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A first for Guyana Dr. Euclid A. Rose First Guyanese-Caribbean Scholar to write a Comprehensive Manuscript on American Presidency Aug 20, 2024 Letters Dear Editor, On the subject of writing, the author’s position is that good writing starts with honesty, outstanding research and excellent analysis. He says that a lot can be expressed with a few simple and honest words that a set of pretentious words cannot do. But occasionally, the author writes: a great manuscript is often written about someone great, and that great someone is Barack Hussein Obama 11, the 44th President of the United States. And that great manuscript, he emphasizes is ‘A Race to the Finish Line: The Election of Barack Hussein Obama 11 as the First Black President of the United States’ written by Dr. Euclid A. Rose, professor at the City University of New York. Dr. Rose is the first Guyanese-Caribbean Scholar to write a comprehensive text book on the Presidency of the United States. Dr. Rose’s research is breathtaking in that it traces Obama’s life from his birth in Honolulu, Hawaii, on August 4, 1961, to Seattleand to Jakarta, Indonesia, where he learned Bahasa Indonesia–the official and national language of Indonesia. Dr. Rose’s penetrating and captivating work examines the forces that shaped Obama’s early life; it provides a definitive account of his formative years, which made him the man he became. After graduating from Punahou High School, a private, elite all-white academy in Honolulu, Obama attended Occidental College in California, for two years and then transferred to Columbia University in New York and to Harvard Law School where he was elected the first black President of the prestigious Harvard Law Review Journal. A Race to the Finish Line is a brilliant analysis of the struggles that Barrack Obama overcame to be elected the first black President of the United States in 2008. It is intellectually stimulating and insightful and presents fresh insights into Obama’s life, his tumultuous upbringing as a young man of mixed race who was raised exclusively by his white mother and grandparents and his marriage to Michelle Robinson in Chicago in 1992. The book vividly describes Obama’s work as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago before he ventured into politics. He was elected a State Senator of Illinois from 1997 to 2004, and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004.Four years later in 2008 he was elected the first black President of the United States. Finally, A Race to the Finish Line assesses how African Americans rose from the depths of poverty, racial discrimination, and the brutality of slavery to be elected to the highest office in America. It explores the phenomenon of Barack Obama belonging to two different worlds—one black, the other white. It is one of the most powerful books of self-discovery with illuminating insights into race, class, culture, ethnicity, and politics in America. Rose’s epic work is a rich tapestry of a life little known or understood prior to his announcement to seek the presidency of the United States in 2007. It tells the human story of a man—Barack Hussain Obama—who changed the course of history and the world in a way that no one else can and no one expected or could have predicted. The book is a classic narrative drawn from hundreds of interviews, including several of President Obama’s advisers, friends, and classmates and a trove of articles, journals, and other documents. It is a groundbreaking and multigenerational manuscript; that providers readers with a richly textured account of President Obama’s life who tried to make sense of his existence as he prepared for his political career. It is a beautifully written and credible book that tells the human story of a man—Barack Hussain Obama—who changed the course of history and the world in a way that no one else can and no one expected.  Rose’s work is a bold and ambitious undertaking, and we are confident and most certain that it will provoke debates among students and scholars in America and around the world. It is a pleasure to read. Regards, Aubrey Reteymer Related Similar Articles

Quality of life must not be restricted to the emergence of a luxury beach front hotel Aug 20, 2024 Letters Dear Editor, Every day I see President Ali, featured in a BBC commercial, wagging his fingers and vociferously declaring, “I will lecture you on climate change! ”I understand that he is the holder of a PhD in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of the West Indies and may be aware of the issues presented in this letter. Nonetheless, it is with great deference that I write to draw attention to an ecological issue that Guyana will confront. I grew up in a Guyana which tall structures could be counted on one’s fingers; the Saint George’s Cathedral, the Stabroek Market Clock Tower, Fogarty’s Department Store, Pegasus Hotel and the Bank of Guyana were our “skyscrapers”. With our newfound prosperity, tall buildings are popping up around Georgetown and will probably proliferate over the rest of Guyana. In our frenzy of building, we must enact and enforce laws and codes to preserve/enhance our quality of life. This weekend I spent a wonderful time at the beach located at the Miami-Dade and Broward county-line. My host was an architect with a keen sense of design and its effects on the environment. During our evening conversation, she told me that even on a hot day the beach is always cool because of the winds. She went on to elaborate that the tall perpendicular buildings on the beach-front block the salubrious sea breeze and weather from reaching inland communities behind the narrow strip of luxury condominiums and hotels that ribbons the Florida Atlantic coast. The deleterious effects of building tall skyscrapers along the coast are two-fold. First, the skyscrapers block the cool sea breeze, and the inland communities experience a noticeable rise in temperature which affects the quality of life for humans, animals, plants and insects. And second, when the cool ocean breeze collides with the tall buildings on the beach, it has nowhere to go but back to the sea. This creates an air current that constantly erodes the beach and creates a sand bar some miles out on ocean. My architect host pointed out the Miami-Dade County side of the border where the homes of the ultra-rich live [Madonna, Tommy Hilfiger, Satya Nadella, etc.] the buildings were not taller than the tallest coconut tree. It was her professional judgment that a height restriction of building on the beach served 2 purposes: the inland communities will enjoy some of the cool sea breeze and the soil erosion on the beach will be somewhat mitigated. As we begin to develop our “seawall” we must be cognizant of the effects it will have on the quality of life for the inland residents of Georgetown. As we remake Georgetown and the rest of Guyana, let us be prudent: a height restriction for new construction along the coastline may be something for Guyana to consider. A quality of life must not be restricted to the emergence of a luxury beachfront condo/hotel clientele along our Atlantic coast. Sincerely, Roger Ally Related Similar Articles

