By Ralph SeeramSome years ago on a visit to Guyana, I had the misfortune of experiencing a relative dying. It was not pleasant, but it was an experience that remains indelibly in memory. He had an enlarged heart and was told he can die any day. The night after he received the news, he had a transformation,Wholesale China Jerseys, a total 180 degrees change in personality. The spirit of death had visited him. You would have to see this to believe what I about to say. The spirit of death was transforming his personality.One could tell there was an internal battle going on between his conscious self and the shadows of death, his illogical utterances interspaced with some logical conversation,Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale, his unbelievable display of strength, the constant back and forth conversation between himself and the spirit of death,Discount NFL Jerseys, all totally out of character with the person I knew.A few hours later all was quiet; the spiritual battle was finished; death had won. And as he lay on his death bed in the final throes of life he began to”travel”. The physical battle began. Death starts at the sole of your feet and works its way up. His feet were cold then lifeless, same for his legs and waist. The Pastor said even though he appeared unconscious he could still hear.The Minister whispered something in his ears and we saw a trembling reaction from his hands and head. He was conscious. It must be a terrible thing to know you are dying and incapable of doing anything about it. Finally the numbness reached his heart and his journey was over. His journey however, did not happen overnight, the neglect to his health started years before.Like my relative, the PPP as a political party has been dying for years. However the resignation of the highly respected former Speaker of the House and PPP stalwart, Ralph Ramkarran, has put the PPP in death throes, the likes of which the PPP will not be able to recover from unless President Donald Ramotar can show some fortitude, display strong leadership and take drastic measures to resuscitate the PPP.It doesn’t matter if Ralph Ramkarran returns to the PPP fold that is irrelevant at this stage. His outspoken article about corruption within the Government, and his subsequent resignation have hastened the death of the party. Death is working its way to the heart of the PPP.President Ramotar has the power to stop it. The question – is he going to take any action or will he let the patient die?I am sure some may ask about the symptoms which are showing the PPP is in demise. In 1992 the PPP received 162,000 votes from roughly 300,000 vote cast.? Moving on to the 1997 elections,Jerseys Cheap NFL, with a voter turnout of nearly 400,000 the PPP got 220,Cheap Jerseys China,000 a gain of 58,000 votes but the PNC also picked up 33,000 new votes for a total of 161,000 votes.Of note, the cast votes had increased by 100,000 new voters in 1997. Moving on to the 2001 elections the PPP dropped to 210,000 votes a loss of approximately 10,000 supporters while the PNC gained 4,000 vote for a tally of 165,00 votes. Then came Bharrat Jagdeo elections in 2006 where the PPP made its biggest gains in Parliamentary seats, but this was also deceiving because the PPP dropped to 182,000 votes, a loss of 28,000 votes.It gained more seats because the PNC did worse garnering only 114,000 votes.? This steady decline made me predict long before the elections last year that the PPP could lose the elections. No one at that time even conceived such a thought. When I brought my views to former President Bharrat Jagdeo on a fundraising trip to Orlando last year, he said that they “ran the numbers” and will win the elections.The 2011 elections saw the PPP slumped to 166,000 votes a loss of 16,000 votes despite an increase in voter turnout of 7,000. In 2011 the PNC under the banner of APNU pulled in a gain of 25,000 votes for a total of 139,000 votes… Just 27,000 votes separated the two major parties.The PPP has been in steady decline for the past three elections, the PNC has shown increase.The point I want to show here is that the PPP supporters are disenchanted, frustrated with the constant revelation of corruption, and are staying away from the polls. There are some in the PPP hierarchy who are aware of this while some are in denial.One senior executive of the PPP told me flatly that Bharrat Jagdeo divided and destroyed the PPP and there may be a lot of truth to that. The PPP Government must realize that you can build the best roads, airport, hydropower or whatever grandiose plans you may implement.Every Guyanese can own a car and a house. At the end of the day no one, even PPP supporters, likes people to steal his h

The Beterverwagting Police Station was saved from destruction by fire on Monday last,Wholesale Authentic Jerseys, thanks to the alertness of ranks on duty.The ranks managed to quickly put out a small blaze,Wholesale Jerseys 2017, which they believe was deliberately set by detainees in the lock-ups.It was around 21:00 hours when the Corporal and Constable on duty smelt what appeared to be paper burning.This was followed by an alarm raised by one of the inmates.The ranks responded quickly and found that someone had lighted paper along with some female clothing in one of the cells.The fire was extinguished and enquiries were made as to the origin of the fire.The Beterverwagting Police Station houses female prisoners as well as juveniles but Kaieteur News understands that at the time of the fire there were seven females and two adult males.The inmates when questioned indicated that a lighted cigarette might have been responsible for the fire.Cigarettes,Wholesale Jerseys, lighters and matches are prohibited in the lock-ups and investigators are trying to ascertain how the items were allowed to enter the facility.

