Dear Editor,
Why do some newspapers publish letters to promote self-interest and non-nationalistic views? Once again I see Janette Bulkan is running around promoting herself as the self-proclaimed saviour and preserver of Guyana’s forests.
I have not acquired academic qualifications like Bulkan may have, but I have more than 20 years of experience working in the forest sector as a private business which has grown and blossomed into a sound investment. I say this because Janette has always been doing nothing but being critical and negative of persons working in the forest sector, by reasons known or unknown.
The disrespect to the commissioner of forests and the minister of natural resources and the environment in her recent letter is solely due to the lack of information on her part, as it relates to the forest sector. The commissioner of forests, in his detailed response to Bulkan, called on her to visit the Guyana Forestry Commission to be updated on all the clarification she seeks.
However, those within the forest sector know she is living overseas and has no interest in Guyana’s forest sector, but to bring disrepute to the sector and spreading misinformation to settle personal scores.
Further, I am not surprised that Stabroek News tolerated her recent attacks on the commissioner of forests and the minister of natural resources and the environment, when her questions were adequately answered by the commissioner, which was published. Now she, in her usual way, is attempting once again to attract attention to herself by disputing the response and is now sheepishly calling on the National Assembly to waste its time on a non-issue. The National Assembly should be forewarned and not get dragged into her personal vendetta against persons involved in the forest sector.
Despite the commissioner of forests himself extending a personal invitation to Bulkan to visit the Guyana Forestry Commission to be updated on her perceptions of the sector, she still chose, in her letter of May 11, to call for the free flow of information. How much more hypocritical can one get?
I wish to close by requesting that Bulkan take up the challenge of the commissioner of forests to visit the Guyana Forestry Commission to seek her clarification and clear her misconceptions about the forest sector in Guyana.
Sincerely yours,
Vivian Li

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Dear Editor,
The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) has endorsed the call by the University of Guyana (UG) administration to increase tuition fees, saying that an increase in funds can equip the tertiary institution with the necessary resources to produce a higher calibre of graduates to serve the private sector.
Higher tuition fees can never guarantee a better quality of education. Quality is contingent upon the actual ability and qualifications of the entrants, the course content, and the ability of the lecturer to teach the material.
In recent times, the quality of the degree at UG has been waning. This problem must be backtracked. In many instances, it is that students who are admitted to the university just cannot reach the standard; hence, the course is lowered to suit these or to make a lecturer look good. I can prove this by asking any first year student, even before starting studies, to do a simple diagnostic test in English or Mathematics.
The questions do not reflect solidity of students, nor are they of a very high academic standard. This has been a complaint from many leading lecturers at the institution. I was made to understand that a few lecturers were censured for sticking to that old standard thing.  One even had many problems with the new “copy and paste” plagiarism thing that is now so common. Something is wrong somewhere then. So that hike in tuition fees may not redound into a quality degree.
The prevailing mindset in Guyana will most likely preclude the pursuit of a quality degree from UG. Like I said before, questions hover around how good is a graduate from UG. Then even if the degree is quite weighty, people ask if it can sway other universities and employers outside of Guyana.
Is this why rich people send their children to study outside of Guyana? Is this why the off-shore schools here are attracting more and more people? I am saying that we have to have many long sessions with every possible stakeholder. The matter will take a lot of doing when we are talking fees, quality, and viability of university education.
Yours respectfully,
Heather Gould