Opportune Moment for Poultry Farmers Aug 20, 2024 Letters Dear Editor, At the onset of the year, we were informed that some $1.5 billion was budgeted for major projects aimed at advancing the nation’s overall food sector in 2024.  The reason is simply that the livestock industry is most vital to food security and continuous economic growth in Guyana. At that time, Senior Minister in the Office of the President, with responsibility for Finance and Public Service, Dr Ashni Singh, disclosed that “We aim to improve our services to the poultry industry through decentralised support facilities and production zones …” So, it was good learning that a “Poultry programme (was) launched for Uitvlugt residents.” Details show that “… the initial group (some 50 Uitvlugt residents from the West Coast of Demerara) will commence poultry production to achieve self-sustainability … they will receive 50-100 broilers or black giant chickens from the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA), to increase the country’s poultry production.” At the kicking off ceremony, Agriculture Minister, Zulfiqar Mustapha explained that “We will work along with you through the GLDA (Guyana Livestock Development Authority)  … so that we can have a group of people producing poultry at a cheaper cost in the community.” Of course, this is not unprecedented as it follows what took place already in Regions Four, Six, and Ten, as well as in the hinterland regions. I remind Guyanese that poultry as a whole makes for a substantial contribution to food security and nutrition, providing energy, protein, and essential micro-nutrients to humans, with short production cycles and the ability to convert a wide range of agri-food by-products and wastes into meat and eggs edible by humans. Poultry in fact is the fastest growing agricultural sub-sector, especially in developing countries. The global poultry sector is expected to continue to grow as demand for meat and eggs is driven by growing populations, rising incomes and urbanisation. Particularly for small holders and the poor, both in rural and urban areas, poultry is a major asset and key to poverty alleviation, providing income and market participation. In this regard, so many are most fortunate to have this input from the People’s Progressive Party/Civic Government, as it stays through to its commitment to revolutionise Agriculture in Guyana. An additional incentive is that the poultry sector has been experiencing tremendous growth in recent decades, driven by increasing consumer demand for both eggs and meat. According to a report by Research & Markets, the global poultry market was valued at $378.84 billion as of 2023, reflecting a 7.6% growth from 2022. The poultry market is further expected to grow up to $487.39 billion in 2027. Yours truly, Hargesh B Singh. Related Similar Articles

