TIMES

I ndo- Caribb ean

MORTGAGE SPECIALIST

Rita 416-743-1826

Guyana in stalemate after two massacres

Wedding Cards/ Accessories/ Richard Aziz
Bangles and Jewellery Vol 2. No 3 March 2008 Tel: 416-289-3898 ictimes@rogers.com 416-832-7293

O
Killer gang has vanished, alleged leader “Fineman” still free, country waiting in dread
ne month after 12 people were shot
dead in the small mining township
of Bartica, Guyanese are still in the
dark as to who carried out that attack. And
in the absence of any police statement in re-
lation to ballistics evidence linking the
Lusignan killings - thought to be the work
of the Buxton/Agricola gunmen - to those
in the mining community, some security
sources have advanced the hypothesis that a
drug-linked gang might have committed the
act.
Police, in a statement one day after the
killings in Bartica, had noted that the gun-
men wore foreign camouflage clothing and
from all assessments, the killers seemed
well-trained with an abundance of intelli-
gence about the Bartica community. Their
motive seemed not only to be murder, since
they also raided the business place of Chu-
nilall Baboolall where they stole 12 guns as
well as a large quantity of gold and cash.
2007. He did not mention the Lusignan
Young fundraisers dance for
Bush Lot’s Vedanta Academy
slayings of January 26, 2008.
Up to last week a local newspaper could
not ascertain from the police whether there
was any ballistics evidence linking Lusig-
nan and Bartica. When asked about the con-
tradiction between his comments and those
of Rohee, Jagdeo told reporters that the
minister perhaps inadvertently omitted to
mention the Lusignan-Bartica connection,
and insisted that the two incidents were
linked.
The police have not issued any statement
on ballistics findings at Bartica, although
they had done so shortly after the Lusignan
killings. Security officials are of the view
that even with ballistics evidence linking
guns used at various crime scenes, in a so-
ciety where criminals rent guns for specific
operations the possibility that two different
groups were responsible for the killings at
the two separate locations could not be Three young dancers, from left, Felicia Tiwari, Radha Sookdeo

$400m Bombardier jet

Information collated from various sources ruled out. and Diana Tiwari, gave their best at the Malton March 15
points to no conclusive link in the modus fundraiser for the Bush Lot Vedanta Academy. Story on Page 18.
operandi of the killers at Lusignan and Who attacked Bartica?

deal for TT PM is dead

those who stormed Bartica, overrunning a
police station and stealing a large number
of firearms and gold on the night of Febru-
ary 17. However, President Bharrat had
taken the leap in announcing two days after
the killings in Bartica that the murderers
were the same men who had slaughtered 11
people at Lusignan. At a press conference
on Friday, he repeated the statement that the
two killings were linked.
The only official ballistics evidence of
the Bartica slaughter was provided by
Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee in
the National Assembly earlier this month.
Contrary to what Jagdeo had said earlier,
Rohee announced that ballistics tests con-
ducted on spent shells found at the crime
scene at Bartica firmly established that the
same weapons had been used to commit
killings and robberies at three other loca-
tions last year, namely, Better Hope on Au-
gust 21, 2007; Sheribana on October 1,
2007 and at Triumph on December 16,
A senior security official had said that the
attack at Bartica might have been a collab-
orative well-executed plan by drug-linked
gunmen operating out of Guyana and
neighbouring countries. The local newspa-
per Stabroek News had been told that cer-
tain known shady characters who had links
with the drugs trade might have hit hard
times and they are believed to be involved
in armed robberies.
A senior police officer said that the force
was aware of these reports, but asserted that
there was no hard information on the
claims. "What we know is that we are look-
ing at everyone, whether you dealing drugs
or doing robbery," the officer who asked not
be named said. According to the police of-
ficial, the scale and manner of the slaughter
seemed to be more than criminality, and
there might be a bigger motive behind it.
Continued on Page
The TT$400 million Bombardier jet deal
is dead.
The executive jet idea is, however, still
alive and will return in a different form,
probably involving a leasing arrangement.
Caribbean Airlines (CAL), in a statement
announced that it would not be proceeding
with the purchase of an executive jet "at the
present time".
CAL stated that the airline, the Govern-
ment of Trinidad and Tobago and Bom-
bardier were unable to reach an agreement
and "as a result, the parties had mutually
agreed to withdraw from negotiations".
Leader of the Opposition Basdeo Panday
says the public must take credit for forcing
the government and Caribbean Airlines to
abort its obscene plan to purchase an exec-
utive jet for the use of the Prime Minister
and his Cabinet.
"It is vulgar in its own right that the gov-
ernment, through its agents in Caribbean
Airlines, sought to purchase this $300 mil-
lion jet while citizens cannot afford to buy
food, hospitals have no beds and violence
takes over our schools.
“But this transaction has reeked of cor-
ruption from the inception. It is not surpris-
ing that the parties cannot agree to a
standard contract clause that would void the
transaction if corruption is proven. Perhaps
this is because the transaction is already so
tainted," Mr Panday said

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CANADA & COMMUNITY NEWS Indo-Caribbean Times
Guyana massacres Scotiabank is the Indo-Canadians GOPIO Upper New
spur petition to
protect Guyanese new Caribana win five seats in York plans Indian
refugee claimants sponsor to ‘09 Alberta elections atruhan Sukdeo, President of the newly
A A
n online petition to ask for humanitar-
ian consideration for Guyanese
refugee claimanst in Canada is steadily
gathering signatures across the country.
The petition claims that security of
Guyanese has been compromised by the re-
cent massacres and that failed refugee
claimants should not be sent back to
Guyana where their security is not guaran-
teed.
The petition to the Minister of Citizen-
ship and Immigration reads:
In view of the massacres of innocent cit-
izens, including women and children at
Lusignan on January 26 and at Bartica on
February 17,2008, the fact that security of
Guyanese has been eroding since 2002 and
the Government of Guyana has only now
requested overseas help to protect its citi-
zens, we the following individuals and or-
ganizations hereby request the Canadian
Government to immediately review all
cases of unsuccessful Guyanese Refugee
Claimants; stop all removals to Guyana and
allow the applicants to remain here on Hu-
manitarian and Compassionate or other
grounds.
Some of the comments echo the fears and
frustrations of Guyanese in North Amer-
ica.
Narvin Radhamohan: It is obvious that the
State of Guyana cannot offer effective state
protection to its citizens.
Darren: I am surprised that only 100 con-
cerned Guyanese have signed this petition
when more than one third of Guyana's pop-
ulation lives in North America. The next at-
tack could be your flesh and blood. Help
those we can now.
Louise: Stop sitting back and do nothing.
Now is the time to act.
Yogmati Rampersaud: Please help my fel-
low Guyanese is mainting a safe home for
their famlies.
Amna: The little I can do is signing this pe-
tition to show my support.
Indira Tiwari: Please help !!!!!!!
Mahendra R. Singh: It is indeed a noble act
to help those in dire need. Your considera-
tion in this matter is highly appreciated.
God Bless!!!
The petition can be accessed at: www.ipeti-
tions.com/petition/guyaneseneedhelp.
WOW!! 3.49% mortgage rate*
To Jan 31: 2nd mortgage at 5.99%
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647-294-6241
*OAC, terms and rates are subject to change without
notice and some conditions may apply
MARCH 2008 Page 3
Arrival Day function
S
cotiabank has jumped in with an offer
to become one of Toronto Caribana’s
major sponsors from this year. The bank,
which has strong Caribbean connections,
will sponsor Caribana for two years for a
reported six figure sum.
The offer has been welcomed by Caribana’s
CEO Joe Halstead, as a sign that the corpo-
rate sector in Canada is finally recognizing
the festival. Caribana in past years has had
a poor reputation because of its failure to
submit audited accounts and chronic con-
fusion and infighting at the management
level.
All is still not well with Caribana today,
as the Toronto Mas Bands Association is
claiming that some prize money for the
2007 festival are still owing, and other pay-
ments were made in December last year in-
stead of just before the celebrations in
August.
Canada wholesalers
start year strong
Wholesalers shook off a disappointing
December to start the New Year with a
flourish, helped in part by a price driven
surge in the sale of agricultural chemicals.
Statistics Canada reports sales by Canadian
wholesalers rose a healthy 2.6 per cent in
January to $44.1 billion, effectively offset-
ting the 2.6 per cent drop recorded in De-
cember.
Six of seven wholesale sectors reported
higher sales, led by very strong growth in
the "other products" sector, up 11.4 per cent
largely on the strength of agricultural chem-
icals.
Wholesalers of machinery and electronic
equipment (up 2.2 per cent), food, beverage
and tobacco products (2.1) and building
materials (1.7) also contributed to January's
sales increase.
The farm products sector, which consists
primarily of livestock sales, was the only
sector to register a decline (down 4.6 per
cent) in January.
Sales in constant dollars, which remove the
impact of price changes to provide an indi-
cator of volume sales, rose 3.5 per cent.
