https://in.pinterest.com/vijayrughani/parveen-babi/

Share you favourite foods...what you like to cook and  or eat.

I love to cook although not everything I cook I like to eat. I made shepherds’ pie last week and although everyone loved it all I had was a bite.  Same goes for lasagna.
I made apple curry yesterday and still thinking if I will eat any.
Also, made lamb stew which I love.  

I love

pachownie mmmmm must have generous hot pepper ( scorpion or wiri wiri)

dry down bounjal fine shrimps

papaya curry

——-

cainstah, this is a thread to tell us about that potato curry where u crack the egg in it😂 I am sure it was delish

Not surprised that your grandkids didn’t want to eat ur channa n potato curry...got to stat them young. My one yr old enjoyed some potato curry. Of course I did not put hot pepper.

All the things you would like to do when this pandemic is completely conquered worldwide...over and gone

For me:

*visit with my neighbours/ friends and those relatives who are not very close where we can all eat and have some red wine🍷🥂

*fulfill a promise to go fishing with my son and maybe even go on boat😳

*head out on another European trip with seniors discovery

*travel to anywhere in Canada with my two girls, son-in-law and my pre ious granddaughter 🍎👁

Some ppl say they are looking fwd to go to a mall or a restaurant....not me

Remains of 215 children found at former indigenous school site in Canada

Anna Mehler Paperny, May 28, 20211:42 PM MDT, Source - https://www.reuters.com/world/...e-canada-2021-05-28/

The main administrative building at the Kamloops Indian Residential School is seen in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada circa 1970. Library and Archives Canada/Handout via REUTERS

The remains of 215 children, some as young as three years old, were found at the site of a former residential school for indigenous children, a discovery Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described as heartbreaking on Friday.

The children were students at the Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia that closed in 1978, according to the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc Nation, which said the remains were found with the help of a ground penetrating radar specialist.

"We had a knowing in our community that we were able to verify," Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc Chief Rosanne Casimir said in a statement. "At this time, we have more questions than answers."

Canada's residential school system, which forcibly separated indigenous children from their families, constituted "cultural genocide," a six-year investigation into the now-defunct system found in 2015.

The report documented horrific physical abuse, rape, malnutrition and other atrocities suffered by many of the 150,000 children who attended the schools, typically run by Christian churches on behalf of Ottawa from the 1840s to the 1990s.

It found more than 4,100 children died while attending residential school. The deaths of the 215 children buried in the grounds of what was once Canada's largest residential school are believed to not have been included in that figure and appear to have been undocumented until the discovery.

Trudeau wrote in a tweet that the news "breaks my heart - it is a painful reminder of that dark and shameful chapter of our country's history."

In 2008, the Canadian government formally apologized for the system.

The Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc Nation said it was engaging with the coroner and reaching out to the home communities whose children attended the school. They expect to have preliminary findings by mid-June.

In a statement, British Columbia Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief Terry Teegee called finding such grave sites "urgent work" that "refreshes the grief and loss for all First Nations in British Columbia."

A new classroom building at the Kamloops Indian Residential School is seen in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada circa 1950. Library and Archives Canada/Handout via REUTERS

After 100 years remembering, last survivors mark race massacre in Tulsa

Makini Brice, May 31, 20214:34 AM MDT, Source - Reuters - https://www.reuters.com/world/...re-tulsa-2021-05-31/

Hughes Van Ellis, 100, Lessie Benningfield Randle, 106, also known as Mother Randle, and Viola Fletcher, 107, the oldest living survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre and older sister of Van Ellis, attend the Black Wall Street Legacy Festival 2021 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S., May 28, 2021. REUTERS/Polly Irungu

Lessie Benningfield Randle, 106, can still remember a house engulfed in flames and the bodies stacked in truckbeds, one hundred years later.

"I was quite a little kid but I remember running and the soldiers were coming in," Randle said in an interview with Reuters as her hometown of Tulsa prepared to mark one of the darkest chapters in its history.

