Let’s help to find workable, practical solutions
I REFER to an article in the SN dated Saturday, March 1, 2008. Captioned “Dr. Singh should be more worried about potential breaches in the old sea walls than raising them” penned by Mr. Malcom Alli.

As a human being, Dr. Singh tried to live above the expected tide surge. Quite spontaneous, and normal for anyone thinking of surviving the impact of climate change.

Dr. Singh airing his views of what he thinks should be done to address climate change to make our threatened coastal belt safe, thought that, in his view, the sea defences should be elevated.

I would like to comment on Alli’s response who thinks that Dr. Singh should direct his energies towards maintenance of the present sea walls.

I observe Alli feasting on the time line of his input to the sea defence structure; according to him -- this dates to the 60s and the 70s. Quite rightly he observes too that at the time the structures were built they were adequate to address the sea tides.

I have news for Mr. Alli, maintenance of sea defences is not the answer to anticipated higher sea levels.

Dr. Singh’s opinion attempts to address the expected higher tides with heightened sea defences, while Mr. Alli suggest the sea defences remain at the same level, while repairing breaches where they happen.

Repairing breaches under nine (9 ft.) of water will be something new to our engineering culture, I hope it can be replicated world wide.

Certainly, such repairs will be very challenging for engineers like Mr. Alli.

The works done in the 60s and 70s have been out dated and can no longer be deemed adequate for keeping the expected sea levels of approximately three (3) metres out from low- lying areas.  

We have to be more practical and adapt to this new challenge, stop reveling in past feats; the world climate pattern has changed and will continue to change drastically over the coming decades.  

Point to alternatives and enhance making decisions to determine a nation’s future.

What are the expected changes? Temperatures will rise, causing heat waves and drought. Precipitation patterns have changed causing increased risks of flooding. Sea levels are rising and will continue to rise, accelerating storm surge heights.

The past has been recognized but the future is determined by the present. 

Guyana’s coast will not survive the impact of climate change.

We need to seek alternatives. We cannot afford to be backward and hope we can survive underneath three metres of water.

We have to start thinking of relocating now. Stop attacking a spontaneous reaction to a situation and help find workable practical solutions.
ASHTON SIMON

What are PNC leaders worried about?
WHY is the PNC/R so worried about the clearing of the Buxton backlands?

I have never seen top PNC/R leaders so bitter, so disturbed about an issue. And they are venting their feelings openly in the newspapers and on certain TV stations.

Let us be honest and objective about this issue: the bushes on the Buxton backlands have been a haven for criminals for several years.

Residents on the East Coast Demerara have been calling on Government to clear these bushes for years.

The Lusignan massacre was the last straw. Peaceful and law-abiding Guyanese felt that this initiative would have received full support from the Opposition.

Instead, we witness Mr. Robert Corbin himself trying his best to turn Buxton residents against the Government and the Joint Services.

They organised resistance against the Minister of Agriculture when he went to discuss compensation issues. Recently, Good and Green Guyana’s Hammie got into the act. And on Sunday Aubrey Norton also made critical statements on the issue of security.

Why is the PNC/R trying to obstruct efforts to contain criminal activities? What can they hope to gain from criminal lawlessness?

Fortunately, the majority of Buxton residents want their community to return to normalcy.

It is detestable to hear a few persons trying to put respectability into the Lusignan and Bartica massacres.

A gang of monsters murdered children in their beds, put people to lie down and shoot them in their heads. How can any normal person try to call these merciless killers “freedom fighters” and “insurrectionists”?
CONCERNED GUYANESE

Hiccups in passport line
I DECIDED once and for all to visit the Central Immigration and Passport Office in Georgetown. I left my home in Berbice at 02:00 h and travelled with the first ferry which left New Amsterdam some time before 03:00 h. It was raining heavily in Georgetown. I arrived by bus at the office at 04:30 h.

There were five persons standing in front the gate of the Central Passport Office, with umbrellas. It was still raining heavily. We stood there, gates being locked, on the bridge, waiting.

Persons came in one by one, each enquiring who was the last person that arrived.  

Little did we know we had to wait until about 07:30 h for it was that time when an Immigration Officer began approaching the new location set up for applicants.

After standing, waiting, for nearly three hours, we thought that finally we’d get some relief and the gates would be opened. Were we wrong? The officer arrived and requested that we begin lining up away from the bridge. Then he left. 

Some time later, another officer arrived and opened the gate. He also began checking our documents. By this time the line was very long with about 100 persons. Many persons were sent away after they probably did not satisfy the officer’s criteria. One woman was told that she did not have the correct documents and had to leave. 

By now, I was seated inside. As I said earlier, I arrived at this office and met about five persons or so. Lo and behold I was given chit number 23. I was angry at this. What then was the use of arriving at 4.30 am at this office?

