Caribbean Airlines’ hate for Guyanese citizens perpetuates
Dear Editor,I am appalled and disgusted by the atrocious ‘gutter treatment’ of Guyanese by the management of Caribbean Airlines.This airline is pocketing billions of dollars from Guyanese and is laughing at us all the way to the bank while treating us like beggars and low-class people. The appalling way they treat us clearly shows that they think we are lesser beings who do not deserve top-quality service.On Friday, March 23, the management of Caribbean Airlines, also known as Bee-Wee, refused to allow business-class and economy-class passengers travelling on BW-601 to step out of the plane during a stop in Trinidad, en route to Guyana. I was one of many Guyanese men and women, senior citizens, business people and others, who were forced to sit on the plane for three long hours while the airline’s management ordered the plane to be cleaned at 3:00 am and simply did not care about keeping us disturbed and inconvenienced.I was a business class passenger on that flight (not because I can afford it, but my children usually upgrade my ticket out of appreciation and affection). We were imprisoned there for three hours and the airline would not allow us to leave the plane to stretch our legs, use the lounge, or browse the duty-free shopping section. I was told that Caribbean Airlines’ management was afraid that the three business-class passengers would want to eat the food if they let us off the plane to use the lounge. Let me inform them that Guyana is blessed with food, so they did not need to worry about us eating up whatever food they had there.The trapped and frustrated Guyanese passengers could not even use the washrooms, because the airline ordered that the facilities must remain locked to be cleaned. This would have been no problem if we were allowed off the plane, but since we were confined to the cabin, we had no choice but to restrain ourselves! Why couldn’t they allow the people travelling to Guyana off the plane rather than forcing us to wait on the plane in misery? Does the management of Caribbean Airlines think Guyanese are not worthy of basic humane treatment?Caribbean Airlines decided to clean the plane at 3:00 am simply because that is what suited them. Their position was clear: To hell with the tired Guyanese on board! If some had been travelling for several hours, so what? They did not care that the Guyanese passengers could not even rest or use the washroom while they waited for the cleaning to end. Let me say that three hours on the plane under those circumstances are like three hours in hell. I say categorically that this is psychological pressure. I would actually classify it as terrorism against Guyanese people.This is not an isolated incident; it happens all the time. Not long ago, Caribbean Airlines took a group of passengers off a plane in Trinidad and forced them to go through customs and immigration needlessly, then put them back on the very same plane to fly to Guyana! Get this: the passengers did not have to change planes. The airline hassled them to go through customs and immigration then put them back on the same plane again. This makes absolutely no sense.Is this airline’s management incompetent, foolish, or mad?Let me make it clear that my concerns are with the MANAGEMENT of Caribbean Airlines, not the staff. The airline’s staff members are actually very professional, polite and helpful, from the time I embarked at JFK Airport to the time of disembarkation in Guyana. The pilots, hosts, hostesses and everyone else are good people who, during our three hours of hell, even tried without success to make representation to the airline’s management for us to be allowed to disembark from the plane. I believe that were it not for the staff, Caribbean Airlines would have been out of business by now.Furthermore, I also hold our Guyana Government officials partially responsible. I heard that Caribbean Airlines is more flexible with persons classified as “high-ranking officials” and would have allowed such dignitaries off the plane in similar circumstances. Our Government officials know this and they must not accept special and preferential treatment knowing that ordinary Guyanese have to endure being treated with utter contempt. Our Government officials must use their authority to insist that Caribbean Airlines treats ordinary Guyanese with due courtesy and respect.Why doesn’t Guyana have its own airline? I marvel that many smaller countries, some that are known to be virtually bankrupt, like Suriname, have their own airline. Little islands have airlines. What is wrong with us? We once had a famous and competent airline called Guyana Airways. Why can’t we have our own again? If we had our own airline, Caribbean Airlines could not take advantage of us. And what hurts most of all is that Caribbean Airlines is cushioned by Guyanese money. The Guyana route is one of the most profitable of all the routes the airline operates. In fact, I believe Guyanese travellers’ money is keeping Caribbean Airlines afloat.To the management of Caribbean Airlines I say: stop treating Guyanese like second-class citizens. We are your valued customers; you get good money from us. Treat us with dignity and respect. We will not keep quiet until you do.Sincerely,Roshan Khan Sr
Two sisters were on Thursday afternoon killed after they were crushed by a falling tree at Kamarang Backdam, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).Dead are Sylva Thomas, 16, and three-year-old Kerryana Williams.Based on reports, a miner was cutting trees in the area for materials for the village council for an upcoming football tournament.The teenager, who was carrying her sister on her back, was walking behind her parents when they reportedly heard the crashing sound. Their parents and another sibling managed to escape but they were caught under the tree when it fell.The two girls were pinned by the tree and died on the spot. Norma Thomas, Toshao of the village told Guyana Times that the council had contracted the miner to cut some material to make preparation for the upcoming football competition.“They were walking on a roadway that is being used by farmers to access their farmlands… as they were walking past the area where the man was cutting the wood, the tree feel onto the roadway, crushing the two girls,” she explained.According to the Toshao, she leant about the sad incident after she returned home. She went on to say that both of the girls would have sustained severe injuries ranging from a broken jaw to limbs. She added that the three-year-old had a hole to her head.The family and the village are mourning the death of the two children. Attempts to make contact with the parents of the deceased children proved futile. The miner is in Police custody assisting with investigations.
