…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 right…G$33 million Guyana or $165,000 US greenbacks for a single drone!!
Your Eyewitness, jaded as he is, wondered immediately if the drones would be used to bring back ballot boxes to Camp Ayanganna – to save the army from doing the same!! In their last outing to perform that task, two civilians – evidently under the crazy notion that ballots shouldn’t be hijacked – were shot and killed by the GDF. David Granger, in his role as the military historian, pronounced that the military operation was “exemplary”!! But maybe today it mightn’t be seen as so “exemplary”; hence the drones??
But the article referred to Ramjattan’s 2016 expatiation on the threat Guyana was facing from the movement of guns (small arms) and drugs across the Brazilian border — the latter for trans-shipment to the US and other locales up north.
Ramjattan boasted that during the Caribbean-United States (U.S.) Security Cooperation dialogue, held at the State Department in Washington DC, he’d impressed upon the Americans the direness of said threat.
He insisted he’d been assured by the Americans that they were very sympathetic and they’d be helping with the planes and drones requested by Ramjattan for surveillance.
Your Eyewitness can remember snickering at the time (in this space) about the logistics of actually deploying these drones – never mind the cost. Your Eyewitness assumed Ramjattan was talking about those drones the US deploys from deep under the mountains of Nebraska to take out targets in, say, Afghanistan.
Ramjattan did say the drones would fly “hundreds” of miles out and then back! Never in his wildest dream did he think Ramjattan meant drones that are used by American farmers to check on their crops, or oil pipeline companies to check on their…well…pipelines!!
The longest-range drones from Skyfront fly at most 60 miles in total…over five hours max!! Exactly where will Ramjattan situate the soldiers controlling the drones in the bush to get the best use of the range?? But more to the point: how come Ramjattan’s paying US$165,000 for a drone that costs one third of that to customers in the States??
Is he feathering his nest before he’s dumped??
…for chumps
Donald Rodney – the brother of Walter Rodney, who was with him in the car when Gregory Smith’s planted bomb exploded – will be conducting a vigil in front of the Appellate Court.
The High Court had dismissed his appeal of a 1982 conviction for “possessing explosives” – when neither he nor his attorney were present. Yet the Appellate Court, to which he’d resorted, keeps pushing him around, rather than setting a date to clear his name. Imagine Smith – on instructions from Burnham’s agent – planting explosives in the walkie-talkie he’d given Rodney, and now charging the brother for “possession”!!
But, of course, we know why the Appellate Court – contrary to what it indicated on May 23 – is avoiding setting a date.
In May, the elections date hadn’t been set!! If a date is now set, the whole sordid story of Burnham’s violent reprisal against his political rival will burst out like an open, gangrenous sore!! And an Appellate Court that had ruled in favour of the PNC’s contention that 33 wasn’t the majority of 65 can’t have that.
Can it?!!
…as outcasts
Just when you think the Government couldn’t treat sugar workers any worse comes word from Minister of Agri, Holder, that in addition to no wage raise, they won’t be getting any bonus.
Not even if they make their targets??