The recent shooting of 16-year-old Kelvin Fraser is one which the nation should mourn. That such a young life should be taken in such a manner is indeed sad and heart-wrenching.
However, we should not seek to politicize this issue, as some are doing in the media of late. This is a matter for the police; the rank may have acted irresponsibly or recklessly when engaging the youngster, but nowhere in this situation should inference be drawn that the Government has given the Police Force the go ahead to maim and slaughter our youths.
I believe some people are seeking to gain political mileage out of this terrible incident for their own selfish purposes and this should not be condoned. Society need not confuse this incident with that of what occurred during the crime wave period in this country either.
This is a separate issue and I believe it should be dealt with expeditiously and professionally by the Guyana Police Force and the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Cops say hidden cameras found in female tenant’s bedroom, bathroom
Police said yesterday that they had unearthed three hidden cameras during Monday’s search of the apartment of a young woman who was a tenant of Alliance For Change Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Peter Ramsaroop.
The raid was conducted as police probe allegations that the party’s CEO may have been filming the woman without her knowledge.
Ramsaroop has vehemently denied the allegations, which he claims are politically motivated to tarnish his image.
A police statement issued yesterday said that one of the ‘covert’ cameras was hidden in a clock on the wall, giving a panoramic view of the apartment.
According to the police another was hidden in a radio in the bathroom and a third was focusing on her bed.
The raids were conducted at Ramsaroop’s Forshaw and New Garden Streets, Queenstown property and at his Land Of Canaan Offices, on Monday.
Police also released statements that were submitted to them by Ramsaroop and his former tenant, 19-year-old Nicole Ming.
In her statement, Ming said that she rented the apartment about two months ago from Ramsaroop.
She alleged that about a week ago, Ramsaroop asked if she would be going out, as technicians had to enter the apartment to check the telephone wires.
She said that she declined to leave her room unlocked as he had requested.
Ramsaroop allegedly said that he would check to see if he found the spare keys to the apartment.
In her statement, Ming said that she was unaware if Ramsaroop had entered her bedroom.
According to the police, on her return, she allegedly observed an instrument on the wall with a light flashing.
“She also stated that about two weeks ago she had replaced a battery in the clock in which one of the cameras was found and the camera was not affixed at that time.
She said that she complained that Mr. Peter Ramsaroop may have been recording her,” the statement said.
“The police became suspicious that Mr. Ramsaroop may be in possession of pornography and may be distributing pornography and consequently obtained warrants to search his apartment as well as his office at Land of Canaan, East Bank Demerara.
At the time he was overseas and upon his return on May 17, 2010, the police who seized two computer hard drives and a digital video recorder from his apartment executed the warrants in his presence. They also seized two computer hard drives from his office.”
The raid was conducted as police probe allegations that the party’s CEO may have been filming the woman without her knowledge.
Ramsaroop has vehemently denied the allegations, which he claims are politically motivated to tarnish his image.
A police statement issued yesterday said that one of the ‘covert’ cameras was hidden in a clock on the wall, giving a panoramic view of the apartment.
According to the police another was hidden in a radio in the bathroom and a third was focusing on her bed.
The raids were conducted at Ramsaroop’s Forshaw and New Garden Streets, Queenstown property and at his Land Of Canaan Offices, on Monday.
Police also released statements that were submitted to them by Ramsaroop and his former tenant, 19-year-old Nicole Ming.
In her statement, Ming said that she rented the apartment about two months ago from Ramsaroop.
She alleged that about a week ago, Ramsaroop asked if she would be going out, as technicians had to enter the apartment to check the telephone wires.
She said that she declined to leave her room unlocked as he had requested.
Ramsaroop allegedly said that he would check to see if he found the spare keys to the apartment.
In her statement, Ming said that she was unaware if Ramsaroop had entered her bedroom.
According to the police, on her return, she allegedly observed an instrument on the wall with a light flashing.
“She also stated that about two weeks ago she had replaced a battery in the clock in which one of the cameras was found and the camera was not affixed at that time.
She said that she complained that Mr. Peter Ramsaroop may have been recording her,” the statement said.
“The police became suspicious that Mr. Ramsaroop may be in possession of pornography and may be distributing pornography and consequently obtained warrants to search his apartment as well as his office at Land of Canaan, East Bank Demerara.
At the time he was overseas and upon his return on May 17, 2010, the police who seized two computer hard drives and a digital video recorder from his apartment executed the warrants in his presence. They also seized two computer hard drives from his office.”