EARLY CHILDHOOD CAREERS TRAINING CENTRE
Montessori – early Childhood 'blended” Training Program
with a Diploma in E.C. Care, Development and Education
for Early Childcare/Montessori Educators
Location: # 1 – 1050 McNicoll Avenue, Scarborough, ON
EECTC is a registered and approved institution under the Ministry of Training
Colleges and Universities – Private Career Colleges Act, 2005.
record five Indo-Canadians have won
the March 3 assembly elections in
theCanadian Province Alberta. It included
a Sikh student of law. The winners have
pledged to promote relations between
Canada and India.
There were tremendous opportunities for
business in the fields of oil and gas between
Alberta and India, the newly elected Indo-
Canadian legislators said in their victory
speech. The five, including University of
Windsor law student Manmeet Bhullar, said
they were committed to promoting ties be-
tween India and Alberta.
Other Indo-Canadians who won the elec-
tions were Naresh Darshan Kang, Naresh
Bharadwaj, Peter Sandhu and Raj Sherman.
Three of the five law makers were elected
from the city of Edmonton while two were
elected from Calgary.
About 40,000 Indo-Canadians live in Cal-
gary and Edmonton. In the outgoing as-
sembly, only one Indo Canadian was
elected law maker.
Manmeet Bhullar and Raj Sherman have
been appointed parliamentary assistants;
Bhullar for advanced education and tech-
nology while Sherman for health and well-
ness. Bhullar (27), who is the youngest
parliamentary assistant, has been an adviser
to federal Cabinet Minister Jim Prentice
and the Prime Minister's Office on issues
affecting Alberta and the territories.
His emotional victory speech included a
thank you to his parents who moved to
Canada in 1970 "for instilling me with this
desire to serve."
There are about 80,000 Indo-Canadians
in oil-rich Alberta. Canada has ten
provinces and other two which have Indo
American law makers are Ontario with
four MLAs and Vancouver with seven.
There are several other Indo-Canadian
MPP’s in Ontario and British Columbia,
with Toronto’s Bas Balkissoon remaining
the sole elected Indo-Caribbean MPP in
Canada.
Indo-Caribbeans are estimated at 200,000
of the 1 million South Asians in Canada,
with the 125,000 plus Indo-Guyanese as the
largest sector, followed by approximately
50,000 Indo-Trinidadians, and smaller
amounts of Indians from Jamaica, Suri-
name, St Vincent, St Lucia, and Grenada.
Now offers a
Part Time courses
Saturdays 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
For information: Tel: 647 686 1619
Now accepting registrations.
S
established GOPIO of Upper New York
Chapter, announced two community events
to be held in the coming months:
Commemoration of 170th Anniversary
of Indian Arrival Day in Guyana on May
11, 2008 in Bronx, New York. Invited VIPs
include Guyana's Ambassador to the USA
Beni Karran, and Guyana's Consul General
in New York Brentnold Evans. A com-
memorative Indian Arrival Day brochure
would be issued with pertinent information
on Indian Arrivals in Guyana and a histori-
cal perspective of the initial and subsequent
journeys.
GOPIO of Upper New York Chapter has
also initiated a golf outing scheduled for
June 11, 2008 at the Dunwoodie Golf
Course. The theme will be "Remembering
Sewsankar 'Papwa' Seegolum" and pro-
ceeds will be used for funding GOPIO of
Upper New York Chapter community ac-
tivities.
To register for these events for more in-
formation, contact: Satruhan Sukdeo at
917-747-9523 E-mail: satsukdeo@aol.com
Gopio plans chapters in
major Australian cities
The Global Organization of People of In-
dian Origin (GOPIO) will have chapters in
all important cities in Australia. GOPIO
Chairman Dr. Thomas Abraham visited
several cities in Australia including Sydney,
Brisbane, Melbourne, Canberra and Perth
and addressed meetings of Indian commu-
nity leaders and activists in February and
March.
Currently with an Indian population of
about 250,000 people including a sizable
number of Indo-Fijians, Australia has one
of the fastest growing Indian communities
after United States and Canada. It has the
third largestIndian student population, as
much as over 40,000 students studying at
Australian universities and colleges.
Sydney area has the largest Indian com-
munity population. The meeting onFebru-
ary 27th was organized by GOPIO
Regional Coordinator Noel Lal. Perth has a
smaller Indian community compared to
other cities, but growing faster because of
the mineral and natural gas boom.
COMMENTARY
Indo-Caribbean Times is
published monthly in Toronto
by Indo-Caribbean Times Ltd.
Editor/Publisher: Ram Jagessar
Editorial Committee:
Reynold Ramdial, Gulcharan Mo-
habir, Lloyd Harradan, Sandy
Kissoonsingh, Roop Misir, Deoraj
Narine, Jiantee Jagessar,Krishna
Nankissoor, Rudy Lochan
Offi
ficce: 17 Gaiety Drive,
Toronto ON Canada M1H 1B9
Tel: 416-289-3898
E-Mail: ictimes@rogers.com
Opinions given in this newspaper
are those of the authors and do
not necessarily reflect the views
of the Indo-Caribbean Times.
We welcome letters, e-mails and
comments on matters relevant to
Indo-Caribbeans in Canada and
abroad, and also those at home in
the Caribbean. All content must
comply with the requirements of
Canadian law.
A copy of this newspaper is
posted on the internet in as a pdf
file immediately after publication,
and the entire contents can be
read online by anyone with a
computer and an internet con-
nection.
Past and current issues of the IC-
Times can be found at
http://www.esnips.com/web/Indo
-CaribbeanTimes
Readers are also invited to look at
the website
www.indocaribbeanheritage.com
which contains abundant infor-
mation on Indo-Caribbeans in
Canada and our Caribbean her-
itage and history.
COMMENTARY
Life in Picton, TT
This is a first person account of life in
Laventille, based on an interview with
Andy, 46, who lives in Picton, Laventille.
Andy has resisted pressure at gunpoint to
join a gang. His brother was incarcerated
for kidnapping and murder.
“I was born and bred in Picton. I’ve never
been more scared in my life. It’s shottee
they moving with. Fifteen shots a go. Gang-
sters are on a rampage. “On Saturday morn-
ing, I heard explosions. Police found a body
down in the hole (the valley). Sunday
morning, “ratatatat” shots, then an explo-
sion.
“When I opened my back window I saw
a neighbour’s house burning. The talk was
the neighbour’s nephew was hiding a man
and the warring gang was looking for him.
Indo-Caribbean Times
Chasing a red herring in Guyana
From the editor’s desk
A
fter the series of at-
tacks by unknown
gunmen in Guyana
earlier this year, the entire
country seems to have gone
on a manhunt to find the
people who slaughtered so
Ram Jagessar many innocent citizens .
The just target in Guyana is of course the
person who has planned and carried out the
gruesome massacres of 23 people in Lusig-
nan and Bartica. But I have a lot of prob-
lems with seeing rasta haired Fineman
Rawlins as this terrible, efficient and very
smart guerilla leader.
It has taken a very capable person or per-
sons to manage the Lusignan and Bartica
attacks. That’s very specialized work put-
ting together a force of about two dozen
men, getting their equipment, training them,
getting the intelligence on the targets and
keeping the men hidden from Guyana se-
curity. Then the men have to be transported
to their place of attack, properly directed to
achieve their targets in a short time without
any loss or accident, and safely evacuated
from the killing zone.
They have to be safely hidden away from
the marauding police and army, and also
protected from ordinary Guyanese who
might talk about them. Remember there's
an Osama bin Laden size reward of $50
million out for the gang leader and for any
information on the group. Few would doubt
that a fairly capable person is needed for
these taks. A stupid person couldn't have
dealt two such wicked blows to Guyana's
security and to President Jagdeo's govern-
ment and still be at large scot-free.
Yet stupid is the only way to describe the
recent behaviour of the supposed gang
leader Fineman. Even though he has been
a wanted criminal for years he has been
moving around Buxton freely, including
getting a woman pregnant. Then earlier this
year he calls the police and warns that he
will commit mayhem if his woman is not
released. Soon afterwards police head-
quarters is attacked, and then 11 people are
brutally murdered in Lusignan, which is
A 16-year-old gang boy was killed.
“On Sunday, one of Crock’s partners was
murdered. On J’Ouvert morning a next
shower of shots. Two young women and a
boy picked up bullets. On Ash Wednesday
another boy got shot.
“Beverly Hills, Canada, Blocade, it’s all
one road, controlled by different gangs.
There are so many tracks in the area people
don’t know where the bullets will come
from—up, down, from tracks that we call
short cuts.
“It is a ghost town. In my small area
alone, there are ten gangs, each with 25 to
30 members between the ages of 13 and 30.
“Most of the youths in Laventille are illit-
erate. They put on book bags and never
reach the classroom. In my time, your
teacher gave you licks for misbehaving, and
you got a second dose from your parents.
“Teachers now are afraid of students,
who threaten them with guns, and parents
don’t like their children to be corrected.
“Plenty 30-year-old women have teenage
sons. Girls are pregnant at 15, 16. In Laven-
tille, with no father figure around, the boys
are out of control. No regard for God or
man.
