Editorial

What appears to the electorate to be confusion in our parliamentary operations has had its parallels from time to time in other Commonwealth jurisdictions.

Mrs Thatcher’s success in moving British politics decisively to the right now seems unquestionable, and is perhaps best summed up in the ironic remark that her greatest legacy was the politics of Tony Blair and New Labour.

Margaret Thatcher and Hugo Chávez came from opposing ends of the political spectrum but, in a curious way, they shared a common trait: both were capable of arousing, in death as in life, great admiration and devotion, on the one hand, and deep loathing on the other.

The blatant nature of some recent crimes is not just jaw-dropping but fear-inducing; that is, for those of us who are still not inured to the dreadful unending violence.

The presidential elections in Venezuela indicate that the country, without the influence of former President Chávez’s extraordinary charisma and influence, remains essentially democratic in form and practice as it has tended to be since the end of the Jimenez dictatorship, with the polarization between the current two main parties now reaching extreme limits.

Current events on the Korean Peninsula compel reflection on the American political scientist John J Mearsheimer’s 1990 essay ‘Why We Will Soon Miss The Cold War,’ the key contention of which was that “we may wake up one day lamenting the loss of the order that the Cold War gave to the anarchy of international relations.”

Former presidents in democratic societies, particularly those who have relinquished power voluntarily and within the construct of constitutional provisions are always looked upon as a reserve of moral authority and as elder statesmen who in times of crises and societal tensions can be relied upon to help bridge divides.

Two weeks ago we carried a report on a letter sent by none other than the Director of Public Prosecu-tions Shalimar Ali-Hack to Police Commissioner (ag) Leroy Brumell. 

What should schools, families, communities and the state do with young children who abuse other children?

Hugo Chávez may be dead but chavismo is very much alive in the highly charged Venezuelan election campaign, due to come to a head on Sunday.

In our ‘World Beyond Georgetown’ feature last Sunday we focused on Providence, East Bank Demerara, a once small village, which is currently growing by leaps and bounds physically, being the location of the Guyana National Stadium, the Princess Hotel (formerly Buddy’s) and now a new housing scheme.

To many long-time observers, the current behaviour of the government of North Korea now led by Kim Jong-Un, is reminiscent of Winston Churchill’s 1939 comment on the Soviet Union under Stalin.

During his visit here in March Haitian President and sitting Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Chairman Michel Martelly provided confirmation of what we already knew …that more than three years after a devastating earthquake that claimed thousands of lives and wreaked monumental physical damage, the country still faces a long and arduous journey on the road to recovery. 

One of the enduring failures of PPP governance in its now 20-year tenure is its inability or unwillingness to draw appropriate lessons from missteps and to find ways of ensuring that there is no recurrence.

Several commentators are calling Dr Ashni Singh’s recent magnum opus a ‘snap election budget,’ partly owing to its emphasis on the “individual taxpayer,” to use the words of one of them.

Last month the Lancet, an authoritative and prestigious medical journal, reported on air pollution in China.

According to a recent international study conducted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), teachers are giving girls higher marks than boys in school-based assessments, not simply because they are brighter but because they are being rewarded for such attributes as attentiveness, eagerness and organisational skills.

“Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Over the last fortnight or so, the small, offshore country of Cyprus in the Aegean Sea has preoccupied the decision-makers of the European Union and the IMF on a daily basis.

When –as appears likely, at least at this juncture – general elections are held in Zimbabwe later this year under a new constitution Robert Mugabe will, in all likelihood, be running for office as President of the Southern African country again.