FOLLOW THE LINK TO READ MORE http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2010/05/19/cops-say-hidden-cameras-found-in-female-tenant’s-bedroom-bathroom/
This is truly curious situation but unlike many I'll reserve comment on this particular issue until more is known about this, particularly if the cameras were operational when the police discovered and removed them.
Still waiting to see what will be the outcome of the CN Sharma episode, Guyana has really sunk further into depravity.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Britain's David Cameron becomes PM; Brown out
LONDON - Conservative leader David Cameron became Britain'syoungest prime minister in almost 200 years Tuesday after Gordon Brown stepped down and ended 13 years of Labour government.
Cameron said he aims to form a full coalition government with the third-place Liberal Democrats after his Conservative Party won the most seats but did not get a majority in Britain national election last week.
The 43-year-old leader said it would be "hard and difficult work" to govern as a coalition but added that Britain had serious economic issues to tackle. Cameron visited Buckingham Palace and was asked to form a government by Queen Elizabeth II less than an hour after Brown tendered his resignation to the monarch.
Cameron and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg's pact would be the first coalition government since World War II.
Arriving at London's Downing Street hand in hand with his wife Samantha, Cameron said he believed that Britain's "best days lie ahead."
Hundreds of onlookers, many of them booing, crowded the gates ofDowning Street to watch on, as Cameron swept into his new home less than 90 minutes after an emotional Brown had made a farewell address.
"We have some deep and pressing problems — a huge deficit, deep social problems, a political system in need of reform," Cameron said. "For those reasons, I aim to form a proper and full coalition between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats."
Negotiators from both parties were finalizing the agreement as Brown and Cameron met with the queen, and holding meetings with their lawmakers to ratify the highly unusual deal. Neither side was expected to thwart the plan to govern in a coalition deal.
Friday, April 23, 2010
The CN Sharma Sexcapade
It is very terrible to read of assaults involving children, especially that of sexual assault. When children are sexually molested by adults there should be immediate and swift legal repercussions and the in the case of Mr. Chandra Narine Sharma the law needs to run its full course.
The story involving him and the underage children is horrendous, not only because of the nature of the crime committed but because of the seeming complicity of the mother. Any mother that would voluntarily give their children up to be sexually molested by a man or anyone for that matter for financial or other gains, needs to feel the full extent of the law as well as the offender. This is complicity of the worst form.
Mr. Sharma, under law, is innocent until proven guilty, but in cases such as these it is very hard for a society to maintain its objectivity. These are children all below the age 13, and it is beyond comprehension what pleasure or satisfaction an adult male can derive from relations with a child. It is heinous to say the least.
If proven guilty of this/these terrible acts I am fully in support of the harshest possible punishment to be meted out to this individual. But while we get all up in arms about the Sharma situation we as a society need to realise that he is not the only influential figure in society that has committed terrible acts of sexual molestation against our children. There are many many in this country who are guilty and complicit in the sexual exploitation of very young children, boys and girls. We should seek to have all of these people exposed for the perverts and social delinquents that they are, and them let then lose in Camp Street.
The story involving him and the underage children is horrendous, not only because of the nature of the crime committed but because of the seeming complicity of the mother. Any mother that would voluntarily give their children up to be sexually molested by a man or anyone for that matter for financial or other gains, needs to feel the full extent of the law as well as the offender. This is complicity of the worst form.
Mr. Sharma, under law, is innocent until proven guilty, but in cases such as these it is very hard for a society to maintain its objectivity. These are children all below the age 13, and it is beyond comprehension what pleasure or satisfaction an adult male can derive from relations with a child. It is heinous to say the least.
If proven guilty of this/these terrible acts I am fully in support of the harshest possible punishment to be meted out to this individual. But while we get all up in arms about the Sharma situation we as a society need to realise that he is not the only influential figure in society that has committed terrible acts of sexual molestation against our children. There are many many in this country who are guilty and complicit in the sexual exploitation of very young children, boys and girls. We should seek to have all of these people exposed for the perverts and social delinquents that they are, and them let then lose in Camp Street.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
A very very sad tragedy that has befallen an innocent young woman
The Sangeeta Persaud case is a very sad and troubling one. Why some people insists on performing what they consider to be exorcisms in this enlightened day and age is beyond the realm of human comprehension.
These people should be put away who performed these clearly unwise acts on this young woman, for criminal negligence or something of the sort. I believe strict action is called for here and hopefully the investigation launched by the Health Ministry will unearth some evidence that will serve in achieving this.
