Guyana Observer News

 (Editorial: Taken from the Stabroek News)

Last Sunday we reported that the government had advised donors against releasing funds for local government election programmes until further notice. It was a story which passed unremarked, but it may be indicative of moves behind the scenes which the government hasn’t seen fit to inform the electorate about – and at least some of the other key players either. What is clear is that the PPP in particular is in general election mode and the words ‘local government’ have been dropped from its vocabulary. For its part Gecom is directing its efforts to launching continuous registration in September, and given the time it would need for its education programmes to be implemented, not to mention the fact that the new local government legislation is still incomplete, the possibility that it could run off local elections this year becomes more problematical.

Just when it was felt that the police had a lid on execution style killings in the city, a 26-year-old Albouystown resident was discovered dead in an abandoned building at 18 George Street, Werk-en-Rust with what appeared to be a single gunshot wound to his head. The body of Quincy Beete, a horse cart operator of Curtis Street, Albouystown, was discovered in the house which was formerly a church, around 15:30 hours, minutes after he was executed. o one saw when Beete entered the building nor did they see anyone leave. All neighbours could recall was what sounded like the explosion of a squib. ne neighbour even thought that her electric meter had exploded. It was not until news spread that someone was shot dead in the building that neighbours really became aroused.

There was a time when one could have looked at the administrative structure of the Guyana Police Force and predict who would be the next Commissioner of Police—not so now. There was a time when the force had no less than five Deputy Commissioners, heading the strategic departments such as Administration, Criminal Investigation, Special Branch and Operations. Under Commissioner Winston Felix, there were Henry Greene, Edward Wills, Leon Trim, Sydney Bunbury and Mohamed Jameer as Deputy Commissioners. But since Greene was appointed as the country’s top cop, there has been no move to appoint Deputy Commissioners, a position which has denied the now retired Assistant Commissioner Paul Slowe. But the recent retirement of Slowe has created a huge void in the succession plan of the Guyana Police Force.

Magistrate Geeta Persid-Edmund, today dismissed the charge against Mark Benschop for operating an 'illegal radio station.' The magistrate ruled that the Prosecution failed to show any evidence that the broadcasting equipment was operable at the time in question. However, his lawyers Nigel Hughes and Cumerbatch will have to submit a written order for th release of Mr. Benschop's equipment.

By Freddie Kissoon

I have read and I have heard many political observers opine that the PPP will still win the next general elections, though it may likely be with a reduced majority or even a minority position in Parliament. How many of these observers go into the villages and districts of this country and talk to people?  You have to talk to the people of Guyana about what is taking place in their country before you can make such a judgement. The reason behind a prediction of a PPP victory is the perception that East Indians are not yet ready to break with racial voting. I do not accept this kind of thinking.  There has always been a certain level of disrespect for PPP leaders among Indians. Indians are not really enamoured with PPP leaders. They know that they are incompetent, unprincipled, arrogant and corrupt. Indians vote for the PPP as an organization and not for specific PPP leaders.

President Bharrat Jagdeo last evening rebuffed what he called “implied comments” from outgoing British High Commissioner, Fraser Wheeler on the failed security reform project saying his government did not need UK funding to push security reform here. Referring to comments Wheeler made on security reform a few minutes prior his address at a reception to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s 84th birthday, the President said government has been driving security reform in the country and that it continues to focus on this despite the failed project. He said Guyana “unfortunately” lost the funding from the UK project, noting that he would not use the occasion last evening to address the reasons why.