WE haven’t heard from Past Prez Donald in a while, but he has emerged in defence of former Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh, following threats by the government to go after him for spending $4.5 billion from the Treasury without parliamentary approval. Ramotar, in a spirited statement, said Singh had done nothing wrong, that he had acted legally; and he even called the government’s behaviour harassment.

But, drawing on President Granger’s words, no one will get locked up unless and until concrete evidence surfaces. Right? So Ramotar should take a deep breath and rest easy for now. All this means is that all eyes are on Ashni, he’s not going anywhere…yet.

IS WE OWN…
People are pretty impressed by the announcement that there is an increase in the number of persons joining the military, with over 500 new soldiers added to the GDF each year in the last two years.

What’s more is that there has also been a decrease in the number of AWOL cases. That’s a breath of fresh air for the GDF, and people are glad to hear this.

Of course, we all know it can’t be for the benefits, but maybe it’s Venezuela’s ‘increased insistence on trying to take our Essequibo’ that has our young Guyanese ready and willing to serve.

Don’t try to step on land that “is we own”. Our GDF’s increasing numbers show that we may very well be more equipped than the foreigners think.

RACKING UP NUMBERS
It’s two days into the new year, and already three persons have lost their lives following altercations. One would think that the new year would ring in resolutions of changed attitudes, but clearly last year’s issues were dragged over to 2016.

Meanwhile, a report that 511 people lost their lives to suicide in the last five years has people in awe at the suicide rate of this tiny country. Many have suggested that there was a lack of God in the victims’ lives, others sought to point at a particular race. Low blow, don’t you think?

How about us seeking to find solutions instead of trying to wildly speculate and pose questions that the victims will never be able to answer? Good thing Lisa Punch is back. Hopefully, she’ll continue in her advocacy started during her Miss World journey.