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Re: Help for School kids
Roses - Yes dear, whatever you say dear. $20 is a good number dear.
By batowl
Wednesday, January 07, 2009

denobrega... Don't be deceived...
I hear you about Linden. (Damn I wish my navel string wasn't buried somewhere by Kara-Kara creek) Then maybe I would love Linden so much but, as much as its boring and needs help in becoming a "City". I feel so much safer there that I have to stay there when I go home.

Regarding race relations, don't get it twisted, its a powder keg. See www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlW_OG6-S8k .

Batowl... The thing with the $50.0 is that it covers a whole school term. Its about $10,000, so transportation, lunches for the day and small is covered. You don't have to think about it again until the beginning of the next term. You have to make sure you send it to someone responsible that the kid can go to every day for bus fare and lunch money because if you send it to a family member, well that will go to something else and then the whole point will be missed. For examle, Ms. Gittens at MHS is amazing. She's trustworthy and has the kids best interest at heart. I'm sure there is someone like that at all the schools.

Peace.

By Roses1
Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Hi
Hi fellas a happy new year to you all, so what's going on in Gt.

By Chiney
Wednesday, January 07, 2009

One Child at a Time
I like what you said Roses, maybe $50 bucks is too scary, how about $20? It will do some good to some child. Do this on your own. Make a difference or else be quiet! Change takes effort, start with your own. Then maybe someday the Guyana we long for will finally be realized, maybe not in our lifetime, but someday!
By batowl
Wednesday, January 07, 2009

my visit to Guyana
I just came back from a wonderful nine days in Guyana. After 23 years of being away, I was able to visit the land of my birth and it was bittersweet. Although I was based in Linden, I traveled to Georgetown almost everyday and just fell in love with the city. Linden unfortunately was boring and depressing and dilapidated. But at least I felt safe. Georgetown on the other hand was very vibrant. I was quite impressed by some areas of the city. With two new malls and hundreds of new shops and housing communities, I did see signs of progress. However, Georgetown still has a long way to go if it is to catch up with cities like Bridgetown and Port of Spain. One thing that surprised me was how well the different races seemed to get along with one another. For years I have heard and read about Guyanas racial tensions but I saw black, Indians and Amerindians all coexisting peacefully or at least they seemed to be doing so. One thing that surprised me was the number of Blacks in Linden who supported the PPP party. All of my family members including my uncle who was a strong Burhnamite is now a Jagdeo man. It just seemed so odd that they would back a man and a party that does absolutely nothing for them. I could only say that this is a result of the brain drain that is keeping Guyana from moving forward. The best and brightest have left and the country is suffering because of it. What can we do?
By denobrega
Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Hi Guys
Waz going on guys, all the best for the new year.
Although I have not contributed to the forum for some time, I read your various articles every day, although many are very amusing I still would like to see you guys respecting others and not gettin heated up when someone does not agree with your point.
I really do ot subscribe to the fact that the people in Guyana are so poor to the extent tha they cannnot really do anyting for themselves, I am positive that there are many more alternative things that people can do but they just choose not to do them, they prefer to complain, I can recall my step -father coming home from work at 4:30 p.m. and going straight into the garden to help support his family, whils his peers would stop by the rum shop to play dominoes and drink rum, and they too would complain at that time how things were hard.

By Hya-Man
Wednesday, January 07, 2009

amenrata
do you reside in guyana or the states
By denobrega
Wednesday, January 07, 2009

WANTED! LEADERS, NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY, JUST A BACKBONE AND LOVE FOR GUYANA!
llanus, I hear you. At the heart of this is education. Its the reason mine and my husband's money will always support education in Guyana. The leaders you named were educated, they could see what's possible for Guyana because they looked beyond Guyana. I agree that it should start with people on the ground but I think it's also incumbent upon those of us who have been blessed enough to leave Guyana to go home and show the way. Think about it, there are kids in Guyana who go to school hungry or who cant go at all, They don't have money for supplies, they can barely read or write and the basic uniform is out of the reach financially for their parents. So, here's a suggestion, its a small thing but it will ensure that a kids gets an education. Education is key! They can't be future leaders if they're not educated. Contact your old school in Guyana, speak with a trusted administrator, find a kid that really needs it (they're everywhere). Take $50US and send it home. Mentor that kid. That will pay for transportation, school supplies and lunch for a school term. We're doing it and its making a huge difference. Whats $50US. Starbuck coffee for a week is about that.

Its small but guess what... its better than "Praying". Its taking action.

By Roses1
Wednesday, January 07, 2009

RAMBLINGS
Amen, you have vented this concern in the past that Obama would not be able to effect 'change' as President. I am willing to predict come 2011 our people will be mad as hell when the see change. "CHANGE HAS COME TO AMERICA" posited Obama. I too agree that there is only one President at a time! We already know that whether he condemn it or not it wouldn't change the situation. It is my view that because of not knowing how an Obama presidency would react that the Israelis acted now. I am confident that this brother will deliver in time!
By supererro
Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Wow
amen-ra-ta...
You don't do what i do, so trust me, you havn't seen suffering, or terror like i did. I don't live in guyana, but i make an effort to read the newspapers, and see that guyana is in bad shape. I understand you feel for the people that is suffering and deading. But what can you do about it, can tell me, the best you can do is pray for them. Look at Africa, you don't see about what is going on there. Sensless killing of men women and children, rape and mulitation. What can we do about it, PRAY.. But you live in guyana, there are things you and me and all of us can do, for our families and kids.
By Firefly78
Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Roses 1
I understand your concern and lament the lack of interest in our beloved country.However,it is the people themselves who are affected who must move in the direction of bringing about change. Too often I get the impression that the so-called leaders on the ground are indifferent and or incompetent to champion on their behalf.

It also has to begin with the emancipation of the people mentally and thus far no one is leading from the front. Change did not come about if people like Castro, Rodney,Burnham,Jagan, Williams and Manley did not play their part. Who is today's Rodney? Dr Eric Williams left the comfort of a tenured professorship to travel the length and breadth of TnT informing and emancipating his people, where are our leaders now?
By llanus
Wednesday, January 07, 2009

amen-ra-ta...
I feel ya. But I think in this instance, its important that he handle this situation when he is actually president. You'll see.
By Roses1
Wednesday, January 07, 2009

I CAN WALK AND CHEW GUM... CAN YOU FIREFLY?
Well, if that is not the stupidest thing I've ever read in my lifetime. You can and should be concerned about every going on in the world. Have you read my posts on here? I asked the question just recently about what can be done to help in Guyana, what can be done to change things, the response...NOTHING. No response from anyone. I'm concerned about what happens in the US because I'm not just a Guyanese, I'm also an American. I'm concerned about what happens in Israel and the Gaza Strip because I'm not just Guyanese, I'M A HUMAN BEING. So, how about you pick up a newspaper, a book, something! Educate yourself about how what happens in the world to one people, happens to all of us and then maybe, just maybe you can be taken seriously as someone who isn't just mouthing off on a website but someone who actually gives a crap about Guyana.

Peace

By Roses1
Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Re; FIREFLY AND ROSES.
ALTHOUGH I DON'T LIVE IN GAZA OR ISRAEL I'M STILL A HUMAN BEING AND WHERE HUMAN LIFES IN DANGER OR SUFFERING I FEEL IT JUST LIKE I DO FOR GUYANA AND THE FLOODINGS AND HARDSHIPS IT'S GOING THROUGH, AT LEAST I HAVE A HUMANATARIAN SIDE AND YOU FIREFLY DON'S, THERE'S A FAMOUS SAYING DURING HITLER'S REING OF TERROR, WHEN THEY CAME FOR THE JEWS I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING CAUSE I'M NOT A JEW, I'M CATHOLIC, WHEN THEY CAME FOR THE GAYS I SAID NOTHING, BECAUSE I'M NOT GAY, WHEN THEY CAME FOR THE GYPSIES I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING CAUSE I'M NOT A GYPSY, BUT WHEN THEY CAME FOR ME THERE'S WAS NO ONE TO SAY ANYTHING BECAUSE ALL WERE IN THE CAMPS. AND ROSE HE'S NOT THE PRESIDENT AS YET BUT STILL HE'S SPEAKING OUT ON OTHER AFFAIRS HE SPOKE WHEN THE TERRORIST ATTACKED IN INDIA, HE SPOKE OUT WHEN MADOFF MAD OFF WITH OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY AND OTHER ISSUES HE SPOKE OUT ON SO WHY HAVE SELECTIVE SPEECH, THE REASON WHY HE CAN'T SPEAK ON THE ISRAEL AND PALESTINIAN ISSUES IS BECAUSE HE'S BOUGHT OUT BY THE JEWISH LOBBY THAT WHY. AND YOU CAN PROVE ME WRONG IF YOU WILL, BUT THAT'S THE FACT.
By amen-ra-ta
Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Who cares
People, Guyana has its own problems, you live there, you have family there why do we care what happen in some country, or some war. We have our own problems, deal with in home problems, then deal with others. Do you guys even read the newspapers right, you see the problems facing our great nation, what does the future hold for our kids, eduction, GOVERMENT, food harvesting, homeless people, traffic deaths, jobs, CRIME, POLICE CORRUPTION, and you can write a book on what this country faces. Don't worry about Israel or the war. Worry if Guyana can survive a decade from now..............
By Firefly78
Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Re: Where is Obama
He is doing what President-Elects do...and that is to prepare for inauguration...he is elected for 4 years, not 4 years and 20 days.
By Anansi
Tuesday, January 06, 2009

O B A M A...
IS NOT THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Damn, what is it going to take for people to get that.
By Roses1
Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Where is Obama
As the israelis bombards the palestinian people where is obama, why haven't he spoken out on the genocide that is taking place in gaza, the people are getting tired of his popular phrase their's only one president at a time, how convenient for him to say that, but he spoke out on the terrorist attack that took place in india recently, is this the same person whose campaign motto was change, the only thing that is going to change is a black man in the white house, but the policies remain the same.
By amen-ra-ta
Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Re: Shared governance.
Shared governance may be the answer, only if both parties are serious and ready to come to the table and work out their differences.
By amen-ra-ta
Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Is shared governance the answer?
No,not under the present construct.This is about horse-trading plain and simple,nothing else. There has to be a desire to replace the existing political and democratic framework before such a step.Presently,none of the political leaders from the two major political parties are thinking along those lines.

