. Not a single one (do we ever need redundancy!) of these three Indian poets have more than a single selection. By contrast, a staggering sixteen (16) of the other poets have more than one selection; of these sixteen, there are four (4), who are represented with five (5) selections each (super poets, these are not – and, as if to underscore this, neither Derek Walcott, nor Martin Carter…
Read MoreWorking to make better communities
Born out of a desire to “give back”, Footprints of Today Foundation aims to strengthen communities and empower people to create a better society. The organisation was founded by Kiara Trotman and Hayma Singh in January 2016. “Last year, we decided that we wish to positively give back to our now fractured and enduring society. However, it wasn’t until early January 2016, when we reached out to passionate young people like ourselves, namely Charisma Salisbury, Abigail Mohabir, Stacey Gordon, Saajid Husani, Travis Trotman, Juke Ross, Sonia Nauth, Lawrence Alleyne, Tracy…
Read MoreA regal gem
King William IV Falls is located along the Upper Essequibo River, near the Amerindian village, Apoteri. German-born explorer Sir Robert Schomburgk, who carried out geographical, ethnological and botanical studies in South America and the West Indies for Great Britain, named the falls King William IV Falls in honour of the-then British monarch and first patron of the Royal Geographical Society. Describing the King William IV Falls, “The Guiana Travels of Robert Schomburgk, 1835-1844” stated: “…The water descends in two falls, the upper is larger, and may amount to from 12…
Read MoreHeroes’ welcome! World Youth champions Windies return home
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – World Under-19 champions West Indies returned to the Caribbean on Tuesday afternoon to a heroes’ welcome, following their triumph last Sunday at the ICC Youth World Cup in Bangladesh. They were greeted at the Grantley Adams International Airport here by Barbados Cricket Association president and West Indies Cricket Board director, Joel Garner, along with WICB chief executive Michael Murihead. Legendary West Indies opener Desmond Haynes, Barbados Sports Minister Stephen Lashley and Tourism Minister Richard Sealy also attended the welcome ceremony. An elated captain Shimron Hetmyer said his…
Read MoreWICB wants ‘development support’ for Cricket
St. John’s, ANTIGUA – The Caribbean will have an additional set of activities within the next year from cricket as the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) gets set to host a number of regional and international tours. These tours will include the visits of South Africa and Australia for a One-Day International Tri-Nation series; Caribbean Premier League and the Indian tour in July; England early next year; and Pakistan thereafter; the cricket calendar is set to be active. The last economic impact survey done from a tour of the region…
Read More“Coolie Bully” firm favourite to topple “El Macho”
By Avenash Ramzan United States of America-based Guyanese, Elton “Coolie Bully” Dharry last fought in Guyana back in April 2013 when he decimated Orland “Pocket Rocket” Rogers in round three of a scheduled 12-round contest for the vacant bantamweight title of Guyana. The “Coolie Bully” is set to make a grand return to his homeland next week to appear as one half of the feature event on the Guyana Boxing Board of Control/Giftland Mall’s “Hostile Territory” boxing card, and his opponent, Venezuela’s Felix “El Macho” Machado, could be in a…
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