The visually-impaired father of 11-year-old Paula Cottom,Cheap NFL Jerseys, who needed financial aidThe president of UWSC, Jennifer Comacho,Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping, handing over the cheque to Paula Cottomto fly to Trinidad and Tobago for an eye surgery has been ‘beating’ the pavement tirelessly to raise the balance to provide their meals and accommodation,Cheap China Jerseys, said the United Women for Special Children.The United Women for Special Children (UWSC) has also played a significant role in assisting the family with the outstanding US$1000 to cover the cost for the surgery while the Ministry of Health contributed US$2000.Yesterday,Cheap Authentic Jerseys, Ms Ann Geer, Immediate Past President of the United Women for Special Children said, “As a group we are very pleased to assist as we fulfill our mandate to help differently abled children and try to assist any child with a special need.? These children must be encouraged and nurtured to achieve their rightful place in society.”The St. Angela’s Primary School student who recently wrote the National Grade Six Assessment Examinations also received donations from other voluntary groups and private persons and businesses.Cottom will leave Guyana for the Twin-island republic tomorrow for her surgery.At the age of seven,Bradley Chubb Jersey, Cottom started suffering from a complicated cataract which later resulted in her being blind in the right eye.Recently, she was also diagnosed with “Inferior Retinal Detachment with macula involvement with Development Cataract” in her left eye.The little girl’s father, Paul Cottom, who has been suffering from cataract in both eyes for almost six years,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, did all that was possible in his means to raise the funds to fly his daughter to Trinidad and Tobago.

In keeping with a personal promise, and one that was made to the nation several years ago,NFL Jerseys China, President David Granger, presented a laptop to the Head Teacher of Tutorial High School, Ms. Walterine Mc Leod,China Jerseys Cheap, yesterday.“I’m here to fulfill two promises I made a promise to [your head mistress] but I also made a promise to the Guyanese nation over four years ago. It was made before the 2011 general elections. I said that Guyana was being left behind in the communication age. I said that every teacher should receive a laptop. Now that I’m President, I’m keeping that promise,” the President told the students.At the simple ceremony, which was held in the school compound, the President said over the coming weeks, each teacher, upon entering the Cyril Potter College of Education will receive a laptop computer.This initiative, the President,NFL Jerseys From China, said is aimed at better equipping teachers to in turn prepare their students for the rapidly growing, information and telecommunication age. “Other countries are moving further and faster ahead, and Guyana is being left behind. I regard internet access, I regard the World Wide Web as being an entitlement, and you cannot progress in the modern world without access to the information super highway,” President Granger said.The President further stressed the need for all Guyanese “to take to the information super highway”.“My purpose for being here this morning (yesterday), is to let you know that we are going to open the doors for the information super highway for every Guyanese child,” he added.With emphasis being placed on information technology in schools and for teachers, the President also reminded the large gathering of students and teachers that education is also at the forefront of the new administration’s policies. The President pointed out that education plays a critical role in nation building and it is for this reason,Nike NFL Jerseys China, every effort will be made to ensure that every school aged child has easy access to an education.This, the President told the students and teachers, has been the driving force behind the “Three B’s” initiative. He said the government has begun a drive to ensure that transportation is provided for school children in need, in the form of, buses,Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys, boats and bicycles.President Granger added that in the coming months,Jerseys From China, students will be provided with the basic necessities for attending school including text books, school uniforms and meals. The students were further urged to make the best of the educational opportunities being made available to them as they prepare themselves for the future.The Head of State was inducted into the local chapter of the School’s Alumni. He was presented with a token on behalf of the association and school. Also on the occasion, the Headteacher, Ms. Mc Leod, thanked the President for fulfilling his promise not only to her but the thousands of other teachers who will benefit from the initiative.Ms. Mc Leod said this initiative speaks volumes of the President as an individual and more so his character as a man.

