PRESIDENT Hoyte’s recent visit to Cuba has attracted some comment. Given the delicate state of negotiations for a supporting package for the IMF deal and the ongoing sensitivity of the US administration and Congress on the subject of Cuba the visit is seen in some quarters as having been strangely timed.
One school of thought says the object of the exercise was to show that despite the rapprochement with the West, Guyana is still independent and non-aligned and has its own foreign policy. It will be recalled that in 1972 Guyana, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica in the face of a US-led diplomatic and economic blockade against Cuba established diplomatic relations with that country. Relations with Guyana have since been good and Cuba has been helpful to Guyana particularly in the medical field. According to this line of thought, Mr. Hoyte has not visited Cuba since he took over more than three years ago and this is as good a time to go as any.
Others have suggested that the idea might be to show the West, who are going slowly on the support package, that there are alternatives. Given the changes in the Soviet Union and the tightening up on aid to Cuba and elsewhere this hardly seems a plausible or credible Strategy.
Others say the People’s National Congress was itself divided on the visit, some seeing it as a mistake at this time and others urging that it was overdue. The party, of course, has fraternal relations with the Cuban party.
The Cuban visit occurs in the context of a long standing relationship. The government has said nothing to suggest that it signifies a shift in policy and it may well be that it is a routine visit to which no particular significance should be attached.
It is perhaps more interesting to speculate whether the Bush administration will undertake a review of the Reagan policy in this area. It is, of course, far too early to say though the flexibility being shown with Yasser Arafat in another part of the world is encouraging. The so far limited US-Soviet rapprochement will surely have some effect eventually on US policy in Latin America and the Caribbean if only because of the weakening of cold war attitudes.
Mr. Gorbachev is now scheduled to visit Cuba in April. It has been hinted that the new structure of Soviet trade will bring changes in trade with Cuba once the present five-year plan expires in 1990.
Under the impact of these events it is foreseeable that major changes in regional relationship are a real possibility in the next few years.
Port Mourant Lead in B’ce Cricket
PORT Mourant Cricket Club continue to be one of the leading cricket clubs in Berbice and according to officials the Corentyne side had an outstanding year in ’88.
The Berbice side captured the Bristol Cup competition last year beating Everest of Georgetown in the overall final.
Port Mourant were lauded by the Region Six Regional Sports Council for its efficient management after winning the Berbice Sports Club of the Year Award.
The senior team is in the semi-finals of the Clifford Reece competition which is still to be completed.
The Under-19 team shared the top spot with West Demerara in last year’s Goodwood Trophy Youth Week competition organised by the Department of Youth and Sport.
David Fingal, Arjuni Nandu and Ravendra Deola, all members of the senior team represented Guyana in the Northern Telecom Youth tournament.
Businessmen Must Plan Ahead
SHIVRAM Singh, manager of Ameerally Store on Regent Street, says that his way of dealing with the problems plaguing businessmen these days is to turn a blind eye to the old ones and try to solve the new ones as they arise.
He said that the lack of foreign exchange, blackouts and inefficient staff are among the major problems in business today. “Even the unreliable security guards are causing a headache for businessmen,” Shivram noted.
For four years now, he has been selling a variety of local goods ranging from travelling bags to clothing. However, Singh says that he has recently introduced cosmetics and some foreign-made clothing which he buys from traders.
The reason Shivram says, is that he wants to follow the trend and sell a collection of both foreign and local items.
Meanwhile, he declares that he only buys the foreign items from traders since he wants to avoid the foreign exchange problem faced by almost all businessmen presently.
He explained that he tries to cater for low-income earners by not putting high mark-ups on the items he offers for sale. He also stated that one day business is good but on another day not at all bright. He attributes this to the varying spending power of the people.
A stylish locally-made dress at Shivram’s store costs $260-$280 and travelling bags range from $53 for a small one to $290 for a large one. He said that he has just started selling locally-made bow ties as well at $48 each, and he notes these have been selling very fast.
Shivram says businessmen must plan ahead and prepare themselves to deal with obstacles that might hamper their operations in future.
-(N.K.)
