…on Marriott
The Marriott Hotel, built by the PPP government, was a red flag to APNU/AFC while in Opposition. They dubbed it a “wasteful and extravagant” whim of then President Bharat Jagdeo, and vowed to dump it if they were ever to get into power. Well, they’ve been in power for over two and a half years, and it seems the Marriott’s now their crown jewel! Pick a day – any day – amble over to the Marriott and you’re sure to see Government Ministers or other functionaries enjoying the “good life”!
Just this week, the State Chronic ran an extensive interview with Hewley Nelson, Chairman of the Board of AHI, which runs the Hotel. It’ll be best to let the fellow speak for himself from the Chronic’s report – lest you readers think your Eyewitness is partial. “Whether you like it or not, Guyana needs a Marriott,” Nelson noted, adding that if the evolving oil industry is taken into account, the Marriott receives the bulk of its business from large companies, such as Exxon Mobil.
Eduardo Reple, general manager of the hotel, said that “the expectations of those companies are to stay at an internationally-branded hotel with such standards and qualities of accommodation.
“Today, Marriott is the biggest hotel chain in the world,” Reple said, adding that whoever made the decision to bring Marriott to Guyana did so with a purpose of finding reliable partners to support the venture. “As the country develops, it will need additional hotels”, Reple added, noting that the oil sector will bring a lot of business to the country’s hotel industry.
Now isn’t this exactly what President Ramotar said when the Marriott was completed during his term – truncated by the vindictiveness of the APNU/AFC? But the APNU/AFC’s earlier bitterly negative stance is indicative of their fundamental disconnect with the world of business. They insist Guyana needs foreign business investments, but those are just words they mouth from some briefing paper some flunkey handed to them.
Business investments are made by business executives, and these are people used to a certain level of comfort in the new, globalised world. When they’re asked to fly into a fly-speck country like Guyana – which they probably never heard about before the Exxon oil find – they’d like to know they wouldn’t have to be sleeping in some thatched hut, drinking water from some nearby river.
When they hear about a Marriott…they not only know what amenities to expect there, but assume that the country itself is developed enough to deal with them with a modicum of sophistication.
But they’ll never admit to the strategic vision of Jagdeo…it just sticks in their throat!
…on cancer sticks
By now you loyal readers know your Eyewitness is down on cigarettes…really down. He has absolutely no sympathy for tobacco addicts. It is a well-known fact that even fundamental rights – such as free speech — aren’t absolute. They extend only to where they can affect the rights of others. The famous example is your right to swing your arms ends at the nose of the fellow next to you!!
Well, there are no barriers to cigarette ENTERING, much less stopping at your nose, even though Pressie has just signed into law the Act prohibiting smoking in public spaces. So this should be just the beginning…la luta continua – on banning cigarettes: period. Think about it…why is cocaine banned? Because it is addictive and eviscerates its users, making them into burdens on society.
Well…SO ARE CIGARETTES!!! Governments allow cigarette smoking because of the power of the multinational cigarette manufacturers and distributors.
The latter have just replaced the British Govt, introduced international drug pushing to China. Stop them!
…on objecting to smoking
Your Eyewitness just read about a ganja smoker shooting a bystander who objected to the smoke wafting into his lungs.
The reaction of the cigarette smoking lobby to the public ban suggests similar reactions. Bun dem!
