Friday, August 28, 2009

The GPL connnundrum and LCDs

GPL is one of the remaining monopolies in Guyana. It is a true monopoly unlike the others like GT&T that the GoG is trying to break up - no one is talking about breaking up the GPL monopoly.

This company is not charging many customers in certain areas for their use of electricity. The rest of the nation has to pay for them all. It has complained that most people steal electricity in one way or another. The owner of the company is the Government of Guyana.

The GoG on the other hand is preaching Low Carbon Development Strategy - yet is spending millions on fortifying the fuel-burning GPL. Can Guyanese for one moment think of the following:
1) GoG champions LCD, yet pollutes Guyana with its GPL
2) GoG champions LCD yet penalizes Guyanese for bringing in newer energy effcient cars - that is, Guyanese are forced to bring in only cars more than 10 years old. They cannot affort the taxes on newer vehicles.
3) Finally imagine this: if the world bodies were to agree to give Guyana money for its LCDs (which is definately not happening), think what woudl happen to GPL, Vehicle usage, oil-exploration, mining etc. All would be banished!

Each Guyanese has been criminalized by the State. Using various means and methods the Guyana Government has virtually caused every citizen of Guyana to become a criminal.We conclude by saying that the GoG criminalizes everyone in Guyana in many ways:
1) GPL
2) The Policemen

And this so-called "working class" government cannot understand that people steal electricity becasue they cannot pay the high rates. Reduce the rates and everyone will pay. You will gain more. Look at what happenned to VAT.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

GuyExpo pushed back

GuyExpo 2009 has been pushed back to October 1.

There are any numbers of speculative reasons for this move. The primary one is that Clico is no longer here, so the big sponsor of last year is missing. Who will take up the slack?

Another reason premised is the poor indications for occupancy at the exposition. Afterall, every year it is the same thing, over and over again. No change to the exposition, no change to Guyana, no change to business in Guyana. The only change has been the contractors bank account.

Digicel who has also come into the country, like Clico, blowing hot and red, seems to now be simmering after the poor bimmering. Nothing seems to be happening from that camp as all they are interested in is promoting their own brand - no nationalistic streak there.

With the problems between GT&T and GoG, they (GT&T) may not be too eager to be footballed around as GoG has already branded all GT&T's contribution as a business deal not nationalistic.

Who else? Let's call on....

GuySuCo - the dying goose!

Estates' workers on Strike

Two of the sugar estates have virtually come to a standstill due to the industrial action of the workers.

Strike action is often justified for many reasons, esp since the workers must continue to demand a better living for their families. However, these strives are ill-timed and bad for Guyana. The fact is that the company cannot afford to pay. Yes there is wastage and corruption. The audit department is a waste of time as is most of the middle and senior management. However, this important industry is facing serious cassh problems.

Clearly giving Jagdeo their thumb, the workers have reacted negatively to Jagdeo's speech of last week (he called for workers to work hard). We believe that the sugar workers and all other workers need to be firm and create some sort of pressure because of the huge corruption in the country. However, to strike against their own industry is directly killing the goose that has already ceased to lay the golden egg.


UPDATE - Aug 28, 2009
Strike has ended.
Outcome: $20 increase in per bed rate for obstacles
Fire (lasting fro 5 hours) destroyed approximately 36 beds of cane.

The overall problems continue at GuySuCo. Management, leadership and strategic view...

Kidnapping - again!

Natoo’s daughter kidnapped - caller demands $40M

This is the headline of today's newspapers.

It is with a sense of foreboding and worry that we receive this news today. Oh dear God, let us not drift this way again!

What has happened - our hearts ask!
Is it a slide again to the dark abyss of crime in Guyana? or
Is it to take away all the attention from current goings-on in Guyana?
Is it to change focus from the fraud and corruption being uncovered everyday?
What is happening?

We pray sincerely for the safety and safe return of the young lady.