“This guy I know, his mother spoke to
him and he kicked her in the face. Where
are the fathers? Selling drugs, doing crime,
the mayhem promised by Fineman.
Later comes Bartica, another precise mil-
itary style strike and flawless escape. Now
the whole country is howling for the blood
of Rondel Fineman Rawlins. President
Jagdeo has appointed a special squad to
hunt him down. Every Indian would ex-
pose him in a second, and quite a few
Africans too, as he hasn’t done their repu-
tation much good.
If Fineman is the leader of the gang then
he is an idiot to draw attention to himself
that way. A guerrilla leader of any intelli-
gence would prefer to be an unknown terror
rather than being known to all and openly
hunted from coast to coast. He would not
warn the police that he wwas going to cre-
ate mayhem for an absurd reason as want-
ing the police to return his pregnant
girlfriend. Now it seems the police had not
arrested his girlfriend at all, which makes
his threats even more absurd. Fineman’s
effectiveness as a leader would depend on
him being able to operate quietly and avoid
the headlines. That’s why I doubt very
much that he is the leader.
To me Fineman is at best a small time
thug who has been cleverly made into a fall
guy by somebody smart hiding in the shad-
ows.. While everybody is chasing after this
patsy, believing he would lead them to the
rest of the gang, the real leader or leaders
are unknown and invisible as guerilla lead-
ers need to be.
Two dozen men and all their equipment
have disappeared for the second time. The
embarrassed security forces try to hide the
fact that they don’t have a clue. They have
no idea where or when the gang will strike
again. Despite his face being plastered over
the news locally and world wide, Fineman
has not been located. Even if he is captured
it’s quite possible that he may know nothing
and may not have taken part in any of the
attacks. Now that is pretty decent guerilla
strategy, miles better than the clumsy bun-
glers we saw in Trinidad in 1970, the NUFF
guerillas in the mid seventies and the Mus-
limeen gang in 1990. I’m not admiring the
Guyana gang, but just stating the facts.
making money, doing whatever they do.
“So many youths not attending school,
their intention is to be gangsters. I see pri-
mary school, secondary school boys look-
ing you in the eye, practising a trigger
finger: thumb and index finger. Cursing.
“They watch the elder youths who smoke
a joint in front of them. Twelve-year-olds
are playing poker, wappi, knock romi.
“The first thing a small child says when
he is vex is ‘I go shoot you.’ Parents laugh.
These same parents bawl when their sons
get taken away in body bags.
“The gangsters recruit from school
dropouts. He might say ‘Look a 500 to buy
a boots.’ For nothing. You are a teenager.
You don’t go to school. You might be get-
ting stress from home, pressure to find a
job.
“The gangster would tell you breeze by
me. You not working, you have no income.
You end up owing him favours.
“Eventually he will tell you: ‘I have a lit-
tle bag to collect. You want to pick up for
me?’ He might ask you to juggle weed; take
some, give you some.
“You get roped in right away. You start to
cling to him. He starts to use you for his
convenience. Easy money, very little work,
a shooting here, a robbery there. You tell
your friends.
MARCH 2008 Page 4
Which is why I would suggest that
Guyana’s security shine their spotlights at
other places than the trail of Fineman
Rawlins. They should ask the question –
who in Guyana has the experience and ca-
pacity to run an insurrectionary outfit like
the one that committed the Lusignan mas-
sacre? It would have to be someone with a
military or police background, who has stu-
diend and practiced military tactics, an ex
soldier or policeman, or even someone cur-
rently in service.
The list can hardly be a huge one, since
we are looking for people with leadership
and planning capacity, not your usual tramp
and grunt soldier or ticket writing police
constable. How many Guyanese could there
be who qualify to be this guerilla leader?
Start eliminating people who have mi-
grated, died, who can be accounted for. The
culprit or culprits could be among those
who have disappeared or dropped out of
sight. Our man could be hiding in plain
sight, which is the best place to hide. I re-
member well that the female NUFF guerilla
leader in Trinidad hid for many months just
across the road from the St Joseph Police
Station.
To boil in down to bhaji, the guerillas./in-
surrectionaries/criminals (take your pick)
who have turned Guyana upside down,
have been very effective and successful. A
top class organizer and military strategist is
clearly behind this group. He knows how to
strike without leaving a pattern, escape, and
mislead the security forces. With three
strikes under his belt (assault on police HQ,
Lusignan and Bartica), he has all the ad-
vantages. He can strike at will any time, at
any target, or just take a holiday for a few
months and leave the security stewing on
high heat.
This is not a foolish man, but a patient
and formidable enemy. He hasn’t done any
careless or unplanned things as far as we
know. It’s not likely he is Fineman Rawlins
the publicity seeker. We have to think out-
side the box to get this viper because he is
clearly not thinking like a common, stupid
criminal. .
“The gang grows.
“I have seen a man, not yet 20, check-
ing 40,000 in $100 bills. I am amazed
when they pull out their pile of blue notes
so, thick as a brick.
“Them not working; I working. They
will shoot a man without even thinking.
‘Harry giving trouble? You want to take
him out or what?’
“There was a time I used to sit on a wall
and lime with friends. Now I can’t go out
for five minutes. I am afraid to go to work.
Youths on the hill have guns, I don’t know
where from.
“A lot of them have converted to Islam.
We have two mosques on the hill. Crock
was like the sheriff in the town. He kept
the peace. Now Crock is dead, everything
gone haywire.” “
It pays to
advertise in the
Indo-Caribbean
Times
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO CRIME NEWS
Abdul Ali’s life comes to a Another soldier
charged with
tragic end at Cheers Bar robbery
M Y
ere hours after welcoming his mother
back home from New York, 27-year-
old Abdul Ali was killed in front of her dur-
ing a botched robbery at a Sangre Grande
bar just after midnight on a Sunday in
March.
One of the two bandits who stormed the
bar was also killed by the 27-year-old man's
cousin, an off-duty police officer.
The tragic circumstances leading to the
deaths started off at the Cheers Bar in San-
gre Grande.
Ali along with several relatives includ-
ing his mother went to the bar at Ramoutar
Street, Sangre Grande, after picking up his
mother at the Piarco Airport.
While they were having drinks, two
masked men walked in. One of them fired a
shotgun as they announced a hold-up, po-
lice said.
Ali's brother-in-law, PC Hamre Lackraj
of the Inter Agency Task Force, was also
among the limers. He was off-duty but he
had his service pistol with him, police said.
While the bandits were robbing the bar,
Lackraj withdrew his own gun and fired at
the bandits, police said. There was a
shootout between the officer and the ban-
dits during which Ali was hit once in his
neck, investigators said.
The shot bandit was later identified as
Johnny Dolland, 31, a criminal deportee of
Foster Road, Sangre Grande. He was shot
five times about the body, according to an
autopsy report.
Dolland's accomplice managed to escape
during the crossfire, police said. He has re-
mained at large.
Ali was rushed to the nearby Sangre
Grande District Hospital where he later
died from his injuries.
Dolland's body was found lying on the
ground near a pool table in a room to the
back of the bar, police said.
Homicide as well as Sangre Grande CID
detectives visited the scene and Dolland's
body was removed to the Sangre Grande
mortuary and then to the Forensic Science
Centre.
The Express met both families sitting qui-
etly in the centre's waiting room.Dolland's
cousin told the Express that she "always
knew him as a quiet person" and "really
don't know what went wrong".
Glen Dolland, Dolland's uncle, said that
the last time he saw his nephew was on Fri-
day, around 5.30 p.m.
"He called me earlier that week and said
that he needed money" following which he
met him and he handed him $200 "to tide
him over the weekend". He said that he had
no idea what else his nephew, "a construc-
tion worker", was into.
Abdul Ali
The Dolland post-mortem was done first
following which his family left the building
after receiving documents from the exami-
nation.
Sham Ali, Ali's other brother-in-law, also
spoke to the Express after witnessing the
post-mortem for Abdul Ali. He admitted to
the Express that, "this feeling of having to
watch the relatives of Dolland was not
nice."
"I really wanted to be elsewhere," he said
afterwards. He also admitted that he did not
know who they were prior to speaking to
them but after he found out who they were
the conversation quickly fizzled out.
Sham Ali said that his brother-in-law was
the father of a boy and girl from a previous
marriage and that he had a second girl from
his present marriage.
The Express also spoke with Ali's brother,
Fawwaaz Ali, 18, who said, "If it wasn't for
Hamre real people would have been dead.
What happened was unbelievable and very
shocking."
The Express also spoke with the daugh-
ter of the bar owner who did not want her
name mentioned. She said, however, that
they have been operating the bar for the last
16 years and this was the first time they had
been robbed. The bar will re-open tomor-
row, she said.
She said that they usually close early on
a Sunday but when the Alis went to the bar
they recognised them and decided they
would close after they left.
She said that despite the incident they
will not close down the bar but will start
closing earlier.
There was an emotionally charged fu-
neral for Ali later that week. His mother Zo-
bida collapsed at least three times with the
full weight of her emotion being felt when
the casket bearing her son was finally re-
moved for burial. Both Muslim and Hindu
rites were performed at his funeral.
