A honeymoon suite, a minister-turned-genie, and ‘The Donald’
BREAKING MY leave to deal with matters that Chronicle Editor-in-Chief Mark Ramotar seems to think need my peculiar input is so recurrent that it has become a company joke.  Last Friday was one of those instances.  However, it ceased to be a joke when Mark requested (no-one in their right senses dares order me) that I undertake an overnight ministerial assignment to Essequibo and informed me that I had to reach Ogle within an hour.  A driver was instructed to be on standby so that I could move immediately after I had completed the work on which I was engaged at that time. Within that severely restricted timeframe, I had to keep an appointment with my optician, run a couple of pressing errands, and reach Ogle Airport at the designated time, leaving me with no time for Mark to brief me. So I had no clue which minister I was travelling with, and what the assignment was.  As it so happened, both Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud and Housing Minister Irfaan Ali were departing the Ogle aerodrome with other officials on different airline services at approximately the same time to perform duties related to their specific ministries.  However, Minister Irfaan Ali took me under his wing all the way to and from the most beautiful and picturesque county in Guyana; an unquestionable fact I could objectively appreciate, although I am a Berbician and I passionately love my home county.

Housing schemes changing country’s landscape
For decades I have flown to different parts of the country, all in the nature of my work, and each time I marvel at the changing and evolving landscape, over time, as the aircraft departs Ogle, with thousands of homes springing up almost overnight in well-laid-out housing schemes which, more than any other, tell the story of success of the Government’s massive housing drive.
In the Essequibo skies, whether the aircraft is flying along the coastal waterline, or over the forest canopy of the hinterland regions, the magnificent scenic beauty of Guyana’s panoramic vistas never fails to enthrall the senses; although I enjoy more the speed or jet boat trips with river-spray in my face, the wind in my hair, and the unique hinterland experience up close and personal.
The flyover of the Kayman Sankar holdings prior to landing at the company’s airstrip is testimony to one man’s pioneering spirit, indomitable courage, and transcending achievements in the face of great odds – a man who carved an agricultural empire out of Guyana’s wilderness, and who became a veritable legend in his own lifetime.  Kayman Sankar is one of Guyana’s outstanding icons of entrepreneurdom who initiated the transformation of the Essequibo demographics decades ago.
Minister Irfaan Ali designated a driver to GINA reporter, Melissa Assante and I for the duration of the visit and, after I had purchased a few pieces of necessary clothing and a toothbrush we soon booked in at the hotel where, as a result of the hotel being solidly booked, I was given the honeymoon suite (which my media colleagues decreed an absolute waste and made suggestions, more worthy of a couple of acrobats, for its proper usage).

Land for the youth and landless
Melissa knew the itinerary and so I allowed her to direct the driver to the various venues, the first at the Aurora Primary School, where the launching of the Aurora Land Development Project — through which 5,500 acres of untouched and uncultivated land is being developed from Supenaam Creek to Riverstown, at a total cost of $1.3 billion — had commenced a while before our arrival.
In his address at that groundbreaking event, Agriculture Minister, Robert Persaud observed that the land development project closely embraces Government’s diversification strategy and Rural Development plan, and is the result of a request that was made to President Jagdeo in 2009 by residents and rice farmers of the area.   
According to Minister Persaud, members of the younger generation who are desirous of pursuing agricultural-related activities may not have access to the requisite amount of land needed to engage into productive activities without such initiatives.  Thus it was that President Jagdeo facilitated a feasibility study conducted as a collaborative effort by the staff of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI), and the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission, which examined, among other things, the characteristics of the soil and the infrastructural imperatives.
The Minister said that rice cultivation accounts for 70 percent of the agricultural activities in Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam), and so the expansion of more land will positively impact the diversification drive.