Shared-governance in terms of sharing executive power in Guyana will never solve the problems.Moreover,how can two abject failures bring about change?
By llanus
Monday, January 05, 2009

Is SHARED GOVERNANCE The ANSWER???????
Shared governance
January 5, 2009 | By knews | Filed Under Editorial

The New Year began with another fervent call from the Leader of the Opposition for shared governance in Guyana. The PNCs understanding of the concept was unveiled in 2002, shortly before then leader of the PNC Mr Hugh Desmond Hoyte passed away.

Most germanely, at the core of its proposal was a structure of Executive Power Sharing, in which all parties represented in Parliament beyond a specified percentage would be represented in the Cabinet. The Presidency would be non-Executive and its incumbent would be selected by the largest party.

Even before the PNC made its suggestions public, there had been a sustained debate and discussion of the concept in the media, in which several models were unveiled that had been put into practice in several countries.

However, in each of the countries mentioned, the populations were divided vertically along some identified marker of race, religion or ethnicity, and the shared governance structure was intended to bring one or more excluded ascriptive group into the governmental apparatus.

The operation of the normal majoritarian rule of democracy had, in the absence of the innovation, worked to ensure that the group that fortuitously was able to muster the requisite number, capture and hold power in perpetuity.

The fly in the ointment with applying the model to Guyana was that the party that was proffering it, not in an academic discourse, but in the hurly-burly of real politics, was not willing to clearly state which of the divisions of Guyana it was going to represent in the shared governance structure.

The PNC, while conceding that voting in Guyana invariably was split along ethnic lines, insisted that it was a multi-ethnic party as did the PPP. If this were so, then in which way would its shared governance structure ensure better democracy? Is democracy now to be defined as government by one hundred percent of the populace?

Not surprisingly, the PPP seized upon the fatal flaw of the PNCs proposal and rejected the proposal as an artifice intended to assist the opposition to gain power through the back door. It insisted that with it as a party that included all racial and class strata, inclusion of the other parties in opposition added nothing fundamental to its representativeness.

After all, when it had been proposed that women, as a group with particular interests and views, did not have enough representation in Parliament, it very quickly acquiesced and enacted the necessary legislation to ensure that the lacuna was filled.

The PPP responded to the essentially different question posed by the PNCs refusal to address the ethnic conundrum the question of enlarging democratic participation of the entire population tout court, rather than of constituent groups - by proposing what it labelled inclusive governance.

The locus of broadening the inclusion of the populace in governance would be Parliament and not the Cabinet. Four Sectoral Committees, with members drawn from the government and opposition benches, were established with the mandate to scrutinise the entire operations of Government. Most pertinently, the rotating Chairmanship of these committees were to be evenly shared with the Opposition.

When this widening is added to the already existent Standing Committees of Parliament, including the ever important Public Accounts Committee always chaired by an Opposition member and the acceptance of the Government to send contentious legislation to Select Committees, it would appear that the Oppositions putative concern has been addressed.

For Shared Governance of the Executive Power Sharing variant to be possibly considered by a party that can secure office under the existing rules, there are two options. One would be for the Opposition to demonstrate to the international community that it has been robbed under fraudulent elections as has occurred in Kenya and (more dubiously) Zimbabwe. The Opposition tried this option after the 2001 elections including violent and deadly protests and failed. It cannot cash the same cheque twice: the international community has been forewarned.

The other would be for the Opposition to make the argument that to exclude Guyanese from lending their talents to their country in a time of impending, catastrophic crisis, both domestic and international, is immoral. Mr Corbins most recent call appears to be couched in the appropriate language but he would know that in matters of morality, actions speak louder than words. Morality, as charity, begins at home.

By supererro
Monday, January 05, 2009

One more thing about that documentary...
As someone who has sat with Sam Hinds and conversed and who has seen absolutely NOTHING that he has accomplished as Prime Minister, HE NEEDS TO GO. JUST SHUT THE HELL UP AND GO. You sound like a moran and you make african guyanese look stupid. JUST GO.
By Roses1
Saturday, January 03, 2009

condos for rent!
You don't have to leave you work to become a travel agent with traverus. E-mail me for more information.chris_ross5@yahoo.com
By vanesaccra
Saturday, January 03, 2009

BBC Documentary
Thanks ShyGuy.

Damn, I'll say it again, WHAT CAN WE DO? Guyana is a mess.
By Roses1
Saturday, January 03, 2009

RE: Help the commissioner
Field marshal i must agree with you mr. greene do needs to loose some weight, he doesn't look too good in the pictures i've seen of him, that weight would lead to high blood pressure, or diabetice. The job he's doing is a highly stressful one and his health must be up to par or we might hear of him taking ill,and when we do find out it's an heart attack, it happened recently to two gdf officers last month. His doctors needs to put him on a weight loss program to save his life.
By amen-ra-ta
Saturday, January 03, 2009

A 2007 BBC documentary on race crime in Guyana
A 2007 BBC documentary on race crime in Guyana
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlW_OG6-S8k

By ShyGuy
Saturday, January 03, 2009

A 2007 BBC documentary on race crime in Guyana
A 2007 BBC documentary on race crime in Guyana http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlW_OG6-S8k
By ShyGuy
Saturday, January 03, 2009

Re: HELP the Commissioner
Hi Linden people. We made it to 2009 and will work together for the common good of our town and nation. Is it possibe that we can send some letters to the Police Commissioner and BEG the brother to stay away from KFC, Pizza Hut, Pop-eye, Demico and many more of the fast food centers? I need to look at our Commissioner and see a fit human being. You saw that photo of the brother greeting the president in the Chronicle? I guess the President look at him and said he got food to feed the needy. We can judge an organization success by looking at who is at the top. Don't get me worng, I am not dissing the brother, is just that the photo hit me square in the face.

We can send him to Dr. Haynes Gym or we can hook him up with a combination of locally grown weight loss medicine - we can have a mix of senna pad, sweet broom, con-ga-pump, sweet suage, lemon grass, some salts (over seas), corila push, sand bitters and of course sour sap leaves.

PLEASE DON'T TRY THIS COMBINATION WITHOUT FIRST CONTACTING YOUR GRAND PARENTS, WHETHER THEY ARE DEAD OR ALIVE.

Peace. I aint using that....lol
By Field Marshall
Friday, January 02, 2009

K&S
can somebody tell me about the football please i need to know
By YANKEE
Thursday, January 01, 2009

K&S
Can somebody inform me how I can access the K&S finals live?

By nataleeb
Thursday, January 01, 2009

So.. What's the plan for the new year.
Happy New Year People! So, what's the Plan? Now personally, I don't make resolutions, I just do what I was planning on doing and live my life but Barack's election and all the horrors of the world has got me thinking, can one person or a small group really change the world? I heard two different Guyanese friends of mine recently say they will never set foot back in Guyana and when pressed about why, they basically said Guyana is done. That there is no reason to go there; there is nothing there of interest and so there is no point. I however have never and could never say anything like that. Guyana is my home, literally and in my heart. If one year passes and I don't go home, I get very irritated and quite unpleasant to be around so I was wondering, what are those of us who live abroad doing to make sure that Guyana is not done, that it is being brought into the 21st century and becoming a viable option as a place to return to permanently? Is there anything that can actually be done? Or is this just a pipe dream of mine? Today, where I live, is -9 degrees and it snowed almost all night. I don't know about you guys but personally, I'm not really too down with this kind of crap anymore. Granted, I'm looking forward to hitting the slops in a couple of weeks but that should be a choice. So, what's the plan? What can we do? Where can we help? Suggestions?

Oh, finishing that mini triathlon in May is sort of the big resolution too. OH WAIT.. THAT'S A PLAN NOT A RESOLUTION. Why god, why didn't I go swimming with my uncles in the river? The swim part of this would be a damn breeze now.

Peace Y'all.

By Roses1
Wednesday, December 31, 2008

HAPPY NEW YEAR
TO ALL MY FAMILY, FRIEND AND LOVE OF MY LIFE. I WISH U ALL THE BEST IN LIFE AND THE NEW YEAR
By nitedial
Tuesday, December 30, 2008

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
How would you guy"s would like to travel as an insider when you become an agent with traverus. e-mail me to find out more.
By vanesaccra
Monday, December 29, 2008

THIS IS OUR THING, C0SA NUESTRA!
I would like to take this occasion to wish everyone a very happy and knowledge awakening Kwanzaa. May the spirit of Umoja which continue to elude us and thus lengthen our duration as oppressed peoples, undergo a meteoric rise in our consciousness.

Doctor Ron Karenga initiated this festival in 1966 as an alternative to the commerciality that Christmas had become. He also set out 7 principles designed to steer black people into a state of independence.

Kwanzaa is a celebration of Family, Community and Culture. Those are three of the weakest areas of black interaction. What is ironic and perhaps explains why we remain in the state that we do, is that those are the strongest areas of interaction in other groups. And what is stupifying is the fact that whenever we attempt to coalesce around those principles we are told by people outside and inside of our communities that we are being racist. It is ok for them to have a myriad of exclusive cultural and religious organizations, but the blackman should remain in a state of unfocussed unconsciousness.

As the spirit of Kwanzaa inundates those of us who do not care what others say, it is my fervent hope that we can persuade the majority to abandon their self destructive traits and concentrate on building up and preserving their families, their comminities and their culture. We need to understand the significance of the trials we are being put through in order to develop and build up unity and strength from the experience. HAPPY KWANZAA FOLKS.
By victoriaguy
Saturday, December 27, 2008

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL MY LINDERS
I wanna wist all my linders merry christmas and a happy new year. I wanna wish my mother and my two children a merry christmas and a happy new year, not forgetting my friend Nicole.
By vanesaccra
Saturday, December 27, 2008

Happy Holidays to ALL
Hi Linden People,

Happy Holidays to you all.

Stay fine in 2009.
By Field Marshall
Friday, December 26, 2008

Happy New Year
Have a happy and bless 2009. I hope that all your future plans will come through.
May God continue to Bless and keep us faithful.

Peace and love is going out to my friends from Linden, Georgetown and West Bank. I hope you all will be enjoying the Cook-up Rice Old years night.