Monday is the centenary of a massacre targeting Tulsa's prosperous African-American community in the district of Greenwood that bore the nickname "Black Wall Street."

After a Black man was accused of assaulting a white woman, an allegation that was never proven, white rioters gunned down Blacks, looted homes and set fire to buildings block by block. More than 1,000 buildings were destroyed.

An estimated 300 people were killed, thousands were left homeless and an entire community that had been seen as a symbol of what Black Americans could achieve was devastated.

"This was the Mecca. Tulsa's considerably what Atlanta is today," said Duke Durant, 30, a comedian, actor and Tulsa native, referring to one of the U.S. cities noted for its large, thriving Black community.

Events related to the massacre commemoration began ahead of the anniversary.

Friday's Black Wall Street Legacy Festival included a parade led by Randle and two other centenarian survivors, Viola Fletcher and Hughes Van Ellis. The three were joined by community organizations and about 450 students from George Washington Carver Middle School, where the parade began.

At the parade's start, members of the African Ancestral Society surrounded a horse-drawn carriage holding the three survivors and sang blessings, before marchers headed past tidy homes toward the heart of Greenwood.

"We are one," Van Ellis, 100, said from inside the carriage.

The commemoration is slated to include a visit by President Joe Biden on Tuesday and the unveiling of the $20 million Greenwood Rising museum.

The museum, which is devoted to telling the story of Greenwood, will not be completed in time for the centennial but there will be a "limited preview," a Tulsa commission formed to commemorate the anniversary said on its website.

An event scheduled for Monday that was to feature a performance by award-winning musician John Legend and a speech by politician and activist Stacey Abrams was canceled following a dispute with lawyers for the three survivors, organizers said.

Organizers said they hoped to reschedule. A candlelight vigil is among the commemoration events still to take place Monday.

This year's attention is a departure from the past. For decades, newspapers rarely mentioned the events of May 31 and June 1, 1921. The state's historians largely ignored the massacre and children did not learn about it in school, according to a 2001 report written by a commission created by the state legislature.

Tulsans attribute the silence to a number of factors. Black Tulsans were traumatized, feared it could happen again and did not want to pass on the information to their children, while white Tulsans would not have wanted to believe respected members of their community participated, according to Phil Armstrong, the project director of the centennial commission, and Michelle Place, executive director of the Tulsa Historical Society and Museum.

Place said the 2001 report was written before it was too late.

"Many of those survivors of the race massacre were dying or had died so it was an effort to tell their stories and to remember that part of our history and not let it go to the grave, if you will," Place said.

The history is also recorded in court records. Randle described the bodies and burning house she saw in a deposition in a lawsuit filed in February by survivors and descendants seeking justice for victims. Calls for reparations have long gone unanswered.

Greg Robinson, 31, a community activist and 2020 mayoral candidate, said he was pleased with the increased attention on Tulsa during the anniversary, but added that more work needed to be done to repair the damage.

"I'm glad to see people from across the country coming to understand the story of Greenwood," he said. "But make no mistake about it, we have a very clear message that until justice is done, we have work to do."

Who at Robb Street is renting your handle today?

