Editorials – Page 25 – Guyana Times International

Writing college application essays

April 13, 2018April 13, 2018 TIMES INT'L

In everything we do, there’s a certain amount of risk. Some things have more risk than others: for example crossing the road without looking versus trying a new type of cheese. We, of course will evaluate the pros and cons of taking each risk and then decide if we want to proceed.The biggest risk I have taken in a while is the way I chose to answer some of my essay questions. I chose to take the risk of answering my questions unconventionally because I felt as though I needed…

Who speaks for whom?

April 13, 2018April 13, 2018 TIMES INT'L

By Ravi Dev Recently, Tacuma Ogunseye of ACDA and the WPA made a rather startling claim in his letter, “I concentrate on the African community, so it can develop progressive politics based on power-sharing” (SN 4-4-2018): “I recall in the run-up to the historic 1992 General and Regional Elections with the arrival of Ravi Dev and his ROAR party, Dev introduced the doctrine (sic) that Africans cannot speak for Indians and that the WPA was promoting political deception by making the claim that it is a multi-racial party… The 1992…

Let opinions flourish

April 6, 2018April 6, 2018 TIMES INT'L

Heeding the UN’s call for this year to be observed as the “International Year for People of African Descent”, in Jan 2011, the then PPPC government launched what promised to be a year-long series of events. From the reaction of some domestic African groups to the Government’s programme, however, it signalled it was going to be a year-long war of sniping and attrition. These groups, which surprisingly included the erstwhile “multiracial” opposition Peoples National Congress”, accused the Government of excluding them from the planning process. The painstakingly detailed riposte of…

Yale 2022

April 6, 2018April 6, 2018 TIMES INT'L

By Ashley Anthony After months of college applications, the verdict is in! As of September, I’ll be joining the Yale class of 2022. A lot of people have wished me congratulations, and quite a few have come with numerous questions. Although I’m no expert, I’ll try my best to answer the most commonly asked questions, but keep in mind this is only one perspective! Are you the first Guyanese to go to Yale? I’m not actually sure about the answer to this one. A few years ago, a Guyanese born…

Youth and the political process

April 6, 2018April 6, 2018 TIMES INT'L

Since commencement of the 21st century, political leaders have been encouraging young people to play an integral role in the development of their communities and countries by getting actively involved in the decision-making processes of their societies. They have, time and time again, posited that “young people are tomorrow’s leaders” as they underscored the importance of equipping youths with the requisite skills, knowledge and resources that are necessary to make a positive impact on the world. This has resulted in some experienced and genuine politicians lobbying within the Executive and…

College admissions

March 30, 2018March 31, 2018 TIMES INT'L

By Ashley Anthony Navigating the weird world of college admissions; inbox inundated with no reply emails, glossy pamphlets and nerve wracking release dates, for the good half of a year now, I have stopped being surprised when I learn something new about the process. Although I have already submitted all of my applications, it seems as though, at this point, I could get accepted to a university and still not know everything about the process. I have so many questions. Which college is better? Which rankings are biased? How does…

The Poverty Trap

March 30, 2018March 31, 2018 TIMES INT'L

The invitation by President David Granger to the eminent English economist Sir Paul Collier and others, to brief his Cabinet on utilising the revenues from the Exxon oil find, could be seen as putting the oil tanker before the drilling rig. Coming in the midst of a firestorm of protests – which has now reached the courts — at the one-sided terms negotiated on behalf of Guyana by Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, with the oil giant Exxon, many felt the President was attempting to calm the waters with…

Cheddi Jagan: through official American eyes

March 30, 2018March 31, 2018 TIMES INT'L

By Ravi Dev The following excerpts are taken from interviews of US diplomatic personnel done by the State Department to familiarise new personnel posted to Guyana on their experience in Guyana. ALLEN C HANSEN (1957-1959) Branch Public Affairs Officer, USIS (Interviewed 1988) At the time of my assignment to Georgetown, President Kennedy was in the White House. There was great concern that British Guiana, which would soon get its independence, would very possibly become a second Cuba (as mentioned earlier) inasmuch as the Prime Minister at the time was Cheddi…

Addressing objections to a federalised Guyana

March 23, 2018March 23, 2018 administrator

By Ravi Dev Most of the objections to the federalist proposals have come from African-Guyanese. This is a remarkable position, since minorities across the globe, from Assam to Zimbabwe, have been clamouring for federalist principles to be instituted to protect their interests against actual or potential majorities. The reason is that, in Guyana, Africans literally do not see themselves as a “minority”. Their history of having slaved to build the foundations of the country, their dominant Creole values, their occupancy of the key state institutions etc. have served to engender…

Everything in moderation; even health?

March 23, 2018March 23, 2018 administrator

By Ashley Anthony Orthorexia Nervosa is a term used to describe a fixation on righteous eating. It is a condition wherein the person with the disorder is obsessed with eating in the way they believe is healthiest. Typically, the disorder progresses from being a simple desire to eat healthier to a compulsion and obsession, to the point where a person’s mental and social health are threatened. People who have beaten the disorder describe the need to eat completely healthily as a dependency; as if they do not stick to the…