From: Marcia Yangapatty

By pinky
Friday, December 26, 2008

Re: christmas
Roses1 you and i both know that christmas is a farce, but the powers that be have to carry it on, the purpose of christmess is all about money and picking up the slack at the end of the year, the people who screwed it up are no longer here to correct it so the lies have to be continued. Also the mis-education of the mass is still in place so it's hard to break that mental shackle that's on the minds of the people, when one tells a lie and it's repeated several times it's implanted in the subconscious forever, it has to take a mental nuetron blast of re-education to get to the minds of the people, so until the mass want the truth they will continue to believe in this christmess.
By amen-ra-ta
Thursday, December 25, 2008

Christmas? Still? Really?
Are we really going to continue to feed this farce to our children? Is there going to be sometime soon when we tell our kids the truth that Christmas is a lie. That no such birth took place and that even if it did, it didn't happen when and how its been lied about for all these years. Are we really going to keep telling our kids that a while man is bringing them toys and not their hard working parents? WHEN PEOPLE, WHEN WILL THIS MESS STOP?

Just wondering.
By Roses1
Thursday, December 25, 2008

Seasons Greetings
Seasons Greetings to all my guymine buddies,and may you and your family have a peaceful and blessed day.
By amen-ra-ta
Thursday, December 25, 2008

RE-USING THE AMERICAN EXAMPLE
The first and foremost consideration for new political leadership in the opposition is how to non violently confront an ethnically triumphalistc and pompous regime. Eusi Kwayana, whose insight into things political and social in Guyana is unchallengeably the best there is today, cogently sums up the political personality of the ruling regime in this piece.

STABROEKNEWS

DECEMBER 24 2008

THE USE OF NATURAL RESOURCES REQUIRES A CLEAR CONSENSUS AMONG INTERESTED GROUPS.

Dear Editor,

The basic problem facing Guyana can be stated in various ways. The primary developmental problem is how to remove the insecurity felt by the great majority, more or less in various race groups regardless of age, gender and disability, and also according to political attachment and social standing, over the right to share in the beneficial use of our natural resources, and in opportunities for the development of all kinds when these opportunities are in the control of the government.

To fit in with the existing climate, recent events and proclamations at the highest level demand a particular kind of statement of this basic problem. Here, then, is one attempt which will not of course please every individual, class, sub-class, developmental preference, or all representatives of ethnic groups, sectors of these groups, business interests or occupations. It is made in the knowledge that while small circles of one race seem to prosper above the national average, poverty is no respecter of race and in so many ways it makes women more subject to demeaning abuse.

When the PPP won the government in 1992, President Cheddi Jagan pledged that Parliament would become the highest institution in the land. Those close to Parliament may be able to say if after sixteen years it has become that.

The President cannot be unaware of two facts firstly that already a sharp reduction in the number of rice farmers is taking place, suggesting the growth of large units. The 1946 Census report had recorded, The status of employer is rare. It was the age of the small farmer. The other is the century old lack of attention to the aspirations of the post-emancipation villages. To the extent that we can determine future development, it cannot be in the power of one party.

Recently the President chose a location in New York USA to proclaim a policy for Guyanas land resources. In the heat of the world financial crisis and growing recession, he praised the virtues of private investment. He did more. He unfolded to his audience, that is, the world, a call to set up plantations in Guyana. This rather is like the Dutch Governor Gravesande who, in 1746, issued a call to all nations to come in and set up plantations in Demerara.

These Presidents are very methodical. President Burnham announced the Paramountcy of the Party over the state, which he deemed one of the partys executive arms at home in Guyana on December 14, 1974, but he also did so at a party conference, whereas the whole country was to come under the declared paramountcy. President Jagdeo also overturned the existing forestry policy and declared for standing forests at some location other than the National Assembly of the country of which he is elected the supreme executive authority.

Violations of law have become routine in Guyana and have reached a point of recklessness. A few days ago the Minister of Local Government freely spoke on behalf of the Guyana Elections Commission. The President and his advisers, huddled at the Office of the President, make and break policy, decide on contracts of the highest values, and seem to be the disposer supreme of Guyanas assets. The President claimed that Guyana had an exemplary system of regulation.

So forgetful is the President of Parliament that he has avoided exercising his right under Article 67(1) of the constitution to attend the National Assembly, address it and to send messages to it. The present objection to the Presidents habit of announcing policy in the absence of the national institutions comes in part from a grim and loaded affirmation in the editorial of the governments Guyana Chronicle on August 1, 2007 reminding us in another context of the coming to power of a political leadership supported in overwhelming majority by Indo-Guyanese. No one has yet pointed out the brazenly triumphal quality of that statement. Even now it seems timely to ask, So what?

Making recommendations about the Presidents land and forest policies will not help at this stage. Where the natural resources are to be used, the point is to achieve clear consensus among interested groups, or to implement a consensus already reached. Another issue now logically raises itself again. In a UN-inspired consultation on a poverty programme, some young people from the East Coast of Demerara had proposed that GO-Invest become an all-party institution. To me it was a signal development of leadership, on the national scene, a much more useful and creative new avenue of practical concern. It was hailed or noticed by very few.

It is time to say publicly that those who regard any peoples destiny as a hobby will always find more hope in gunplay than in the less dramatic groundwork and mind-work necessary for dealing with an elected dictatorship . If it occurs to a President or Government of Guyana that a wholesale policy for land and for forests has become necessary, ones place to go is the National Assembly, perhaps for something of the order of a Land Use Commission. Political and social groups, including those of indigenous peoples and those concerned with ancestral lands and gender, religious and human rights activists of all kinds and the private sector can employ such an opportunity to generate lively policy-forming conversations all over the country. There has to be a non-violent way of ensuring that all Guyanese are equal in the eyes of government.

The government is more and more callous and unaccountable. It is hard to avoid expressing an unpopular opinion − a personal one. If the East Coast post-2001 election disturbances had aimed at making the government more pompous, the plan has succeeded.

Yours faithfully,
Eusi Kwayana

By victoriaguy
Thursday, December 25, 2008

No Semi-Finals in Linden (MSC)
Wow! I hope this news is not hid in today's Guyana Chronicle. Sorry Linden folks, looks like you have to go to GT for all your K&S football games!
The folks at LEAP are not serious. How could this group support K&S football tournament outside of Linden. Where is the economic benefit to the area. Where is the advancement for the community!
Fire all these jokers!
By batowl
Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Re: USING THE AMERICAN EXAMPLE TO FORGE ONE GUYANA
Finally we are witnessing some intellectual curiosity into the fundamental issues that must be addressed in order to bring about attitudinal changes in the Guyanese political climate for success, and some suggestions on moving to implement those changes.
Though strong theoretically, the writer (Richard) skillfully aligned his thoughts with the political landscape transformation occurring in the USA. I would argue that it is a "stretch" position given the numerous political, labor, religious, ethnic and economic constraints nested in Guyana. It does however, provoke discussions and debate amongst concerned Guyanese on whether the "C-Change" peeking from Richard's piece is worthy as a goal we must strive for. Let the debate begin!!!
Amongst us who contribute to this forum, I know rich ideas abound. Lets talk about the position detailed by Richard and figure out ways of changing things in Guyana.
By Silvertown Man
Wednesday, December 24, 2008

BURNHAM KNEW THESE PEOPLE

Which Guyanese politician will emulate Vice-President elect, Biden?
December 24, 2008 | By knews | Filed Under Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

There are two interesting letters in yesterdays issue of the Kaieteur News and the Stabroek News. One has to be guarded and very much so when one reads these correspondences in the newspapers. In majority of cases, the signature is false.

Secondly, in such a situation it becomes impossible to verify the information. Both independent dailies demand that the writer provide information of proof of existence but it is doubtful they stick tenaciously to that policy.

The first letter contains some names that we can go on. It is written by someone who purportedly is an official of the Methodist Church. Titled The Ministry of Education should return the Bedford Methodist School building in Robb Street to the Methodist Church (SN, Dec 23), E.C Brown contends that the school in question has been abandoned by the Ministry of Education and the property should be re-assigned to its rightful owner.

Now, there is a part of the missive that cites the good work of then Minister of Education, Dale Bisnauth on the related issues.
E.C. Brown informed readers that Minister Bisnauth was moving in that direction because he favourably responded to two similar requests by the church Golden Grove Methodist School and another one in Cumberland, Berbice.

According to E.C Brown, after Minister Bisnauth took on the Labour portfolio, the church requested that the new Minister of Education, Dr. Henry Jeffrey, proceed with the divestment as started by his predecessor. According to Brown, Minister Jeffrey advised that the matter be taken up with the President.

This is a ticklish situation to comment on. We do not know if the attitude of Dr. Jeffrey can be verified because it is only Browns word we have. If one proceeds to criticize Minister Jeffrey based on Browns statement, the paper runs the risk of libel.

I will leave it there for readers to draw their own conclusion. I chose to comment on this letter because I think it brings out dimensions of governmental behavior that we should reflect on. However we interpret what Brown wrote about Minister Jeffrey, there can be no denying that unlike the Hoyte Government, the PPP administration, from Jagan up to Jagdeo, has shown no vision to venture into the realm of the unprecedented so that historical changes can come into being.

Before we move to the second correspondence in the Kaieteur News, it should be noted that Minister Dale Bisnauth is owed some acknowledgement for his forthright leadership in giving back the Methodist Church its properties.

On the same day, one Ganesh Singh reported in the Kaieteur News that a Minister bought a huge plot of land equivalent to four house lots (that would be about an acre; that is a large piece of land for a home) from the Catholic Church in Prashad Nagar.

I checked with the Catholic Church. The Bishop and the Superior of the Sisters of Mercy told me that no such transaction was concluded with any Minister recently. The writer used the word recently. I hope he can write back and clarify for us which religious denomination he is taking about. I did some checking on lands owned by Ministers, highly placed PPP leaders in important positions in the public sector, their families and relatives.

What the revelations will show make the PNCs 28 years in power look like a tea party for kindergarten children.

When Vice-President elect Joseph Biden launched his autobiography, he made an absorbing observation, quite unusual for a high profile American politician. He opined that after the Bush presidency is over, there may be questions of prosecution for serious wrongdoing. Biden was referring to illegal action. We in Guyana would like to hear one or more of our politicians echo the Biden sentiment. My vote in 2011 will go to the party that openly proclaims that if it wins the Government it will investigate the previous government.

I lived under the 28 years of PNC rule, and in all honesty, I cannot day I saw the wholesale purchase of the countrys public properties and public lands by PNC officials as what I am seeing now.

The media and the opposition are not doing their jobs. Transparency International is not doing its work competently. The practice of corruption under the PPP Government has reached levels never before seen in any Caribbean country, not under Walters in Antigua and Panday, in Trinidad. Yet Walters and Panday were jailed after they lost power.

Lets hope the PPP loses in 2011 so Guyanese can begin to reclaim what was taken from them. And believe me; an unbelievable amount has been taken through corruption.

