CDB President gets top Guyana award

GEORGETOWN — The President of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Dr Compton Bourne, is the newest recipient of Guyana’s highest national honour — Order of Excellence (OE).

The 58 year-old Guyana-born economist and former principal of the University of the West Indies St Augustine Campus will be invested with the insignia of the OE at a ceremony on Monday, February 25, by President Bharrat Jagdeo.

Announcement of the award came yesterday from the office of the president, who is Chancellor of the Awards of Guyana, and in accordance with a recommendation of the Advisory Council.

Bourne, who became the fourth president of the CDB since its establishment some 31 years ago in April last year, is scheduled to make an official five-day visit to Guyana from tomorrow to Thursday, February 28.

Belize PM for Taiwan

BELMOPAN — The Prime Minister of Belize, Said Musa, will be paying a three-day official visit to Taiwan from Monday, February 25.

During his visit he will meet with Taiwan’s President and Prime Minister and also its Foreign Minister.

Belize is one of five countries of the Caribbean that maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan, which the government in Beijing treats as a “renegade province” of mainland China. The other four countries are Grenada, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica and St Kitts and Nevis.

From Taiwan, Prime Minister Musa will travel to Brisbane, Australia, to participate in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Conference which takes place from March 2-5.

Trini schoolboy on murder charge

PORT-OF-SPAIN — A 15 year-old high school lad of the Mt Hope Junior Secondary School has been charged with the murder of another schoolboy who died after a stabbing incident last month.

The accused, whose name is being withheld by the police, has been remanded into custody at the Youth Training Centre, after a court appearance, until March 4.

He is charged with the death of 18 year-old Kivomi Kino Cyrus, a student of the Mucurapo Senior Comprehensive School, who was standing on a priority bus route waiting to go home on January 8 when he was fatally stabbed.

Director of Public Prosecutions, Mark Mohammed, ordered the teenager to be charged with murder after reviewing the file submitted by the police. He had initially ordered the lad’s release from police custody and directed further enquires.

Guyana’s Mashramani carnival

GEORGETOWN — Guyana celebrates its 31st anniversary as a Republic today with its version of national carnival known as “Mashramani”, in what Culture Minister Gail Texeira has promised to be “an exciting show of Guyanese creativity”.

An Amerindian word that means celebrating after a co-operative effort of work, ‘Mashramani’ on Februrary 23 is traditionally the high point after weeks of nationwide cultural activities providing a showcase of the cultural diversity of the multi-ethnic society.

The official ceremony begins around 7:30 this morning with the traditional flag-raising ceremony at Parliament buildings in Central Georgetown followed later by dancing in the streets with costumed bands on parade. Some 31 such bands have been registered for today’s colourful parade.

Within recent years, the Guyana Ministry of Culture has been improving the format of the national Mashramani programmes with inputs from regional, cultural and promotional personnel from Caribbean countries, including Trinidad and Tobago.

‘Watch’ on Bajan cops

BRIDGETOWN — There is to be a more critical scrunity of the conduct of members of the Royal Barbados Police Force and also the expediting of the process of coroner’s inquests.

Against the background of complaints from the public against alleged abuse of power and in the treatment of reports against the behaviour of their colleagues in the force, the government is establishing a new Police Complaints Authority that will be more effective in addressing grievances.

The Attorney-General’s Office is currently considering suitable offices for both the Police Complaints Authority and that of a coroner who will have jurisdiction throughout the island in the conduct of inquests.

According to yesterday’s Weekend Nation, there are more than 500 oustanding inquests to be dealt with, some of them pending for eight years.

‘Operation Anaconda’ to target crime in Trinidad

PORT-OF-SPAIN — While the country waits for details of his promised anti-crime strategy by Monday, National Security Minister Howard Chin Lee has launched his interim crack-down on crime with joint police and army patrols and roadblocks across the northern region of Trinidad.

Cast in the name of “Operation Anaconda”, after the large South American snake, better known in neighbouring Guyana, the new moves to combat crime took effect yesterday when there were at least 35 arrests for various offences, including two murder suspects.

Among those stopped and searched were secondary school students. But commuters are already complaining about the inconvenience they suffer by the roadblocks and the searches of vehicles.

Escalation of serious crime since the start of 2002 has drawn cries from various sections of the society, including business sector leaders, for action by the government.

First Amerindian calypso monarch

GEORGETOWN — A member of Guyana’s indigenous Amerindian community has, for the first time, been crowned as ‘calypso monarch’ for this year’s “Mashramani Festival”. It is the country’s annual carnival that traditionally coincides with its marking of its anniversary as a constitutional republic on February 23.

The triumph of calypsonian Vivian Jordan, who sang his way to the crown with his upbeat satire, VJ for President, was hailed editorially in yesterday’s Guyana Chronicle as a “marvellous herald for a national festival”.

Jordan’s central lyrical theme was now is the time for an Amerindian to be president since all other races have had their turn in either non-executive or executive presidency — those of Chinese, African and Indian descent.

For some of his adoring fans, the most hilarious moment of his rendition was when he sang that though he cannot “drive a Prado” (vehicle normally used by cabinet ministers), he was quite competent with a “ballahoo” (a canoe) and would make sure that all Guyanese get a similar vessel to cope with floods in the capital, Georgetown.

In the multi-ethnic, multi-cultural society of Guyana, Amerindians of varying tribes account for the third single largest community and are being increasingly integrated into the national community and occupying positions in various professions.

Amerindian affairs is being directly handled by an Amerindian in President Bharrat Jagdeo’s cabinet.