It could be the unfortunate legacy of our “culture of lateness, late-coming and delay”.
The example here is preparations for the annual national festival of Mashramani. As the Trinidadians actually, do, we always plan to begin the next festival’s mobilization just after the current festival closes with the prize-giving ceremony. Never happens, of course. It’s just not part of the Guyanese psyche and “culture” (?).
However, the serious planning and preparations for the 2011 festival, which really celebrates the anniversary of the nation’s Republican status, began nearly two weeks ago at the Ministry of Culture. That’s not all that bad if the preparations move apace consistently and there is continuous commitment to Mashramani by all concerned – citizens, corporate Guyana, small businesses country-wide and, yes, “the government”.
Up front, allow me to express my own concerns as they affect continuous, sustained preparations for the most popular national event and festival, besides Christmas.
To me, because important stakeholders are not completely seized with the concept and potential national status of the Mashramani Festival, they allow their annual September/October budgets to be “distracted”. I’ve long suspected that many crucial contributors do not really regard mash as their thing! But they “give” perfunctorily, even reluctantly.
Look at the wonderful Diwali motorcade! I know that’s religious and cultural. But it’s embraced by numerous businesses who contribute to their mandirs and floats significantly. I appeal to my Hindu friends to participate meaningfully in Mashramani – from now! Okay? Thanks. Even though Guyexpo beckons.
Then, after Diwali, comes Christmas. No need to tell you how that powerful Christian festival/season consumes and subsumes! And will there be the Main Big Lime to attract more investors and their funding? Poor Mashramani…
Commit to Mash…
I’ll spare you my innermost views on why certain businesses are lukewarm, indifferent to Mash. Instead let me describe a few newish approaches the National Mashramani Committee has fashioned this time around.
They’re going to explain to the Chambers of Commerce and the Private Sector captains just how they can support Mashramani and how the festival can reward them. Non-traditional entities are to be enticed (again). Folks at airlines, insurance companies, bakeries, banks, even the media and hotels.
Then there are churches, clubs, trade unions and political parties. Remember the PPP/C on the road this year? And next year is an election year! The point is, Guyanese can participate through their employers, their representatives or their preferred social organizations. As long as they take part!
(2) Small city and village businesses are going to be invited/persuaded.
(3) Designers are again going to be persuaded to offer group packages to smaller entities early.
(4) Tax-concessions will be on offer to bona-fide Mashramani sponsors.
(5) The Tourism Ministry is going to be asked to increase its involvement after GuyExpo.
(6) The more cerebral aspects of the festival will see our university hosting lectures and panel discussions; food and book festivals, quizzes and debates will also inform our people about the rebellion of 1763 and about Republicanism.
Hey! I’m wondering: Can’t GPL, BK and Cummings Electrical illuminate our National Monuments and buildings and our trees during Mash week 2011? Let’s use all big events to promote Mash, Okay? More every Friday.
AAH…The defence’s duty
Whatever the crime their client is accused of, good defence counsel have to offer the best defence available to that client, still a suspect, only alleged to have done wrong, in the eyes of the (infinite wise) law. And that includes whoever is accused of murder.
That’s why my brief observation is now relevant to females being killed by drunk, enraged, even wronged (or crazy) spouses. To me, one aspect of the issue of our now weekly abuse and murder of female spouses is often overlooked. It is what goes on in the courts when a case is made and even goes some way. The defence is honour and duty bound to tie up, even harass the victim and her poor eyewitnesses, it seems.
Last week before a reputed husband was sentenced to death and the good lady judge was duty-bound to tell the convict that he still had recourse to “the intervention of a higher jurisdiction”, his prominent defence counsel had the doctor testify as to what could not have resulted in the wife’s fatal wounds, as described by her eyewitness mother’s evidence. The mother saw the savage stabbing from inches away but described what happened poorly. Defence Counsel also showed another witness not being “credible”. And the case took too long to come to trial!
Defence Counsel at his very best. He is set to appeal the jury’s verdict. The convicted accused, mind you, had also stabbed an infant in the dead victim’s arms, had escaped from police custody, was allegedly involved in a shooting incident, and actually had an unlicensed weapon in his possession when recaptured.
Defence Counsel is duty bound to defend him. (And we wonder why they kill…)
Other people’s words and politics
From Christopher Ram’s Sunday column:
“No wonder that the company and the government would not want the list of person who were paid out in the company’s dying days to be made public. It would embarrass too many and dim the much vaunted gloss. But wait, section 150 of the Act provides that every document deposited with the Commissioner of Insurance under the act shall be open to inspection and copies thereof may be procured by any person on payment of such fee as the minister may direct. In my view, the fee payment applies only to making copies not the inspection which is a matter of statutory right.”
From the PNC/R weekly column: (On the call for an enquiry into the post-jail break East Coast Demerara killings.) “If an independent and impartial investigation is held, some of those GDF ranks may be inclined to reveal what they originally found on the laptop computer seized at Good Hope; who ordered its release; to whom was it sent; and, why they were told to do with the information initially retrieved);
*There would also be much more evidence available if a proper independent and impartial inquiry was held. For example, a former Chairman of the Private Sector Commission may wish to reveal, publicly, what he witnessed one evening at the Office of the President.
That evidence would connect all the dots and, indeed, tie and noose, as it would, allegedly, link the Head of State in a direct meeting with the criminal masterminds.
The shock was so great that the businessman immediately exercised the option taken by many competent Guyanese: He closed his business and migrated.
Ponder…
*1) whatever happened to BASS?
*2) Mashramani takes Masquerade to the Rupununi, Calypso to Black Bush Polder, and Chutney to Mabaruma!
*3) Clico, Corruption, Cover-up? (Ah man, so what if Ms van Beek is niece to the late Cheddi J?) Is Geeta Singh-Knight really related to a minister of the government? Man those relationships, alleged or real, mean nothing! Right?
*4) Coming Soon: Glimpses of Guyanese Justice.
‘Til Next Week!
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