By victoriaguy
Wednesday, December 24, 2008

CRIME AND BOGUS BUSINESS PEOPLE
HE MUSTA BELIEVE THAT CANADA IS GUYANA

STABROEKNEWS

Huge cocaine find in Guyana pepper sauce boxes

Published: December 24, 2008 in News

Canada charges Ontario businessman

Some CDN$40M of cocaine was found by Canadian authorities in cartons of Guyana pepper sauce and a businessman was to appear in an Ontario court yesterday charged with importing and conspiracy to traffic in the illegal substance

The cocaine was seized by Canadian police following months of investigation which saw them tracking the shipment from New Brunswick and letting the accused, identified as 45-year-old Mahendrapaul Doodnauth of Sequin Court in Etobicoke, take possession of it with only a small amount of the cocaine still in the packaging.

According to Canadian media reports the bust is said to be the biggest in the history of the province of Ontario. Doodnauth is said to be the owner of Caribbean International Food Distributors in the town of Etobicoke.

Doodnauth was nabbed as he offloaded the boxes at a storage facility.
While none of the reports gave a date as to when the shipment would have left Guyana or any other information on the Guyana link, reports said the pepper shipment arrived in the country on board the Tropic Canada in Saint John, New Brunswick on December 8. The freight ship reportedly regularly transports goods between Saint John and the Caribbean.

Media reports said that the drug was inserted into the cardboard dividers inside 551 boxes out of the 1,250 that were carrying the pepper sauce. The cocaine was uncovered by border guards during their inspection of the freighter. Investigators used an X-ray machine and a sniffer dog to find the drugs.

In total, they found 276 kilogrammes of cocaine which, when cut and resold by street-level drug dealers, could amount to as much as 400 kilogrammes of the drug.

The guards removed most of the cocaine, but allowed two kilogrammes to be delivered to Caribbean International Food Distributors and when the boxes were loaded into a storage facility on December 19, Doodnauth was arrested.

Doodnauth has been charged with importing cocaine, conspiracy to import cocaine and possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking and was expected to appear in court via video link yesterday afternoon.

The bust was the conclusion of an investigation, dubbed Project Falcon which began in Durham when officers began to investigate the source of cocaine found in the possession of local street gang members.

The investigation was led by members of the Durham Regional Police Gang Enforcement Unit, the Canada Border Services Agency and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Our partners in Canada Border Services havent seen this level of sophistication in terms of packaging, said Durham Police Service Chief Constable, Mike Ewles in the Toronto National Post. At a news conference yesterday, Detective Sergeant Mario Lessard showed reporters how the packs of cocaine each containing 180 grammes had been carefully stashed in the cardboard panels. The cocaine was said to be high-quality and around 80% purity.

According to newsdurhamregion.com, by the middle of this year the cops had begun surveillance of a suspect and the pepper shipment was intercepted on December 8.

Pepper sauce is the latest of local commodities to be ensnared in the cocaine trade in recent years. Water coconuts, molasses, wood, rum and a variety of other items have been intercepted abroad with cocaine. These interceptions have failed to crack networks in Guyana and prosecutions have proceeded overseas where persons have been held.

By victoriaguy
Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Berbice River Bridge
I am so proud of the milestone that the government and people of Guyana thsi is history man the long awaited Berbice river bridge,i am proud man really proud.

By carnivalbaby_1
Wednesday, December 24, 2008

USING THE AMERICAN EXAMPLE TO FORGE ONE GUYANA
BY: Dr. Richard Van West Charles

On November 4, 2008, US citizens and, indeed, American citizens of Caribbean heritage voted impressively in favor of President-Elect Barack Obama. The world looked on and waited anxiously for Americans to exercise their franchise with the expectation that their vote would usher in a new era of change in the domestic milieu which would facilitate, at the same time, a dynamic world order. This apparent universal political frenzy proved to be so infectious that some political leaders and Heads of State deviated from the established inter-state norms of non-interference by publicly declaring a preference for a political candidate in this case, Senator Obama. But, be that as it may, what seemed to have driven the engine of hope was the goal of a new face for America which would represent ONE America, the United States of America - the ONE America which Barack Obama spoke so passionately about when he addressed the Democratic Convention some four years ago.

The election of Barak Obama to the Presidency of the United States together with the desire of Americans for ONE America indicate that there is yet hope for human beings to re-examine the various components of their identities. With this introspection, it is hoped that they will affirm a pre-eminent identity that is national in contrast to other identities based on race, ethnicity and other distinctions. Of course, this battle to create a national identity in the United States of America is not over but after many years of deadly struggle and personal sacrifices, including wrongful incarceration and murder, America has indeed projected a new face, a new identity in support of a new human destiny to the world.

Americas unquestionable global leadership would appear to provide citizens of all nations with a solid opening to assert and reinforce their pre-eminent national identity. In different geographical spaces, therefore, citizens must seek out the common good within a framework of tolerance as they confront differences of one kind or another some real, some perceived. Hence, Guyana, a young nation which has struggled for the last forty eight years to make manifest the realization of its Guyanese identity, now has a golden opportunity to seriously involve itself in the global psychological environment of change. Indeed, it is a timely moment to fundamentally address its pathological ethnic demons and embark on a process which will bring about change in a much shorter time frame than the United States of America.

I hardly believe that there is any Guyanese who does not want an environment of peace, security and a good quality of life. But in our concrete conditions those elements of national existence are hampered by divisions of race and culture, ethnicity and religion. In the prevailing circumstances, we need to interrogate the issue in these terms: what do we as Guyanese require in the changing environment to create that pre-eminent national identity? How concerned are our political leaders with this issue of national identity? How concerned are our trade union leaders with this issue? How concerned are our religious leaders with this issue? How concerned are our other civic leaders with this issue? It is my considered judgment that our leaders - and their constituencies would greatly redeem themselves if they were to take that bold step of emphasizing and re-emphasizing our national identity.

For my part, I am committed to the forging of a Guyanese national identity - and I see this as critical and fundamental to the creation of a new Guyana.

This year has not been one to make us proud citizens of a mature nation. The divisions persist and seem to be gaining a measure of ascendancy in the domestic environment. Consequently, we have suffered many heinous crimes; we have experienced many injustices; we do not feel safe and secure; we are increasingly labeled as a corrupt nation not open to fair business practices; we lack the confidence in our justice system; and we are enduring increasing inequities, among other things. Yet, we cannot place the blame in its entirety at the feet of the Government of the day. For if we then only point our fingers at the Government, I wish to posit that we are not aware of our basic human rights. We, therefore, have to ask ourselves: How informed are we of our rights as citizens? How informed are we of our rights in responding to the Police? How informed are we in our understanding of the role of the Police, the Magistracy and the Judiciary and realizing that their roles are not identical?

The change in the United States which we witnessed under Barak Obamas leadership was achieved with the involvement of millions of citizens from the grassroots up. For us in Guyana, we must learn a lesson from his campaign and that is to involve grassroots organizations and people in the ongoing process. Thus, there is an urgent need to transform our political institutions to ensure that the democratic values undergirding our national platform must, by necessity, strengthen the political process in our political parties, our civic organizations, our trade unions, our churches, etc. In particular and more significant, is a change in practices of our political culture which are inimical to a democratic culture. Obviously, the change in the governance of our political parties is a natural precursor to the expected change in the governance of our country. But most critically is the historical alignment of ethnicity to the political process which has to be confronted in the interest of a better Guyana.

In the not too distant past, we had been engaged in a process of constructing the highway for molding and cementing the Guyanese identity. There were direct strategic efforts but somehow we seem to have lost our way. Have we lost that vision of brilliance of what it is to be Guyanese? Have we decided to accept enclaves of the haves and the have-nots? Have we agreed that it is too difficult a task to confront and limit the opportunities of the younger generation? I believe that the road of emphasizing our national identity is the only path which we must travel. It is a course which requires us - not only those we describe as leaders but all Guyanese - to engage in a strategic process to understand the insecurities, the concerns which fertilize the growth of a culture at odds with that collective identity of being Guyanese.

As we reflect on this past year and prepare for 2009 let us be part of the global effort to create an environment of Hope. Let us engage in dialogue which can lead to solutions that can liberate us from the ethnic demons of our divisive past. I am aware that it is much easier to write than to do. But the courage to engage in understanding the diagnosis will allow us to understand the challenges and find the solutions. The important link of the political culture to the issues raised makes it a sine qua non for the urgent attention of the members and supporters of our political parties.

I invite the governing bodies of each political party to immediately embark on a process which begins with self-examination and diagnosis and ends with the elimination of practices inimical to democratic values in each political party. This, clearly, is a first step to the rebuilding process and, in essence, empowering our people to become involved and taking charge and charting the course of our collective Guyanese destiny. Let us not confuse electoral legitimacy with governmental accountability, fairness and justice. Let us strive to make the change by beginning the process in 2009. We have the opportunity to begin 2009 with renewed energy and hope. We need to ensure that we give change a chance,

We Can; We must; We will. God Bless!

By supererro
Tuesday, December 23, 2008

SAD SAD!!!!!
I don't know. From reading everything about this move it seem that Linden was used as a convenience and now that there are greener conveniences she is being abandoned like an old shoe. Lindeners like other segments of the Guyanese population have to learn to become intelligent consumers and to sell their patronage and loyalty as dearly as possible. The value of a consumer is related to the expectations of that consumer. Linden and other consumers need to raise their expectations of those who benefit from their consumerism, and make no bones about leting them know it.
By victoriaguy
Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Kashif & Shanghai cannot be serious in what they have done
December 23, 2008 | By knews | Filed Under Letters

Dear Editor,
I am a big football fan, and have followed local football for the past two decades, never wanting to miss any of the big tournaments.

The Kashif & Shanghai tournament is my favourite, and every Christmas season I would arm myself with tickets to attend many of the games in Georgetown and Linden.

I have not missed a final for the past 10 years, but this year I intend to stay away in protest of the reason given by the organisers for no longer using the MSC Ground in Linden for the final.

From the onset, let me say that Kashif & Shanghai have every right to take their tournament wherever they want, thats their prerogative.

But, in the same breath, they ought to be honest about the reasons behind the move. I attended last weeks Opening Ceremony in Linden, and listened carefully as Kashif Mohammed slowly tore away at the very foundation he was standing on.

Mr. Mohammed, whom I respect for his organisational skills, should have been a little more forthcoming with the truth. If you want to move the tournament to the capital so you can make more money, then thats it.