May 29 ,2021

Source

Kaieteur News – After he fell one afternoon and hit his head, Mr. Winston Murray, a prospective presidential candidate for the People’s National Congress Reform, was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital. The prognosis according to the doctors was not good. He had suffered damage to his brain and they did not think that his chances were that good.
Rightly so, his colleagues wanted a second opinion. When it comes to making the sort of call they had to make, they would have been expected to want a second opinion and one from a specialist at that.
And so arrangements were made to fly in a specialist from overseas. There were many citizens at the time who were casting aspersions on the local doctors’ prognosis. They were calling for an overseas-based specialist to be brought into examine Murray.
As it turned out, what the local doctors were saying was accurate. The specialist came and his examination revealed that Mr. Murray’s brain was dead. He died not long afterwards.
There was a plane crash a decade or more ago. One of the passengers injured his leg during the episode and was admitted to a public hospital.
Not long afterwards, it was reported in the media that he was being flown out to the United States since the local hospital had indicated that his injured leg would have to be amputated. It was even hinted that the man’s leg may have been saved in the United States.
Here again, the man’s relatives and associates were right to be concerned and to seek a second opinion. They obviously felt more comfortable making a call about amputating after they would have had a specialist opinion in the United States. They cannot be faulted for that.
And so the man was flown to the United States. The doctors there came up with the same position as the local doctors: the leg had to be amputated.
There are many persons both local and overseas who like to criticise Guyanese professionals. There are many persons who feel that Guyana does not have good doctors.
But time and time again it has been proven that Guyana has top notch doctors who know what they are doing. Time and time again, our doctors have been vindicated.
Our hospitals may not be up to first world standards. That is to be expected in a country where everyone can still enjoy free medical care. Things are not the best but there have been tremendous improvements over the years in the local health system and this progress has been complemented by some of the best doctors available.
Yet many overseas Guyanese are fearful of bringing their children to Guyana on vacation because they do not trust the health care system. They fear that should their children fall ill while in Guyana, the treatment may not be adequate.
They should be more worried in some of the foreign capitals since even with the best of facilities there, the wait can be interminable, not to mention the cost.
The cost of medical care in the United States has caused a great many overseas-based Guyanese to come back here to look after their eyes and do their dental work.
These things can be done either free or cheaper in Guyana and a lot of those overseas-based Guyanese come here to enjoy the cheapness and the freeness.
The public hospitals are overwhelmed. Because of the improvements and the increase in the number of doctors, more and more citizens are flocking to these institutions, and many workers are going to the public hospitals simply to get a sick leave certificate to stay away from work.
Guyana has its problems and things are not always how they should be. And a great deal of criticism is in order. But there are a great many persons who get assistance each day and the system works for many.
And our doctors and medical professionals are amongst the best in the world. Guyanese have risen to the very top of their professions. In almost every field that you think there are Guyanese who have done well. They have done well, not just because of the opportunities that they have had in the developed world. In fact, those opportunities have been earned and do not come easy since there is competition for these opportunities.
And the reason they have done well is because of the attitude towards education. This is one of the good things about educating your children in Guyana. Guyana may not always have the best of teachers and facilities, but there is culture here of people taking education seriously and persons applying themselves.
So that when the students go overseas, they apply themselves also and this allows them to succeed. We should therefore not believe that Guyana has any second rate doctors. Guyana has some of the finest practitioners in the medical field and they practice in Guyana. And Guyanese should be grateful that so many of them are still around providing the sort of medical care that allows us to be respected.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

Dear Editor,

Schlumberger-Guyana Inc.’s planned construction of a “Source Storage and Calibration Building” facility at 1 Area X Houston, EBD, Georgetown which was given EPA approval only came to the attention of the majority of residents of Houston and surrounding communities through news reports in late April and early May.  The EPA’s Notice to the Public dated April 11, 2021 which was subsequently found on its website, did not provide any substantive reasons for how it arrived at this approval and the basis for waiving an EIA. Rather, the notice simply states that “it has been determined that the projects will not significantly affect the environment or human health, and are therefore exempt from the requirement for an EIA.” No further explanation was provided. It is not clear what evidence or information was used to make this determination.

