4
guyanatimesgy.com
thursday, august 8, 2013
Views These are the flowers…. Editor: Nigel Williams Tel: 225-5128, 231-0397, 226-9921, 226-2102, 223-7230 or 223-7231. Fax: 225-5134 Mailing address: 238 Camp & Quamina Streets, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, sales@guyanatimesgy.com
Editorial
Building Brand Guyana W
hatever doubts might have existed in the minds of some about the viability of the Twenty20 (T20) cricket franchise model of the Limacol Caribbean Premier League (CPL), as far as gaining acceptance in the minds of the fans, have now been comprehensively dissipated. In terms of viability from a financial standpoint, that will be determined after all the dust (and fireworks) have settled, but in the meantime, the franchise owners and other corporate sponsors have held back nothing in their efforts to make the tournament a success. Up to now, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has set the bar in T20 cricket, but with eight games under its belt at this time, the Limacol CPL has shown it can organise a competition just as professional and exciting, if not better, than the IPL. There are two reasons for this happy circumstance. As was pointed out by the owner of the Guyana Amazon Warriors, T20, as conceptualised, is fundamentally the game as it was always played in Guyana and the Caribbean. In that sense, T20 cricket was finally being “brought back home”. No one had to tell the West Indies fans to be passionately involved in what was going on on the field. And for sure, not to have a “ball” (pun intended) off the field. But all of this would have been known by cricket aficionados across the world, when they dubbed and embraced our game as “calypso cricket”. The doubts prompted by financial and logistical challenges in past endeavours would have to be overcome if the joint endeavour of an all-Caribbean tournament was to be a success. After all, in over a half a century of trying, the governments of the region had been unable to initiate and pull off an event of this magnitude. The Caribbean Festival of Arts (CARIFESTA), which is one attempt in this direction, has remained a low-key affair, not really engaging the masses, or showcasing our culture to the wider world. Even in the world of business, there have been no collaborative efforts in the past to match the vision of Limacol CPL. The financial support secured by the league demonstrates that in the modern globalised and financially liberalised environment, capital for a venture can be raised once the product is shown to be marketable. And Caribbean cricket is eminently marketable. In this regard, Guyana can be very proud that a local corporation, NEW GPC INC, bit the bullet and put its money where its mouth was when they purchased the Guyana Amazon Warriors. They were also the very first purchaser of a franchise in the Limacol CPL. Local sponsors quickly followed and all aspects of the marketing of the venture were nailed down. Volunteers were recruited and trained to ensure that once inside the stadium, the fans would be well taken care of with directions, flags, whistles and horns. The stands were sold out for every game – and demonstrated to the world that Guyana was “cricket crazy”. Fireworks, tassa and masquerade bands, dancing damsels, pulsating music and running commentary – and even a roaming “warrior” in full regalia – kept the stadium rocking and behind their team. The only blot on the event was the traffic organisation. The Guyana traffic police will have to do a more effective job next year. While there were a large number of bodies deployed at the event, it became obvious that whatever plan was in place (and we are assuming there was one), there was a need to modify it to match the conditions on the roads. Without any intent to insult the Police Traffic Department, we suggest that they ask the organisers of the Limacol CPL to bring in some experts in crowd logistics to assist them in a structured planning and deployment of manpower. In the meantime, the NEW GPC and “business Guyana” can take a bow for building “Brand Guyana”.
