The whole truth, and nothing but the truth

May 17, 2010 Letters

Dear Editor,

Allow me to refer to two recent news items first page 8 in Kaieteur News, captioned, “Millions paid twice for some contracting services”.

The article referred to the rerouting of the sewerage pipes allegedly to allow for the construction of the much vaunted Marriot Hotel.

Let me add this for general information.

Earlier, world renowned Guyanese performer Eddie Grant approached us for the use of an area abutting and including the Luckhoo Swimming Pool – the identical area where the Marriot Hotel is to be built.

When news reached higher authorities that the Mayor and City Council had agreed to grant to Eddie Grant permission to proceed with substantial development for the area, the Mayor was called in and told to put the waiter on hold because a much bigger project was on the horizon.

Of course we expected some compensation for the land, part of which is Municipal property.

I suppose the horizon is in a retreat just as the Cubana Air Disaster Monument, which was built and ready to be put in place and, which was stopped by the powers that be, a sad reminder of the monument to honour the hundred of African Slaves whose heads were cut off and stuck on staves around the Parade Ground, after a revolt demanding freedom.

It is generally accepted that it is right and proper to honour these martyrs,

Of interest the PPP in its early verbal outpourings recognised the correctness to honour those whose struggle and sacrifice laid the initial foundation for our freedom and human dignity, the PPP did so by naming their first Ideological College at Land of Caanan on the East Bank of Demerara after one of the African Slaves heroes of the 1763 Revolution Accrabe.

And so it was on August the 1st 2000, at the Emancipation Day Ceremony held at the Parade Ground (Independence Square), coins were burned and our Head of State and Government made a solemn promise in public to build a monument in honour of those African Martyrs.

Perhaps that part of our history about those who arrived in slave ships and laboured for free to build by hand our entire costal infrastructure is no longer of importance to this administration. In fact using the near media monopoly this generation must bear the burden of an assault on our history by the miserable machine (do not expect the Chronicle and Times to publish this letter).

Ten years come August we will hear some platitudes by our Government applauded by the collection of house slaves.

The second news item of interest:

We read with interest on page 7 of SN: “Air Corps needs to be upgraded – Former CDF aeronautical engineers”.

It seems as though nobody is listening or that some set of persons really do not care.

I recall speaking to members of the GDF privately and in a letter dated April 7, 2008. I referred to the hype being made by ‘big ones’ in government about how much was being spent on the Army.

In my letter, I pointed first to the importance of an effective Air Corps and referred to the Government purchase of a used helicopter and joined with those including Captain Gerry Commie who said that the recent second hand purchase by the government was “a waste of taxpayers’ money”.

Further, I made reference to the fact that a new helicopter with superior features than the used 1988 helicopter we purchased.

The letter went on to remind us that in the period before 1992, the Army had available the following:

I. Two MI-8 Russian built helicopters each capable of transporting 16 troops, with powerful lifting and hovering capability.

II. Two Bell-212, each capable of taking 12 persons and faster than the 206.

III. One Bell-412 capable of taking 12 persons – still available in Guyana, but need to be made serviceable. Why not this option? Who knows?

IV. Two French built (Aloette) choppers capable of carrying five persons each.

V. Two Bell-206 capable of taking four persons each – similar to what this administration has brought and beating their chest over.

We had a total of nine Choppers – in those we are now told horrible days.

My, letter ended with these words – let the people judge on these issues, forward planning, good sense and probity, or what is the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

Hamilton Green JP