We were/are alarmed to find out that the Schlumberger-Guyana Inc. Source Storage and Calibration facility involves the handling, storage and installation of radioactive sources, and the processing and disposal of hazardous industrial waste, including oil-contaminated materials. It is well-documented that these substances, by their very nature, pose serious risks to the environment and human health. Under Guyana’s Constitution and international human rights treaties, citizens have a right to participate in decision-making and be informed of ‘developments’ which impacts our communities and environment including suitability of location for construction and operation of such a facility, track record of company in handling hazardous waste, mitigation measures and safeguards for securing and disposing of radioactive material and disaster preparedness to name a few. One news report stated in April that construction was 75% completed. Our view is that the EPA’s approval for this facility violates principles of environmental management set out in the Environment Protection Act, including the precautionary principle. Specifically, the Environmental Protection Act dictates that, in performing its functions, the EPA shall make use of current principles of environmental management, including the precautionary principle and the avoidance principle. The “precautionary” principle states that “where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing measures to prevent environmental degradation” (article 4(b), Constitution). The “avoidance” principle states that “it is preferable to avoid environmental damage as it can be impossible or more expensive to repair rather than prevent damage” (article 4(d), Constitution).

It is unclear what information the EPA used to determine that the project would not have a significant effect on the environment or human health. The only information we could find about the possible impacts of Schlumberger’s proposed project in Guyana is in Schlumberger’s own Project Summary on environmental effects. This section only has about 146 words and is overwhelmingly lacking in detail. This section states very briefly that the project will have no environmental effects. The Project Summary does not provide details about the risks associated with radioactive sources, hazardous industrial waste and mitigation measures. Moreover, the Project Summary leaves out key details such as safety measures for the transportation of hazardous waste and radioactive sources, safe disposal from the accumulated hazardous substances, plans in the event of a spill or industrial accidents on site and or in the transportation of these hazardous and radioactive materials from Guyana’s EEZ zone into and along the Demerara River.  Neither is there any detailed environmental plan for the containment, mitigation or protection measures for accidental release of such hazardous substances into the environment nor any mention of consequences of risks and endangerment of citizens, communities and environment. International conventions and best practice emphasize the importance of proper regulation and management of radioactive waste, including through environmental assessments before construction of such facilities begins. The Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, for example, states that Contracting Parties shall take the appropriate steps to ensure that procedures are established and implemented for a proposed radioactive waste management facility to evaluate the safety impact of such a facility on individuals, society and the environment, taking into account possible evolution of the site conditions of disposal facilities after closure. In addition, “before construction of a radioactive waste management facility, a systematic safety assessment and an environmental assessment appropriate to the hazard presented by the facility and covering its operating lifetime shall be carried out.” Radioactive waste management is defined broadly to include all activities, including decommissioning activities in the handling, pretreatment, treatment, conditioning, storage, or disposal of radioactive waste.

Additionally, we do not understand how EPA granted approval for such a facility to be located in a residential area. Guyana’s zoning categories, as we were informed are residential, commercial, residential/commercial and industrial. According to our information, industrial facilities, factories, and harmful storage sites should never be located, constructed, built or operated in a residential area.  Schlumberger Guyana Inc, planned construction of a “Source Storage and Calibration Building” facility at 1 Area X Houston, EBD is ‘slam bang’ located in the communities of Houston, Houston Estate, Houston Village/Housing Scheme with close proximity to adjoining communities of McDoom, Agricola, Eccles etc.  Houston Nursery and Houston Secondary Schools are just across the road from where this facility is being constructed as are health centres, community centres, faith based places of worship and wells for potable water. The UN World Conference on Human Rights, reaffirms in its Declaration on the Right to Development that “The human person is the central subject of development. The right to development should be fulfilled so as to meet equitably the developmental and environmental needs of present and future generations. The Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Justice in Environmental matters in Latin America and the Caribbean, also known as the “Escazú Agreement “ came into full effect in April,  2021. President Irfaan Ali affirmed Guyana’s commitment to it in his speech on Earth Day, April 22, and stating its importance to the sustainable development of the Region. Escazú guarantees “full and effective implementation of the rights of access to environmental information, public participation and justice” and protects the rights of citizens to live in a healthy environment. In other words, it guarantees access to environmental information, consultation in environmental decision making processes, right to take legal action in cases of environmental damage, promotes and defends the rights of environmental and human rights defenders, indigenous peoples and communities.

