guyanatimesgy.com
monday, december 30, 2013
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You can send your letters with pictures to: Guyana Times, 238 Camp & Quamina Streets, Georgetown, Guyana or letters@guyanatimesgy.com
Mahipaul was famous for assisting students Dear Editor, Kindly permit me space in your news letter column to express my position on our former and current presidents of the University of Guyana Student Society (UGSS). For some strange reason, the current president chooses what issues to tackle. I have not gotten my confirmation as yet from the Admission Division because some of my test papers are not yet marked from last semester. I brought this to the attention of the president who said to me that patience is virtue. Can you believe that? Additionally, my friends and I were chased out of lectures because we are not yet registered and this is by no means our fault. I can vividly remember the days of Ganesh Mahipaul when he created mass confusion on campus over the $10,000 late fee that was suddenly imposed on students. Many of us benefited. The $10,000 was waviered for those who had genuine reasons for not being registered. There is the famous physics story where the main lecturer wanted to hold an inclass test and more than half of the students did no tutorials or labs. Mahipaul led that protest action against the administration and that test was postponed until all students were equally taught. Mahipaul was famous for assisting students with their registration issues. Whenever there were long lines at the Bursary, Loan Agency and admission building on campus, he was there assisting students. Notwithstanding the above, everybody knows that it is Mahipaul who introduced Camex
Restaurants to the UG campus. Yes, the contract has been completed during this administration, but it started with Mahipaul. He made that promise and unfortunately he is not around to see it through. For Mahipaul, every issue, be it big or small, was considered important and he fought all with the same strength. I can flood this newspaper with benefits that my fellow students would have received from the actions of Mahipaul and in some way or the other, all students benefited, but unfortunately time does not permit. Nelson Mandela made mistakes, Mahatma Ghandi made mistakes, you make mistakes and even I make mistakes. Ganesh is made of flesh and blood. Is he not supposed to make mistakes? The UGSS’s decision to suspend Mahipaul was pre-emptive and immature in nature. More so, it was never a unanimous decision. I did not weigh in on the discussion of this matter in the public domain mainly because I was hoping that reporters would have conducted an investigative report and tried their best to ascertain the truth. Unfortunately they have not done so. Permit me therefore to shed some light on the matter and hopefully the UG Council (board of governors) will intervene and bring final closure to this mayhem. I was in the UGSS office on both occasions (December 3 and 5, 2012) when Mahipaul requested to borrow funds. Also present in the office were the other two signatories and five other officers. Mahipaul was the one who
summoned them to the office. Mahipaul then informed them that his parents are not around and that he has some medical expenses and that he would like to borrow some funds. He asked for their blessings. Two members then asked Mahipaul about repayment. Mahipaul said that he will re-pay in full before he leaves office. All six of them had no problem facilitating the president’s request primarily because in my view they understood at the time, and I still do, that he had medical expenses. Unfortunately the council members, who promised the president to do so, did not ratify this borrowing because of their own negligence. They apparently forgot and maybe did not deem it important. Every other event unfolded because of their negligence, which included the unfortunate damage to Mahipaul’s reputation. Mahipaul was a president who treated every student issue as important and never turned away any student that came to him with an issue. He was a loved person on campus and always had a solution to a problem. He constantly gets into fights with the administration for students. He has helped thousands of students. This is indeed a sad world we live in. I end with one of Mandela’s famous quotes, “I am no saint, unless a saint is someone who makes mistakes and tries to correct them”. Yours faithfully, Vanessa M Andrews Third Year International Relations student, UG
Sir Learie remains an inspiration Dear Editor, The story of Sir Learie Constantine comes right on the heels of one recently highlighted of Cecile DeNobrega, who recently passed away at the age of 95. These two individuals will inevitably always be remembered. In Stockwell, London stands a 10 foot bronze sculpture of a woman holding a child. This physical emblem represents a poem entitled Bronze Woman that was written by Cecile DeNobrega and has over the years become a staple in many literature courses. Sir Learie Constantine, a late West Indies son and race relations champion has been honoured with an English Heritage blue plaque at his
old home in West London. As West Indians, we should all take pride in knowing that these extremely outstanding people share the similar culture and heritage like us all. To be honoured in this manner, one has to be considered most eminent by a majority of members of their own profession, and must have made an outstanding contribution to human welfare or happiness. Sir Learie was well recognised for his dedication to the sporting arena and beyond and, however, subsequently embraced his fascination of politics and law. He also authored the book Colour Bar that placed emphasis on race issues of the era. He made a great choice indeed, for he became
the first person of African descent to sit in the House of Lords. Sir Learie, in 1921, met the woman he eventually married on July 25, 1927. The couple’s only child, Gloria, was born in April 1928, and throughout their marriage, no one could utter a negative word of their union. Sir Learie died in 1971, and was shortly after followed by his wife, who died two months later. This great legend must continue to be remembered for his outstanding work. He proved that sport and academics can be easily and successfully combined; and his moral rectitude remains a standard. Sincerely, Rehman Gaffoor
Offer explanations for prolonged power outages Dear Editor, Residents from the Annandale/Enterprise areas on the East Coast of Demerara have been experiencing frequent and long lasting power outages. Several attempts have been made to contact the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) but they were all futile. Moreover, many are displeased with the manner in which GPL chose to address the issue. A better approach would have been to inform the public via some form of media advisory indicating what the problem was and also what was being done to address the matter. The extended period of
power outage greatly inconvenienced many people, particularly those who had perishable goods that required refrigeration. For us to suffer such extended periods of blackouts without any explanation indicates the inability of GPL to perform efficiently, particularly after the company only just recently underwent several upgrading measures including the installation of two new generators. Guyana has for many years embraced blackout as a norm, but we should not encourage this kind of culture to be accepted. GPL needs to realise that electricity is essential for
our everyday living and if it calls for a complete overhaul of infrastructure and personnel then this is the way we must go. In many countries, people who suffer losses due to power outages are often compensated in some way or another. I know of several people who have experienced capital losses in the form of cheese, chicken and other meat products, but sadly GPL does not embrace any form accountability for these losses. Sincerely, Resident of Annandale Name withheld by request
The rapid increase of fast food franchises in Guyana
Dear Editor, Not so long ago I visited one of the many fast food outlets in Guyana and to my surprise, the place was so crowded with people that I just decided to leave. What was even more shocking is that a very large percentage of the crowd comprised of school children. In the U.S.A fast food is known for contributing greatly to many health issues. However, just recently, Mexico managed to surpass the U.S. as the country with the highest obesity rates
in the world. The country’s health authorities confirmed that there are more than five million obese children in the country and that there is a 9.2 per cent chance of diabetes in children. Fast foods are known to be quite oily meals and though an occasional indulgence is fine, regular consumption can contribute to serious health issues. These meals have low nutritional value, but are high in fat content and contribute to health issues such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular dis-
eases all of which can be life threatening. Cases of obesity and diabetes have been known to have an effect on overall school and work performances. Eating the right foods contribute significantly to a healthy life. Additionally, many fast foods are often costly and I would therefore like to discourage individuals from over indulging in these oily, health threatening foods. Yours, Nirmala Ramdass