The National School of Dance in another sensational performance at a recent event (Carl Croker photo)
AFC hypocrisy! Dear Editor, There is an old saying: Whatever is done in the dark shall come to light. It doesn’t take a legal brain to figure that one out. But I must congratulate Kaieteur News for having the courage to expose the hypocrisy of the Alliance For Chance (AFC) in their August 6 headline: Nigel Hughes is company secretary of Amaila Hydro Inc. For a while, I thought Hughes was untouchable to some at Kaieteur News. It now appears that I was wrong in making this assumption. The disclosure of this came as a surprise to everyone, despite claims by Hughes that his “appointment as secretary has been a matter of public record since the incorporation of the company (Amaila Falls Hydro Inc) in April 2009”. The legal jargon used in his press release announcing his resignation as chairman of the AFC was just splitting hairs. For as Hughes must know, being a matter of public record does not necessarily translate to being public knowledge. The Amalia Falls Hydro Electric Project did not only just emerge on the news. This project was controversial among opposition members and political pundits long before Hughes officially joined the AFC in July of 2011. Surely as a practicing lawyer he would have known the importance of discussing his association with Amaila Falls Hydro Inc with Raphael Trotman and Khemraj Ramjattan as a matter of public disclosure at that time. So, for Hughes to say
in his press release that: “When the issue of the Amaila Falls Hydro Project became a matter of public interest, I immediately disclosed my interest (as company secretary of the Amaila Falls Hydro Inc) to the leadership of the AFC”, and for the AFC to echo this in a statement rejecting his resignation: “Hughes declared his professional association with Sithe Global at the commencement of the Amaila Fall Hydro Power Project coming into national focus”, is outrageous. The hydro project was in the national focus long before that, anyone can research this on the local news websites. But why would the AFC risk this potential backlash from its supporters? Isn’t this the same type of back-room deals they accuse the current administration of? AFC executive member and parliamentarian Cathy Hughes caused a similar stir when it was leaked that she was the public relations officer of Synergy Holdings Inc. Splitting hairs again, the wife of Hughes claimed that her company, Videomega Productions, had only produced a public relations documentary on behalf of the Fip Motilall’s company. Now she is identified as the public relations officer for Sithe Global, the company that is commissioned to build the Amalia Falls Hydro Electric plant. Oddly enough, the AFC voted down legislation that would kill this project. Although there is nothing wrong with the appoint-
ments of Nigel and Cathy Hughes, it clearly demonstrates how easy it is for opposition members to secure opportunities from government’s development initiatives for themselves and families, while accusing the administration of cronyism. Let no one be fooled, the interest of the Guyanese people are far removed from their own. I wonder how many more opposition members and their families are benefiting from similar lucrative deals? We may never know. Earlier, AFC leader Khemraj Ramjattan was accused of working on behalf of Fedders Lloyd Limited, the Indian company that was denied the contract to build the Specialty Hospital. Responding to claims by government officials that he had engineered the cut to the budgetary allocation for the Speciality Hospital for personal interest, reducing it from $1.25 billion to $0, Ramjattan said, “There is absolutely no truth about pecuniary interest... I have never collected one cent from them and I don’t think I ever will. So this talk about there being a personal interest is absolute nonsense.” But he also admitted that officials of Fedders Lloyd solicited his legal support after losing the contract to Surendra Engineering Corporation. As such, he perused the tender document that they had submitted to the procurement body. Ramjattan is a lawyer and parliamentarian. It is perhaps highly unlikely that
he would have provided this professional service pro bono for a foreign company worth US$500 million. But having not received “one cent” from Fedders Lloyd, as he claims, is irrelevant to the fact that he represented them in a legal capacity. The question must now be asked, what prompted Hughes’ hasty resignation from the AFC chairmanship? As suspected all along, all is not well on the home front. This exposure may very well reveal serious conflicts. Hughes’ political momentum may be threatening to the leadership of the party, including his highprofile visibility defending the Linden “peaceful” protestors, his one-man show in Kitty that reportedly threatened massive protest to oust the government, and for whatever reason, he was successful at freeing the accused charged with the brutal murders of 11 Guyanese, children included. This “victory” of his may be cause for concern. How will Hughes manage corruption and the nation’s resources if he ever becomes president, as is his aspiration? Perhaps Hughes has just gotten too big for his breeches in a party that must win over the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) supporters for its survival. Whatever the reason, the AFC has an obligation to this country and to their supporters to put Guyana first. It is not too late! Sincerely, Harry Gill