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Dear Editor,
It appears that the Sunday seawall lime has become ingrained into Guyana’s cultural landscape. In fact, the way this is coming over is that even Mother Nature has offended the frequenters of this Sunday lime.
Street parties can be a good way for residents to meet and socialise. This can actually turn out to be one of the rocks on which our communities can develop.
The events can be held anytime, not only for national celebration days. Most people attend, from all ages and backgrounds, and the events are usually self-organised and funded.
However, some thought must go into these street activities. First, what is being done for all those people who suffer inconvenience because of this lime? Many citizens have complained that the noise is disruptive and continues until the wee hours of the morning. People have stopped calling the police and I can understand why. They are sometimes there, mildly enjoying themselves.
In fact, this move to clean and fix up the precinct for liming, while currently trying desperately to relocate the lime, says that it is right and quite legal to make noise and even litter.
The cleanup the next day defeats any purpose at making appeals for a cleaner environment.
I am forced to ask who these limers are. What do they offer to the general well-being of the country? I wish for the monitoring of these carousers who have to drive or ride home.
This lime, in many ways too, is promoting traffic misdemeanours.
If the minister can give this kind of attention to the gaping pot holes that spring up after a heavy rainfall, then I think that the good people of Guyana will be most happy. I want to know what and where are our priorities.
The access road to the University of Guyana (UG) is in perpetual erosion. The traffic there is always at go-slow. If this catering for the lime attitude can be shifted to this UG access road, I think that a bigger, better and permanent good will be done. It is time for some serious introspection. What are we promoting in Guyana? I am for recreation, but not in any old way. There must be control, law and order.
Also, the noise level must not invade a living area. It is so gross for one man’s fun to interrupt another’s wellbeing.
Then if this lime is going to allow for revellers to just imbibe and release pent-up emotions, then accommodation must be made.
Those who drink must not be allowed to drive. As for the garbage build-up, there must be a way to deal with this. Since the country is now pushing tourism and sanitation, this garbage build-up must not be here to face the public on Monday, as joggers go to exercise and people drive to work.
Respectfully yours,
Carmen DeFreitas

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Dear Editor,
I am happy for the six boxers who will be placed on stipendiary allowances. This means that they will be able to do so much more in terms of pursuing their careers in the pugilistic arts. Now Gy$ 25,000 is not a super investment, but it is a good start. I challenge boxing enthusiasts to show me evidence of this kind of arrangement prior to now.
At best, many entities would allow for some time off if they have in their employment any sporting prodigy.
In the case of boxing, it calls for specialised training in the area of body strength. This has to be absolutely super.
In fact, many upcoming boxers need to train twice per day, each session lasting for at least two hours. Now this says that they will need a lot of rest and good supplements.
This is where this stipend can come in. These six boxers may have to stay with their jobs, but at least they have something to cater for their bodily needs. In this regard, the Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Sport must be commended.
Guyana is already gearing up for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. So far, only one Olympic medal has come Guyana’s way. This is the 1976 bronze from boxer Michael Parris. Now, even if Guyana does not medal in Brazil, at least no one can say that plenty was not done. That was what was said after the unsuccessful 2012 London Olympics team came back.
I suggest that these six boxers utilise the help that is being given. They must show even more diligence now. I doubt if the public will blame anyone of them for not medalling or say being unsuccessful career wise. What everyone wants is for these six to give of their best professionally.
Boxing fan,
Xavier Khartic

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Dear Editor,
There is no surgeon’s fee for a kidney transplant at a private hospital, but is it really a case of all that glitters is not gold? At this particular hospital, the cost comes up to some US$20,000 (Gy$4 million). Isn’t this tantamount to saying that only the rich can be accommodated where specialty care is concerned? This leads me directly to the Specialty Hospital that was in the making.
Death, diseases, and sicknesses have no respect for anyone, and with the Specialty Hospital, Guyana would have really come a far way in meeting the needs of so many people. In Trinidad and Tobago, renal complications affect one out of every four people. I do not know what the count is in Guyana, but I have been reading of too many cases of patients seeking specialty care outside of Guyana.  The cost is phenomenal. Is this a case for that Specialty Hospital in Guyana?
Now that the joint opposition has slashed allocations from the budget for 2013, in the specific area of off-setting expenditure for the proposed Specialty Hospital, it means that hope has become quite evanescent for so many in Guyana. This unjustified cut speaks of an opposition that is most cruel and that forms the embodiment of everything that is the opposite of development. Maybe it is because the opposition leaders are quite opulent and really care little about the nation, as such, except that it can be used to propel them to positions of pre-eminence in the country.
Specialty care covers a host of things, including dermatology; ear, nose and throat (ENT); neurology; neurosurgery; orthopaedic foot and ankle; orthopaedic hand; orthopaedic reconstruction; orthopaedic spine surgery; orthopaedic trauma; otology; plastic hand; plastic reconstruction; and urology.
The opposition should never again seek to belittle the Guyanese people. If ever there is to be a setback in the country’s health sector, it would be clear that it would have been designed by the opposition. I call on all stakeholders to come up with some kind of contingency plan to allow for this Specialty Hospital to become a reality.
Yours truly,
Simon Neblette

