Dear Editor,
PRESIDENT, Dr. Irfaan Ali and his entourage departed for the US, but, not before setting the tone for the beginning of a new era for Guyanese and Guyana when he opened the Building Expo 2022, saying: “The journey to prosperity has begun. The journey is powered by one vehicle, One Guyana. Whether your political views are aligned with the government or not, you have a seat in the vehicle.”

“The establishment of new housing developments across Guyana and the upgrading of existing areas within the past two years have been met with huge smiles of relief from citizens who are anxious to own their own homes,” Minister Croal said.

The smell of oil became more predominant with two new discoveries by ExxonMobil. As the Guyanese are off to celebrate Emancipation Day, Guyana welcomes the African Royal Delegation. There were other reasons for citizens to revere, review, “row” and smile about also:

1) “Where there are bottlenecks, we will look at those bottlenecks,” Minister Parag commented.
2) “You served nobody but yourself and that is why you are on that side of the House, and that is why you will be on that side of the House for a very, very long time,” Minister Ashni Singh pointed out.
3) “I’ve been meeting a lot of good people and I’m glad I came,” Mark Williams from the Caribbean confessed. Guyana’s hospitality has an international flavour.
4) “People need to understand through positive examples that conservation requires both male and female rangers,” female ranger, Hazelitha noted. Dis time na lang time.
5) The state has to pay $5 million for one, “Cashew. No, not the fruit, but to Chaitram, in damages.
6) “State House belongs to all of Guyana,” President Ali reminded Guyanese, while launching the Girls-Only Self-defence Programme. Indeed, a One Guyana.
7) “Everybody wants to go to Guyana,” quoted Indera Persaud, longtime honorary consul to Jamaica. The great oil rush is flooding Guyana’s gate.
8) “Climate change is an emergency,” announced President Biden. People are on the lookout for the ambulance and listening for the siren.
9) Nelson Mandela visits Jamaica. No, not his spirit, in person back on 24th July, 1991.
10) Opposition MP David Patterson, lit up the floor with: “You can’t wait to see fuh tek candle light fuh see things at night when you can see them in the broad daylight,” Has anyone seen the US$18 million bonus?
11) “You don’t have to love the government to be proud of this. You just have to love the country and love development to be happy about this,” President Ali coaxed the crowd. A fair and generous President.
12) “We are the cause of our demise,” penned the writer. So true, for 33 years, we allowed leaders to build potholes in our minds.
13) When someone replies with an “everything nice” response, you know it’s time to leave, drink, don’t eat!
14) Minister Susan Rodrigues declared: “5,000 Guyanese will be on their way to home ownership,” at the end of the Building Expo 2022, with a big treat of freebies, including steel and cement.
15) “We can’t have an elections commission being run by people who are themselves involved in the elections,” advised the economist. True, no wonder we have had so many allegations of rigged elections and the last one, “attempted.”
16) “Guyana has all the natural assets to be a leading food producer in the region,” President Ali informed the high-level US officials. Oil and gas will not be the sole engine of growth for Guyana’s economy.
17) “People are catching hell in this country,” said one of the ‘sitting’ Coalition MPs. Name of a new carrier operated and owned by the Opposition?
18) “It was therefore shocking, when the GAWU learnt that the AMCAR had decided to close its operations at this time,” the union stated. Quite a sour note and not being trendy!
19) “Constitutional changes or else!” A witness has an answer, “the only thing coming out of this exercise will be another opportunity for the opposition to scream bloody murder, stage new protests that may end up with some condign beatings of some hapless perceived PPP supporters.”
20) “It’s rare to see this many attacks in a short period of time,” said a city official. Hold your horse, it’s not GT but Japan, where, “monkeys gone crazy.”
21) “The Guyanese people themselves want a proper investigation. Yes, over the years, they have heard many allegations of high-level corruption. But this one stinks to high heavens, and they want to know the full facts,” the Opposition MP insisted. Yes, he is so right. In front of the whole, wide world, the PNC party attempted to steal an election and confuse the nation with jiggery-pokery mathematics, and…. a dirty ‘chadar’! Unbelievably shameful, disgraceful and dishonourable!
22) “So, I really don’t know why it is that we were not written to as yet, perhaps we are not suspended,” reported one of the suspended Opposition MPs. Oh, Mama Mia! Talk about live in hope and die in despair!
23) The US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, underscored the point: “Guyana has been a very strong partner for the United States and in many ways, a global leader.” During the Ninth Summit of the Americas, Guyana was identified as a key player and leader in CARICOM for food security, energy security, financing, and the issue of climate change.
24) And the winner is…… “Oh r..s, West Indies lose again, what a jan jat!”
25) “We apologise to our viewers and listeners,” the channel announcer said, “but we interrupt this programme to announce that there have been two more oil discoveries in Guyana, the world’s fastest growing economy, led by President Ali and his PPP/C Government.”
26) “It’s better to be safe than sorry,” warned the learned Chief. Good advice, stay out of the way PNC, the government is coming through like a herd of elephants and a throng of bulldozers with the US$2 billion blessings from the EXIM Bank!
27) “We have been clear to the United States that we are going to continue an aggressive bid,” said President Ali. Exxon caught off balance?
28) Charran left “pieces of silver” to run right into $7million!
29) The Vice na play ‘cas cas,’ Su getting sued for nuff nuf ‘cus cus.’
30) President Ali shared a view: “The first thing that we need to do to advance any relationship is to have conversations, to understand each other, to share our perspective on things.” President Irfaan Ali knows how to “swim with the sharks!”
31) “So, I present to you, a country that is enormously rich in biodiversity, ecological services, environmental services,” President Ali discussed with the US security sector. The President can talk about more than oil, unlike others!
32) “You should be proud that this is your heritage,” President Ali told the diaspora in Washington. It was the APNU+AFC Government who made Guyanese a laughing stock to the world and it took a PPP/C Government to change that image.
33) “Yes, we made our own mistakes,” the economist confessed. Anyone hear a call to be pardoned and forgiven? Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do. The error list is endless!
Some 3,525 odd families in Region Eight were smiling with their $25,000 per house-hold cash grant. And 193,679 recipients will smile with $5.8 billion as part of the “Because we Care” programme.
Shyam Nokta was all smiles with his Anthony N. Sabga award. Thirteen beauties will smile for the Emancipation title, and there will be heavy jamming at the Miss Jamzone 2022 Pageant.
Thousands of Guyanese were beaming with smiles as they were allocated house lots at the Building Expo 2022. The return of the Bartica Regatta adds another reason to smile. As you enjoy the holiday weekend, don’t cry when it’s over, smile because it happened!

Yours respectfully,
Jai Lall