We can only hope and pray that others who insist on these forms of treatment will learn from this and seize these practices. These acts should be considered illegal, religion should not come into play here at all, rather these people need to act responsibly and allow trained professionals to carry out their work, instead of trying to play God with the lives of our people.
These people should be put away who performed these clearly unwise acts on this young woman, for criminal negligence or something of the sort. I believe strict action is called for here and hopefully the investigation launched by the Health Ministry will unearth some evidence that will serve in achieving this.
We can only hope and pray that others who insist on these forms of treatment will learn from this and seize these practices. These acts should be considered illegal, religion should not come into play here at all, rather these people need to act responsibly and allow trained professionals to carry out their work, instead of trying to play God with the lives of our people.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
HIV/AIDS and young people
The Minister of Health recently came out and announced that Guyana is doing very well in its fight against the deadly HIV/AIDS virus, and we should look towards its elimination from 2020. I say this is a pretty ambitious plan and one wonders if Guyana can seriously achieve this, what with the way young people are carrying on in their sexual exploits, this is going to prove even more difficult, but i say kudos to Minister Ramsammy for putting forth this ambitious plan. That aside, stigma and discrimination is another area that still needs a lot more work and this I think should be a major focus for the Ministry. Many a young man or woman who have engaged at some point in time in unprotected sex or some other form of risky behaviour, exposing themselves to the virus, are afraid to get tested as they fear what others will say if their status is found out.
Guyanese as we all know are some of the most judgmental people on the face of this earth, and I think this issue needs to be addressed more effectively by the Ministry and all of the donor organisations engaged in fighting this disease. Year after year we see the statistics of people living with HIV and AIDS yet no one really looks at those cases that are not known, no one pays attention to the young man or woman who, when they discover that they have the virus, sometimes due in part by their own risky behaviour, blames everyone but the one who ought to take responsibility, and then go out into the world not revealing their status to their sexual partners and subsequently destroying an innocent person's life. I am yet to see a case in this country where someone was charged for willfully and knowingly infecting someone else with the HIV/AIDS virus. This another thing the Ministry should address; there is need for some for a law in this country that prosecutes these individuals and send them away for a long time, and if there actually is such a law already, then it should be enforced and these people should be jailed like common criminals. I say more needs to be done, either by the Ministry or international agencies before the world can realistically see a start to the eradication of this virus by the UN touted 2015 deadline.
Someone recently told me that there is not enough effort being put into preaching abstinence to the younger generation. This I agree with to an extent, however, its my humble opinion that the most logical and proactive thing is the teach protection and monogamy to young people. Sure there is a section of every society where young people practice abstinence, and in more cases than not this is due in part to their religion and/or very strict upbringing. But this is still disproportionate to the section of the society which engages in sexual activity and other risky behaviour. Of course at some point these same individuals who abstain are going to become active and will most likely practice monogamy.
We can make moan and groan that abstinence is what needs to be taught to young people, but we need to face reality at the end of the day. The UN reports, and this can be seen in many a community or village in Guyana and other parts of the Caribbean and the world, that year after year the age that people are engaging in sexual activities is getting lower and lower. Our young men and women are becoming more and more sexually active at a younger age than say ten or fifteen years ago, and of course this means that more young people are exposing themselves to the HIV/AIDS virus, this is even evident in statistics readily available, that young people aged aged 15–24 account for an estimated 45 percent of new HIV infections worldwide.
Feel free to share yours thoughts and opinions on where you think Guyana is as it relates to its fight against HIV/AIDS and whether you think 2020 deadline as put forth by the Health Minister for the elimination of the virus is realistic.
Guyanese as we all know are some of the most judgmental people on the face of this earth, and I think this issue needs to be addressed more effectively by the Ministry and all of the donor organisations engaged in fighting this disease. Year after year we see the statistics of people living with HIV and AIDS yet no one really looks at those cases that are not known, no one pays attention to the young man or woman who, when they discover that they have the virus, sometimes due in part by their own risky behaviour, blames everyone but the one who ought to take responsibility, and then go out into the world not revealing their status to their sexual partners and subsequently destroying an innocent person's life. I am yet to see a case in this country where someone was charged for willfully and knowingly infecting someone else with the HIV/AIDS virus. This another thing the Ministry should address; there is need for some for a law in this country that prosecutes these individuals and send them away for a long time, and if there actually is such a law already, then it should be enforced and these people should be jailed like common criminals. I say more needs to be done, either by the Ministry or international agencies before the world can realistically see a start to the eradication of this virus by the UN touted 2015 deadline.