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Dear Editor,
For too long the Mayor and City Council (M& CC), the Georgetown issues and other related matters have been causing some major distractions and upheaval in Guyana. In August 2011, then President Bharrat Jagdeo had to intervene to bailout the M& CC, relieve the municipality of financial woes, and enable it to meet outstanding liabilities, including wages owed to staff and for garbage collection.
In fact, this intervention happened more than once. Now it seems as if another major crisis is on. Or should I ask when has the M& CC ever been out of a crisis under the mayorship of Hamilton Green? The town clerk, with whom the mayor has problems, exposed some embarrassing news. Is it that the Jelante Pharmacy, owned by Green’s wife, has never paid rates and taxes? Is this the same mayor who is so quick to accuse government of corruption?
Guyana must be one of the only countries where known failures like Green continue to hold such key positions, especially after he would have played a crucial role many years ago in stagnating the development of Guyana.
It is common knowledge that the municipality has been in all kinds of trouble. Anti-government citizens, however, are quick to defend the M& CC at all costs because it serves the purpose of their illegal activities.
In Russia in 2009, there were some problems like we are now facing. Then an extraordinary session was arranged, and the municipality for the Kola district was assembled. The end result was that there was a replacement of the town mayor.
I long for Guyana and Georgetown to take the same route. When would the government end the misery of Georgetown?
Sincerely yours,
Rudy Blair

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Dear Editor,
It is very advisable that Guyanese indeed safeguard the country’s monuments and sites, since these form part of the country’s history. I have a few things to highlight and I hope that the value of these can be built upon.
Firstly, I wish that the public become more aware of Guyana’s National Museum. It was established in 1853 and was officially opened to the public on February 13, 1868.
Since its inception, it was under the purview of the Culture, Youth and Sport Ministry. Time alone suggests to me that much more should really be on display at this museum. After all, the mandate of the Guyana National Museum is to preserve and display objects of natural history, science and technology.  Every time I go down Main Street, I see sculpturing and carving skills to the ‘max’. I wish that a few of our leaders would think of some ways to utilise these good and skilful hardworking people. I used to cut pictures of cricketers and paste them into old note books. I had a system too – country, batsmen, bowlers etc.
So how about assigning some of these talented street artists to something like this? These would make for a great display at our museum. It will definitely boost tourism. When people come to Guyana, if our various sites and objects can tell our history, then it will really communicate a strong message.
We have a galore of places set aside for educational exhibits: Guyana National Museum, Walter Roth National Museum of Anthropology, National Gallery of Art in Castellani House, Museum of African Heritage and more. The list of these says that work can be non-stop for quite a spell.
With reference to Fort Nassau, many would never go to that location in Berbice, but a miniature of this in our museum can suffice.
Fort Nassau was the capital of the colony of Berbice and was located some 88 kilometres (55 miles) upstream the Berbice River. The original fort was burnt by the French when they attacked Berbice in 1712. A new fort was subsequently built, which was burnt in 1763 by then Berbice Governor Van Hoogenheim, to prevent it from going to the slaves.
In 1999, the Guyanese government declared the remains of Fort Nassau a National Monument. Recently, efforts have been started to preserve the fort.
It is also nice to know that International Day for Monuments and Sites is hosted each year by the National Trust of Guyana, but more should be done in terms of awareness. The theme for this year’s observances is “Heritage of Education” and I believe that the emphasis must run for the entire year.
Yours respectfully,
Faith Heyliger