Tell us that, but do not pull down and criticise the management of the Mackenzie Sports Club and use the state of the MSC ground for your decision to take your tournament from its home.

If thats your excuse, then you should have picked up and moved out completely. Instead, the tournament will host the quarter finals and the semi finals at the same venue that has now become unfit for the final.

The MSC ground has served the community of Linden and the K&S organisation faithfully. I have enjoyed the many spectacular finals it brought us over the years.

But I feel a deep pain in my heart at the way this venue has been ignored by Government and community leaders like Kashif & Shanghai for many years.

Accommodation was always a big problem for the final, no doubt about it, but crowds of 10,000 and more have been turning up for the past 10 years, and I thought that the K&S group, knowing fully well the limitations of the MSC, would have used their influence to rally the business community to begin infrastructural work to develop the facility.

These guys pull in big sponsors every year. If some of those same sponsors would have been asked to assist with the financing of new pavilions, I am sure they would have readily assisted, just like many of them have done in the many cricket grounds across Guyana.

When I realised that K&S could not be serious about finding the best facilities to host their matches was when I attended the double-header at the Paradise ground.

The ground is a dam; a muddy paradise that should only be used for cattle rustling and rodeo. No seating facility, no proper security, no parking, but it fits the Kashif and Shanghai bill of health.

Other games are scheduled for the Buxton ground, another swampland that should only be used for community grudge matches, not a national tournament. The MSC ground is by far the superior football venue in the country; and rather than walk away from the ground, leaving it in its bleeding and injured state, Kashif & Shanghai should have offered some CPR.

And let me point out, too, Mr. Editor, that I was totally surprised that, in the same year that the football tournament is being moved out of Linden, the Linden Economic Advancement Programme would use its wisdom to LEAP onboard the bandwagon and offer a multi-million-dollar sponsorship package to the organisers as if to say, Nice move, see you later. LEAP cannot be serious.

I know of young entrepreneurs who would wait months upon months to get some financial assistance from LEAP to develop their small businesses.

LEAP has now become a football fan and is easily handing out its money to an organisation that is clearly taking economic advancement out of the Linden community.

I hope the folks at LEAP visit the many empty food booths, and empty hotel rooms, and empty mini buses and taxis around Linden on New Years Day, and I would then like its Programme Director to explain its LEAP of faith.

That LEAP donation could have gone towards the construction of new stands that could have accommodated the thousands who would be standing.

But, anyway, back to the playing field. I have always enjoyed the fun of driving up to Linden for the football festival, partying with friends all night long after the game, sleeping in our cars, going to the creek for a bath the next morning before driving back to the city.

I remember the hot bowl of porridge I would eat every morning after the tournament at the market square, and the liver stew that accompanied.

The Kashif & Shanghai final in Linden was more than just another game, it was a rite of passage; it was an experience like no other.

Linden has given a lot of support to the tournament over the years. I am surprised that my Kashif & Shanghai brothers are still taking. Ill miss the football final in Linden. I will not attend a substitute for the real thing. I am hurting.
Lester Joseph
By Leon Roberts
Tuesday, December 23, 2008

NICE TRY TACUMA, BUT YOU ARE FLAGGING A DEAD HORSE
Look I have the greatest of regards for Tacuma Ogunseye, and his analysis is on point. Where I will differ is apportioning blame for the debacle that the PNC represent today on Corbin being misled by Stabroeknews and the pro PPP civil society.

One has to be idle to ignore that reality that has always been Guyana, and the fact that anti- black prejudice has been a shared historical value of all the other groups. If Corbin believed that playing nice and shuffling along would have changed the minds of those who traditionally had no use for black people, then he was drunk throughout his life in Guyana. Burnham did not do what did to hold on to power merely because he had dictatorial tendencies. Burnham did what he did because he recognized what the alternative would have been. He spent time in the belly of the beast and he saw its fangs. With hundreds of young men tortured, mutilated and killed over the past few years, and no remorse or efforts to bring those who did it to justice, we are seeing what Burnham perceived.

Those people did not con Corbin he conned himself. He did not just happen on to the Political scene in Guyana. He is a veteran, someone who came through the ranks. Anyone who is so naive that he would allow himself to be conned by elemnts in civil society whose main concern is not live again under the Governance of the son of a slave, has no business arguing the political and social interest for the sons and daughters of the enslaved. Black people in Guyana and this world need to understand that because we see people skinning their teeth at us does not mean they are laughing with us. It probably means that they are laughing at us.
By victoriaguy
Monday, December 22, 2008

Taking everything into account Corbin did not do very badly

BY Staff
Published: December 22, 2008 i
Dear Editor,

I was asked on many occasions by African Guyanese subsequent to Mr Vincent Alexander and his comrades going public with their intention to contest for the leadership of the PNCR, to say something on this issue. Many of those persons who had made the request for me to comment had assumed that I was either a member or a supporter of the PNCR. I want to take this opportunity to remind the public that I have been and remain a member of the Working Peoples Alliance (WPA) from its inception and will continue to do so. I am also a member of the African Cultural and Development Association (ACDA). Others had urged me to do so as an African political activist who is known to offer comments in the media on political developments in Guyana and who believed that I have an obligation to the African community and the nation to objectively analyze publicly, what is happening in the PNCR, the party that the majority of African Guyanese have supported over many years.

I had deliberately refrained from commenting primarily because (1) I had felt at the time that it would have been unethical for me as member of another political party to have been seen to be inserting myself in the affairs of the PNCR even though I, like many others, was interested in the unfolding events: (2) Since the public presentation of the dispute had focused on Mr Robert Corbins leadership in the context of the PNCRs defeat in the last general elections and on governance issues in that party, I felt that these were matters for both members and supporters of the party to address; and (3) As a member of ACDAs team that attempted a reconciliation between the two sides it would have been inappropriate for me to speak on this matter in public as those initiatives were taking place.

However, a lot of time has passed since Team Alexanders unsuccessful attempt to change the leadership structure in the PNCR and recent developments now indicate that there is a growing opinion in the country and abroad that the situation in the PNCR is no longer confined to the realms of the partys boundaries.
It has become a national issue particularly since Team Alexanders exposure in the public gallery of the differences between the two sides. It is in this context that I herein break my enforced silence on what has been taking place and offer some comments on the dispute.

I wish therefore to begin by saying that it is important for us to note that whatever happens in the PNCR and the PPP, which leads to, alters, or is intended to bring about fundamental changes one way or the other in the structures of these parties, have national importance and ultimately, national consequences.
I also believe that when disputes/differences like those between Corbin and Team Alexander surface it is important that those of us who seek to offer our opinions/views on the unfolding developments ought to do sincerely and not hypocritically.

Based on previous experiences I am not convinced of the sincerity of some of the individuals in Guyana who are now advancing their opinions on what had and continues to take place. I say this because a close examination of those who believe that Corbin alone is to be blamed for the deterioration in the PNCR will show that they were/are the same forces that were hostile to Mr Hoyte and the PNCR for using street protests to contain the PPP/Cs political arrogance. They posited then as they do now that the PNCR should use the parliament and adopt a more peaceful posture and suggested by doing so that the party, its constituents as well as the nation will be better served. Events have since proved the fallacy of that argument.

When Mr Corbin assumed the leadership of the PNCR on the death of Mr Hoyte Stabroek News and similar minded elements very quickly took the opportunity to remind Mr Corbin of his past and even suggested that he was not the right person to replace Mr Hoyte. They pleaded with Corbin to adopt a more statesman like posture than his predecessor and called on him to reject the confrontational path and to walk the road of peace. Because he so badly wanted to be seen and accepted as a leader with presidential credentials Mr Corbin to his detriment, not only listened to the so-called voices of reason but distanced himself from some of Hoytes brand of activism, recreated his image and is now today paying the price for making the worst political decisions of his life.

It is these same upstanding individuals who had conned him into believing that a recreated/redesigned Corbin had a better shot at the presidency who laughed and rejoiced when the PNCR lost the elections and who are now calling him ineffective. Some of them are even publicly ridiculing him as a wimp and as the weakest leader in the history of the PNCR.
If there is one thing I am certain about it is this − if Corbin and the PNCR even dare to become more confrontational once again the very same individuals who now see him as weak and ineffective will once again invoke his past and accuse him of being committed to violence and of wanting to take Guyana down the road to political mayhem.

To all appearances the internal difficulties and conflicts in the PNCR became more profound after the party lost the 2006 elections. To the outsider, it seemed as if all of the blame for the loss was laid at Corbins door. The disappointment of losing was tremendous and had to be for leaders of a party which had abandoned its clarion call No verification no election and contested the election without verification of the list it said it had craved. If my perception of what were the events that led to the deepening of the crisis is true then the questions of who participated in the making of the decision to contest the 2006 elections is of tremendous importance if what took place is to be understood.

To be objective one has to face reality − the history of elections in Guyana has been a racial census. The PNCR and its African base supporters have never ever gotten more votes than the PPP in any elections mainly because of the racial voting. To put it another way the PNC with its founder leader Mr Burnham never won a fair and free election against the PPP. The Indian Guyanese advantage in numbers in the context of racial voting made and continues to make this impossible. It is only a political dunce who will argue otherwise. I ask in all seriousness − given the known history of the PNC and the political reality in the country, more so after the PPP/C and its Indian base supporter regained control of state power was/is it realistic politically, to speak of Mr Corbin or of any other PNCR leader wining elections in Guyana? Our winner takes all political system guarantees the Indian-based PPP majority victory. Therefore is it fair to blame Mr Corbin for the PNCR defeat when the party was trying the impossible? If Burnham and Hoyte could not win even when they had control of the state, how on earth can Corbin or any other PNCR leader win elections in the present situation in Guyana?

I dont know if Mr Alexander and his team had opposed the PNCRs decision to contest the last election, or if they went along with the decision of the majority. If Team Alexanders position was against participating then blaming Corbin and his majority for believing that it could have won the elections is understandable in the context of factional politics.
On the other hand, if they supported the PNCRs decision to contest the last election then they have to take some of the responsibility for losing.

In that situation Corbin alone cannot be held culpable for their collective decision and their collective failure. However, if they agreed with the decision to participate in the elections they are obliged to say what was the role that of the team in the lead up to the elections. In other words they are obliged to say what it was they did to improve on the PNCRs chances of winning.