Someone recently told me that there is not enough effort being put into preaching abstinence to the younger generation. This I agree with to an extent, however, its my humble opinion that the most logical and proactive thing is the teach protection and monogamy to young people. Sure there is a section of every society where young people practice abstinence, and in more cases than not this is due in part to their religion and/or very strict upbringing. But this is still disproportionate to the section of the society which engages in sexual activity and other risky behaviour. Of course at some point these same individuals who abstain are going to become active and will most likely practice monogamy.
We can make moan and groan that abstinence is what needs to be taught to young people, but we need to face reality at the end of the day. The UN reports, and this can be seen in many a community or village in Guyana and other parts of the Caribbean and the world, that year after year the age that people are engaging in sexual activities is getting lower and lower. Our young men and women are becoming more and more sexually active at a younger age than say ten or fifteen years ago, and of course this means that more young people are exposing themselves to the HIV/AIDS virus, this is even evident in statistics readily available, that young people aged aged 15–24 account for an estimated 45 percent of new HIV infections worldwide.
Feel free to share yours thoughts and opinions on where you think Guyana is as it relates to its fight against HIV/AIDS and whether you think 2020 deadline as put forth by the Health Minister for the elimination of the virus is realistic.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Commentary
It is really curious to note that the Guyanese media is taking up the mantle of the defunct PNC party as the new opposition and taken it upon themselves to castigate and pass judgement on the government.
Stabroek News on one hand is clearly an Alliance for Change newspaper, this is evident in every publication of the paper, yet still they promote themselves as being balanced and fair and providing adequate and fair coverage to all parties.
These Robb Street hustlers need to review the content of their publication on a daily basis and then pronounce with a straight face that they are indeed balanced and fair in their content. But then that would prove nothing, as barefacedness is the order of the day in the local media fraternity of Guyana.
That publication is clearly biased towards the AFC and this is not the conduct of a professional outfit, which they incorrectly seek to represent themselves as.
I wonder if, and this is a supposition that is unlikely to occur in the near future - should the AFC win the elections any time over the next ten years would the Stabroek news provide balanced and fair coverage of the party and the then government, or will they abandon their present heroes and jump on the next band wagon? It seems the party is one which is clearly the follower of every new fad in town. Initially they promoted everything the PNC/R did; now a new party is in town and they’ve taken up the position as the official Public Relations Arm.
The Alliance for Change came on the scene just before the 2006 elections with lofty promises and ideals that admittedly caught the attention of a number of individuals, hence their present occupation in the National Assembly of six seats. They got there and they tried their best to heat up the scene that has been left somewhat cold since the PNC/R’s lagging opposition. But all that has been evident in the Assembly for the past four years has been a loud, cantankerous and ineffectual floundering that came to a head last week with one of the two party leaders, Khemraj Ramjattan, jumping on his high horse and accusing the good workers of Parliament Building of tampering with official documents for which he had to offer up a humbling and sincere apology to the House days after an investigation was launched into the accusations, thus proving them unfounded.
This is just a sample of the ineffectiveness, the unprofessionalism and visionless new opposition party that is hopeful of leading the people of Guyana in 2011 and beyond. The AFC came on the scene and most Guyanese assume that they would appeal more to the young people, much like how US President Barack Obama wowed the younger generation and the women in America, propelling them to change and winning by a massive landslide. The AFC materialized, out of the bitterness of two ex-PPP and PNC members, and they threw a few words and catch phrases around that appealed to the few that refused to delve further into their rhetoric and try to uncover exactly what they stood for, how they intended to achieve the lofty promises they made and what plans or strategies they have to secure the future of our children and our children’s children.
But their true colours are now coming to the fore; they are revealed for the flounders and curmudgeons that they really are.
The PPP/C party under the stewardship of President Bharrat Jagdeo led Guyana to the stage it is at now; substantial debt has been written off, our forests will soon be earning money for the country, a modernisation of the country is in the works, more effort is being afforded to curb the criminality in the land and the future of young people in Guyana is not what it was 19/20 years ago; dim and disheartening. There is more hope for the future, the landscape of Guyana is slowing and surely changing, the climate of change is here and Guyana is certainly not allowing itself to be left behind
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Viable economic performance in Guyana in 2009
The period 2008-2009 was undoubtedly an economically challenging one for the world, and Guyana was not spared the effects of this flagging economic situation. Historically viable export products which have consistently provided sustainable economic benefits for this country, suffered to some degree; however in spite of this, quite a number of successes were recorded.
