Dear Editor
THESE are just a few lines on a few matters which were reported in the press recently.
1: Increases for ministers, etc were published in the Official Gazette on September 25, but none of the independent newspapers thought it necessary to publish same. Only Guyana Times, one week later, made the release, and then the other papers followed. Is it a case where the press was told by the Government not to publish this news item?
2: The U.S. Embassy officials are blaming the whole world for nations allowing drugs to leave their shores. The U.S. is worried that these drugs enter the USA. Why does not the USA protect its borders and let other countries look after theirs?
3: Prime Minister Nagamootoo has said he has appointed Dr Ramayyah as REO, but Minister Bulkan is saying that Dr Ramayyah was appointed after advertisement, etc. Can Minister Bulkan say when and where the advertisement was advertised?
4: I think Minister Cathy Hughes is ‘targeting’ her co-Minister Ramjattan. She reportedly did not speak with him, but sent him an e-mail to remove the jaguar skin from his office wall. Are they not on speaking terms? And I use the word ‘targeting’ because she said that she’s ‘looking into the efficacy of nightclubs closing at 2 am. Does anyone remember Ramjattan threatening to bring forward the closing time to midnight? Would this not affect Minister Hughes’s businesses?
If dialogue is a dead deal between ministers, what about the citizenry? Back to point one: there has been no discussion with those whose taxes will pay the humongous increases for ministers.
5: The PNC sold lands to Beepat for his storeroom for a few million dollars. Is that a part of the property which the Government gave to the PNC, or did the PNC take over the land?
6: So the former Leader of the Opposition, President Granger, rented premises from the Hugheses for his office for $400,000 per month? And now the Presidency has taken over the same premises. How much are the Hugheses now collecting for the rental?
7: Would those ministers and officials who occupy government quarters still be eligible to collect house allowance of thousands of dollars per month?
Can the country discuss these matters?
Sohan Chetram