Same ole...

…bullying

Adrian Hetmyer and Daniel Persaud pleaded guilty before Magistrate Rabindranauth Singh to trafficking approximately 105 kilograms (233 pounds) of marijuana on Sunday, November 6, 2022.

Hetmyer, 45, and Persaud, 21, both of Sheet Anchor, Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne), who were initially charged in November 2022, opted to plead guilty to the offence when they appeared at the Whim Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

They were each jailed for 40 months and fined $63.4 million.

In a statement on the men’s arrest, the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU) had said that on the day in question, its officers, along with Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Coast Guard ranks, stopped two vessels transporting cannabis along the coast of Number 47 Village, Corentyne, Berbice.

“Despite the rough seas and inclement weather, the team boarded both vessels to conduct searches, during which they discovered one shotgun, a quantity of ammunition as well as suspected cannabis on one of the vessels. While several bags containing suspected cannabis was discovered on the oth- er vessel,” the statement from the agency added.

As a result, Hetmyer and Persaud, along with Surinamese nationals Suren Mohan, 41, and Imami Fizal, 48, were arrested and escorted to CANU headquarters with the suspected narcotics, shotgun, and ammunition. The substance in the bags later tested positive for cannabis.

The first vessel intercept- ed was carrying the Guyanese nationals, Hetmyer and Persaud, and the cannabis.

Onboard the second vessel, which was carrying the two Surinamese nationals, 11.2 kilograms (24.64lbs the of cannabis was discovered, along with a shotgun and ammunition.

The total street value of the 117 kilograms of cannabis trafficked was $14.3 million. (G1)

It’s said in the good book, “What has been will be again; what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” While your Eyewitness can’t vouch for the veracity of THAT statement for ALL things, he can say with certainty that what’s playing out with Opposition politics is nothing but the same ole, same ole!! Meaning when the PNC (then called PPP-Burnham) couldn’t win the 1957 elections – which was in essence a referendum on who should be leader of the PPP, Burnham or Jagan –they insisted the SYSTEM should be changed so they would win!!

They went at it again in 1961 – using the broom as their symbol to illustrate how they’d “sweep” the PPP out of office. They failed. But this time they had a friend in the rulers who also wanted the PPP out. So lo and behold, the electoral system was changed for the 1964 elections and PRESTO – the PPP was kicked out!! But not before our infamous Black Friday in which Opposition elements torched the business district in Georgetown. Simply to show the world that “things na regulah” with the politics in Guyana and change was needed!!

So, here we are – after 28 years of rigged elections that kept the PNC illegally in power; 23 years of the PPP cleaning up the political, social, economic and everything else train wreck they’d made; 5 years of the PNC returning to power but messing up so badly they promptly lost again – and we’re back to square one!! Meaning that the PNC –and their enabling sidekicks – are insisting that the political system must be changed!! To what?? What a silly question!! To one in which they’ll have all power, of course!!

But, Dear Reader, you might be muttering (hopefully UNDER your breath so folks don’t think you’re “running off”!) “But the Opposition says they want “power sharing”!!” Poor naïve you, Dear Reader!! Didn’t that same Opposition just explain the armed forces are their “kith and kin” – and they expect those kith and kin to support them when they launch their demonstrations?? And even though they didn’t mention it, isn’t the Civil Service of the same ilk?? Why else have they been pushing a salary raise for them?? They’ll have the power, baby!!

So what are we to expect?? The Opposition announced in their Atlanta fund-raiser that they’ll be mobilising the Black Congressional Caucus to look into among other things – governance issues. A code for putting “shared governance” on the table – as they bring out their “constituency” into the streets. Which will segue into racial violence to justify the “change” those friends in high (US) places gonna argue for!!.

There’s nothing new under the sun!!

…sugar challenge

So our remaining four sugar factories have started belching out their 19th century, soot-laden smoke. Meaning that the new “sugar crop” has begun. Your Eyewitness saw a report complaining that the target’s been set very low – 16,000 tonnes. Which is less than the previous 20,000-tonne target that only garnered 13,000 tonnes. Now while we may be griping about this plunge in production, it simply means management’s being realistic!!

Let’s face that reality. Has any of us EVER experienced this level and spread of rainfall?? Used to be we had two distinct “rainy seasons” – and maybe it’s sunken in that we’re now having all-year rainfall. And when we have so much water-logged soils, it negatively affects all phases of cane cultivation. And, of course, sugar production. So, what’s ahead?? Well, maybe we can switch some of our GuySuCo lands into crops that thrive in the new conditions??

Caricom and the world have declared a food security challenge. So there are markets for foods. Let’s supply those markets!

…teasing to deceive?

Here we go again. West Indies convincingly won an ODI game against South Africa. So, is this the turnaround we’ve all been waiting for?? Let’s not get our hopes up. It was all due to Shai Hope’s century. One swallow…