The Culture Digest - Thursday, December 2, 2021
Eve Leary Fire Likely Electrical… James Singh says the Rum N Coke is NOT from Guyana… Nearly HALF of Guyanese homes lost income due to the rona… 9,000+ Guyanese have HIV
Good morning Guyana!
Welcome to the Thursday, December 2, 2021, edition of The Culture Digest.
Here’s what happened since the last edition. Eve Leary Fire Most Likely Electrical… James Singh says the Rum N Coke is NOT from Guyana… Nearly HALF of Guyanese homes lost income due to the Rona… 9,000+ Guyanese have HIV… Sheriff/Mandela Expansion Project Completion Delayed YET AGAIN
Top Story
Eve Leary Fire Most Likely Electrical
Despite the fear-mongering of the Private Sector Commission and Robeson Benn, the fire at the Office of Professional Responsibility was not the work of political operatives hell-bent on destabilizing the nation. Instead, it may have been the work of one of Guyana's oldest and most nefarious nemesis, GPL. Preliminary investigations point to the fire being electrical. Investigators also noted that people had previously expressed concerns about overloading the electrical circuits of the decades-old wooden building. (Pro-Tip: Re-wire your home's electrical circuits every 15-30 years if you want to avoid losing it in a completely avoidable house fire.)
Rum N Coke NOT Guyanese - CANU
CANU is convinced that the container of Rum N Coke the Dutch port authorities busted was tampered with AFTER it left Guyana. According to them, the shipment made two stops for several days before reaching the Port of Rotterdam. As expected, James Singh is singing to his classic tune, Meeno. I ent see nothing. (Yes, James, it's an international conspiracy to make us look bad.)
Economy/National Development
Sheriff/Mandela Expansion Project Completion Delayed YET AGAIN
Despite being close to 95% completed, the contractors for the Sheriff/Mandela Avenue expansion project have been given yet another deadline of February 14, 2022. Edghill was hoping to have the project done by this week, but shipping delays have forced them to push the deadline back yet again. (When in Doubt, Blame the Rona) Nevertheless, only the guardrails, lights, traffic signals, and other minor works are yet to be done on the project that has been going on and off for the past five-plus years.
Fun Fact: The Finance Ministry’s Mid-Year Report for 2021 said Guyana recorded real GDP growth of 14.5%.
Sad Stat: According to the World Bank, 48% of Guyanese households experienced a loss of income due to the Rona.
(Pro-Tip: You may want to start familiarizing yourself with the term "K-shaped recovery")
Politics
Persaud vs. Harrow
GECOM has settled on former Deputy Chief Elections Officer Vishnu Persaud and a former Elections Officer of Jamaica, Leslie Harrow, to be interviewed for the position of Chief Elections Officer. They had initially chosen to move six persons to move to the interview round. But apparently, the old folks decided to change their mind unceremoniously. Nevertheless, the interviews are supposed to take place on Monday. (Something tells me this whole convoluted saga is far from over.)
Ganesh Mahipaul, Annette Ferguson, and Carol Smith-Joseph stepped down from the PNCR's accreditation committee after members expressed concerns about a conflict of interest as they are openly campaigning for candidates in the party's internal election.
Health/Public Safety
Over 9,000 Guyanese have HIV
December 1 was World AIDS Day, and according to the National AIDS Programme Secretariat, an estimated 9,022 people are living with HIV in Guyana, with 71 new cases recorded this year alone. However, we have been making some progress in reducing our AIDS rate from 1.4% to 1.3% for this year. Of the people living with HIV, 94% of them are aware of their HIV status. Further, an estimated 74% of people have received their antiretroviral treatment, and about 82% of those receiving the treatment are virally suppressed.
VACCINE UPDATE
Adults
First Dose: 401,445 or 78.3% - Second dose: 279,658 or 54.5%
Teens
First Dose: 29,256 or 40.1% - Second dose: 20,473 or 28.1%
CRIME
Over in the Rupununi, 21-year-old Shem Winter and 29-year-old Lester George were both charged for possession of marijuana. Winter was found with 16 grams on him, while George had only 5 grams. George was fined $5,000 and slapped with three months of community service, while Winter was given three years and fined $10,000. Gotta love this nation's sensible drug policies, am I right?
Here's another ridiculous example of the failed justice system: After spending eight years on remand, Devon Thomas was sentenced to 12 years in prison for murdering Kumar Mohabir on Mashramani Day 2013. But he will spend just about another two, seeing as he had pleaded guilty and spent EIGHT YEARS ON REMAND.
The body of 21-year-old construction worker Shaheed Ali was recovered from the Hope Canal around midday on Tuesday.
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You’re all caught up with your news (and history) for the morning. You’re welcome.
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