Questions… from the BEEB

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has quite a long history with the news in our country! Back in the day when we were owned lock, stock, and barrel by the Brits, we kept our ears glued to our shortwave radios to receive world news as selected by the Government-owned BBC. And even when we got our own radio stations, for the longest while we kept running the “BBC News” as a key item that was diligently followed by one and all!! The BBC, we’d been told, “tells it like it is” – and we could count on their “impartiality”!! Well, we now know there was an unwritten pact by the British media – including the BBC – not to let on about, for instance, any of the indiscretions of their royal family. We can only imagine what else they left out as they decided what we “needed” to know!!
We were informed that a BBC team that puts out a podcast dubbed “BBC World Questions” will be coming to our Mudland to do their schtick!! Which is to have a panel of Government and opposition reps plus those from civil society and the other usual suspects to be quizzed by the host Jonny Dymond – with questions of his own and some from the live audience. They were supposed to’ve done the programme a year ago, but it got canned after the Govt objected to the panel being too skewed to the opposition!!
This go-round, the panel “to debate the nation’s political and economic future” will be comprised of the Minister of Finance, Dr Ashni Singh; WIN MP Tabitha Sarabo-Halley; Ayodele Dalgety-Dean, activist & businesswoman; and Clinton Urling, secretary of the PSC. It wasn’t clear how the audience – from which some questions will come – would be selected. Just that they’ll be enjoying refreshments at the Pegasus before the taping!!
They gave us a teaser as to what they’re interested in – our oil, its revenues and how it should be spent, taking into account local, regional and environmental concerns, and the “fairness” of distribution of benefits. There’s also Mad Maduro’s abduction and its implications for local and regional security. But since they boasted the programme “puts people and their questions at the heart of the debate”, your Eyewitness hopes the BBC will allow the audience to ask whatever questions they have on their minds!!
Like, for instance, questions to the host about the British royalty exposés revealed in the Epstein Files!! Guyanese really want to know what caused Andrew to develop all these sexual fetishes that involved young girls!! Is it due to his having a nanny till he was an adult?
Then, of course, there are all those stories about hunger in Britain. Should we be sending relief to them??

…the peeps
Your Eyewitness can only imagine some burning audience questions to the panel and the likely answers!!
Q: “Dr Singh, when exactly will we be getting our $100,000 cash grant??”
A: “Soon, my friend, soon. We’re in a period of religious sacrifice, and we didn’t want to place too many temptations in front of people at this point in time.”
Q: “OK. But will there be more cash grants during the year, and will your Government be returning to the old $250,000 a pop since oil prices have gone through the roof with the Iran war?”
A: “Well, the President indicated that cash grants will be a recurring tool in our budgets. But we wouldn’t want to trigger runaway inflation, would we??”
Q: “Mr Urling, with the Minister of Agriculture increasing our stock of cattle, can we expect a lowering of the price of cowheel soup at Germans?”
A: “The free market will determine that.”
Q: “Ms Sarabo-Halley, how many parties have you hopped?”
A: “I’ve lost count.”

…for Delcy
The screws are being turned on Venezuelan (ag) President Delcy Rodriguez, filling in after Maduro had to keep that appointment in Miami!! US federal prosecutors have prepared a draft criminal indictment that can be filed at any time!!