Editor’s note: Believe it or not, this is a
fairly typical story in Trinidad today. There
were over 300 murders in the country last
year.
Indo-Caribbean Times
et another security officer has been
charged with robbery, this time a serv-
ing army soldier who was out on bail for
robbery at the time.
The 30-year-old army private was caught in
a house raided by police officers investi-
gating a bar robbery, along with five other
men. He is considered to be the ring-leader
of a gang linked to a string of violent crimes
across Central Trinidad. In the house, po-
lice said, were several army uniforms, some
without the regimental numbers.
The gang ran out of luck after storming
Khan's Restaurant and Bar, in Edinburgh
Village, Chaguanas, just before midnight
last Wednesday. The men escaped with
$1,500 and drove off, but their get-away car
was stopped on the Caroni Savannah Road,
and the suspects arrested. An object tossed
from the car moments before the police
moved in, turned out to be a .38 revolver
with six bullets.
Police said they searched the homes of the
suspects, two of whom are from Morvant. It
was during the search of a house at Chin
Chin Road, Cunupia, that the soldier and
two other men in the house were held with
a quantity of marijuana.
Citizen’s arrest and
blows for iIllegal
Ghana immigrants
Ilegal immigrants from Ghana trying to
sneak into Trinidad at night had a rude wel-
come from Moruga villagers recently. Res-
idents spotted four men, said to be from the
African country of Ghana, on the La Lune
Beach, and made a citizen's arrest.
Police said before they intervened the
four illegal immigrants were badly beaten.
Three were detained at the Princes Town
Police Station, while one was being treated
at the San Fernando General Hospital for
injuries. The men will appear in court
charged with illegal entry, and kept at the
Golden Grove Prison, Arouca, until they are
deported
Five face kidnap charges
Five men will face trial in the San Fernando
High Court for allegedly kidnapping a girl
when she was just nine years old. Senior
Magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar yesterday
ordered the five to stand trial. The five,
Brian Pierre, Kerron Harris, Sheldon
Quashie, Maxwell Bruce and Mousa Peters,
were denied bail. They are accused of kid-
napping Neisha Seetaram from a relative’s
home at Tabaquite Main Road on April 22,
2005. Seetaram, who is now 11, was found
in a cemetery in Claxton Bay on May 4.
MARCH 2008 Page 5
Crime surge in South
& Central after
Laventille lockdown
Opposition leader Basdeo Panday says Po-
lice Commissioner Trevor Paul has admit-
ted to a possible upsurge in criminal
activities in central and south Trinidad fol-
lowing the recent lockdown in Laventille.
But Panday was quick to add that assur-
ances were also given by Paul that meas-
ures would be implemented by the police.
After last month’s shooting and burning
of two homes at Picton, Laventille, there
was a a heavy police and army presence in
Laventille.
“We raised with him several of our con-
cerns about what appears to be the result of
an increase of criminal activity in South and
Central, which may be connected to the
lockdown in Laventille,” Panday said.
He said Paul indicated they were aware
of an increase in crime in those areas.
Panday said the Opposition also ques-
tioned Paul about people arming them-
selves.
“How are people to protect themselves?
With guns, with mace, with pepper spray,
with spearguns?” Panday asked.
Paul, Panday said, told them the police
would deal with crime concerns so that peo-
ple would not have to resort to taking meas-
ures to defend themselves.
Reyes also admitted to an apparent crime
shift from Laventille to central and south
Trinidad.
Don’t cower in
fear: R.C. leader
at murdered JP’s
funeral
The killing of Justice of the Peace Win-
ston Best should not make people cower in
fear but instead move to rebuild the City of
God to ensure the safety of the country.
So urged Archbishop Edward Gilbert as
he addressed the congregation at the funeral
service for Best at the St Dominic's Roman
Catholic Church in Morvant.
The decomposed body of Best, 80, of Ca-
juca Street, Morvant, was found off Maraj
Trace, Quarry Road, San Juan, on March 1
in a seven-foot hole.
He had been reported missing from his
home on February 24. An autopsy showed
that death was due to strangulation and gun-
shot injury to the head.
Best is the second Justice of the Peace to
be murdered in recent times. His death has
alarmed the judicial system already
strained by a succession of witness mur-
ders and refusal to testify in court by wit-
nesses to major crimes.
GOPIO Trinidad to
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
monitor TT Indian
community’s status
A
revived and revitalised GOPIO
Trinidad was officially sent on its
way with inauguration of its offi-
cers at a large fundraiser in Central Trinidad
at the end of last month.
The newly elected executives of GOPIO-
Trinidad Chapter were formally installed at
a very prominent event held on the evening
of Friday, February 29, 2008 at the HCU
World Select Gem Convention Centre in
Freeport, Trinidad. The event was very well
attended by over 300 that included high
ranking officials of the government and op-
position parties as well as foreign represen-
tatives, well wishers, the press and the
general public.
The feature speaker was the Indian High
Commissioner Jagjit Singh Sapra. Newly
elected executive officers of GOPIO
Trinidad and Tobago were inaugurated by
GOPIO Secretary General Ashook Ram-
saran and GOPIO's Caribbean Region Vice-
President Ambassador Krishna Nandoe.
Entertainment for the evening was provided
by the Mahatma Gandhi Institute for Cul-
tural Cooperation. The new officers are:
President Deosaran Bisnath; Vice President
Reuben Girdhar-Niranjan: Secretary Rajnie
Ramlakhan; Asst. Secretary Sacha Maha-
bal; Auditor Davindra Singh; Directors
Pandit Jaganath Seeram Maharaj,
Doolarchan Hanoomansingh, and Niranjan
Bhaggan.
Indian High Commissioner Sapra deliv-
ered the keynote address and praised
GOPIO's community. Minister Lenny Saith
in the Prime Minister's Office congratulated
the newly elected officials of GOPIO of
Trinidad and Tobago and extended greet-
ings from Prime Minister Patrick Manning.
Albert Ramdin, Assistant Secretary of the
Organization of American States (OAS) re-
marked that GOPIO's effort on local and in-
ternational levels are quite admirable.
Contributing remarks were made by De-
osaran Bisnath, newly elected President of
GOPIO of Trinidad and Tobago chapter;
Ashook Ramsaran, General Secretary of
GOPIO International; Ambassador Mr. Kr-
ishna Nandoe, Caribbean Region Vice-
President of GOPIO International; Mr Yesu
Persaud, a founding member of GOPIO and
currently Chairman of Guyana; Mr Basdeo
Panday, Leader of the Opposition Party.
Also in attendance was Suriname's Ambas-
sador to Trinidad and Tobago Fidelia
Graande-Galon; as well as Ramesh L. Ma-
haraj, Parliamentary Whip. Prominent civic
and religious leaders were also in atten-
dance.
GOPIO of Trinidad and Tobago recog-
nized the contributions of the following
persons who have made significant contri-
butions in various segments of thesociety:
Ramdath Jagessar; Rev. Ralph R. Umraw;
Phoolo Dhany-Maharaj; ZahirBaksh; Pun-
dit Capildeo Maharaj and Valene Maharaj.
The awards were presented by High Com-
missioner Sapra and assisted by Ashook
Ramsaran.
Earlier on that day, GOPIO's representa-
tives were interviewed on television:
Ashook Ramsaran, General Secretary of
GOPIO International and Mr Yesu Persaud,
Chairman of Guyana, were on Gayelle TV.
Deosaran Bisnath, President of GOPIO
Trinidad & Tobago and Ambassador Mr.
Krishna Nandoe, Caribbean Region Vice-
Indo-Caribbean Times
President of GOPIO International, were on
CNC3 Television. The GOPIO delegation
of Ramsaran, Nandoe, Persaud and Bisnath
re-iterated GOPIO's "non-political and sec-
ular" position and stressed the need for col-
laborative community efforts to address
issues of interest and concern in the com-
munity, while "maintaining and strengthen-
ing national unity andnational loyalty".
At a meeting with Minister of Culture
Donna Cox, Deosaran Bisnath elaborated
on some of the community programs being
planned by GOPIO T&T. These include ed-
ucational seminars on alcohol abuse, dia-
betes and education. Minister Cox
welcomed the efforts and offered the sup-
port of the Ministry of Culture.
The meeting with India's High Commis-
sioner Sapra was held in the office of the
High Commissioner and attended by the
delegation of Ramsaran, Nandoe, Persaud
and Bisnath. Discussions included GOPIO's
request to increase thenumber of scholar-
ships, promoting "Get To Know India" pro-
gram and including GOPIO Trinidad &
Tobago in the selection process. Sapra also
elaborated on future collaboration with
trade exhibitions and business conference.
A full press conference was held at City
Hall. Members of the press met with the
delegation of Ramsaran, Nandoe, Persaud
and Bisnath, and posed questions relating
to GOPIO Trinidad & Tobago, GOPIO In-
ternational and how the chapter plans to
work with others in its efforts to address
community issues, working in close collab-
oration with other civic groups.
