Category: Eyewitness

…at Foreign Affairs A decade ago, who would have thought that Guyana would be getting top billing in the media of every developed country in the world? The massive oil finds by Exxon did the job, and while we rightfully scrutinise Raphael Trotman’s role in the giving away of the store on the “negotiations”, we have to admit we’re getting some really good publicity as the world now beats a path to our door. But just as we’re becoming known in the world for something other than Jonestown and its…

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…into politics When a big storm is brewing, you can tell ahead of time by the cockroaches streaming out of the ground. With what some have dubbed “the mother of all elections” scheduled in three months, the intensity of the coming political storm can be judged by the number of political players coming out of the woodwork. They can’t be called “political parties”, since none of them has shown that they’ve got ANY following on the ground. All we see are “leaders” gathered in air-conditioned rooms in G/town pontificating on…

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…and the PNC Manifesto Miffed that the PPP were first off the blocks with their Manifesto, the PNC petulantly accused the former of cogging from their playbook!! One isn’t sure why the PPP would want to do that, since the few accomplishments the PNC coalition managed to scrape together were all PPP-conceived projects they inherited. Like the CJIA and ECD/WCD highways. And even then, they managed to screw up the airport by conspiring with the Chinese company to fob off a shoddy makeover, rather than a new, modern structure. Like…

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…in Suriname The case was brought since 2007; but, at long last, Desi Bouterse was convicted of murder for the execution of 15 Surinamese citizens who’d been rounded up and murdered in 1982. In 1980, he’d been the leader in the “Coup of Sergeants” that had violently ousted the democratically elected President Henk Aaron from office. Suriname had enjoyed only 5 years of peaceful independence from the Netherlands. Bouterse had appointed himself head of the Military Council, and had proceeded to hand-select pliant presidents for Suriname while he ruled behind…

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…for a ride As Ramjattan fights desperately to remain in the running to be Granger’s sidekick in the next elections, he’s going all out to remain in the public eye. So there he was in the Chronic – along with Basil Williams, Dawn Hastings, Chief of Staff of the GDF, and some officials of a company named “Skyfront” – staring at a drone sitting on the ground. Yes, a drone. Seems the Government will be buying 5 of the spidery-looking devices at G$33 million a pop. Yes, you got that…

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…bearing gifts? The old saw about what’s news advises that it ain’t “dog bites man” – that’s expected. But if “man bites dog”, then you’ve got yourself a headline!! Well, “trade union flays company” isn’t news…that happens every day of the week. Just listen (if you can bear it!) to the tirades of Lincoln Lewis against RUSAL and Troy!! But when “Trade Union shills for company”, you know something ain’t right, and it needs to be exposed. And that’s exactly what GAWU – the union that’s been sponging off sugar…

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…in local content Your Eyewitness has seen the future…and it ain’t nice. For us Guyanese, that is. Last week, he forgot that the GIPEX oil and gas event organised by Raphael Trotman’s daughter was going on, so he ambled over to the Marriott to grab a quick bite for lunch. And as he entered – or TRIED to enter – the restaurant, for the first time in his life, he felt he was a stranger in a strange land. The place was overrun with foreigners…all speaking in tongues, but with…

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…till the election’s over The Americans have some sayings about endings: “It ain’t over till it’s over” and “it’s not over till the fat lady sings”!! The “fat lady”, of course, is the very buxom Brunhilde who sings in the finale in Wagner’s opera about the end of the Norse Gods!! There’s also the much more ancient “nothin’ is carved in stone” – unless you’re handed a couple of stone tablets from behind a burning bush!! Your Eyewitness prefers the much more homely “don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched”.…

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…up or down? Your Eyewitness had reason to check out UG’s 2019 Graduation goings-on. The powers that be were very particular about matters and insisted it was actually a “Convocation” – which he understood to be a formal gathering of clergy or students and other credentialled folks. In this case, UG students were to be credentialled with 1985 degrees, diplomas and certificates and such-like – which were to be “conferred”. Having never been to one of these shindigs before, your Eyewitness’ interest was piqued. But all it did was to…

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…of the corruption Imagine Hamilton Green complaining about “corruption” in the “bureaucracy”!!! It’s like Hitler complaining about the lower number of Jews in Germany!! Reminding us that he’d been around since the 1950s, he complained: “…our society, as from the closing years of the 20th century, has become so corrupted that in many areas, things don’t happen unless some bureaucrat receives a ‘small piece’”. Now while Guyanese would fervently agree with Green, there are two significant gaps in his assessment: his refusal to not mention the “big ones” in Government…

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