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Dear Editor,
The housing sector is truly well entrenched in the realm of Guyana’s development. The word from the minister in charge says that, “We’re going to expand our partnership with young middle and low income young earners… young working persons… that is how we’re going to approach 2013.” This is the way to go.
This commitment came in relation to the housing development project along the East Bank of Demerara. This particular housing scheme comprises a semi-gated community within the wider Eccles Housing scheme; it actually comprises the plan for some 40, 1200-square-foot houses. It is really a good way to enhance the quality of life for so many more Guyanese. If indeed there can be an August completion, then so much the better.
Let us not make the mistake of offering up new homes, thereby starting new communities, and not cater for complete development. I speak in this case for the planning and construction of good roads. We all know that infrastructure and property trends go hand in hand. Currently the entire East Bank of Demerara is very much over-populated with traffic.
The four-way lane is a great happening, but this must not be all. The recent report that detailed the area to be most hostile, in terms of traffic and people, must be taken into account. Things like speed limits, traffic lights, use of medians and even deployment of traffic officers must already be in mind. We must not allow the explosion of activity and traffic to descend unprepared.
We have time and personnel and we must plan before hand. A complaint that is most prominent in new housing schemes is that of the level of the plot. Many have said that they had to do extra filling up. This, if it is so, can be very time consuming and on many occasions, it leaves the community in a mess and quite a few pot holes.
Maybe government can consider a few extra inches of land filling before lot distribution. If indeed a second highway aback the East Bank area can be constructed, the battle for front allocation will be minimised. This is something worth pushing too.
Yours faithfully,
Bharrat Omadatt

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Shri Prakash was honoured posthumously by the installation of a bust of his physical likeness within the Indian Monument Gardens in Georgetown. There were four days of religious and cultural events, leading up to the final unveiling of the bust on April 28. On the first day of the ceremonies, April 25, Shri Prakash would have been 60.