Based on the above, we have requested that the EPA conduct a comprehensive Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESA) of Schlumberger Guyana Inc.’s “Source Storage and Calibration Building” facility at 1 Area X Houston, EBD. We have also written also to the, Minister of Housing, the Georgetown Mayor & City Council and the Central and Housing Planning Authority to clarify zoning issues surrounding the location of this facility for waste including hazardous waste including radioactive waste and installation of radioactive sources within residential communities.

Sincerely,
Danuta Radzik
Vanda Radzik

Congrats Django, it is almost a year since you have taken over the Forum. Some thought that this ship will take on water and sink under your captaincy, but you have proven them all wrong.

Good going, you win some friends and you lose some friends but either way you are still on course. Congrats again.

25 years and still chugging along.

Midnight fishing in the Boerasirie Conservancy, Region 3, last night. The happiest 2 men on earth.   

https://www.facebook.com/10337...os/1187977094974462/

A resident of Yakusari showing the officials the height of the water in his street

May 27, 2021

Source

With the main focus on draining rain-fuelled flooding from Black Bush Polder, Corentyne  immediately, Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha has promised that excavators will remain in each polder until the situation improves.

Mustapha along with Prime Minister Mark Phillips visited the flooded areas throughout the various polders yesterday where residents were extremely upset at the situation which has resulted in many losing their livestock, cash crops, rice and even appliances, due to the deep floodwater currently lodged in the residential and farming areas.

While areas within all of the polders were affected, residents informed that it was Yakusari, Johanna and Mibicuri which were most affected as a majority of the residents and farmers in those areas were completely flooded out.

Throughout the entire Black Bush Polder area, the dams and cross streets are in a deplorable state causing residents to be stuck at home or having to tread their way through the mud for any emergency supplies. 

According to Mustapha and residents, the drainage system within the polders is not adequate to handle the amount of rainfall seen over the last couple of days. “We are seeing now within 24 hours, 5 to 6 inches of rainfall and our [drainage] system is just geared to take off 2 ½ inches of water, so that is putting a lot of stress on our drainage system.”

Mustapha said that while they tried to boost the drainage system with pumps, the heavy rainfall still resulted in major flooding. However, he stressed that immediately more pumps will be added to the system, “Hopefully we can have relief.”

In addition to this, he said, systems are being put in place to block water from the backlands coming into the housing area which has been putting “more stress” on the drainage system in the residential area throughout the polders. “Also we are trying to regulate the water coming into the housing area so that we can have fast drainage.”

At the various locations yesterday, rice farmers and residents clashed and argued bitterly as residents accused the growers of draining their rice fields into the residential areas causing the flooding and then seeking solutions from the minister which will benefit only them.

A group of women from Johanna told Stabroek News that they were stuck on their dams and had lost a number of cattle and livestock as a result of the flooding.

Meanwhile, other residents throughout the area reported to Mustapha that they have individually suffered losses in rice, cash crops, livestock, vegetables, provisions, and gardens, while others noted that if the situation is to remain the same for at least two more days, then they, too, will also suffer huge losses.

One rice farmer, Naresh, who had just returned from his rice field when  Mustapha and Prime Minister Phillips visited Mibicuri, told Stabroek News that since the flooding he has been heading to the area to check on his rice every day. “We rice deh under water right now. Me alone get about 15 acre under water right now and everybody else around me flood. We can’t do nothing, we just got to sit down and watch because this water na go”, he said.

The man noted that if the water goes away within the next two days then there is a possibility that his rice crop might not be  ruined. “But that can’t happen. The whole place flood,” the visibly frustrated man said.

Naresh who has been planting rice for most of his life, opined that had officials dealt with the situation from the beginning then it would not have gotten this extreme.

Another farmer then chimed in, “If the pump them deh in order and a work the water na might a raise so high.” When questioned if they were aware whether the pumps in the area were working, the man said, “Well what abbay a hear is that it a work but watch this water, me na feel that a true. The water na so deh like this.”

