…to darkness in border protection
Some readers do take time to respond to their Eyewitness’ take on current affairs. He thanks them from the bottom of his (jaded) heart! They provide him with much grist for his daily mill. So here it was one upstanding citizen thought his Eyewitness was a tad too harsh on Public Security Minister Ramjattan for his Report as to what he did at the high-level meet with the Americans who fund the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI).
Responding to the American’s concerns about drugs transshipped into their country via Guyana’s porous borders, Ramjattan reported: “We told them that we would like to have surveillance equipment. If it is not going to be airplanes, drones that could go a good hundred miles and come back and be at some command centre. They have other technologies that I am not too savvy about that they can probably utilise through satellite imagery.”
Now, all your Eyewitness said was the Minister ought to’ve been briefed about border concerns, since, unlike OUR government’s practice, the Americans insist on agendas before meetings. Just to ensure discussions don’t descend into interminable “Rum shop gaffs”. So Ramjattan’s advisors made him appear rather clueless with his report.
For instance, what’s this about even considering “airplanes”?? Where is the world can you patrol a jungle border with airplanes? So we build airstrips, along the four-hundred mile border between us, Brazil and Venezuela and fly continuously over it – even at night? And drones? We know he ain’t talking about those portable drones since even the most expensive ones (about US$6000+) only have a range of 2km or so. And with forested terrain, the range becomes even more limited.
So we’re talking about those military-type drones that the US flies out of Nevada to film (and hit if necessary) targets in the Middle East? Now the “Reaper Drone” isn’t even an expensive Drone – yet it costs US$13 million and US$2500 per flight hour!! So let’s look at the “Unmanned Aircraft Systems” that’ve been put to civilian use to patrol the US border. We’re still talking costs of US$4-8 million a pop…with US$1000/hr flight time!! And we’re not even mentioning the “command center” that Ramjattan so glibly mentioned. And “satellite imagery”!!! What’s this? Bourne Conspiracy?
But as your Eyewitness mentioned yesterday, it doesn’t matter what kind of electronic systems the Americans install for us. We still need bodies on the border to follow up on data revealed by the “drones” or whatever.
And with Ayanganna practically empty, more than Cabinet meetings can be held there!!
…to darkness of party paramountcy
Your Eyewitness mentioned, en passant, that PNC General Secretary Oscar Clarke’s announcement that the general public can visit PNC “Congress Place” Headquarters at Sophia on specified days to discuss their problems. Not believing what one respected commentator called “absolute dotishness”, your circumspect Eyewitness held his quill. Until, the GS firmly put Minister of the Presidency Joseph Harmon in his place, for suggesting that Oscar might’ve misspoke.
Not so! Protested Oscar! He insisted he saw “nothing wrong” with the procedure that’s redolent of “party paramountcy”! He was stoutly supported by one young member of the PNC Press Brigade. So any suspicions you may’ve harboured that old guard Oscar was just reflexively regurgitating the said doctrine of Forbes Burnham – which saw the party flag flying over the Court of Appeal – should be put to rest. Following Prezzie’s announcement, the party will be guided by the ideology of Burnham. And that’s that!!
And who doesn’t like it – can very well, stuff it in a place where the sun don’t shine!!
…to darkness in sugar
The good news in sugar is we’ve secured some new markets for our product. The bad news is, this crop our production’s just over HALF of the already emancipated production projections for 2016.
So we buy from Nicaragua and ship as ours?