I do not propose here to deal extensively with the question of governance in the PNCR and how it influences decision-making in the party since I am still trying to educate myself on this subject and on the mechanics surrounding the running of the partys internal machinery. However, in spite of my lack of first-hand knowledge of the scenario I am prepared to say that the right of individual members or of any section of the party to contest for the leadership of the party must be an unquestionable right. The same goes as well for the right to struggle for improvements in governance of the organization.

Mr Robert Corbin became leader at a time when the party had been in the opposition for six years, at a time when its resources, both human and material, were in poor shape.
The middle and upper class elements in the party lost heart with the demise of Mr Hoyte. For many of them their loyalty was more to Mr Hoyte than the party since as President he had done favours for them, hence their sense of loyalty to him.

Added to this, they felt comfortable being led by him since he was seen and accepted as one of their own. They never saw Corbin in the same light and by extension, never accepted him; that is why it was so easy for many of them to move away from the PNCR and to support the AFC even though they knew (a) that party had no real chance of defeating the PPP/C; and (b) had no history of militancy.

I also believe that class considerations and external influences also helped to weaken the PNCR just as much as Corbins naive attempt to be a born again politician. Another important factor which Corbin had to deal with was the new situation in the party where for the first time in its history there was no maximum leader Hoyte was the last. Corbin therefore found himself having to come to terms with his contemporaries who either saw themselves as his intellectual equals or his intellectual superiors. I sense that his handling of this challenge was not successful.

Mr Hoytes demise over time, led to a reduction of financial support to the party. More importantly Corbin had to deal with a mass base which was aware that the party had lost two elections under Hoyte as opposition leader and, given our history of racial voting their party does not stand a chance of winning one.

The PNCR supporters knew that their only hope lay outside of the ballot box. That is why they took to the streets under Hoyte. Given the then mode of the partys mass base support and their feelings of frustration, it therefore was not surprising that they felt that Corbin would have been more militant than Hoyte.

This was not the case. While the African masses wanted instability to achieve political objectives, the upper and middle class elements under internal whitemail and external influence or pressure wanted peace and stability. I have no first-hand knowledge how Mr Corbin dealt with all these contradictions. What I do know is that the PNCR supporters are in the main, disheartened and feel a sense of hopelessness.

When these and other factors are taken into account along with the arrival on the political scene of the AFC with its Western support and heavy finance, Corbin did not do very badly.
He was outspent and faced a hostile press which undermined his partys support base. He never could have won the elections since Africans dont have the numbers and in retrospect, given what he was up against the PNCR could not have avoided the losses it suffered to the AFC and PPP/C.

Corbins success or lack of it as PNCR leader should not be judged on whether he can keep the party united for contesting elections, but instead on his ability to win shared governance for his partys constituency and for the greater good of the country.

This is the real challenge facing not only Mr Corbin but any other PNCR leader. If Mr Corbin is presently in pursuit of shared governance (and not simply waiting for the next general elections) then he is doing the correct thing since this will be in the best interest of the African community and the nation.
Whatever is his approach he and the PNCR must be prepared to back up their talk with action or nothing will be achieved.
Corbin must also be able to deal with his detractors who are claiming that he is having private talks with Jagdeo and the PPP/C for a price. He is on record denying that he is having talks with Jagdeo on shared governance. If Corbins denial is credible, it is good, since talks on shared governance must not be a secret matter between the two parties but should be a very public matter for all Guyana.
Yours faithfully,
Tacuma Ogunseye

By supererro
Monday, December 22, 2008

BURNHAM MUST BE ROLLING OVER IN HIS GRAVE
If I didn't know better I would have said this letter was written by one of the PPP's nocturnal psycophants masquerading as Abu Bakr. Abu even trotted out the stereotypical "mo fiya" sword of damocles the PPP uses to deter African Guyanese from protesting against its abuses. It is kind of strange and ironic that some of the most ardent critics of the PNC have suddenly become enthusiastic about Robert Corbin's leadership. Could it be that his performance is more helpful to their aims than it is to the concerns of his constituents? The wants and needs of Corbin's detractors clearly are divorced from the symbiotic wants and needs of him and the ruling regime.

Let us examine this in a pragmatic and objective manner. And let's do this by asking a couple of questions. (1) Is it even remorely arguable that the majority electorate will continue to be influence by ethnicity when they are in the ballot box in 2011? No it is not! (2) Is it even remotely possible that significant secions of the majority population will abandon their voting practices and cross the aisle to vote for someone they associate the previous PNC regime in 2011? No it is not!

Please, only the most monumental of idiots or someone blinded by personal ambition will deny those two realities. If MR. Corbin believes that the contrary is possible then he is pawning the interest of those who continued to vote for his party in 2006 to flimsy and illusory expectations.

Whatever plights and aversive conditions that visit the lives of African Guyanese from here on out has to be laid squarely at the feet of the obstinate carde of PNC leadership. I will say no more after this. What we have to do now is to resign ourselves to the inevitablity of the privations to come, and to ensure that there is no revision of history when posterity looks back on the events of the present.
By victoriaguy
Sunday, December 21, 2008

What is it that Mr Corbins detractors want?
For a start a leader who is not morally and ethically challenged. This is not about 'mo fire' it is about the future of the suffering masses and not about the man who is an impediment to their progress and well being.

The question to Corbin's supporters is simply what has he done for you lately? Does his continued presence and leadership improve the conditions and fortunes of the masses? The call for him to go is simply because he continues to be a failure and has no vision to alter the current course. This is all about allowing for another rasta to take his place. We must never confuse or conflate the fortunes of Robert Corbin with that of the suffering masses. Corbin as thus far demonstrated that he in over his head and a political dunce who is currently the window dressing to the PPP mendacious and ethnic style of democracy.
By llanus
Sunday, December 21, 2008

What is it that Mr Corbins detractors want?

BY Staff
Published: December 20, 2008 in Letters

Dear Editor,
Suddenly, as another snowy day dawns, it comes to me that my understanding of todays politics in Guyana may be deficient.
It had always been my view that the reasons that the PNC is not in power, had more to do with immigration policy during the colonial era than the abilities or policies of its leadership.

PNC supporters were simply outnumbered, and the party chose, during its very first term, to continue with an electoral system that ensured that the winner took all. It only had to ensure that it named itself winner. Which it duly did. Then, in its socialist-revolutionary phase, it declared itself a vanguard party, without going the full length and constitutionally entrenching itself eternally. Then, when the call for free and fair elections sounded its knell, it mistakenly persuaded itself that it had a chance and failed to prepare a system of mandatory shared government. A party which had, in its mis-reading of the politics, doomed itself to the opposition benches and the indignities and attendant demoralisation that we now witness.

The sycophants and fellow travellers drifted off, the overly ambitious stalked out in frustration, the dissidents found other pastures. The fact that the party started a new life in opposition in seeming confusion the violent marches, the flirtation with violent gangs, if true, the inability to persuade the nation that it had repented (despite the countless public declarations) and the unceasing challenges to the leadership, reveal a party that is still now finding itself. The role it should play in opposition, welfare organisation for its membership, which is all it can do out of power and with its few resources, seemed not to have been well seized. It perhaps still suffers from the delusion that it can win elections. At least some supporters do. Otherwise it occupies itself in agitating for power-sharing. There is no other solution.

This has been my understanding. tBut now, I am hearing that most of it is Mr Corbins fault. The opposition leader, whom I remember as a loyal and assiduous activist and functionary, is somehow portrayed as the millstone that will plunge the party into the depths of the abyss. And that so-and-so, replacing him and taking to the streets will force an arrogant and insensitive PPP to do things better. That he is a best, bereft of vision and militancy.

The criticism of Mr Corbins leadership has now become an insistent din that cannot be ignored. Commentators whose acuity I trust, such as Chris Ram, have joined the call for Mr Corbin to resign. Activists in whose integrity I have confidence, such as Stanley Ming, have withdrawn. But somehow I fail to convince myself that the problem is Mr Corbin or that an alternative leadership will secure better electoral results. Perhaps it will give comfort and hope to some. The change of leadership serving the same psychological ends as the marching did. Proving that something is being done. That some sort of change is happening. But the case for change has not been convincingly made and one fears a return to the chaos of the past.

First I must confess my concerns about Team Alexander. When people were being beaten in the streets Mr Alexander was quoted as dismissing the indecency as mere interactions of the sort necessary to the forward movement the country needed. That the PPP is recalcitrant. Responding only to fire and sword. This may have been the party line at the time but to my mind this was terrible public relations. But in any case it perturbed.

Then the ceaseless pre-congress sniping in the press, after the party had experienced the acrimonious departure of Raphael Trotman, and had been severely criticised for its over-reliance on the kind of public demonstration which Benschop and Bynoe now disavow, suggested that many in Team Alexander were not themselves convinced that the party had really been sold on internal democracy. This was a very bad comment on the state of the party from insiders themselves. This was not reassuring for the nation. And the way elections were managed at the congress confirmed the countrys worst fears. The PNC was the proverbial egg-sucking dog. Incorrigible. Incapable of reform.

Second, Team Alexander did not convincingly make its case. What exactly, apart from a more militant and super-mobilised party, were they calling for? It all seemed to resolve itself as a public quarrel over strategy at a time when most of Guyana was tired and frightened of the indiscipline and violence that finally only gave a bad name to the party and supporters.

Campaigning on a platform of higher fire, Team Alexander, put it to us that Corbin and unnamed persons in the hierarchy were conspiring to defuse, to dampen, to demoralise. One was not convinced. The charge that the opposition leader had been somehow co-opted by President Jagdeo, or that he had made a Faustian bargain with some PPP elements to support a third term in exchange for this or that, or that he had sold supporters out for a handful of silver, seemed, to say the least, to spring from a fevered imagination. Besides, the one thing we learn from our history is that, as in the case of the WPA, the people being killed and jailed and beaten are not necessarily the prime beneficiaries of the political results of the struggle.

Should there be a need for better organisation of the party, I am certain that the mechanisms exist to achieve this in the circumstances. A strategy to deal with the AFC that recognises exactly which segment of the supporters it had captured (and these were not the burners, beaters and rioters) and seeks to win them back, could also be debated. But to place the confusion squarely and uniquely at the feet of Mr Corbin appears to me to give him the kind of excessive powers and importance that brought the party to grief during the Burnham era.

Is leadership all that important in the PNC and should it be concentrated in a single being? Is Mr Corbin dictatorial? If the party is still at the stage that it imposes that kind of behaviour on its leader, then its constitution should be changed. I know, because I receive its press releases, that the PNC has been speaking out on all the issues. I am therefore at a loss to decide what exactly it is that the detractors want. Is it mo fire?
Yours faithfully,
Abu Bakr

By supererro
Sunday, December 21, 2008

WAHT A RESPONSE!!! Hardy Har Har!!!
llanus how accomplishment bankrupt does an organization have to be to take credit for forcing the establishment of a tame commission that white washed the extra judicial killings of more than 200 young blackmen? Especially when the leader and the gang responsible for the killings still walk the street unperturbed by the antics of the PNC.

How accomplishment bankrupt does an organization have to be to nuscle its way into the credit for a judicial decision from a lawsuit that it did not have the foresight or cohones to file on behalf of its constituents? Surely the writer of that article jests.

The PNC proceeds to try to salvage the reputation of its moribund leadership by parading a slew of incipient activities, none of which made any significant impact on the attitudes and conduct of the powers that wielding the sythe of politics.

This vapid response suggests that PNC is in even more desperate straits than we imagined. It takes the shape of an adoloscent's rant of denial when caught with its hand in the cookie jar.
By victoriaguy
Friday, December 19, 2008

PNC responds to attack.
Once again the PNC continues to demonstrate its inept capacity to grasp matters of critical importance. Rather than attend to the myriad of issues confronting the Guyanese people the party once again shows how out of touch they truly are. The party in its rush to defend itself andits incompetent leader put before the nation a narrative that beyond a shadow of a doubt indict them as the clowns they are.

In their attack on Christopher Ram and Stabroek Newspapers,the party outlined some critical issues and maladministration of the PPP government. However, what is truly revealing is the fact that the PNC although concerned about these critical areas never as a party placed these issues on the table for discussions and bargaining with the PPP. Nothing that they proposed and or considered critical were used as leverage for their support on the critical 'recall legislation'. One would expect that having had their issues and concerns ignorned and cast aside any decent political party would embark on a course of non-cooperation and withdrawal from parliament. Not Corbin and the PNC, although ignored and beaten to a pulp on matters of grave concerns to the people of Guyana, Corbin found it useful and politically necessary to accord his party's support for that nasty piece of legislation, the suffering and misery of the people notwithstanding. Go figure.

The PNC latest public relations ploy rather than command support and respect, serves to indict them further as to why they or out of touch and indifferent to the misery and despair experienced by the masses. King Corbin and his cabal threw away the well being of the masses for a piece of political instrument that serve their naked ambitions and self interest.
By llanus
Friday, December 19, 2008

PNCR responds to attack!
RESPONSE OF THE PNCR TO ATTACKS ON THE PARTY AND ITS LEADERSHIP

The Peoples National Congress Reform has taken careful note of the increase in activity to attack the PNCR and its leadership, including the call for the resignation of its Leader. The Stabroek News Editorial of Sunday, December 14, 2008 and a letter from Rickford Burke are very much in this vein. They contain nothing new except that the language of the latter represents an ad hominem attack on Mr. Robert Corbin. The Party has grown accustomed to the rantings of Mr. Burke and is well aware of the political Agenda of Stabroek news. We leave the nation and PNCR supporters, in particular, to judge. What is new is the attack on the PNCR and Mr. Robert Corbin in a letter by Mr. Christopher Ram, which coincidentally appeared in the same issue as the Stabroek News Editorial in question. The PNCR leaves it to the Guyanese people to draw the necessary conclusion.

Mr. Ram is a member of the so-called intellectual elite which has reserved the right to pronounce on the internal matters of the PNCR. There is nothing necessarily wrong with such an attitude but one would have expected that Mr. Ram and the class he represents would be more responsible in carrying out its self assigned duty.

The PNCR is not fooled by such arguments that it should hold the Government more accountable. Translated in political terms it means that Mr. Ram and his fellow ideologues would like to see the PNCR take to the streets again where its supporters and members could become the battering ram for him and the less than courageous class that he represents. When the PNCR was in a more militant phase, it was people like Christopher Ram and the Editors of the Stabroek News who accused the Party of being violent and denounced its supporters thugs and hooligans. Indeed, one can go on to say that the Stabroek News took advantage of those occasions to seriously undermine the efforts of the PNCR to force the PPP/C to respect the laws of Guyana and the rights of the Guyanese people.

It must not be forgotten that it was this very class which urged Mr. Corbin at the inception of his tenure as Leader of the PNCR, to take a different route to effect change in Guyana . Mr. Corbin did not need such advice, but, having regard to the fragile political and economic conditions of the country, he decided along with his Party to exhaust all democratic procedures to persuade the Jagdeo Administration to respond to important issues affecting the Guyanese people. Mr. Ram cannot say that there has been no success.

The PNCRs campaign against the death/phantom squads and the rule of law marches organised by the PNCR and others, led directly to the resignation of Minister of Home Affairs, Ronald Gajraj. The establishment of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry, while clearly intended to exonerate Ronald Gajraj from any responsibility for activities in relation to the death squads, painted a damning picture of the PPPs handling of important areas of the security sector and their active collaboration in extra judicial killings and murder. The Roger Khan expose in the USA has confirmed that the PNCR was correct in its approach at that time.

Mr. Ram has also conveniently forgotten that it is the PNCR that led the charge to expose the extra judicial killings by the Target Special squad led by Supt. Fraser and Merai and forced the Jagdeo Administration to establish the Disicplined Forces Commission. For the first time, the Leader of the Opposition was able to appoint members to a Presidential Commission and Ms. Maggie Bernes report still remains instructive. That Disciplined Forces Commission made significant recommendations for the improvement of the Guyana Police Force and the security sector.

Is the PNCR or the Leader of the Opposition to blame for the Jagdeo Regimes failure to implement the one hundred and fifty plus recommendations? Where was Mr. Rams pen and voice when the PNCR repeated called on the Government to implement those recommendations? The Nation awoke, however, after the Lusignan and Bartica massacres. The same question may be asked of Stabroek News.

Where was Mr. Ram and Stabroek News when the PNCR and its Leader led the way in the disastrous floods of 2005 and 2006? Who was it that exposed the gross mismanagement, discrimination and corruption within the Government Flood Relief program? The PNCR did not only criticize and expose, but vigorously organized its own National Relief efforts and provided support to all communities regardless of race or politics.

The PNCRs continued Human Services programme of bringing relief to the needy and elderly could not be unknown. So too have been its initiatives at empowering its supporters and its promotion of a vigorous Literacy programme, long before the Government was bold enough to acknowledge that there was a national Literacy crisis. Perhaps, Stabroek News had good reason not to publicise many of these activities. Surely, it would have conflicted with their agenda of promoting a new political party. The facts are however there and cannot be disputed. More particularly, however, the ordinary people, the beneficiaries, and the members of the PNCR are fully aware of these activities. Consequently, the vile propaganda by Mr. Ram and Stabroek news and the rantings of a few disgruntled people will not succeed.

It was also the PNCRs relentless pressure on the PPP/C to open up the information sector that set the conditions for the historic judgement of Justice Ian Chang. The Party will not waste any further time in reiterating its successes, but merely wishes to remind those who conveniently forget that its firm opposition to torture compelled the Jagdeo Administration and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) to hold an investigation into allegations made in this regard by many Guyanese citizens, even though the final report produced by the investigation, in the Partys judgement, was far from satisfactory.

The question of the Value Added Tax (VAT) needs separate treatment. It is only the most purblind of its critics who would deny that it was the PNCR and its Leader, Mr. Robert Corbin, who have pushed this issue to the top of the national agenda. The Party had warned before the 2006 elections of the negative effects of the tax rate set and the dangers if it was poorly implemented. The results are with us today as the cost of living has spiraled.

Despite the warning of the Party, many people voted for the PPP/C in 2006 and it is quite clear that many have regretted that decision. The Jagdeo Administration continues to reap a windfall from this tax while the Guyanese people continue to suffer. Now that many have ignored the advice and leadership of the PNCR and are experiencing the adverse effects of that tax, they expect that the PNCRs thugs and hooligans would rescue them from this dilemma. The moral of what has transpired is that a nation gets the Government it deserves. The PNCR would therefore not be persuaded to call on its grassroot supporters to aid those who blatantly ignored and insulted them when they placed their bellies on the line for those very classes to benefit. Perhaps the Staborek News and Christopher Ram should take their own advice published in the Editorial of Stabroek News of April 22, 2004 entitled, Civil society must get involved:

. The breakdown of the constructive engagement process is a call to arms that we ignore at our peril. For if we continue to be apathetic about becoming involved in the affairs of our nation we will continue to be prisoners in our homes, waiting for the knock in the night that takes one of our loved ones away to be seen again dead and abandoned in some desolate area of the town or countryside.

If we heed the call we can address Corbin's caution about individuals or organisations pursuing the interest of one or the other political party; we can be assured that in any discussions the interest of the nation would be uppermost in the priorities of the participants. Most of all we will ensure that we could yet bequeath to our heirs a Guyana worthy of their loyalty and dedication and to which their minds can remigrate as they see the prospects for a better life at home than in some far off land.

There are too many people today who have little understanding of Guyana s political history and they therefore tend to rush to shallow judgement without analysis. It is not unknown that parties in opposition tend to encounter difficulties which could lead to the exit of important members. The PNCR is mature enough to accept this fact. Even the newly formed AFC experienced this phenomena when one of its leading founding members, Ms. Gomattie Singh made her exit. Any serious researcher can find evidence of the hemorrhaging of the PPP in the 70s and beyond when it was in opposition. The PPP lost many important members such as Rahaman Gajraj, Ranji Chandisingh, Halim Majeed, Vincent Teekah and Harry Lall. Are these not people of talent? Were these not representatives of important political capital of that party? Did they not take with them important institutional memory? Indeed, looking at the hemorrhaging of the PPP at that time, one would have also concluded that the Party was weakened beyond repair. The reality is that parties do recover as internal and external circumstances provide the space for them to do so, as the PPP did, and the PNCR will. Perhaps Mr. Christopher Ram a former active member of the WPA is allowing his judgement to be clouded by those experiences and is trying to judge the PNCR in the same light.

It is unproductive to allocate blame for the performance of the PNCR at the last elections. The PNCRs strategy was carefully outlined at its 2004 Congress when it called for a united opposition and advocated shared governance. The party actively pursued those objectives and those who ignored that initiative did so at their peril. Those who now seek to find excuses for the miserable performance of the Jagdeo Administration and find someone to blame, must therefore engage in serious self evaluation. The PNCR, like any responsible political party, conducted its own evaluation that would guide its future action.