Grocery shop owner, Seeram Budhu, 40, said that he has lost over $200,000 so far, adding, “all me neighbours place flood out and so and that is just what me loss.”

Mustapha pledged that once the water is drained, the various agencies attached to his ministry will be assessing the situation so as to assist the residents. “I want to make a commitment here that we will try as much as possible to assist those who would have suffered losses.”

Not done

During a previous visit based on a request by residents, Mustapha had allocated several machines to the area to clear the back drains. “What we found was that some of the works we intended to do at that time was not done, so now I am assigning back that for the rest of this period, a machine in each of the four polders so that they can complete those works targeted in the first time that I came also.”

In addition to this, the minister pointed out that some of the works in the back drains were left undone after it was discovered that persons had occupied the reserve. “I have since instructed NDIA to ensure that all the reserves are cleared and the machine being allowed to complete those works in the area.”

Mustapha, who has visited Black Bush Polder numerous times since taking office, stressed, “We have done a lot of work in Black Bush Polder and we will continue to do works.”

During the meetings, Mustapha also told residents that funds have been allocated to the local Water Users Association which is responsible for cleaning and maintaining canals. “Over $140 million was allocated for works to be done here and many contractors who were owed in the previous administration, cabinet last week approved those payments amounting to $15 million [so those] who were owed money before 2020 now will be receiving that sum.”

Mustapha then ordered his ministry’s agencies to work along with the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) and Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDC) so as to maximise the effort in handling the flood situation. “So that we can have good efforts in terms of getting the area drained as fast as possible. People are very agitated, people are very concerned and we understand that. Like I said this matter will take precedence and we will put all measures in place to get it resolved as soon as possible.”

Meanwhile, Rajkumarie Jainarine, 57, a farmer who has over 1,000 plantain and banana suckers in her farm, said that due to the situation she was unable to transport her produce out of the dam to be sold. She explained that persons from Georgetown and in Berbice would purchase her produce to resell.

According to the woman, in flooding situations she would use her boat to transport her load through the trenches. However, the RDC has since built a bridge across the trench and with the height of the water she is unable to bring out her produce with her boat. “If me carry you right now you duck. We can’t pass pon the dam or carry out our load. Me want them full the whole street deh and then the bridge, them build it flat and all them rest bridge build high that boat can pass.”

According to the woman, on one of the dams there are two large holes which has caused the RDC machines to be stuck but yet officials have failed to deal with the situation previously.

Residents yesterday also complained bitterly about machine operators who they said were not paying heed to them although they begged to have certain areas dug. In one instance a female resident pointed out to Mustapha that had a certain area in Yakusari been cleared while the machine was working before the heavy rainfall then it is likely that the situation would have been different for them.

After it was queried, it was discovered that a ranger, without visiting the location, had prevented the machine from moving ahead with the residents’ request.

Mustapha then encouraged the residents, most of whom were females, to form small committees within the area so that they can oversee the machines and operators and report back to the ministry which can then take the necessary actions and decisions.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Phillips pledged food hampers and cleaning products to every household in Black Bush Polder yesterday. “In terms of relief, we will have the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) coming into the area with some food hampers and sanitation hampers to distribute to every household.” This will likely occur on Saturday.

The Prime Minister assured residents that the CDC will work along with the region and NDC so as to ensure that “every household will benefit from those supplies.”

Mondale Smith

May 31,2021

Source

Veteran journalist, media personality and Chef Mondale Smith, 45, is the country’s most recent COVID-19 fatality

The Ministry of Health has confirmed that Smith who was admitted to the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) last week has passed due to varying complications.

The Guyana Press Association issued the following statement on Smith’s passing:

“The Guyana Press Association mourns the death of former journalist Mondale Smith whose sudden passing has shocked family, friends and his media colleagues.

“Mondale started his media career at the Guyana Broadcasting Authority in the early 1990s, he produced as well as hosted radio shows at the state broadcasting agency.

