THE public is again a bit confused following the announcement that the Learning Channel – owned by Bobby Ramroop- will continue to air and the owner will receive the exorbitant multi-million dollar payment as long as it does. The contract for the channel was supposed to end in December. This move has given the people much to talk about- regarding making “promises” and keeping them. What happened to the strong recommendations that had been made at cabinet level to not renew the contract? It’s a hard thing to win the trust of an already skeptical crowd when actions don’t match up with words. Yet, others believe that perhaps, without an alternative for the children, it would be unwise to deprive them of the only source of educational programming that the country enjoys, all in the name of politics. That makes sense. But, as we are still in the teething stage, I’ll revert to my usual advice of “let’s wait and see where this goes.” Meanwhile, I have to hand it to the likes of Jagdeo and Ramroop, these men just seem to have all the luck. No wonder they’re best friends; birds of a feather, I suppose.
The new Ebola scare?
We all remember the fear and panic that the Ebola outbreak had us in last year, but the public is hoping that with the recent announcement of the death of a Guyanese man who tested positive for Swine Flu after returning from China, similar panic of the threat of this disease is apparent on social media. Though the man died while being treated in Miami, he did fall ill while he was in Guyana and people are asking the first (perhaps, natural) questions that come to mind: who did he come into contact with while he was here? Can it be spread that easily? Is it as bad as Ebola? Can Guyana treat it? Well people, this is the age of information, so the first thing I’d advise is to equip yourselves with it. Reading up on the disease would be a good start. The good news is that we’ve apparently gone one step ahead and have procured vaccinations to combat the disease in the event of further infections, but until then, I’d say to keep the panic at a minimum.
Tarnished
Republic Bank became a trending topic after the institution publicly denounced claims that it is involved in money-laundering as was stated in a Kaieteur News report. Of course, KN is simply doing what it does best- ruffling feathers, and one can only guess how credible its sources are- but Republic Bank did not take it lightly. The Bank stated that the report is an attempt to tarnish its reputation and that it will take all necessary steps (including legal action) to address the allegations. Looks like KN will be back in court- yet again- unless, what they’re saying is true? There are three sides to every story, but so far, we’ve only heard two.