The Global downturn has undoubtedly severely affected many countries in the Caribbean region and further afield. Tourism, the breadbasket of many states in the region, has been hard hit; people do not have the kind of resources they previously had to indulge in the pleasures of the open Caribbean Sea nor sample the incredible and unique culture of the Caribbean and its people. Closures of once booming industries have been a steadily occurring incidence in a number of states; remittances have been severely slashed. Economic advisors and pundits the world over continue to thump their fists predicting further economic hardships before a turn-around can occur.
But amidst all the gloom and doom Guyana’s economic position has strengthened. The sugar industry, as advised by Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh in his presentation of the 2010 Budget, achieved higher production and export volumes last year than the previous year. The 3.3 percent production increase was achieved even amid several challenges in the industry during the year.
The Rice sector also recorded its highest yields ever, measured at 70 bags per hectare in 2009, due to the introduction of new varieties and expanded farmer education programmes in the form of Farmer Field Schools. This resulted in an overall increase in production by 9.2 percent, the industry’s highest production level in a decade.
The Bauxite industry, more so than the other local products, felt the effects of the economic situation; however it was not as severely hit as other bauxite sectors across the region. RUSAL’s investment in Guyana’s bauxite industry in some aspects mitigated the impact, jobs were preserved and there was no closure, unlike the situation in Jamaica, which suffered a much different fate.
Conversely, gold, which has been hard-hit in recent years, flourished last year, with declarations growing by 14.7 percent to 299,822 ounces; the highest level non-Omai declaration in a single year. This is due in no small part to Government’s track record of working closely with the sector through the years, even at a time when gold prices took a nose dive at US$253 per ounce, as well as its investment in infrastructure and the fiscal regime.
The Finance Minister in his presentation noted that Government’s continued support of the industry has allowed for gold declarations last year reaching historic levels, generated by more than 800 small to medium-sized operations with individual productions ranging from 20 to 20,000 ounces, all of which employed about 10,000 persons.
The other crops and livestock sector grew by 5.8 percent due in no small part to the emphasis placed on research and development in 2009, both of which are key elements in the sector’s diversification and modernisation strategies.
Balance of payments improved at the end of 2009 with an overall surplus of US$234.4M, compared with a surplus of US$5.6M in the previous year, while the current deficit was reduced by 31.6 percent.
It is quite remarkable that Guyana has been able to achieve this much in one year, particularly noting the present global conditions. Not only on the local traditional products has Guyana been able to achieve success; President Bharrat Jagdeo’s advocacy of the Low Carbon Development Strategy saw the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between Guyana and Norway. That agreement will earn Guyana US$250M by 2015 in performance based payments with US$30M being received this year as the first tranche.
Guyana saw an improved fiscal performance in 2009 in the non-financial public sector, which recorded an overall deficit of $13.5B or 5.3 percent of the GDP, a significant reduction from the 7.6 percent in 2008. Current revenue increased by 15 percent, some $94.9B, over the 2008 figures, in Central Government.
The inflation rate at the end of the year was 3.6 percent, a decline even in the economic hardships wrought by the financial meltdown. The exchange rate stabilised by the end of the end after a marginal decrease in transactions, the market however adjusted and the value of the Guyana dollar appreciated by 0.97 percent against the US dollar.
Overall, the Guyanese economy grew by 2.3 percent in 2009; and while that is somewhat less than the 2008 growth, it is still a significant achievement in light of the harsh global conditions. As the Minister pointed out in his presentation, “these achievements of the past year must neither be viewed in isolation from context nor as accidental occurrences. Instead, they are the direct result of a careful and deliberate policy stance, aimed at maintaining macroeconomic stability, strengthening the underlying capacity of our economy and improving the circumstances of our people.”
The Inter-American Development Bank continues to support Guyana’s pursuit of sustainable economic development through its support in a number of areas, and has since expressed its satisfaction with several achievements under the Fiscal Management Programme (FMP). Guyana’s financial management has improved, the budget has gained in transparency and infrastructural development has been advanced.
Guyana has also seen substantial debt being written off under the Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative, and the country, under the guidance of President Jagdeo, has been able to sustain a stable macro-economic environment which has resulted from the progress in the structural adjustment reforms in the financial sector.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)