“Mondale would later join the Evening News and eventually became one of the faces of Prime News newscast. There, he anchored the news, covered hard news and sports for that entity.

“Mondale would later work at Kaieteur News among several other places. Throughout his media career, he never backed down from a challenge or a story, he was known for his many stand-ups and for going after stories that showed the reality we lived in.

“All of this spoke of Mondale’s versatility and love for journalism, he was always eager to tackle an issue or go after a story. Even as Mondale had moved on to another career, he would share stories or highlighted issues that came to him.

“The GPA extends condolences to Mondale’s family and to all the lives he has touched”.

https://www.theguardian.com/wo...g-on-climate-grounds

M&CC’s negligence contributed to South Georgetown flooding –Min. Hamilton

Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton on Sunday criticized the Mayor and City Council for its negligence, which he said has resulted in the flooding of several areas in South Georgetown.

In an invited comment, he told DPI that the pumps used to drain the water were not activated in time.

“The reports from National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) indicate that many of the pump attendants were asleep this morning when they should have been working the pumps to ensure that water gets out of these areas. We intervened at the level of the Ministry of Agriculture NDIA and installed pumps on Sussex Street and Princes Street to help alleviate this problem. And so, if the City Council was properly supervising the staff, the people should not have been suffering the way they’re suffering right now in this part of town.”

In some areas, roads, bridges, and yards were covered by more than four inches of water. Sussex Street, Albouystown is among the areas gravely affected. Residents complained that the water from the canal overflows and mixes with water from Le Repentir cemetery and seeps into their homes.

Minister Hamilton told residents that the issue will be addressed and assistance will be given to those severely affected.

“I made a request to facilitate some people right now, they’re in need of cleaning materials, and they’re in need of food items, because of this situation that was created by the negligence, I would say, the City Council, not properly, supervising the pumps that we made available to the government, central government,” he said.

A team was also mobilized to clear the canal of vegetation and garbage to ensure the water flows freely.

Minister Hamilton is part of a larger ministerial team spread out across the country to assess and bring relief to persons affected by the floods. President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali and Prime Minister, Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips have also been visiting several affected communities. (Extracted and modified by the Department of Public Information)

Guyanese beamed with pride in New York City this morning as Liberty Avenue in Richmond Hill, Queens, was co-named ‘Little Guyana Avenue’ in recognition of the contribution of Guyanese to the development of the city.

Scores of Guyanese braved the rain to attend the unveiling of the new street sign, co-naming the popular Liberty Avenue and Lefferts Boulevard intersection as ‘Little Guyana Avenue’.

https://www.inewsguyana.com/li...-named-little-guyana

The PNC/R cannot be trusted

May 31, 2021 Peeping Tom, Source - Kaieteur News Online - https://www.kaieteurnewsonline...r-cannot-be-trusted/

To speak about democratic elections and the PNC/R in the same breath is a contradiction. The PNC/R has demonstrated its aversion to democracy and its tendency to gain political office through crooked means.

The party’s record of electoral infractions and undemocratic rule effectively disqualifies it from participating in any future democratic election. The issue therefore is not about who is best suited to lead the PNC/R into the next elections; the PNC/R should not be allowed ever again to participate in any future election.

The PNC/R cannot be trusted to act in a manner which is consistent with participation in democratic elections. It has proven that it belongs outside of the democratic family.

The PNC/R has a sordid record of electoral malpractice. It rigged the 1968, 1973, 1980 and 1985 elections and attempted to benefit from attempts to rig the 2020 elections.

In each of those successive elections, the rigging became more glaring, brazen and barefaced. Peter D’Aguiar, a former ally of the PNC, said this about the 1968 elections: “To call it an election is to give it a name it does not deserve; it was a seizure of power by fraud, not election.”

The 1973 elections were branded as “fairy tale elections”. The British Parliamentary Group of Observers described the 1980 elections as being more “crooked than barbed wire.”