UPDATE: Aug 28, 2009
The young lady was rescued by a strange lady.
Rescued, but more questions than answers.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

As guyana is led to low carbon diversion

As Guyana is led to low carbon diversion, the nation grown despondent and madness prevails - literally.

Our hearts cry out for the battered and killed women who can only be the victims of growing madness within the populace as depression and poverty leads people to drugs and alcoholism.

Kudos to Dr. Ian McDonald for an EXCELLENTLY written article. His article entitled "our corner of this murdering star" is well written about the plight of the battered and murdered women.

So much effort and money is wasted behind the LCDS - which will bring no economic benefit to Guyana. While the lotto and petrocaribe funds are being wasted by the spendthrift Government, the nation bleeds - and goes mad!


Here is a part of Dr McDonald's article:
I cannot escape the terrible feeling that such pitiless cruelty goes beyond brutality and mad violence. An element of pure evil enters the equation

The English poet Thomas Lowell Beddoes wrote a play called Death’s Jest Book which he began in 1828 but which was not published until his suicide in 1849. In this tragedy one of the characters declares the whole world dammed:

Nature’s polluted
There’s man in every secret corner of her
Doing dammed wicked deeds. Thou art, old world,
A hoary, atheistic, murdering star.

The litany of horror that fills the news day after day is endless and numbing.

In our small corner of this murdering star there seems to be no relief. I thought the worst in a lengthening dossier of atrocious domestic crimes was when I read a month or two ago of the torturing, beating and stabbing to death of Sharmin McKay of Bare Root. The man battered her to a pulp, forced kerosene down her throat and stabbed her with a long fork and knife until they broke in her. Blood runs cold.

But such horror soon meets its match in these terrible times. Lately, I have learned of Kathleen Mo-A-Lin who had three children – she was bludgeoned and poisoned to death, her mouth glued shut to prevent her spitting out the poison. Who knows what new horror awaits around this corner of our murdering star?

I cannot escape the terrible feeling that such pitiless cruelty goes beyond brutality and mad violence. An element of pure evil enters the equation. It is easy these days to share the dark and baleful view of the poet/priest John Donne who saw man as sinful through and through even from the first moment of his conception: “There in the wombe,” he wrote in one of his sermons, “we are fitted for workes of darkness, all the while deprived of light. And there in the wombe we are taught cruelty, by being fed with blood…”

Corbin wins PPP celebrates

Corbin has secured his future as the main opposition face to the current GoG.

Another sad day has dawned for Guyana. The winners of this latest hapennning: The PPP and Corbin.

The PNC is once again the most defeatable party at elections. Race will save the day for them once again as it will for the PPP.

Goodbye democracy.

Friday, August 14, 2009

Questions Part II

More questions than answers:
On National Drainage and Irrigation:
1. From the days of the flood 2005, How many D&I contracts were awarded?
2. What companies were they awarded to?
3. In whose names are those companies registered?
4. In whose account did all the payment end up to?

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Questions

Questions:

Hopefully Mr. Chris Ram would help.

1. How much money has passed through NICIL over the past 5 years? How is the money accounted for and what were the bank accounts that they were deposited into?

2. What list of expenditures has been used for Lotto Funds for the past 2 years? What accounts were the lotto funds deposited into?

3. What is the NOW balance in those accounts used above. To whom were payments made from those accounts?

President flays GECOM

"With all the staff and the money that we pump into this agency something has got to be wrong..."

So said Mr. Jagdeo. Guyana has consistently had the problem of time-lines. When one sees the Head of State making statements like this, one wonders what kind of manager he is!

Any good manager should be having periodic (weekly or monthly) reports about the progress of critical operations. Elections is always critical!

I am sure that, if and when asked, Surujbally will say that he would periodically update the administration on the lack of progress of the Elections Commission. Yet Jagdeo says this nonsense. And this comes from a man who micromanages Guyana. nothing happens without his say-so!

So, Mr. President your excuse is poor, find another one. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE!