The local lunatic fringe
Thankfully, it is a not too heavily represented group; there is an inner core consisting of public superstars, and there is robust support from a ragbag phalanx operating behind the deep cover of barricades, some official, some scummy. It is a heady, titillating presence: revealed political ambitions; entrenched power hunger; assorted allegiances; and visceral hostilities. [...]
When enough is not enough
It was the end of an ordinary day, when a most ordinary woman made a decision. This woman, the kind that is easily ignored, took a stand that galvanized a revolution, and gathered the downtrodden. Her actions were prompted by a recognizable human condition: she was too tired. She was too tired of the official [...]
Inklings of a defining humanity
One family confronts the most painful of decisions. A national family circles in protective embrace. As Winston Murray clings precariously to the tendrils of mortality, a massive safety net hovers near his fingertips to cushion his suddenly perilous days. In a time of severe individual and family distress, this nation finds out –
A welcome development
The announcement of the formation of Transparency Institute Guyana Inc (TIGI) is a welcome development (‘Company formed to promote transparency, fight corruption’ SN, November 11). It is laudable that a group of citizens has gathered for these related purposes. While I do not know most of the principals, I share relationships with a couple of [...]
Holding on at all costs
In a recent press release, the WPA called for the resignation of two government ministers following three maternity related deaths. The party’s thinking and standard are at the right level; however, it is at the wrong time, in the wrong place, and talking to the wrong group of politicians. It is the wrong time, because [...]
GECOM ads – one government subterfuge to be fiercely resisted
It took a while, but now it is finally out in the open: the PPP government is running scared; the party is scared despite its built in majority, its facile bluster, and its utilization of state resources for suspect purposes. To its chagrin, problems have arisen with what it hears, sees, and suspects, namely, that [...]
The wretched of the Guyanese earth
“Wife of murdered Mercy Wings guard struggles to make ends meet” (SN, October 10). The torments of Eileen Exley provoked passing interest, sparse commentary, and no outrage. It is the chronicle of the needy and impoverished in Guyana. This is the lot of those locked in exhausting misery; for them there is no champion, only [...]
The arrival of David and the great election race of 2011
There are some things wrong with this title. First, David most likely missed the bus; second, there is nothing that is going to be great about this election; and, third, it has already lost the intensity and energy of a respectable race. Moreover, all of this can be said with some conviction right now in [...]
The cheap exercise of power
Guyanese have witnessed a continuing exhibition of the cheap exercise of power by the government; it is raw, naked, and ugly. They see newcomers besmirch truth, veterans elevate parrying to an art form, and leaders embrace aggression as a way of life. They know that power used rightly can be inspiring; but when wielded to [...]
The PPP’s selection dilemma
Will it be the General Secretary or the Speaker of the House? After all the expert opinion, inside information, and outside betting, the speculation narrows to this. With this in mind, the intent here is to opine on which one is better equipped for the challenge at hand, and offers the potential for more. This [...]
The synergy of political petulance and debasing dialogue
It is a remarkable irony that a very public undertaking with the potential to energize and empower is mired in a bog of controversy and sometimes slick, sometimes jagged representations. Where there should be openness and enlightenment, there is only unharnessed political pique saturated with debasing dialogue and cultivated arrogance. Amidst the prejudices and passions [...]
Crime: a harbinger of national insecurity
An incendiary device destroys a motorcycle shop on Quamina Street; a business owner is executed on Water Street; four adults and a baby are shredded by automatic fire in Cummings Lodge. These are the brutal realities of contractual arrangements involving a bomb, a handgun, and assault weapons that point to the powerful presence of sinister [...]
An obsession and a cyber web of deception
This time the approach is stealthier. The government forgoes the blunt axe of direct advertisement deprivation. It adopts the circuitous, believed nimble, parsimony of cyberspace. No one is fooled, as another front is opened in the ongoing war on the independent press; and on the exposing of truth. Against this backdrop, four points must be [...]
The Goldilocks opposition
Yes, it blows hot, it blows cold, and falls asleep at crucial times for embarrassing intervals. However, there is good news: it could be brought together, after much difficulty, and made to stand upright and focus; but only after much kicking and screaming. The bad news is that there is a high probability that it [...]
Race matters: presidential dross and floss
There is a cauldron in the middle of the nation. Today, it is a brooding presence that simmers restlessly. Yet towering political ostriches see tolerance and beyond, even progress; such is the soothing cocoon of mud in which necks are buried. This is the smoothest revision yet of the tension between the races, unveiled by [...]