The PNC/R also distorted the 1978 referendum which gave it power to change the Constitution without resort of the people’s consent via a referendum.

That led to the establishment of an Executive Presidency and the deepening of authoritarian rule which reached its apogee when it was forced to pass a law to overrule a court decision. It also led to a spate of human rights violations.

A section of the PNC/R, one of whose leaders is still alive and kicking, attempted to abort the 1992 elections and included stoning the then office of the Guyana Elections Commission on Croal Street and by rioting, looting and committing arson in the streets even before the official results had been declared.

It went on similar rampages after its loss in 1997, almost bringing the country to its knees and it is no coincidence that politics and criminality came together in a toxic brew after the 2001 elections.  Since 1992, the PNC/R has never conceded in an election, which it lost and it never will.

The PNC/R is not committed to constitutional rule. It only accepts its understanding of the Constitution. Following the no-confidence motion in December of 2018, the PNC/R trampled upon the Constitution, rewrote the Mathematics textbook and gave the world a lesson in how to prevaricate in holding elections.

The PNC/R supported some dubious challenges to the March 2020 elections. Guyana was turned into an international laughing stock by those who were prepared to hang on to power on the flimsiest of threads.

The PNC/R cannot be reformed. It is beyond political redemption. It had enough time, including five years in office to demonstrate it had put its sordid past behind it.

It failed to do so and in fact, its actions confirmed that it was prepared to be returned to power through electoral skulduggery.

Oil and water do not mix.  You do not invite the devil into a church; you do not invite thief men into a police conference. So why would anyone want to have a party with an established track record of electoral rigging to participate in democratic elections? Democracy and the PNC/R simply are not compatible.

There have been calls for electoral reform. These reforms are aimed at strengthening the electoral system to ensure that it is foolproof from rigging. One columnist has even proposed that the laws be made unambiguous to ensure that the valid votes are those, which are certified by the Presiding Officer. Not even that can stop the shenanigans of the PNC/R. It is quite capable of organising for a significant number of presiding officers to invalidate large numbers of votes.

An old lady once remarked that “Burnham made Satan cry.” There is no system which can be implemented which can be made foolproof against electoral rigging by the PNC/R.

There is only one type of electoral reform, which has to be implemented. There should be a Commission of Inquiry into the 2020 elections and the findings of that inquiry used as a basis to permanently debar undemocratic forces from participating in any future elections.

If democracy is to have any chance of survival in Guyana, the PNC/R cannot be allowed to participate. Never ever again!

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

The PPP/C has provided incentives for small businesses and young entrepreneurs.

Promote skills training by increasing Technical and Vocational training and apprenticeship schemes. There are 20,000 online university courses that will be completed within 5 years.

The PPP/C has provided more equipment, facilities, and training for law enforcement personnel in order to reduce crime. They have initiated prison reform, crime-fighting reform and, also Electoral reform to prevent the PNC from rigging elections again.

More Hotels and resorts have been built to set the stage for an influx of visitors from North America. An atmosphere of trust was created and so the migrants are coming home to be involved in National development.

The main roads have been widened to three lanes. There are 24 connector roads are being built along the ECD Highway. Construction of the Ogle to Eccles Highway. The PPP/C has been aggressively pursuing the building of the Gas to shore project.

Land development has been started all over the country to facilitate the building of 50,000 Housing units within 5 years.

Plans are being laid out for modern base port facilities on the WBD and Parika.

Several Amerindian Communities have received generators to power new electricity grid.

The PPP/C have opened up the sugar estates in Berbice and Rice is being cultivated at an alarming rate.

The Guyana 270 mile seawall is being reconstructed.

A deal has been struck with India to buy Guyana's crude oil.

Airports and Hospitals are being renovated. Shopping plazas are being built all over the country.

COVID-19 has been neutralized.

The First Lady and Priya Manichand are working overtime to empower women so that women can become independent and occupy their rightful place in Guyanese society.