Dear Editor, What is this about people and their complaining about the police even as they are doing their work? They are accusing them of indiscriminate shooting, as though these law enforcers are a set of mad men on the loose. Such wrangling resulted from the arrest of four young men in Sophia. Relatives and residents are now trying to claim otherwise, saying that the police behaved in a dangerous manner, shooting indiscriminately. This kind of thing is quite recurrent when it comes to the police and their sweeping down…
Read MoreCategory: Letters
The UG-private sector combination
Dear Editor, I am very upbeat about what the University of Guyana (UG) is touting these days. I think of more collaboration with other universities, openness and willingness to embrace the private sector, internal discipline where professionalism is concerned, and better facilities even as the present ones are being shored up. The campus at Turkeyen, East Coast Demerara is large and a lot can be done. Recently, the grounds men at UG uprooted a number of trees and they simply garbaged them all. I looked at one massive trunk and…
Read MoreSpecial needs education in Guyana
Dear Editor, The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that about 15-20 per cent of any school age grouping will have special needs. Ideally, handling such cases involves a lot of complexities, including individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials, accessible settings and other interventions designed to help learners with special needs, and a higher level of personal self-sufficiency and success in school and community, among others. In Jamaica, there are ongoing talks too about special needs education. For many of the citizens there, the…
Read MoreA turnaround in Linden
Dear Editor, Ambivalence still dominates me as I think of Linden. I went there a few years ago to do research in Guyanese ‘Creolese’ English and I discovered that this ‘Creolese’ thing is not an Indian exclusive. My database got filled very quickly with inputs from the Afro-Guyanese there. It convinced me that things like being biased and racial are all about how people are exposed and influenced. The recent sad uprising in Linden is still a painful memory. The repair work is taking some time and doing, but I…
Read MoreAnother welcome landmark for Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Dear Editor, Shivnarine Chanderpaul continues to solidify his place among the many batting greats in the sport of cricket. The man has just notched up first class game number 300. The feat became his, when he represented Derbyshire against Sussex, in an English county match. This deserves a word of praise. Only six men in the history of the game have reached such a landmark of appearances with a higher average than Chanderpaul’s 56.19. Greatness, I must say, takes into consideration not only longevity, but quality performances, and Shiv is…
Read MorePolitical bias of Stabroek News exposed again
Dear Editor, The Stabroek News has once again exposed how biased it is on a political matter of national importance. In its Editorial of May 13, 2013, headlined, “The president’s rejection of the two bills”, the writer admits that President Donald Ramotar acted within the meaning of the Constitution, yet it goes on to state that by acting constitutionally, his action will “further deepen the political divide in the country and make it more difficult for mature compromise between the two sides.” So what should the president have done? Was…
Read MoreJanette Bulkan promoting self-interest, disregarding facts on forest sector
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…
Read MoreTuition hike at UG will not necessarily improve the institution
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…
Read MoreWWF should bring international pressure on the opposition
Dear Editor, The joint opposition parties have lost themselves completely. They are either oblivious of or simply do not care about the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS). The LCDS is of vast importance, seeking to transform Guyana’s economy along a low carbon trajectory. Maybe because this LCDS is the brainchild of former President Bharrat Jagdeo, the opposition members, being so fiercely antagonistic where the former leader is concerned, just have to be vindictive. It is common knowledge that the LCDS is now a blueprint in the global search for a…
Read MoreThe Sunday seawall lime in Georgetown
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…
Read More