Guyana Observer News

…reveals details of relationship

By Michael Jordan

A secretly recorded conversation on the mobile phone of Police Constable Kelvin Shepherd appears to reveal the motive for his murder and the identity of his killer. The recording also seems to support official reports that Assistant Superintendant of Police (ASP) Ivelaw Murray killed Shepherd, though it does not clear up the debate as to whether Murray took his own life. The approximately one-minute conversation is believed to have taken place some hours before Murray’s death. Patricia Shepherd, the slain constable’s mother, identified one of the speakers as her son. Murray’s father, retired Superintendant Ivan Daniels, who was invited to Kaieteur News office to listen to the recording, said that the voice of the other male appeared to be his son’s.

CARICOM Secretary-General Edwin Carrington will be stepping down from his position on December 31, and he has notified the Heads of Government of the Community of his decision, a press release from the CARICOM Secretariat said yesterday. A national of Trinidad and Tobago, Carrington is the sixth Secretary-General of the Community and he was appointed in 1992 to succeed  Roderick Rainford of Jamaica. “These last 18 years as Secretary-General have been the pinnacle of my public service career. I have, despite the odds, done all I could to help create a viable and secure Community for all. It has been a period of important achievements as well as significant disappointments. I leave satisfied and confident, however, that the Caribbean Community now has a solid platform on which to continue to build the integration movement,” the Secretary-General is quoted as saying.

Dear Editor,

One facet of social influence is leadership. The process whereby a person has the ability to recruit the willingness and support of others in the execution of a common task can be simply referred to as leadership. The skill of leadership is seen throughout all areas of life both good and bad, which clearly shows that not all leaders are created equal. Some persons have the ability to lead several groups, organisations, and institutions simultaneously. In Guyanese parlance many would say that some folks are just ‘born’ leaders. Be that as it may, leadership comes with responsibilities that serve as gauges, measuring the effectiveness or the lack thereof demonstrated by the leaders to whom they belong. Leadership can be accessed through a variety of ways. In some instances leadership is earned, bought, fought for, stolen or inherited. Conversely, by as many ways as it is earned, leadership can be lost. Leadership can be taken away, misplaced, stolen or it just ceases to exist. Whatever the fair or foul means by which a person assumes leadership one thing is sure; leadership is not forever.

A Kitty man is wanted by police for questioning into last Friday’s murder of Troy Smith. According to a bulletin issued by police yesterday, the public’s help is being sought to locate Terry Kissoon whose last known address is Lot 126 Thomas Street, Kitty. The medium-built suspect is 33-years-old, fair in complexion, is about 166 cm tall and has a scar on his forehead. Anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of Kissoon is asked to contact police on telephone numbers, 225-2694, 225-6411, 225-2227, 226-6978, 226-7065, 225-6940 to 43, 911 or the nearest police station. All information will be treated with strict confidence the police said. According to reports, Kissoon went to Smith’s Lot 108 Thomas Street, Kitty home just before 7 am and accused him of stealing his motor cycle. He later told Smith that he had 24 hours to find it back. The allegations led to a heated argument during which, Smith was shot once in the left side of his abdomen before Kissoon fled the area. The injured man was rushed to the Georgetown Hospital by relatives but was pronounced dead on arrival. Kissoon’s girlfriend, who was reportedly found packing clothes to take to him, was later arrested.

Tune in to benschopradio.com this evening at 7pm for "Straight Up" with Mark Benschop. His guest this evening is Dr. David Hinds of the Working People's Alliance (WPA). Dr. Hinds is back in Guyana to possibly take control of the former 2% party. Could he be the next leader of the WPA and their choice for the presidency? Well, you have to hear what Dr. Hinds has to say...it will be a surprise. Dr. David Hinds for President?

Dr Ivor Crandon: Poverty is no barrier to achievement

This year, Emancipation celebrations at Liverpool, Corentyne were even more spectacular than last year kicking off on July 24 with a pageant, fitness walk, essay competition, soiree and a $100,000 metem-gee competition. Tacianna Sharpe of Limlair Village beat seven other contestants and was crowned Miss Emancipation at the pageant held on July 24. The next day villagers participated in a fitness walk starting from Alness Village and ending at the Liverpool Community Centre.  On July 26, over 40 children between the ages of nine and 17 years participated in an essay competition, turning up at the Liverpool centre to put pen to paper. Annelia Halley of Manchester Village emerged victorious in the nine to 12 years group. Halley wrote about the lives of three persons in her community who have contributed greatly to its development. Troy Munroe of Liverpool Village was the winner of the 13-17 years category. All prizes were given out on Emancipation day. The remainder of the week was spent cleaning the community and making preparations for the soiree.

 By Freddie Kissoon

We are in the month of August. It makes it a year to go before we enter the most historic election ever to be held in this country. We thought it would have been 1992. But what emerged was an unimaginable nightmare. No objective, independent commentator would ever put any meaning whatsoever on the symbolism of 1992. It was supposed to mark the reemergence of Guyana as a prestigious, respected country in the Caribbean region. It was to be the beginning of a new political culture, and changed institutions. The joy that 1992 brought was lugubriously fleeting. In 1992, the PPP won a free election, the first one held since 1964. In those 18 years, a large group of Guyanese would argue that period’s elections are a farce in Guyana and others would put it in more cynical terms, like Tom Dalgetty did, that given the level of degenerate politics we have today inside the corridors what was the fuss about rigged elections in the past. I was on the same panel with him at a conference two years ago and he criticized me and the rest of Guyana for carping about rigged elections under Burnham. One has to understand the psychological underpinnings of that emotion by Dalgetty.