– unknown male carts off cashPolice in G Division (Essequibo Coast/Essequibo Islands) are investigating an alleged robbery under arm committed on businesswoman Bibi Mohamed of Queenstown Village.The incident occurred on July 28, 2016 around 09:30h at her Queenstown home on the Essequibo Coast.The businesswoman was robbed $195,000 in cash when a male approached her wanting to purchase ply-board.Relating her story, the victim in tears said that she was in her kitchen washing dishes when she heard someone calling.Upon responding she then saw an afro-Guyanese male of medium built, about 5 feet in height, enquiring about the price for one ply-board. After disclosing the value at $3000 per sheet the male left and returned about half hour later in a tinted white car with a $5000 bill.The woman then collected the money and left for the kitchen to change same when she was approached by the person with a hand gun. She related that he placed it to her head demanding that she not scream and to hand over all the money.Without hesitation, Mohamed said, she handed over the money and the man then escaped. She immediately thereafter raised an alarm and a subsequent report was made to ranks from the Major Crime Unit at the Anna Regina Police Station.Police visited the scene but no evidence was found.Statements were however taken and police are continuing their investigations.
The Anna Regina Fire Station in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) partnered with the Women of Substance group in hosting a summer camp. The camp was opened on August 2 and will conclude on August 30.Speaking at the gathering of youths, Station Officer (acting) Suresh Persaud said that the Fire Station, apart from its daily function, also does charitable work for persons in society. He added that youths are Guyana’s future and as such collaborating with the women’s group was done without hesitation.Persaud along with firefighters from the Fire Station visited the camp and conducted drills as well as oriented the youths on the functions of the fire station. Children also got the opportunity to see the firemen in action during a demonstration on Thursday.Also addressing the gathering Stacia Persaud of the Women of Substance said the group wants to make a difference in society, so the first focus was on youths.While the Camp aims to indulge the children in art, craft, life skills, youths are also being taught academic subjects such as Mathematics, English, Socials Studies and Science.Stacia Persaud said the camp has received positive feedback from the business community, the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force. (Indrawattie Natram)
The flipside of denying imports into Guyana to compete with local products would be a complete ban on such imports, but Guyana has had its share of unfavourable experiences in this arena.This is according to President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), Vishnu Doerga, who in an exclusive interview with Guyana Times on Wednesday, decried as very worrying the fact the Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) could not meet the requirements with regard to the supplying of juices for the Government’s school feeding programme.That multimillion-dollar contract was recently awarded to Suriname-based Rudisa Beverages, generating significant debate over the pros and cons of such a move.GCCI President Vishnu DoergaThe GCCI President told Guyana Times, “I don’t want to believe it was as a result of wilful neglect, or any form of favouritism.”He was at the time speaking to the professionalism of the evaluators of bids.Procurement transparencyDoerga said too that the incident spoke to the need for a greater level of transparency when it came to the procurement requirements, and pointed to the fact that DDL might not have met the requirements, which led to the Suriname-based company being awarded the contract.The GCCI President said it was clear that a local company securing the contract would have been better for all the local stakeholders involved, but local suppliers and manufacturers need to also do more with regard to raising their standards and competitiveness.He pointed, however, to the fact that even with the onerous shipping and other costs, including the payment of taxes, that a foreign company could still supply products competitively.The GCCI President was adamant that local manufacturers and suppliers must improve their capacity.According to Doerga, “it is very disturbing that DDL could not have met the desired specifications.”He pointed to reported reasons that speak to the labelling and juice content of the product being supplied by DDL and Rudisa Beverages Inc.Doerga maintains that there needs to be a greater understanding and transparency on procurement policies and requirements across the board.He pointed to some of the programmes being run by GCCI and said that the entity was looking to do its part in terms of raising the standards of competitiveness among local suppliers and producers in areas of agro-processing and other industries.Meanwhile, a source close to DDL speaking to Guyana Times in the absence of an official statement, said that the issue has to be looked at in a larger context.It was pointed out that DDL does not grow cherries or guavas or any of the fruits that are used to make its Topco Juices.“While it may be reflected in a financial record somewhere that DDL did not win the contract, it is the small farmer who is going to be finding it hard… it is the small farmers that will be affected the most,” the source said.Rudisa Beverages Inc was awarded the juice contract despite DDL being the lowest bidder at the recent bid for the contract.DDL, in making the announcement, had stated that after milk was replaced as the preferred beverage to offer to students, along with biscuits and a snack in schools, DDL had supplied Topco Juices to Government’s national school feeding programme since 2010.On Saturday last, Government said it was in fact guided by the National Procurement and Tender Board Administration’s recommendation that the contract should be awarded to the third highest bidder.Government further justified its decision, noting that Rudisa met the requisite administrative, as well as technical requirements.In July 2015, the Surinamese beverage company had agreed to slash over US$1 million off of the settlement awarded by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) to be repaid by the Government of Guyana for taxes it had imposed on imported beverage bottles. This was from the US$7.72 million (G$1.6 billion) that the CCJ had ordered Guyana to pay the beverage company.