Funeral parlour in hustle for ‘bodies’

GEORGETOWN — In a macabre display of unethical behaviour, a funeral parlour in this capital city has been hustling to carry away “bodies” from the Georgetown Hospital, before being pronounced “dead”, in its competition for “business”.

In the latest incident, as reported in yesterday’s Guyana Chronicle, a man who collapsed at the roadside near the main entrance gate of the Accident and Emergency Department of the state-run Georgetown Hospital on Tuesday afternoon, was quickly collected by a hearse and rushed off to the funeral parlour — before being pronounced dead by a doctor.

As the incident was being investigated both by the hospital and police, irate witnesses complained that touts were always around that area of the institution, apparently on the “look out” for business for competing funeral parlours.

The Chronicle, which had earlier reported on what it described as a “battle for bodies”, yesterday gave the “harrowing and distasteful experience” over the weekend of one of its own staff reporters.

She had been awakened after midnight by someone from the city funeral parlour with the dreadful news that her brother had died and his body was now lying at that parlour. It was a false report. Her brother was still lying as a patient at the hospital.

Bewildered, the reporter, unnamed by the newspaper, asked: “Why would a funeral parlour go to that exent, risking its own credibility and reputation to just get a ‘body’..?”

The man who was picked up on Tuesday by the hearse and rushed off to the parlour is said to be of an unsound mind. He had fallen into a drain, rescued by passers-by, taken to the hospital where he was cleaned up and told to wait to see a doctor.

He, however, wandered off from the hospital and subsequently collapsed on the road near to the main entrance gate from where he was quickly taken away by the hearse belonging to the funeral parlour that seems anxious for “business” with the “dead”.

Questions over June poll, acting president

PORT-OF-SPAIN — Questions were being raised yesterday about the ‘neutrality’ of the person appointed to act as president of Trinidad and Tobago for about 10 days during the absence from the country of President ANR Robinson.

Filling the acting role is medical doctor Linda Baboolal, until last week chairman of the governing People’s National Movement, a post she gave up within days to be elected President of the Senate on Friday, April 5.

The Senate President normally acts as head of state in the absence of the President of the Republic.

But the nominated 31-member Senate, like the 36-member elected House of Representatives, quickly came to an end with the prorogation of Parliament at midnight on Saturday, April 6, following the government’s failure to have a Speaker of the House elected.

According to political scientist Derek Ramsamooj, the current charged political environment would make it difficult for Baboolal to gain any measure of acceptability as a “neutral” person.

And retired UWI lecturer in government, John La Guerre, feels that since the current political situation was not normal, “one would witness unexpected processes and responses”.

Meanwhile, the Guardian newspaper yesterday reported the United National Congress as claiming that Prime Minister Patrick Manning was quietly working towards an early poll, possibly as soon as June 24, while openly hinting at remaining in power for at least another six months before calling fresh election.

Before its failure to elect a Speaker when Parliament convened last week, the PNM was talking of an election around July 2003. It has since revised that to one possibly not later than October this year, a month after the expiry date for the 2002 budget.

One of the major issues for new election, availability of a revised voters list, remains unresolved while the Commission of Enquiry into the conduct of the last two elections by the Electoral and Boundaries Commission continues to blame the PNM for keeping back its work by lack of preparedness of its legal team in producing relevant summaries of reports and in making witnesses available as they should.

Consequently, the probe team’s chairman, ex-judge Lennox Deyalsingh, who was the PNM leader’s personal choice for the post, said that the Commission may not now be able to meet its April 29 deadline to report on its findings of alleged voter padding or related malpractices.

Jagdeo points

to aid flows

for Guyana

GEORGETOWN — President Bharrat Jagdeo has pointed to what his government considers as international confidence in the management of Guyana’s resource and system of governance, and at the same time appealed to his parliamentary opposition to give “peaceful dialogue” a chance to succeed.

Speaking against the backdrop of criticisms by the main opposition People’s National Congress/Reform of the government’s management of the economy and failure to implement decisions reached in the dialogue process, Jagdeo cited the level of aid that has been received by Guyana for various development projects.

Praising the international community’s support, the president listed in an interview on state media Tuesday night as examples:

US$25 million for rural electrification programme;

US$40 million for development of housing schemes and squatter settlements;

US$20 million for the construction of a new hospital by Japan at New Amsterdam (the country’s second major town);

US$25 million to liberalise telecommunication and bring international telephone services across the country; and

some US$50 million for the construction and rehabilitation of schools and revision of curricula.

The president said that “while some people do not want social peace in Guyana”, the government had a responsibility to keep seeking aid for development in all sectors and for all sections of the society.

In this context, he regretted that the PNC/Reform had announced what it calls “a pause” in the dialogue that has been taking place between himself and Opposition Leader, Desmond Hoyte.

Suicide death

by Barbadian scientist

BRIDGETOWN — Barbadians were yesterday openly expressing shock and grief at the suicide death on Tuesday of one of its internationally recognised and most respected scientists, Professor Oliver Headley.

The body of the 57 year-old director of the Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies of the University of the West Indies (Cave Hill Campus), was found hanging from a rope from the top floor of his two-storey home early on Tuesday morning by his son Keith.

Headley, hailed as an “outstanding member of the university and the wider Barbadian society” by UWI Principal and pro-Vice Chancellor, Keith Hunte, was scheduled to deliver a public lecture last night on “Renewable Energy Architecture” at the Law Lecture Theatre.

Academic colleagues, family members and friends have all been commenting on his outstanding contributions to renewable energy of the man whose name has become synonymous with the development of solar energy devices in Barbados and for his research in “synthetic organometallic chemistry”.

Neither family members nor the police have offered any clues as to the circumstances surrounding his sudden death.