Prakash’s early years were forged in the remote agrarian community of Handsome Tree, Mahaica Creek. The youngest son of deeply religious parents who were representative of the significant percentage of Indians who settled in the far-flung reaches of this country and brought with them their culture, civilisation, and agricultural acumen, Prakash was one of eight children. His was an upbringing which emphasised educational achievement, adherence to the teachings of Sanatan Dharma (literally, “duty which is not of the body” – suggesting duty to the philosophical underpinnings of Hinduism as espoused in the Vedas), and lacked most of the standard amenities of modern living – running water, electricity, and shoes. It was an upbringing which instilled a sense of humility that was to define the character of the man in later years, even after his name had become a household one, and his followers numbered in the hundreds of thousands and spanned continents.
The young Prakash and his older brother Bankim were talented students, and since there was no secondary school in their community, they were sent at an early age to live with relatives in Cummings Lodge so that they could attend secondary school. It is perhaps these early influences, born out of a need to forge friendships and alliances far from the protective bosom of his close-knit family, which allowed the young Prakash to develop the remarkable interpersonal skills that were to define his success in later years among all ethnicities, religions, and social strata.
As early as the age of four, Prakash began to demonstrate signs of his superb musical talent. His father was a talented musician, adept with the harmonium, and a vocalist of some distinction, so Prakash and his brother were nurtured in the musical traditions, which were to be introduced to the world by Shri Ravi Shankarji and the great Mukesh and Mohammed Rafi of Bollywood fame. The young Prakash soon began to be recognised from his regular appearances on national radio and at musical events around the country.
Prakash grew up in a period of Guyanese history when academic prowess provided an opportunity for emergence from an agrarian life. Prakash was determined to become a medical doctor. In those days, there were no facilities to train medical doctors locally, and the Gossai family lacked the financial resources to send Prakash abroad.
Therefore, he attended the University of Guyana, where he graduated with a distinction in marine biology. Determined to still pursue his dream of becoming a medical doctor, Prakash took a job at the Georgetown Hospital as a laboratory technician, and around this time also got married and fathered two children: Pratiksha and Arun.
The 1980s were a time of economic depression in Guyana. The meagre salary that Prakash earned was hardly sufficient for sustenance. This was to be a period of great difficulty and turbulence. Prakash’s focus on music became increasingly pronounced around this time. He acquired a loyal following and so encouraged to enter the Mukesh singing competition in 1983. The first prize was an all-expense paid trip to the United States, and winning it became a pivotal event in the continuing development of Prakash.
Immigration to the United States and a job as a high school teacher in New York City led to a growing sense of responsibility and an ever-increasing feeling of unease within the narrow confines of the immigrant existence that was the lot of the Guyanese diaspora living in Queens and Brooklyn. The mandirs that the Indians had built everywhere they settled in Guyana, were not to be found. Gone also was the presence of the village priest or guru, the adviser to whom Hindus turn for wisdom on everything, from social and financial decisions, to the naming of a child at birth. As an educated man, whose upbringing had exposed him to the teachings of Hinduism, Prakash’s counsel was sought; he quickly became a focal point of strength for the Indo-Guyanese community.
The result was that Prakash realised that the rest of his life was going to be spent in the propagation of Hinduism. In addition to his personal qualities, the crowning qualification was Prakash’s mellifluous vocals and inimitable musical style, which made him superbly suited to the grand tradition of ‘Harikatha’, where the priest conveys the philosophy of Hinduism via music, oration, and prose, than more so rituals.
Following an intense period of study and self-examination in India, Prakash returned to the U.S. a forever changed man. He had become a figure of ‘Shakti’ (energy), adept at Hindi and Sanskrit. His knowledge of the ancient texts of Hinduism elevated him to a level comparable to the best in the world. Moreover, his musical talent was now employed much like a summoning flute of legend – for Prakash was to become the pied-piper of Hindus.
He quickly became the most sought-after Hindu priest on three continents, and devoted himself entirely to the strengthening of Hindu communities; constructing Hindu places of worship (for example, two Bhuvaneshwar mandirs in New York City) in the U.S., Canada and Guyana; and rejuvenating pride among Hindus, at a time when their conversion to other religions had reached epidemic levels in Guyana, the Caribbean and North America. Importantly, he accomplished this resurgence in Hinduism, not by condemning or attacking other religions, but by making Hinduism itself appealing, using the arsenal of talents that he had developed. Indeed, Prakash began to be received increasingly among the Muslim and Christian communities in Guyana and North America.
It was inevitable that as his appeal and his ministry spread, his homeland would lay claim to him. In 2006, then President Bharrat Jagdeo made an appeal to Prakash to return to Guyana. Despite a trajectory which clearly had become only limited by his own increasing cardiac health issues, exasperated by a gruelling travel schedule, Prakash’s patriotism prevailed.
This period was to define his swan song, and was one of great happiness for Prakash. He was greeted by all wherever he went, and being fortunate observers, blessed to be close to him during this period, we observed the happiness with which he infused all with whom he came into contact. This was a halcyon time, a time of peaceful ministry, a time which revealed the effortless elegance of a man who had travelled a long road into a hazy future of success.
Prakash’s passing left a gaping hole in the fabric of Indo-Caribbean and Hindu identity and culture. However, his labours and his teachings have left us richer – they have imbued us with a sense of renewed identity, pride, and purpose. For this gift, we all stand in salute of a life spent in service. We are all proud to acclaim him as one of the architects of our nation and one who has indelibly impacted the psyche of our collective self.

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