The GOPIO delegation of Ramsaran,
Nandoe, Persaud and Bisnath then met with
Prime Minister Patrick Manning. While
Ramsaran and others in the GOPIO delega-
tion re-iterated GOPIO's position of being
non-political and secular, Prime Minister
Manning welcomed the change in the ex-
ecutives of GOPIO Trinidad & Tobago.
The following day on March 1, Ramsaran
met with Indian High Commissioner to
Suriname Ashok Sharma, in transit in
Trinidad on Amb Sharma's way to St
Lucia. Their discussion centered on estab-
lishing more GOPIO chapters to further
strengthen the GOPIO network in the
Caribbean Region. These include Barbados
and Lt Lucia for which Sharma has juris-
diction as India's High Commissioner.
GOPIO TT has said that it is considering
membership for Indo-Trinidadians living
abroad, as it would like to get the support
and expertise of the large number of
Trinidadian born PIO’s living in North
America, Europe and other parts of the
world.
One of its tasks is to monitor the eco-
nomic, political, social and cultural health
and progress of the Indian community and
to defend the rights of the community with-
out engaging in partisan politics.
GOPIO chapters around the world have
taken up issues affecting other diaspora In-
dian communities, including the religions
discrimination against Malaysian Indians
and political discrimination against Indo-
Fijians.
Contact: Deosaran Bisnath, President,
GOPIO Trinidad & Tobago, P.O. BOX
2286, Chaguanas, Trinidad & Tobago, Tel:
687-7529, E-mail: GopioTT@gmail.com
ICTimes editor Ram Jagessar reports on his Trinidad visit
Security, high prices, system decay
worry Trinis the most
When I go to Trinidad the first things I look
for are the state of the Indian community,
what's the future prospects for Indians, and
who's speaking out for Indians. I also try to
find out what are the main issues Trinis as
a whole are facing and how they are dealing
with them.
This last visit in early March was some-
thing of an eye opener, as the election ex-
citement of my previous visit in November
had calmed down. I asked everybody I
came across and people were willing to
give their opinions without the interference
of politics.
What I heard was that Trinidad Indians
are in a depressed and dispirited condition,
that they are not very hopeful about their
future as a community. Most of them say
they are not ready to give up on Trinidad
and pack their travel bags, but would pre-
fer if their children departed the country for
better prospects elsewhere. This last part
they would say privately and quietly.
As for the old question “Who speaks for
Indians?” that we wrote in a Mukdar head-
line 30 years ago, the answer was- nobody
in particular. The Maha Sabha occasionally
spoke up for the Hindus, ASJA for the Mus-
lims, the Presbyterian Church for the Pres-
byterians and so on. Sometimes the
opposition UNC spoke up on issues that
concerned Indians, though without men-
tioning Indians by name. There were almost
no Indian papers or magazines around, and
a scarcity of the young lions so plentiful in
the Indian revival era of the seventies and
early eighties.
The major issues burning up the Trinis
were three- crime and security, high prices,
and to me most surprisingly, a weary per-
ception that all systems and services were
running down despite the oil dollars pour-
ing over their collective heads. How were
they dealing with these problems? Poorly,
not well, and with more resignation than
anger, was my impression. Repeatedly peo-
ple would tell me that I didn't know this
Trinidad, that my 1980's Trinidad was long
gone, and I would have to agree. You can't
go home again, because home has changed
while you were away.
My first taste of the crime and security
conditions of Trinidad these days came
straight from Piarco Airport where I landed
close to midnight. My sister in law thought
it was too dangerous for her to drive alone
for ten minutes from St. Augustine to pick
me up, and instead hired a taxi driver she
knew. On returning to my sister in law’s
place the taxi driver said if he had seen any
car behind him he would not have stopped
at her place but would have made a block to
shake off the car behind.
A young man I met in the airport said he
had come with two cars to pick up a rela-
tive, to form a protective convoy against
airport bandits. His cousin had taken a taxi
from the airport last October and had been
robbed by gun toting bandits while the taxi
was parked in front her house and the driver
was removing her luggage. He said bandits
were following vehicles from the airport
and robbing arriving passengers. Every-
body I spoke to during my Trinidad trip
agreed this was the case, and that nothing
was being done about it. It was one of the
many hazards of living in Trinidad.
The security situation is bad in Trinidad.
About 90% of the homes and 95% of the
businesses in the East West Corridor have
heavy burglar proofing of a type seen
MARCH 2008 Page 6
nowhere in Canada. A majority of homes
have high fences, some with broken glass
or barbed wire on top, locked gates, and
dogs in the yard. Two of the houses next to
my sister in law had remote controlled
electric gates. Several people told me they
didn’t normally go out after dark unless
they had to.
Some of the country areas seemed less
paranoid about crime than the East West
corridor, but not by much. The clerk in
my NIS agent’s office in Chaguanas told
me that after 8 o’clock at night business at
restaurants, cinemas, shops, and bars went
down very sharply. Most of Trinidad
seems to observe a self imposed curfew
after dark, for fear of armed bandits. That’s
just the way it is for them, but for me it was
disturbing. This was not the Trinidad I
knew and recognized.
Everywhere I went was a small army of
security guards, nearly all black, the de-
fence against another small army of armed
criminals, apparently mostly black as well.
HI-LO had security guards, the Express had
security guards and electric gates, schools,
the University administration offices, phar-
macies, gas stations, businesses large and
small. At the Indian Embassy I tried to push
in the gate to go to the security booth but
the guard said “Don't push that gate. I have
to let you in the compound.” Then he took
my cell phone before letting me go to the
receptionist who also sat behind an electric
gate.
My wife's cousin Shane from Brampton
was visiting Trinidad and he asked to go for
a river lime at Caura. Not so, said his fam-
ily in Trinidad, bandits are waiting to rob
you there and take your curry goat too.
Bandits are hanging out at the beach too.
Some don't go to the regular cinemas, but
only to the ones in the malls where they can
hide their cars among the regular shoppers.
At my old school St Joesph's College
where I taught in the eighties, the ladies in
the office staff agreed that places like Gon-
zales, Never Dirty and Morvant were now
“no go” areas. But one teacher said he went
there all the time and never had a worry,
since the people attacked were were all
gang members or into drugs. The ladies told
him he was playing Russian roulette with
his life, and I realized he was not alone.
Every Trini was playing some kind of
Russian roulette when he left his house, ex-
cept when he went with armed guard as
some of the wealthy business people were
said to do.
Insecurity hung over Trinidad like a dark
cloud, and most Trinis had learned to live
with it. What can you do, hide in your
house all the time? one man asked me. So
yes there were some who went about their
business unworried, as if there was no se-
rious crime problem. Don't you have crime
in Canada? How is Trinidad different? I
didn't have the heart to explain.
Eventually I started asking everybody
what they thought about the green security
zones in Trinidad as opposed to the red dan-
ger zones. They all said the green zones
were disappearing fast or gone entirely. I
ran into Basdeo Panday at the GOPIO func-
tion and asked him bluntly where are the se-
cure zones in Trinidad? He said there are
none.
(CONT’D ON PAGE 7)
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
Higher food prices coming
T Commentary:
he era of cheap food is over, world-
wide. So brace for higher prices for
food and other commodities such as steel.
This was the message delivered by Minister
in the Ministry of Finance, Mariano
Browne, at a press conference at Whitehall
in Port of Spain as he responded to ques-
tions on escalating prices.
Noting that globally demand was out-
stripping supply for food and several com-
modities such as steel, Browne stated that
there was a limit as to what Government
could do to cushion the consumer from this
worldwide phenomenon.
Asked whether Government, through
State-owned National Flour Mills, was en-
tertaining a subsidy to provide relief to the
consumer against increases in flour and an-
imal feed prices, Browne said these in-
creases were part of worldwide demand and
Government could not do anything about it.
Hindi to be
taught in TT
Hindi will be taught in primary and sec-
ondary schools in Trinidad and Tobago.
Satnarayan Maharaj, secretary general of
Trinidad and Tobago's Sanatan Dharma
Maha Sabha (SDMS), a major Hindu or-
ganization, has announced that his organi-
zation has developed a Hindi curriculum to
be used in its 60 primary and secondary in-
stitutions.
"We have also developed Hindi cards in
order to give the boost that Hindi needs in
Trinidad and Tobago," he said at the annual
World Hindi Day celebrations in Port of
Spain. Maharaj said the SDMS would put
all its resources into enhancing the teaching
of Hindi. Maharaj pointed out that in its 175
mandirs or temples scattered across the
country, Hindi is used in all its prayers with
Scandal over
interpretations.
Oncology Centre
overspending
Over $100 million has been spent on the
construction of the National Oncology Cen-
tre, which, to date, remains incomplete,
Health Minister Jerry Narace has said.
Narace said $340,847,273 was budgeted
by the Government for the construction of
the centre, which is nowhere near comple-
tion, but which Narace claims is expected
to be finished by mid next year.
Narace said Ellis Don was contracted as
Construction Manager (CM) of the centre
and given a budget of $151 million. He said
to date there has been a 19 per cent overall
escalation of this sum.