Interim Management Committee Chairman Orrin Gordon has said that the toll booth at Kara Kara is operating and will continue to operate and collect toll, despite the order by Government that the booth be ‘disbanded.’Emphasizing that Minister Norman Whittaker had approved the municipality’s 2013 budget, which included projections for the collection of toll from the Kara Kara Booth,holesale NFL Jerseys, to facilitate a raise of pay for the Town’s municipal employees, Mr. Gordon, during a press conference, said that the implementation of the order would result in a deficit of some $15 to $20 mil in the Council’s income, thereby jeopardizing programmes and jobs, within the Municipality.The tolls include a $2000 charge for trucks transporting sawn lumber and $3000 for transporting logs, while 40ft container trucks and trucks transporting laterite and sand were charged $5000. Vending charges included $2800 for buses and $4000 for canter trucks.Gordon said that the Municipality has begun to pay increases to its weekly employees for about three weeks now, and was in the process of preparing to do the same for its monthly employees, who had already made representation for same, and which was approved by the Council.However, in order to do that, $1.8m more in revenues per month, was required.“So it means that if we needed to get $1.8m more, then we had to do some additional things to get that. The question was where we were going to get that money from? We agreed that one of the main sources to get that additional revenue would be the toll booth in Kara Kara, and that toll booth is expected to bring us an additional million dollars on top of what we normally get.”“Now once we get that we should be able- along with the other revenue sources- car parks, markets and so on- to make the additional money, to take care of workers emoluments; so we agreed on that.”He said that he subsequently received a call from Minister Whittaker,Wholesale NHL Jerseys, and had conversations with him, which hinged on the whole question of payments.“I did make mention to him that while as Minister you can make representation for payments to be made, you cannot go below payments that are above the minimum- those are decisions that have to be made by Council. And therefore if those decisions are to be made by Council, that is what we are here to discuss,” Gordon told the press conference.“He accepted, and we agreed and he said that he would get back to me, after I asked him to find 50% of the $1.8m for the next three months to pay workers’ salaries, and thereafter the Municipality would be able to take care of its business, because we were working very hard to do that.”Gordon said that the Minister did get back to him, and asked him to give him a couple of days,Authentic NFL Jerseys Cheap, ‘to put himself in order’.However the call that he subsequently received from the Minister was to inform him that the by-law which was signed on September 1st 2011 ‘is void, unenforceable and improper’.That meant then that immediately the toll booth should be disbanded.”Gordon said that the toll booth has been in existence since 1997.A by-law was subsequently signed in September2011 by Minister Whittaker, after Minister Kellawan Lall took more than two years to make a decision on it and subsequently demitted office.According to Gordon, within three weeks of being in office, Minister Whittaker agreed and consented to the by-law as it relates to trucks passing through the Municipality.“Now in 2013, the cabinet is deciding that this thing is unenforceable and improper and illegal.”In alluding to the enforcement of tolls at the toll booth, Gordon said collection has literally doubled since,NFL Jerseys China, and that several truckers, especially the lumber truckers who had been paying, expressed satisfaction that all the other trucks, carrying fuel,NFL Jerseys China, gold etc, that were not paying, were now being made to pay. “They felt that they were carrying the burden,Wholesale NFL Jerseys,” Gordon pointed out.He said that he was convinced that the decision to disband the toll booth had been made because a few persons with connections in high places did not want to pay the toll. “They don’t want to pay, so they’re going to call on whoever they have to call on, to remove the toll.”APNU Parliamentarian Vanessa Kissoon, was also shocked at the decision, which she said if allowed to stand will result in several women losing their jobs, and consequently the ability to take care of their children.She too, viewed the move as political.Councilors Charles Sampson and Gordon Calendar have both condemned the order to have the toll boot