The PNCR is not afraid of criticism. Indeed, the Party welcomes it when it is constructive and intended to help defend the interest of the Guyanese people. Moreover, the PNCR has never claimed that it is a perfect political institution without any weaknesses. The Party expects, however, that those who have elected to become its critics should be careful in assembling their facts. If their assertions do not square with the concrete reality in which the Party finds itself, it will naturally reserve the right to reject those criticisms as ill-informed and tendentious. It is rather ironic that the Stabroek News, which waged a continuous campaign to undermine the PNCR and promote the Alliance for Change (AFC), should now attempt to shed crocodile tears for the PNCRs perceived demise. It is also laughable that Christopher Ram, who for several years waged a private campaign of vilification of the Leader of the PNCR, should now express concern for an effective opposition. All he has done is to seize the opportunity to boldly express what he has been spewing in cocktail circles since 2003. The party will not be deceived by such antics. In such circumstances his motivations are highly suspect.

The PNCR urges its members and supporters to, be steadfast: In season and out of season. Many predicted the demise of the PNCR after the death of Forbes Burnham in 1985. Other such predictions were also made after the sudden death of Desmond Hoyte in 2002. It has not happened and by now those prophets of doom should realise that the PNCR is resilient. It will survive the storm and like the phoenix, will rise from the ashes to lead Guyana to sound development.

It is the membership of the PNCR that elected Mr. Corbin to that Office. They re-elected him as Leader at the last Congress and at the Partys General Council meeting on November 6, last, reaffirmed their confidence in him and the actions taken by the party. Those who claim to embrace the culture of democracy and feel that they have the authority to call for his resignation should understand the contradiction. It is time that they have respect for the views of the membership of the PNCR and not insult their intelligence. Or perhaps those misguided persons exhibit such intellectual arrogance to believe, like some, that, the masses are asses.

Finally, it must be understood that there are myriad problems facing this country and it would be fool hardy to expect the PNCR solely to carry the struggle in trying to resolve them. The PNCR has said before and repeats, that the people of Guyana must take ownership of these problems and join it and other responsible elements of the opposition in trying not only to resolve them but in bringing the Jagdeo Administration to sanity. The Party is confident that once the people of Guyana have seized ownership of these problems, the Jagdeo Administration will be more respectful of the laws of Guyana and the interests of the people. WE urge the Stabroek News to take their own advice and perhaps, as a service to all Guyanese re-publish their entire Editorial of April 22, 2004.

Peoples National Congress Reform

Congress Place, Sophia

Georgetown, Guyana

Wednesday, 17 December, 2008

By supererro
Thursday, December 18, 2008

The usual fiction of Robert Corbin and the PNC fiction writers
Another letter to the press illustrating how the concept of truth and honesty is foreign to ethically challenged Corbin.

Dear Editor:

Corbin's case against McAllister and Team Alexander is trifling

I reject the contentions of the letter allegedly written by a "Melanie Morrison," captioned "Mr. McAllister was properly withdrawn from Parliament," that was published in the Stabroek Newspaper (SN) on December 16. It was a fanciful distortion of the facts. I must therefore correct the record as follows:

1. The letter delineated an official party position. Its specificity on the Disciplinary Committee proceedings against Team Alexander as well as its conclusions is redolent of authorship by the PNC leadership itself. There is no "Melanie Morrison" in the PNC leadership or with access to such information.

2. I served as a "special assistant" to President Desmond Hoyte and not as a "personal assistant."

3. The writer's assertion that I never considered Corbin's rational for James McAllister's recall from Parliament is false. Mr. Robert Corbin and I communicated extensively on this matter. He proffered his versions of the facts and circumstances in several emails to me, in an attempt to justify his initiation of disciplinary proceedings against Team Alexander.

4. I considered his representations and found them to be trifling. I advised him that the draconian measures then under contemplation were unwarranted and that a reprimand was appropriate in the interest of party unity. I also told him frankly that any attempt to recall or expel McAllister or censure Vincent Alexander or any other person would be vindictive, and that under that circumstance he and the party would lose my support.

5. The writer ludicrously asked "Did Mr. Trotman leave the PNC because of Mr. Corbin? I am putting it to the writer that Raphael Trotman left the PNC because of differences with Corbin, and so did Stanley Ming and the entire Reform Group.

6. Having been roundly condemned for deposing McAllister from Parliament, Corbin is now attempting to re-characterize the controversy. In a December 8, interview on CNS TV 6, he obfuscated the issue, evaded responsibility and cowardly threw up a subterfuge about executing the decision of Congress and the disciplinary committee. He also claimed that McAllister's absence from Parliament precipitated his recall - Nonsense of course! His vendetta against McAllister and Team Alexander has been well publicized. Hence, the disciplinary proceedings were a charade and has no credibility. Further, the constitution invests recall powers solely in Corbin in his capacity as Representative of the PNC's list, and not in any party disciplinary authority. He therefore bears personal responsibility for his vindictive act.

9. I am very disturbed by claims by both Corbin and the writer that McAllister resides and works overseas while receiving a parliamentary salary. In the said December 8 interview, Corbin stated that "The party was forced to take the action it did against McAllister.It had nothing to do with his campaigning with Alexander for the leadership of the party.Instead of still trying to participate and represent the people in the Parliament, he is overseas working, drawing salary overseas and not attending Parliament." Corbin has also claimed that McAllister was absent from Parliament for an extended period without permission.

10. Corbin is being irresponsible and dishonest. The Parliamentary Standing Orders, Chapter XIII: 105 states that: ".An elected Member who without leave of the Speaker. for more than six consecutive sittings occurring during the same session and within a period of not longer than two calendar months, he or she shall vacate his or her seat" Consequently, if McAllister was absent without permission for an "extended period", why didn't the Speaker declare his seat vacant in accordance with the aforementioned Standing order?

11. Corbin as Opposition Leader is a constitutional officer who is expected to tell the truth. His allegation that McAllister is working overseas is knowingly false and reckless, and can place McAllister's immigration status in peril. McAllister can defend himself ably, but I seriously question Corbin's motives. He knows fully well that McAllister is on sabbatical in the US and is in no way employed. Even if such a rumor came to his hearing; it is his responsibility to first seek verification before repeating it publicly. In light of the Bush Administration's draconian Immigration policies, we in the leadership of the Caribbean-American community are indignant of individuals like Corbin who deliberately place our nationals' immigration status in jeopardy. Corbin should therefore correct the record and cease his malicious assertions.

12. By raising this issue Corbin has opened a can of worms. Without prejudice to the following individuals, it is known that past PNC MP's Myrna Peterkins and Lurlene Nestor were allowed to remain in Parliament and receive a salary under Corbin, despite prolonged absence from Parliament overseas. Additionally, I received a note from a current PNC executive member and MP, stating that their "requests for leave" which were submitted to the Speaker, were allegedly continuously "concocted" in Mr. Corbin's office, with his knowledge. Mr. Corbin must clarify this matter.

13. The writer also asked why didn't Desmond Hoyte support Alexander over Corbin for Chairman of the PNC? I don't think that the writer really wants to go there. Corbin, having promised Winston Murray and Hoyte that he was uninterested in the Chairmanship, subsequently engineered his own nomination for the said office. This caused Murray to acrimoniously decline his nomination, much to the chagrin of Mr. Hoyte. Hoyte's subsequent support for Corbin was in the interest of party unity - a leadership quality which Corbin does not possess.

14. I wish that Mr. Corbin and his supporters would stop throwing up infantile distractions and address the salient issues of: his failed leadership, why the PNC has suffered three rifts under his leadership, the party's ongoing decline and its historic defeat in the 2006 elections; losing six seats in Parliament and many others in the various RDCs. These are all contentions that McAllister, Alexander, Gaul, Stabroek News, Ram, I and many others have raised.

15. Finally, I maintain that Robert Corbin is a compromised, inept, dictatorial, vindictive, failed leader. He should resign and allow a new leader with a new vision to emerge in the PNC.

Rickford Burke

By llanus
Thursday, December 18, 2008

NAR responds
VG, you are quite correct, however, expect to hear the usual dribble that the issue of Corbin should be left to those within the PNC, as if the PNC membership alone can elect Corbin and or vote out of office the PPP cabal.

The arrogance and hubris of this nondescript leader is a burden on the suffering people of Guyana.
By llanus
Thursday, December 18, 2008

RE-NAR RESPONDS
llanus more and more these people are begining to assume the image of Benedict Arnolds on a quest to destry the PNC from within. Why else whould anyone put allegiance to an individual above allegiance to the people and the nation.

It is this narrow minded kind of ignorance that has the PNC where it is today. These people can see no further then the next congress or the next elections. Their politics localized around a clique of partisan power and the concerns of the masses do not register on the radar of their consciences. It is really a sad day in Guyana, a sad day for Guyanese of African descent, and a sad day for representative democracy in Guyana.
By victoriaguy
Thursday, December 18, 2008

Nar responds
It is instructive that blame is cast only on those actors who sought to rightly challenge Corbin at the last congress.Missing from the above narrative is also the review of the leader and PNC performance during the last elections in region 10. Given the number of registered voters and those who actually voted it is clear that the majority rejected Corbin and his party,can NAR explain those facts?How is it that a favorite son is rejected by his own people? Is it that they more than the rest of Guyana know the man up close and personal and by refusing to show up at the polls and or voting for the AFC and PPP have no desire to be identified with this failing leader.
NAR speaks about regions and group effort in support of the party.NAR in its narrative fails again to tell the people about the single minded destruction of the PNC support group in Canada by King Corbin because the membership is independent and speaks with conviction on the issue of true democracy and governance, and not the drivel that comes from Corbin.
By llanus
Wednesday, December 17, 2008

WHAT A BUNCH OF IDIOTIC FARTS
I knew Forbes Burnham and Desmond Hoyte and believe me, Robert Corbin ain't neither of the two. Those two men were visionaries with the intellectual and political capacity to go toe to toe with the PPP. Mr Corbin is being knocked senseless in the first round of every bout, and it is the constituency of the party who are feeling the blows.

Never in my life have I come across this kind of obduracy. The consituency of the party are being grinded into the ground by jack booted policies and discriminatory practices but the most important thing for these idiots is to maintain their little power clique.

Anyone who votes for the PNC as it currently constructed in 2001 are sadist who enjoy the blows of adversity. Never in the field of human politics have so many been done a disservice by so few. Burnham has to be rolling anguishly in his grave today.
By victoriaguy
Tuesday, December 16, 2008

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