Narace said in July 2007, Ellis Don sub-
mitted a revised budget of $240,915,649,
which the Government rejected and in-
structed be reconsidered.
"Ellis Don has indicated that he is unable
to do so," said Narace,adding that the Gov-
ernment is now exploring other options to
complete the construction of the centre
within the approved budget and schedule.
Indo-Caribbean Times
Violence stalks
the Caribbean:
there is no
solution in sight
By Darcus Howe
(Published 21 February 2008 in 'The New
Statesman' weekly magazine (UK)
We need some international body, per-
haps Unesco, to throw its weight behind a
Caribbean-wide rescue operation.
Only a few days ago a friend of mine
brought back, from his Carnival holidays in
Trinidad and Tobago, a tape-recorded copy
of a radio programme broadcast at peak
time.
It is a typical American-style, jock-radio
call-in programme. The presenter posed the
question: Should the government summon
the army and the police to surround the
working-class communities around the cap-
ital, to pick up those young men who are
exterminating each other by the gun and ex-
ecute them, leaving their dead bodies to lit-
ter the alleyways?
The calls came in fast and furious. Apart
from a dissenting handful of citizens, all the
callers shouted down the phone lines that
mass, state murder was the only solution.
Today, in that tiny island state, the na-
tional pastime is the body count. It is run-
ning at one per day, and if a day passes
without incident, be certain that the num-
bers will return to normal over the next cou-
ple of days.
Only a few weeks ago, two gangs fought
with such ferocity that the residents of
Laventille, a small community, were pic-
tured packing their belongings and fleeing
to wherever they could find refuge. Three
homes were burned to the ground; the dead
bodies of young men lay among the ruins.
I grew up in those areas of Port of Spain
where social peace no longer exists. Along-
side the working classes lived a lower mid-
dle class – teachers, civil servants at the
bottom end of the scale, police officers and
a whole raft of tradesmen.
They have all migrated to middle-class
ghettos, leaving a generation of young peo-
ple to drift alone, poisoned by degenerate
American street culture. Churches are
empty, funeral homes thrive.
Hundreds of children leave school for
ever at the end of primary education. Free
secondary education is without content and
offers no curriculum that explains who the
students are and where they have come
from.
Thousands of children drift in the dark,
left to imbibe the garbage emitted from
DVDs imported from the United States of
America.
It is a diet of pure and unadulterated vio-
lence.On the other hand, the middle classes
have supped from the poisoned chalice of
American materialism. Governments are
mired in corruption.
There is no solution in sight from within
these tiny island states.
A visit to Trinidad (From page 6)
I asked several people where they saw
the security situation in Trinidad five or ten
years down the line. Most said they could-
n't bear to think about that, but thought it
would be worse.
The next question was obvious. Who ex-
actly is causing the security crisis in
Trinidad. No difficulty with the answer
there. It was young black men mostly from
the East-West corridor and some black set-
tlements in Central and South Trinidad. It
was black youth who had dropped out of
school or had no passes, who didn't want to
work for pennies in groceries and gas sta-
tions, but had champagne tastes and empty
pockets. They were dispossessed and angry
young men who would make their living off
the rest of society, by guns and gangs and
drugs.
asked if there weren't Indian young men
in a similar condition from Pasea and Bam-
boo Settlement and Chaguanas who were
also forming armed gangs and robbing
other citizens. Not to any extent, it seems.
My next questions appeared to me to be a
follow up. What was the size of this mob of
criminal black youth? Were they growing
or declining in number? To my astonish-
ment, nobody had any idea. Panday said he
hadn't a clue, Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj
said he hadn't looked at that, so I gave him
his homework to do.
The police had talked of 85 gangs and
1,700 odd members, but that could hardly
be the real figure. Was it 3,000, 5,000,
10,000 or even 20,000? A few ventured
guesses of over 10,000, with annual addi-
tions of several hundred of the thousands
who exited the secondary school system
without qualifications.
I had to say to myself that these Trinis
are mad. A school of piranhas are chewing
at their rear ends every day and they
wouldn't even find out the size and nature
of the beasties. No wonder they are com-
pletely lost about solutions to their crime
and security problem. The police are no
better. One man told me confidently that
over 905 of the police are corrupt or work-
ing with the criminals. They are openly los-
ing the fight against the criminals, as crimes
are going unreported, detection rate and
conviction rates are embarassing in the ex-
treme. Witnesses to crimes are being
gunned down or losing their memories in
court. There appears to be a police death
squad that is simply eliminating criminals
they cannot convict in court, a development
privately welcomed by the population at
large. All of the “community leaders” (read
gang leaders) who met with Prime Minister
Manning a few years ago to sign a peace
Industrial Unit for Sub-Lease
2000 square feet
Lowest rates in the area
Mixed office & workplace
2395 Cawthra Road, Mississuga
(at Queensway)
Call Amit at 905-275-2717
MARCH 2008 Page 6
treaty are now dead. Gangs in Port of Spain
are warring about the abundant URP mil-
lions provided by the government and the
equally large millions in the drug trade.
Everybody knows it. Nobody can do any-
thing about it. That was my last word on the
security
When I asked Indians about the condition
of the Indians in Trinidad, the first reaction
was often that they were born in Trinidad
and they would stay and fight. They were
not running away (like me) to live in the
white man country in snow and ice. After
that bit of bravado they would usually
admit that Indians were in a poor position.
Politically they were again in the wilder-
ness with little hope for regaining the gov-
ernment. Economically they seemed to be
taking a back seat to the Syrians and the
French Creoles who dominated the bigger
businesses. Kidnappers and extortionists
were bleeding the Indian business people,
and their economic clout was negligible.
But business was still good and there was
much money to be made, so they endured
and sent their children abroad with instruc-
tions not to return. The middle class and
poorer Indians faced the daily grind of dis-
crimination and neglect, with no place to
go. It was very difficult to get visitor visas
to Canada and the United States and next to
impossible to get resident visas.
Even more disturbing was the fact that
there was almost no debate and protest
about the way Indians were being treated in
employment, in promotion, in public spend-
ing on their residential areas, in cultural
neglect. People shook their heads and said
simply that nobody was speaking out for In-
dians. There is not even a semblance of
unity among Indians on working for the
betterment of the community as a whole. It
was worse than the seventies and eighties.
Truly I said to myself that I don't know this
Trinidad, and I don't like it very much ei-
ther.
Turning to the prices in Trinidad was
even more of a wakeup call that times had
changed. Cheese was selling for $54.99 a
kilo in HI-LO. The landlady where I stayed
said a lady in the HI-LO line in front of her
had paid $3,000 for a single grocert cart of
food. A Toyoto Corolla was selling for
$140,000. My old house in Curepe was
worth a million dollars. Building costs had
jumped beyond reach, said my uncle. For
me the prices in the grocery seemed to be
on average six times what we paid in Cana-
dian dollars- not bad if you were paying
with Canadian dollars but not so good for
them unless they were getting six times our
salaries . (CONT’D IN NEXT ISSUE)
More heart surgery
GUYANA NEWS
at home saves lives
J
Janet Yassin in fine shape after surgery
ust days after they had open heart sur-
gery and were cleared to go home, Janet
Yassin and Ramnaught Sanichar, were last
week testifying to their new health and
strength and the advances in local medical
care.
Consumed with gratitude for Dr Gary
Stephens and his team at the Caribbean
Heart Institute, Georgetown Public Hospi-
tal, Yassin and Sanichar said they were for-
tunate to have had quality medical care
right at home. Sanichar, so overwhelmed
with emotions, fought back tears while
counting his blessings.
"This right here is a blessing and what
they are doing here is really something, I
am really grateful," Sanichar told a local
paper last week.
Sanichar had double bypass surgery ear-
lier this month as part of the second round
of open heart surgeries while Yassin had a
heart valve replacement surgery. Another
patient, Makebarran Ramdin had a single
bypass surgery.
Referring to himself as an ordinary car-
penter from Industry, East Coast Demerara,
Sanichar said, things were not so good in
his life several months ago. He described
months of agonizing pain, which started
mid last year and intensified. The pain was
so great that he was forced to quit working.
He was diagnosed with a heart condition
and advised to do surgery but the service
was not yet available in the country.
Sanichar prayed and hope for the opera-
tion and was later informed that CHI was
in the process of offering open heart sur-
gery. According to him, that was the most
important piece of news anyone had give
him in a long, long time.
Though he was placed on the list he was
not initially guaranteed an early date for
surgery. But he waited patiently and his turn
came. Sanichar related that he was not over-
exuberant but he was pretty happy that the
time for surgery had arrived.
"I feel like a new man and I am looking
forward to returning to work," he said grin-
ning before getting serious and pointing out
that he is aware the recovery will be a long
one. But that does not stop him from hoping
and feeling optimistic about the future. As
for him feeling like a new man, he said, the
heart feels new.
Sanichar repeatedly praised the staff at
CHI and he called Dr Stephens, "the best".
