Guyana Observer News

By Freddie Kissoon

We belong to the bloc known as the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). We have been the most trafficked nation in CARICOM from the fifties right up to this moment in time. You would think that with our disastrous history, we would have become the maverick in the English-speaking Caribbean; that we would have become the democratic icon of the English-speaking West Indies. Each day, Guyana becomes more saturated with the poison of authoritarian power while the rest of our neighbours deepen their democratic culture. As the world’s countries rise about their unfortunate and sad past, Guyana reverts to a primitive state where the rulers become more ossified in their habits and ancient instincts become more embedded. It was good news for democracy in the Caribbean when the two major parliamentary parties in Jamaica agreed on a historic consensus on the limit to campaign finance. ike most parties around the world the JLP and the PNP are sworn antagonists. The Opposition PNP went for the jugular of Prime Minister Bruce Golding over the Dudus Coke extradition case calling for his resignation.

- auto dealer fingered

The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has reportedly seized two luxury cars in what is believed to be a scam to evade millions of dollars in taxes. he two Jaguars were said to be brought by a prominent city auto dealer operating on Croal Street, Georgetown, over two weeks ago and were already cleared when questions arose over the size of the engine which determines the taxes and duties that are charged. Although the Jaguar cars are normally over 3000 cc (cubic capacity), the Customs entries reflected the engine size as below 1498 cc. As a result, duties and taxes amounting to just over $2M were calculated for the two cars when an estimated $15M should have been paid to Customs, officials disclosed.

… Jagdeo upset his friends did not get Pegasus – Badal

Should the proposed Marriot Hotel become a reality it will inevitably kill the hotel industry in Guyana. This is according to Chief Executive Officer of the Pegasus Hotel, Robert Badal, who said that President Bharrat Jagdeo is upset that his friends, “one of whom is facing federal charges in the US,” did not acquire the Pegasus. He explained that Guyana has a relatively fixed hotel occupancy rate, which averages around 30 per cent nationwide. The occupancy rate at the Pegasus, according to Badal, averages in the vicinity of 50 to 60 per cent. Badal explained that Guyana is not a tourist destination. The people who travel to Guyana generally conduct business and hold conferences with the few boosts such as when there was the Cricket World Cup.

By Kwesi Isles

A Guyanese couple living in Suriname has been missing since Monday after leaving to go fishing, according to reports from their relatives. Michael Stanley, 50, and his wife Anjanee Ramkumar, 46, have been living in Nickerie for the past four to five years, related Biswajit Bisnauth of Enterprise Gardens, who is married to the woman’s sister. According to Bisnauth, Stanley is a fisherman with his own boat and engine but did not go out often to fish. e said he was in contact with the couple daily and that they had left Nickerie on Monday morning and were expected back around 1 pm. A search was launched around 3 pm after the couple failed to return and so far no sign has been see of them or the boat.

By Freddie Kissoon

When a President or Prime Minister wants to be the “Maximum Hero,” “All-Powerful Leader,” the “Divine Soul” of his/her nation, he/she must not only be endowed with the qualities of leadership but must be saturated with political finesse, intellectual acumen and be a master strategist. In the Caribbean, Forbes Burnham of Guyana, Eric Williams of Trinidad, Errol Barrow of Barbados, Vere Bird Sr. of Antigua, Michael Manley of Jamaica are names to fit that bill. These were men who were self-assured and not afraid of their detractors. I certainly do not think that Cheddi Jagan had leadership qualities but it would be shamelessly dishonest to say that Jagan was not a fearless person. Jagan would have gone into the halls of Oxford University and debated the most formidable intellectuals. He would have faltered but that prospect would not have deterred him.

five men held

A burglar yesterday died hours after he was stripped naked, tied up and severely beaten in Good Hope, East Coast Demerara, resulting in the arrest of five men who irate relatives said are innocent. Kurt Mayers, 30, of Better Hope South, sustained injuries to his head and multiple fractures to his body during the early morning incident. According to police, around 3:35am, Mahendra Persaud, 32, of Good Hope reported that he had caught a man who was found stealing from his house. In a statement, police said ranks responded and upon arrival at the Lot 360 Good Hope address, they found Mayers in “a naked condition on the ground with his hands and feet tied and marks of violence about his body.” A bag contained a quantity of jewellery, a cell phone and a torch light, which Persaud said was found in Mayers’ possession, was handed over to them.

-dead cop’s family sticks to murder theory

Police yesterday said that the Force’s handwriting expert has confirmed that the handwriting on a note found in Assistant Superintendent Ivelaw Murray’s bedroom on the day of his death was his. But Murray’s parents remain adamant that he did not write the note and that he and Constable Ivelaw Shepherd were both murdered. A release said that the note which was written on a note-pad stated “Sorry Mom. I love you and will always will”. The release also confirmed that results of a test conducted by the Police Forensics Department revealed no trace of gunpowder residue on the hands of the late Assistant Superintendent. “The Forensic Analyst Superintendent Stephen Greaves has explained that the presence of a significant amount of blood on each of the swabs used on the hands of Murray made it unlikely that traces of gunpowder residue could have been detected.