Category: Eyewitness

…in education In the story of “the boy who cried wolf”, the little alarmist misused warnings about the “big bad wolf” to such an extent that when the “big bad wolf” did actually appear, the kid was left up the creek without the proverbial paddle! Not to mention, most likely his limbs. Some in the opposition are in danger of suffering from the same fate from their sensationalised and provocative cries about “apartheid” in education. The swami who’s principal of the school over the river, Saraswati Vidya Niketan (SVN) –…

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.. as PR As Ralph Ramkarran keeps up his pretence of writing a “blog”, which is actually a fig leaf for writing for the opposition Stabber News and MuckrakerKN, he increasing reveals why he was never a real contender for the presidency from within the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/ C). Looks like he’s working real hard to be the opposition’s “consensus” candidate. This week he weighs in with the incredible claim that, if the government had better “public relations” (PR) savvy, they would’ve been able to get the opposition…

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…into the opposition There are a lot of things hidden in closets. But nowadays more and more people are coming out of the closets. Take the ex-speaker Ralph Ramkarran. Ever since he pouted and flounced out of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) because of some “hard words” one of his comrades tossed his way, he’s been sounding increasingly “opposition”. In the beginning, he found an outlet for his criticisms in the opposition Stabber News. They played ducks and drakes about their relationship for months. Ramkarran pretended he was writing a…

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… don’t tell, in politics To say that the revelation that Nigel Hughes is, and has been, the company secretary for Amaila Falls Hydro Inc (AFHI) since its formation in 2009 is a bombshell would be the understatement of the decade. Or at least, since he became chairman of the Alliance For Change (AFC). The leader of the AFC, Khemraj Ramjattan confessed that while he knew of some “association” between Hughes and the firm, his chairman hadn’t shared with him the news that the “association” was actually that of company…

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…in the air Juan Evo Morales is the president of Bolivia. So he went on a trip to Russia in his official plane – sort of the Bolivian version of the U. S.’s “Air Force One” that Barack Obama uses. As one of the largest producers of natural gas in the world, he was there for a conference on the fuel. He’s all done with his conference and is flying home when France, Portugal and Spain refused permission to pass through their airspace. The plane had to turn back and…

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… in housing The building boom on the coast is fulfilling a lot of dreams. For a society that began with most of its people forced to live in hovels – “the yards” and “bound quarters” – owning your own home is more than having a “shelter”. It’s the opportunity to live with a modicum of dignity in your own “castle”. But for too long that had been just a hope and a wish. Back in 1972 the then government – with the best of intentions we’re sure – launched…

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…in the diaspora A news item from Jamaica spoke of the disappointment of Jamaican officials in their efforts to get their diaspora involved in the development of their country. If we Guyanese think there’s a lot of us in “foreign”, we have nothing on Jamaicans. Wherever we might have gone, whatever we might have done out there – with the Jamaicans it’s “been there; done that”! There are huge Jamaican enclaves in New York (Brooklyn), London (Brixton) and Toronto. For years, Jamaica has tried to mobilise them. One effort was…

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… of the AFC spoiler In politics, a “spoiler” is the candidate whose chances of winning are zilch, but still may garner enough votes as to cause the loss of one of the leading candidates. In Guyana, this is the role the Alliance For Change (AFC) plays. But nowadays, with a twist. It may’ve started out as “a plague on both houses” when Raphael Trotman and Sheila Holder were at the head table. But with their departure, Khemraj Ramjattan has recalibrated the mission of the AFC – a simpler, more…

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Burnham Hamilton Green claims “the real Forbes Burnham is hardly known”. Makes you wonder as to why Green, who was certainly one of Burnham’s thugs, hasn’t been a bit more conscientious in rectifying that lacuna. Could it be that the “real” Burnham wasn’t such the stand-up guy Green claims he was? Let’s consider the views of Burnham’s sister Jessie, who was certainly closer to Burnham than Green. The following are excerpts from what she wrote just before the 1964 elections: “… had (Burnham) coupled (his) ambition with a genuine concern…

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…in broadcasting Anthony Vieira’s at it again and as usual he has his allies in the media with the same vindictive and envious agenda. They’re raising a furore over radio licences…but that’s just a proxy for their fury that others are succeeding in areas where they’ve failed miserably. But of course, since only their coterie ought to be successful, their rage knows no bounds. That green monster called “jealously” is a powerful master. So Vieira writes a letter to the Stabber News, which the latter, through an ex-Television Guyana (TVG)…

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