He said Dr Stephens' calm attitude and ap-
proach made him feel right at home at CHI,
adding that there was never any moment of
doubt about whether he would have come
out of the surgery okay. In fact, Sanichar
said, he was certain that he would be walk-
Indo-Caribbean Times
ing around two days after and he was right
about that.
The thought of going home and not hav-
ing to worry about sleepless nights and
aching pains throughout the day was fore-
most on Sanichar's mind. He said the fam-
ily was waiting to meet 'the new Sanichar'
and he was waiting to meet them.
Janet Yassin was in a reflective mood
when she spoke. . She choked up a few
times while recalling how uncertain her life
was nearly a year ago when it was con-
firmed that she needed surgery almost im-
mediately if she had any chance of
surviving. At that time, there was no realis-
tic way that such was possible.
Yassin, who is the first Guyanese to have
valve replacement surgery done in the
country, said she spent an excessive amount
of time worrying about her health given that
the prognosis was not so good but there was
hope. She was a patient at CHI and was op-
timistic they would make the surgery ac-
cessible locally.
Yassin, who lives at North Road, said the
surgery changed and saved her life. She was
full of praise for Dr Stephens referring to
him as "heaven sent" and his team as the
best any patient can ask for. According to
her, CHI offers the care and comfort that is
needed to get through critical times.
CHI, which commenced operations
nearly two years ago, completed the first
local open heart surgery in October last
year.
Letter to the Editor
The editor,
Police are right to lock up Oliver Hinck-
son for his stupid comments at a press con-
ference last month. They should lock up
Hamilton Green too for arranging to give
Hinckson the mike to make such com-
ments. I can't believe the audacity of this
man Hinckson to suggest that government
open up a discourse with the insurgents
who have murdered innocent people in
Lusignan and Bartica, and so called disen-
chanted people in Buxton. And Hinckson is
double brass faced to offer to risk his life
and "venture into and assist in some kind of
negotiation between the government and
the disenchanted."
No government negotiates with terrorists
and murderers unless it is weak and help-
less. Hinckson knows this as well as every-
body else. Why should government start
negotiation with "disenchanted" in Buxton?
Hinckson is treating Buxton as if it were
a sovereign nation with a greviance instead
of a nest of bandits supported by the oppo-
sition PNC. Aren't there disenchanted peo-
ple in Craboo Creek and Hog Island? But
they aren't shooting up people with AK 47's
and terrorising the communities around
them, so Hinckson doesn't care for govern-
ment to negotiate with them.
The bottom line is that Hinckson is say-
ing people who commit vicious crimes and
insurgency against the government should
be rewarded with negotiations with gov-
ernment and probably some fat plums to
keep quiet. That is treason talk in my book.
Reward the insurgents with bullets and the
criminal disenchanted with prime time in
jail next to Oliver Hinckson.
Samaroo Persaud
Toronto
via e-mail
Fisherman missing at
sea: crew in custody
F our members of a fishing crew are in
police custody following the disappear-
ance of another crewmember during a fish-
ing trip.
A statement from the police said that they
are investigating a missing person report
made involving 34-year-old fisherman,
Arnold Looknauth of South Better Hope,
East Coast Demerara.
The statement said that initial investiga-
tions have revealed that Looknauth left in
a boat with four other men from the Better
Hope Foreshore to go fishing. "It is re-
ported that during the night of March 14,
2008, while at sea, he went to the rear of
the boat to answer a call of nature and has
not been seen since", the police said.
The other four members of the fishing
crew are in police custody assisting with the
investigations, the statement added.
Third robbery at
AH & L Kissoon
Armed bandits once again struck the
AH&L Kissoon Limited, Industrial Site,
Ruimveldt location recently, holding the
staff at gunpoint and grabbing over $2M in
cash and cheques before escaping in a wait-
ing motor vehicle.
The company has been hit by a string of
robberies in recent times and the latest at-
tack occurred at around 2 pm and was per-
petrated by three slick bandits who posed
as workers of a telephone company to enter
the building.
A police release stated that investigations
revealed that the three bandits posed as
workers attached to the utility company and
entered the building where they held the ac-
countant and several staff members at gun-
point. They then took away $2.2M in cash
and cheques and escaped in a waiting
motor vehicle.
The police were called and responded but
did not manage to catch anyone.
On November 20 last year two armed
men entered the company's building at In-
dustrial Site, Ruimveldt, where they held
the staff at gunpoint and grabbed close to
$1M dollars before escaping.
According to reports, around 10 am on
the said date the two men, who were neatly
dressed, entered the company's Ruimveldt
location posing as customers and held the
staff in the personnel department at gun-
point.
The robbers entered the office, where
they ransacked several drawers and a safe.
They then made their way out of the com-
pound, jumped onto two waiting motorcy-
cles and rode off.
Just six days earlier two employees of the
company's Camp and Robb streets location
were attacked and robbed while they were
about to deposit the day's sales at Republic
Bank.
A lone gunman grabbed a bag containing
some $945,000 from one of the employees
just as he was approaching the bank. In his
escape bid the magazine from the bandit's
weapon fell at the scene and it was later
picked up by the police.
Back in 2005, the company suffered from
a similar attack.
In August 2005, a $1.5 million payroll
was snatched from employees near the then
National Bank of Industry and Commerce.
MARCH 2008 Page 8
New copters,
rifles & security
plan are coming
T
he Guyana Defence Force (GDF) will
receive $1 billion (US$5M) this year
to purchase helicopters to aid in the fight
against crime.
So said President Bharrat Jagdeo recently,
according a press release from the Govern-
ment Information Agency (GINA). He said
that the funds will be facilitated through the
2008 National Budget to be presented in
the National Assembly on Monday. At the
going rate this figure could purchase at least
two helicopters which the security forces
badly need to confront crime. With crime
spiralling out of control in recent years and
in the wake of the January 26 massacre at
Lusignan, government has come under
heavy pressure to up the crime fight.
He said that close to $1B is being put into
the budget to buy helicopters with spot-
lights and a whole range of equipment. But
he noted that the money is limited.
"I can understand sometimes the frustra-
tion but people have to make sacrifices if
they want security, they cannot say to me
they want 50 roads and then spend money
on helicopters too," Jagdeo said.
At present, a number of the army's air-
craft are unserviceable including the Bell
412 helicopter, which was one of the mili-
tary's main machines. It was reported some
months ago that out of seven aircraft only
two were serviceable.
The fleet is made up of two Skyvans,
three planes and two helicopters. However,
only one Shorts Skyvan remains in service
and is operated along with a Harbin Y-12
Turbo Panda plane, acquired from a Chi-
nese aircraft manufacturer in early 2002.
For many years the Bell 412 helicopter,
which stopped working over a year ago,
had been the sole helicopter in use, until it
was augmented by a pair of Rotorway Exec
162F helicopters in 2004 and 2005, which
were locally assembled.
Sources close to the Air Corps unit said
that among the out-of-service aircraft in ad-
dition to the Bell 412 helicopter, is another
Skyvan as well as two other airplanes.
The release said that the funding will be
facilitated through the Guyana Police
Force's capital projects budget and some of
the provisions are expected to take care of
the marine wing of the force to tackle
piracy.
Also more high powered rifles will be
purchased. Meanwhile, the President in re-
sponse to calls by opposition political par-
ties for Government to present a
comprehensive security plan has made it
clear that his Government is open to sug-
gestions for the current plan.
"We are open to suggestions that are not
a part of the security plan. We are not get-
ting suggestions, what we are getting from
the opposition is a new security plan. There
is one that they have seen and it has several
points, so we are prepared to add new
things," he said.
But he said that it wasn't a new plan on
paper that is needed but people in the secu-
rity forces. "We need better intelligence but
intelligence just doesn't drop from the sky.
Jagdeo said that while Government is
committed to fighting crime and putting the
necessary resources into the security forces,
"Guyanese mustunderstand the sacrifices
that have to be made to assist in this re-
gard."
 Politicizing Race in Guyana
GUYANA NEWS
By Roop Misir, PhD
Background
Our country prides itself in the motto:
“The Land of Six Peoples”. To onlookers,
the people of Guyana live harmoniously.
They work side-by-side in villages where
they toil in farms, rice fields and sugar es-
tates. In factories and mills, they use their
hands and talents to manufacture some of
the finest goods. All of them are educated
in schools that promote racial equality. And
over the years, there have been noticeable
signs of racial integration. All of which
leads one to conclude: Guyanese have
grown to understand fellow citizens.
But is this really true?
In the 1950s and 60s, our people strug-
gled, and in 1966 finally won political in-
dependence from Britain. Just about that
time, the facade of racial harmony gave
way to racial pride. There was the recogni-
tion that black was beautiful, and that poli-
tics meant true power. Therefore Africans
must take charge after the British left. Also,
Indians weren’t returning to India as some
were hoping. Rather, they would to live as
citizens and participate in building the in-
dependent nation. Perhaps this didn’t fare
too well with the more assertive elements
of the population. These new developments
would set the stage to test the veneer of
racial harmony.
Some may ask: Why?