Another officer escorted five persons at a time to the main passport office building and they started processing applications. This, however, was done in a very efficient manner. We were given new chit numbers at the main office. I received number 29. I left the passport office that day around 9.00 am and will return sometime later this month to uplift my new Machine Readable Passport.
BERBICIAN

Look a little higher
I TURNED on my TV this morning and the first line the priest said was, "Look a little higher." 

I just thought this suited Guyana's present needs, for the mind and soul. (I had to type fast to catch it). 

Look a littler higher!  When you look at the hills! Look a little higher! Look to the mountains! 

From the mountains look a little higher, to where God is! Look beyond our own personal goals. 

The devil has weighed you down so much that your head is buried in the sand.

Neighbour, lift up your eyes and look a little higher for God looks a little higher. 

You are a child of purpose. Recognise the hand of God.  We must not look through the lens of our own natural abilities, we must look beyond. 

If you go on confessing sickness and death, then we will have sickness and death. (Law of Attraction). 

Are you going to kill every fly that angers you, how many flies do you have to KILL?  

God humbles those who exalt themselves, God exalts those who humble themselves. 

I am looking a little higher, and so can you 'if you allow it'.
GOD’S HUMBLE SERVANT 

Small fishermen need protection
I AM writing this letter on behalf of a group of small fishermen, living on the East Coast Demerara.

In the daily search of our livelihood, we sometimes have to go out far at sea, under dangerous circumstances in some cases.

You see, Mr. Editor, high winds and rough seas are not the only two dangers facing fishermen on the seas.

The biggest danger we face is one that has to do with our own safety and that of boats, engines and fishing gear and catch. From time to time, we hear reports of robberies on the high seas which drive fear in us, the small fishermen, who must do the only job we know, some of us from birth.

We welcome the news that the Government of Trinidad and Tobago has loaned a helicopter to the Government of Guyana to help track down the criminals who murdered the people at Lusignan and Bartica.

We are calling on the Guyana Government to also put things in place to provide some sort of protection to our small fishermen.

Just one strike and everything that we have worked for in decades is gone in a flash.

We are also glad to hear that President Bharrat Jagdeo has set aside money in this year’s budget for the purchase of two helicopters to help fight against crime. We also suggest that more high-speed boats should be thrown into operation to ply the sea and guard against those “sea pirates.”

If measures for our security are not put in place quickly, we will be forced to give up our trade known to us from birth.
SURESH SINGH

Kudos for the cops
I READ of the $3M robbery at Toolsie Persaud, and am happy that although the money has not yet been recovered, one of the bandits was shot and killed by the police while an accomplice was arrested.

I want to personally congratulate the police for the quick response they made which yielded positive results.

This is the kind of action we need from our Police Force which should serve to send a strong signal to the bandits outside that the police are ready and able to carry out their duties without fear or favour.

Now is the time for our security personnel to be ever vigilant and ready to nab those people in our society whose goal is to carry out robberies and create mayhem and disrupt the smooth running of our country.

I want to send out a clear message to all Guyanese that Guyana belongs to all of us and we must not allow a few in our midst to carry out their nefarious acts.

We must help and cooperate with our security forces in their activities to curb all sorts of crime in our land. We must also divorce ourselves from those leaders whose only aim is to create chaos and confrontation.
EDWARD JAMES

What happened to the former Leonora Park?
I WISH to endorse a letter that appeared recently in the Guyana Chronicle which highlighted road works being carried out by the Stewartville/Cornelia Ida Neighbourhood Democratic Council.

However, while it is good to provide proper roads and to build new ones, there are other areas which need some attention from the authorities.

You see many youths in the area are turning to drugs and other past-times which are not conducive to their proper up-bringing and making them the leaders of tomorrow.

For some time now, I have been observing the former Leonora Park with keen interest and am appalled that this once beautiful cricket ground has now been left abandoned.

Currently, the fence around the ground is falling apart. The playing field area is taken over by tall grasses and bush, while the pavilion is in a state of disrepair. It is sad that such a magnificent cricket ground which was once graced by cricketers like the late Nabbie Bacchus and Beek Manoos, Sonny Basdeo and the late Boodhoo Dwarka (both of whom represented Guyana), the Kuman brothers, Eddy Thomas, Hackim, Vaidram Persaud and the Ali brothers only to name a few, is left abandoned.

The ground was first run by the Leonora Sugar Estate, but since the regional system was established, it was taken over and nothing was done to preserve or upkeep it.

I must admit that the glorious days of the ground was undoubtedly when its administration fell directly under the Leonora Sugar Estate.

Those were the days when the ground was graced by former Test cricketers like Joe Solomon, Basil Butcher, Clyde Walcott, Lance Gibbs, Glendon Gibbs and Charlie Stayers, who at different times played against the very powerful Leonora Cricket team.

The ground which used to be called “Bourda,” also hosted international cricket teams namely India, Pakistan, and Australia.

It is a pity that such a once beautiful sward is left to go idle.

For the sake of our youths, and in honour of all those who were fortunate to set foot on this ground, I call on the authorities to bring back this ground to its former glory.
ELVIS