The times…

…are a-changin’

Your Eyewitness believes we’ve reached an inflexion point in our history. After 300 years of colonialism’s slavery and indentureship and fifty-odd years (VERY odd!!) of “independence” under the PNC and PPP, we finally have the wherewithal to make our dreams come true. Yeah, we know the oil and gas money ain’t gonna last forever –but surely in the next three decades we can use it to create a platform for sustainable prosperity. Can’t we??

The problem is, we’ve been a house divided so long, we don’t know how to move out of that zero-sum mindset and transition to the win-win world that beckons. For the rest of this week, our politicians will most likely continue to show that meanness of spirit that’s held them in thrall since the infamous split of the PPP in 1955. Can’t they accept that oil isn’t a fairy godmother and not everything that ails us gonna be fixed with the wave of a wand. Oodles of oil money still mean that we gotta take time.

Your Eyewitness is reminded of an old ballad by the Nobel Prize-winning singer-poet Bob Dylan released as America plunged into its tumultuous sixties that changed them forever: The Times They Are A-Changin’: sentence but a term of years,” Gossai told the court. The lawyer further told the court that his clients have the potential of being rehabilitated.

For her part, Special Prosecutor Latchmie Rahamat said that there are limited to no mitigating factors that could persuade the court to exercise its discretion in relation to sentencing. “The attack was violent,” Prosecutor Rahamat reminded, as she rehashed the evidence.

Highlighting the severity of the beating Narinedatt sustained at the hands of the five men, the Special Prosecutor pointed to the now dead man’s cause of death, which was listed as the following: cerebral hemorrhage with multiple skull fractures, fractured spleen, ruptured spleen and liver, and a fractured arm together with pulmonary pulsation.

According to her, because of the extent and severity of the beating Narinedatt re-

The dead man’s mother, in her victim impact statement, could not hold back tears. “It’s not easy for me, it ah pain muh heart,” she cried as she spoke of Narinedatt, her only child.

Directing her remarks at the convicted men, the grieving woman said: “We all a village people. Ayo shudda think twice before ayo hurt my son. Ayo destroyed muh life. I can never be happy again don’t matter what meh do. One child meh had in meh life…”

The woman disclosed that she knew four of the men who beat her son and that they had came to her home on October 31, 2016, and called out to her son for him to accompany them to catch iguanas. “Them brutal meh son,” Narinedatt’s crying father expressed as she implored Justice Singh to punish the convicts for senselessly taking his son’s life.

Mercy

When given a chance to address the court, Dickie said, “I would like to say my humble sympathies to the parents for their loss. I have never been in any crime; I

“I am very sorry to the deceased family. I beg you sir [the Judge] to have mercy upon me so that I can return back to society to my family,” Motie related. Datt, on the other hand, remarked,

We had a lengthy trial, the jury made its determination. Of course, they [the convicted persons] have the right to continue to maintain their innocence,” added the Judge.

Justice Singh reasoned that there were no mitigating factors he could have found based on the evidence in the case to exercise his sentenc-

Come gather 'round people/ Wherever you roam/ And admit that the waters/ Around you have grown/ And accept it that soon/ You'll be drenched to the bone/ If your time to you is worth savin'/ And you better start swimmin'/ Or you'll sink like a stone/ For the times they are a-changin' Come writers and critics/ Who prophesize with your pen/ And keep your eyes wide/ The chance won't come again/ And don't speak too soon/ For the wheel's still in spin/ And there's no tellin' who/ That it's namin'/ For the loser now/ Will be later to win/ For the times they are a-changin'

Come senators, congressmen/ Please heed the call/ Don't stand in the doorway/ Don't block up the hall/ For he that gets hurt/ Will be he who has stalled/ The battle outside ragin'/ Will soon shake your windows/ And rattle your walls/ For the times they are a-changin'

Come mothers and fathers/ Throughout the land/ And don't criticize/ What you can't understand/ Your sons and your daughters/ Are beyond your command/ Your old road is rapidly agin'/ Please get out of the new one/ If you can't lend your hand/ For the times they are a-changin'

The line it is drawn/ The curse it is cast/ The slow one now/ Will later be fast/ As the present now/ Will later be past/ The order is rapidly fadin'/ And the first one now/ Will later be last/ For the times they are a-changin'. For Guyana.

…are interesting

“I am sorry. Every day I am groaning in my heart because I miss my family.” He, too, begged Justice Singh to be lenient in sentencing.

“Sorry that they lost their loved one. I am 57 and give me lil time so I cud go back to my loved one,” said Parsram in his brief remarks to the court. “I am sorry that you lost your loved ones. I am very sick… I am troubling with Tuberculosis. Please grant mercy upon me,” Yacoob begged.

“Brutal murder”

For his part, Justice Singh, in his sentencing remarks, noted, “This is a brutal murder. There is an aspect of premeditation in this matter. The attack was formulated on a plan.” ing discretion.

“There has been no indication, no show of any remorse from the [convicted] persons. In fact, they continue to deny their involvement in the incident that claimed the life of Faiyaz Narinedatt.

When one examined the post-mortem report, the Judge pointed out that “It is clear evidence of a brutal beating. The injuries are so numerous.” In the circumstances, he found that a term of imprisonment of 66 years was appropriate for each of the five convicted killers.

Justice Singh commenced the sentence at a base of 60 years and then added another six years for the “exceptional brutality” meted out to the now dead father. Upon their arraignment, the quintet had pleaded not guilty to a joint murder indictment.

“Beat um till he dead”

During their trial, four eyewitnesses were among those to give testimonies. It was revealed that on the night of October 31, 2016, Narinedatt attended a party hosted by US-based Guyanese businessman, Marcus Bisram at his home.

There’s the seemingly innocuous Chinese wish, “May you live in interesting times.” Turns out it’s actually a curse!! “Interesting times” means uncertainty and danger!! We need our times to be quite predictable and know what’s ahead so we can prepare for it!! Well, for us in Guyana, there are several possible developments that may make our lives “interesting”. Your Eyewitness has been highlighting the US’s seeming pivot to Venezuela on a number of fronts. No matter what anyone says, Venezuela’s not our friend.

Another potentially troublesome development is the US taking on Russia through their Ukrainian and European allies – and simultaneously declaring they intend to curtail China’s influence in our neck of the woods – LA and the Caribbean. And then there’s the not-unrelated inflationary pressures that’re driven by the war in Ukraine – which looks likely to stretch out. The confluence of these factors – all externally driven – means that there’s only so much we can do about it!

Our political leadership gotta dance between the raindrops!!

…for a new language?

Into these changin’ times comes the suggestion that Hindi should be introduced into our schools. Your Eyewitness thought it was already in the schools’ curriculum – and was just not taught for lack of interest.

But now that India’s rising…?