‘Clement Rohee: not much wiser’ Aug 20, 2024 Letters Dear Editor, Clement Rohee’s contribution ‘GECOM is capable of executing mandate’ (SN:15/08/2024) indicates well why Guyana is in its present perilous state. He claimed that since his appointment as a commissioner of GECOM in August 2022, ‘I have formed the opinion that, save for mischievous and unlawful acts by the human factor, GECOM can execute its constitutional mandate.’ But is it not arguably the most important part of Rohee’s and GECOM’s obligation to guard against ‘mischievous and unlawful acts’? I am certain that it was not Rohee’s intention to support what many have suspected, namely that GECOM is incapable of fulfilling its mandate. Furthermore, Mr. Rohee seems to be incapable of appreciating the nuanced qualitative difference involved in comparative social discourse. He tells us that the populace tends to be suspicious and distrustful of ‘every government or constitutional body in the world’. Even if we understand his dash for comfort in generalisation, saying that the citizens of Norway are suspicious of their government’s activities is a far cry from Russian citizens saying the same thing. Also, failing to grasp the dynamics that normally exist between teaching and learning, Mr. Rohee appears to believe that one can change the substantive negative view of GECOM by way of public education/propaganda but without significantly improving its effectiveness and inclusivity. He says that: “As regards the question of comforting the ordinary voter that GECOM will fulfill its constitutional mandate with honesty and integrity, I know that the Commission has plans to launch a Civic and Voter Education strategy that will place specific focus on the rebuilding of trust and confidence in the Commission!” Then somewhat confusedly and clearly intending to mislead the publicà la PPP, Mr. Rohee attributed the following statement in my article (Elections skullduggery:’ VV; 11/08/2024 & KN 12/08/2024) to the Stabroek News editorial (SN: 12/08/2024) to which he liberally referred. ‘On the question of the voters’ register, the editorial (Jeffrey) added, “The PPP/C government, on the other hand, prefers to improve the existing voter register through extended continuous registration and somewhat improved procedures for the removal of deceased registrants. We shall see if the opposition will go to and hope to win an election with the current list because the PPP does not want it changed!” But this speculation by me was based on the following position that was deliberately removed by Rohee. ‘[T]he European Union (EU) Final report recommended ‘a thorough update of the decade-old register well ahead of the next election cycle, based on inclusive consultations and political consensus.’ And the EU election follow-up mission of 2023 reported that the present electoral list remains problematical, and that the opposition is advocating that a new voter register be compiled through house-to-house registration combined with electronic capture of fingerprints, as well as advocating the introduction of biometric (fingerprint) verification of voters at polling places.’ The continuous registration process of claims and objections is considered insufficient yet that is precisely what Rohee offered when he stated that the exercise called for by the EU and CARICOM is an ongoing one which commenced in 2022! This and his misattribution aside, much more importantly, his political allegiance makes it impossible for him to accept that a workable democratic outcome required ‘consensus’ not the questionable majoritarianism that exists at GECOM. Mr. Rohee then turned specifically to the positions I have taken in ‘Elections skullduggery’ above. He claimed that ‘Jeffrey documented several speculative points and unsubstantiated comments which he sought to peddle as facts.  In this regard, I wish to point out the following.’ Firstly, Jeffrey said ‘that rigging elections by way of a bloated list has now become the modus operandi in Guyana and is the major reason why only just over 20% of the population is certain they are not manipulated’. Notwithstanding what follows, Mr. Rohee claimed that I ‘did not even attempt to give a decent level of credibility to this blatant falsehood’. Elections are best rigged long before elections day and some of this skulduggery can be detected on that day or thereafter. Thus, I noted that during the 2020 elections process the chairperson of GECOM, having requested and received reports from the relevant state officials about elections skulduggery, i.e., people voting that are either dead or were not in the country on elections day, concluded that the accusations were of sufficient import to come by way of an election petition. I pointed out that the former Chief Executive Officer of GECOM after considering the matter claimed that there were some 4,686 impersonations and other irregularities. Is he and his party not running helter-skelter to prevent consideration of this matter in the courts? Am I to understand that the PPP was lying when it filed a similar elections petition in relation to the 2015 elections? So why should I doubt Mr. Malcolm Harripaul ‘How the PPP and GECOM rigged the 2011 elections’ and believe the honourable comrades in Freedom House? I believe that the above provides a prima facie case and that Mr. Rohee and the PPP should have sought to definitively settle the matter in the courts rather than have 80% of the electorate questioning the current regime’s legitimacy! Secondly, Mr. Rohee stated Jeffrey pleaded, ’Please spare me the nonsense about foreign monitors certifying elections.’ Jeffrey’s ‘position in this matter seems to be premised on the unified stance the APNU+AFC adopted towards the International Observers who challenged and exposed the rigging of the 2020 elections. … it appears that Jeffrey has joined with those who despise the presence of international election observers because they interfere in Guyana’s domestic affairs.’ Bearing in mind my above contention about his incapacity to properly grasp the nuances of comparative discourse, generally the presence of observers – particularly Western ones – has contributed to there being more free and fair elections and a more democratic world. But Clement Rohee, this does not mean they have never been wrong and when needs be prioritised their national interest, etc. Finally, he claimed that I ‘failed to call into question and to admit that it is the same ‘bloated list’ that was used for the 2015 elections that brought the APNU+AFC to power.’ Yes, Mr. Rohee, it was a similar list but what do you think ‘[r]igging elections by way of a bloated list has now become the modus operandi in Guyana’s means? In ‘Guyana is a rigging field’ (SN: 05/02/2020 & SN: 12/02/2020) I asserted that both the PPP and the PNC have over many years been manipulating elections in Guyana and have deliberately constructed and sustained a bloated voters’ register. If they cared to pay attention, what Africans are facing today was cleary visible some time ago. I concluded ‘Two Thieves make God laugh’ (SN: 01/04/2020): ‘However, as the saying goes; ‘two thieves make God laugh and given the PPP’s more recent stance on shared governance, brace yourself for a bumpy ride!’ Sincerely, Dr Henry Jeffrey Related Similar Articles

HAVANA TIMES – Some photos make us laugh, feel emotions, remember a trip, or a special moment with friends. Others show that the person who...

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