Robert, the farmer’s genie
Following his remarks, and prior to the arrival of President Bharrat Jagdeo, who was scheduled to deliver the feature address, Minister Persaud used the occasion to address the concerns of residents, especially the farmers, with a palpable grasp of the issues for which his attention and/or intervention was sought.
Problems ranged from flooding in the Riverstown Creek; drainage in Airy Hall; deterioration in education delivery and student behaviour, as well as unhygienic washroom facilities in the Airy Hall Primary School; severe drainage problems and an impassable dam at Walton Hall; need for 400 rods of drainage trench at Good Hope, with an access bridge across the canal; restrictions on production of one-inch boards; water from rice lands overflowing into kitchen gardens at Pomona; concerns about the distribution system of the new farming lands; burst dam impeding transportation and causing water overflow in Good Hope; dams being ploughed and fenced by farmers to extend their holdings, thus restricting machinery from traversing to effect remedial works on dams in Good Hope; a broken sluice door and breaches in Aurora sea defence; deterioration in Pomona Housing Scheme roads; non-occupancy of house lots, with overgrown vegetation harbouring predatory creatures of the two-footed, four-footed, and reptilian kinds; need for recreational facilities in Aurora; irresponsible waste disposal by especially vendors, who illegally occupy and fence in Government reserves, among others.
The Minister, who conceded that priorities are sequenced according to the urgency of needs and the availability of funds and requisite resources, yet attempted immediate resolution of the impasses faced by farmers/residents, either by referrals to subject ministers, especially Ministers Robeson Benn and Irfaan Ali, under whose mandate some specific problems fell; while those for which he held portfolio were summarily dealt with; and the responses of prior complaints by regional authorities (especially those who were sometimes proven derelict of their duties), as well as heads of agencies, especially Lionel Wordsworth, D & I head, came under severe scrutiny.
In several instances, the problems had already been addressed and/or resolved; in some, the works were in the pipeline undergoing due process; while the relevant authorities were instructed to investigate and address and resolve problematic areas causing inconvenience, loss, and consequential vexation to residents.
In the instance of littering, the Minister decried this social bugbear as becoming endemic to the Guyanese society countrywide, and lamented that the once pristine landscape of Essequibo is becoming victim to this scourge.  He passionately voiced his concern that the same citizens who treat their own homeland as a convenient garbage dump obey the laws in other countries, and pick up their litter or responsibly dispose of their garbage.
On previous visits to the Essequibo Coast, I had occasion to marvel at the absolute pristinity of the Essequibian landscape, and the cleanliness of Essequibo residents, as nowhere was there so much as a piece of discarded paper in the yards or public places; while most yards boasted a thriving kitchen garden.
My observation during this latest trip revealed a creeping sickness of the litter-bugging that plagues most coastal regions, albeit not pronounced, as Essequibo is still the cleanest county in Guyana; because trash strewn along the East Coast and other highways have sadly marred once-exquisite panoramas of scenic beauty in Guyana’s coastal landscape which, even though not equal to the marvels of the hinterland, is yet blessed with a quintessential ecological splendor that is unique to Guyana.
The efficient way Robert, the ‘agri-genie’, dispensed of the seemingly overwhelming problems facing the residents, which seemed to provide them satisfaction, was nothing short of magical, and paved the way for a standing ovation for President Jagdeo and PPP General-Secretary and presidential candidate, Donald Ramotar as they entered the building.

Donald Ramotar is El Supremo
Unquestionably a popular choice, Donald Ramotar was hailed by delegates at the PPP county conference in Essequibo, held last Saturday, as ‘Ram avatar’, a pun on Ramotar that likens him to the Hindu God, Ram, of the Ramayan.
President Jagdeo, addressing the loudly cheering participants, said that apart from the wholesome characteristics of Ramotar, which he detailed, the PPP presidential nominee’s credentials as an economist will help to advance the momentum of development in the country when he becomes president.
Acknowledging his endorsement of Ramotar, President Jagdeo said, “You need someone who has the economic skills to lead the vision.”  He lauded Ramotar’s refusal to accept a ministerial position, opting instead to hold the Party together, which was no mean feat.
Ramotar said that the country needs unity to progress, and that the PPP/C has always pursued this ideal.  He urged everyone not to be complacent, but to work at party level to ensure that the PPP/C continues the progress it has achieved so far while in Government.
According to him, the decision on Election Day is bigger than choosing between the PPP/C and opposition parties, and is instead representative of a choice between progress and prosperity, which he deems is represented by the PPP/C; and the stagnation and retrogression that others have visited upon the country while they were in office.

He stressed that his unanimous selection was a demonstration of the unity that exists within the PPP, despite the expectations of divisions by detractors. 
All the representatives of the PPP’s Essequibian groups unanimously endorsed Donald Ramotar’s candidacy.  When asked for the vote, not a single dissenting hand went up; and the roars of approval split the air.  For PPP members, Donald Ramotar is certainly the number one choice.