Politicizing Race
With independence from Britain immi-
nent, it became clear that the new country
would inherit a winner-takes-all Westmin-
ster system of government. This meant that
the party in power would also be in charge,
and the losing party relegated to the oppo-
sition benches, effectively shutting them
from power.
Since 1947, Dr. Cheddi B. Jagan worked
tirelessly to unite the different races of the
country. In 1953, the multiracial Peoples’
Progressive Party (PPP) won an over-
whelming victory at the first General Elec-
tions under universal suffrage. However,
the PPP soon splintered into a faction to be
led by Mr. LFS Burnham whose group later
became the Peoples’ National Congress
(PNC). Its support base was mainly African
Guyanese. Despite its setback, the multira-
cial PPP continued to win every election
until 1961. Then a new electoral system of
Proportional Representation (PR) was in-
troduced to replace the traditional first past
the post system. Not surprisingly, at the
next General Election in 1964, the PPP re-
ceived the largest number of seats but failed
to secure more than 50% of the total votes
cast. The PPP claimed that it was “Cheated
not Defeated”.
Cold War and Communism
In those days of the Cold War, PR was
perhaps as one peaceful way to defeat the
pro-Communist PPP. With this party de-
feated and morally weakened, the pro-
African PNC formed a coalition with the
pro-business United Force (UF) under the
Indo-Caribbean Times
leadership of popular Portuguese Guyanese
businessman Mr. Peter D’Aguiar. This
coalition was invited by the Governor to
form the new government.
Thus for the first time ever, race did affect
the balance of power in Guyana. For the
PNC at least, the racial polarization helped
them secure votes and political power in the
newly independent Guyana. Here again as
elsewhere, the colonial time-tested strategy
of “divide and rule” worked well. The “so-
cialist” PNC was in charge, and the pro-
communist PPP booted out. A few years
later the UF left the coalition, leaving the
PNC alone in charge. It was like a dream
come true. The PNC then established the
Cooperative Republic, which controlled al-
most every sector of the economy. With few
checks and fewer balances, the PNC dished
out goodies to their supporters, mainly
African Guyanese. Only token crumbs
managed to reach other races.
As Indian Guyanese became increasingly
marginalized, many had no alternative but
to depart to any foreign country willing to
take them. With no place in the power struc-
ture, they were effectively shut out of gov-
ernment.
For twenty-eight long years, the African-
dominated PNC ruled the country an iron
hand. President-for-life
LFS Burnham reigned supreme as the
“Kabaka” (King). Under his leadership, the
rigging of Guyanese elections was per-
fected into a fine art. Was it any wonder that
his supporters became so disenchanted
when things started to get tough? Since the
Kabaka’s victory at the polls was never in
doubt, even his own supporters lost interest
in voting. For example, at a subsequent
General Election, only 3% of those regis-
tered bothered to vote. But yet, the PNC se-
cured a whopping 95% of the votes cast to
secure a stunning victory! Was it to any-
one’s surprise that as time went on, the
work of Parliament was reduced to a farce?
Or as one prominent opposition MP echoed
was it, a “rass”? Long live the Kabaka!
Restoration of Democracy
Apparently, everything eventually comes to
an end. Guyanese were more than fed up
with the dictatorial racist PNC regime and
demanded change. Thanks to agitation from
Guyanese (of all races) both at home and
abroad, this undemocratic black dictator-
ship finally came to an end in 1992. The
election brought to office the PPP/C, a mul-
tiracial coalition with the PPP being the
major partner. As expected, there were un-
bridled euphoria and tremendous excite-
ment at the defeat of the incompetent and
self-serving PNC regime. The days of the
Co-operative Republic of Guyana, the
PNC’s stranglehold on the national econ-
omy and the universally hated National
Service all came to an abrupt end. After
what they’d gone through, Guyanese ex-
pected changes for the better. But by then,
more Guyanese had already been settled
abroad than those living at home. There-
fore, one result was that our country was
deprived of their talents and capital. Thus, it
would take time for this debt-laden country
to get back on its financial feet. However, a
few years later, the passing of the much
loved and highly respected President and
Father of the Nation, Dr. Cheddi Jagan was
a loss to the country. Not unexpectedly, the
honeymoon for the PPP period faded
quickly.
Guyana at the Crossroads
Many of us may wish to interpret these
changes as signs of better times to come.
However, after nearly forty-two years of in-
dependence from Britain, are we currently
witnessing an unraveling of the fabric of
racial cohesion in our country? Is the other
motto: “One People, One Nation, One Des-
tiny” quickly losing its relevance?
Perhaps a look at recent events may be of
interest.
Only last month, most Guyanese were
appalled by cold-blooded massacres—first
at Lusignan where people of Indian origin
were targeted. One week later, came Bar-
tica massacre where Guyanese of many
races lost their lives. As usual, the PPP/C
government attributed these incidents to the
work of criminal elements and bandits. Of
course, not everyone shares this view.
Who may be behind the crimes and the
massacres? Sure the Police often make
token arrests to allay public fears, but only
to release those arrested for the lack of ev-
idence.
Are these and other criminal acts random
or centrally directed? Are these acts the
work of career criminals? Or are these the
work of those who refuse to accept the out-
come in democratic elections for Parlia-
ment, and now choose the bullet to the
ballot?
This much we do know:
Shortly after 1992 General Elections, the
defeated PNC President Desmond Hoyte
wasn’t happy with the results. He then be-
came a critic of the “Indo-Guyanese politi-
cal establishment”, symbolized by Dr.
Cheddi B. Jagan and his American-born
wife, Janet, who succeeded him as presi-
dent in 1998. Opponents often accused Mr.
Hoyte of trying to make Guyana ungovern-
able through protests over the supposed ex-
clusion of Afro-Guyanese from important
political posts.
(http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html
?res=9806E6D8163FF93AA15751C1A96
49C8B63).
As the situation has developed ever since,
fears of “more fire” and “slow fire” haven’t
been exaggerated!
Violence against Indians
Those of us who lived through the 1960’s
can attest to those turbulent years when a
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single day seemed like an age! For the
younger generation, a review of history
books suggests that attacks on Indians were
nothing new. During the 1964 Wismar “dis-
turbances”, Indians were killed and others
forced to leave the Mackenzie-Wismar
(Linden) area. Was this massacre and the
forced departure of survivors a classic ex-
ample of “ethnic cleansing”? And was it an
organized plan to drive Indians away from
an “African” area? Certainly, Guyana is be-
coming infamous for many things. Since
1998, violence against Indians has been on
the rise. Are acts of violence meant for po-
litical purposes on the increase?
Africans the Rightful Heirs
Are acts of violence against Indians in
Guyana of recent origins? Not really. This
time though the violence may be politi-
cized. Starting in the middle of the last cen-
tury and more recent times in Lusignan, the
continuing violence targeting Indians sug-
gests a political motive for the violence: the
idea that Africans are the rightful inheritors
of the after British, and that they are being
“dispossessed” of their inheritance by Indi-
ans. Some elements apparently still view
Indians as aliens, or at best should be sec-
ond-class citizens, with no right to govern a
Guyana that rightfully belongs to Africans.
True, politicians of Indian ancestry are in
the ruling multiracial PPP/C, but this party
seems to be in office only, and not neces-
sarily wielding power. Thanks to those with
a racial mindset that refuses to accept the
results of democratic elections?
The fact of the matter is that despite the
continuing exodus, the numerical superior-
ity of Indians coupled with free and fair
elections all present a threat to those
Africans who dream of dominating Guyana
as in the “Kabaka” days. But really, are vi-
olent acts against Indians helping their
cause?
The dilemma facing Indians has been in
the making for 170 years now. Racial cohe-
sion and superficial harmony are being
tested in the “Land of Six Peoples”. As
Guyanese share the same space and coun-
try, are there valid reasons for us all to work
towards the ideal of “One People, One Na-
tion, One Destiny?
At the present time, Quo vadis? Where
are we headed?
[Dr. Roop Misir is an Indo-Guyanese
Canadian Teacher with the Toronto District
School Board. Readers may wish to contact
him at roop.misir@gmail.com]
Solving your debt Study Permits and
BUSINESS
problems can be done Working in Canada
By Ijaz Hosein
It seems that every time you turn around
someone is trying to help you solve your
debt problem. If so many people want to
help you there must be something in it for
them. It’s all about risk versus returns. The
higher the risk the higher the potential re-
turn. You might even feel like it’s no big
deal because someone will always be call-
ing you to help with your debt problem.
Let’s go over the ABC’s of credit.
Credit is like a drivers licence. You know
the saying “driving is a privilege, not a
right” well the same can be said for your
credit. You have to earn the credit that is
being offered. Every time you miss your
bill payments there is a hit to your credit
score. When this happens and you want to
borrow money, the lenders charge you a
penalty so your cost to borrow is increased.
Much like what demerit points does for
your car insurance. We treat our license like
gold but our credit rating gets tossed around
like an old rag doll. When you are driving
you would obey all the traffic laws because
failing to do so could result in the loss of
your license. It’s right there in front of your
face, all the time. Your credit rating is not so
visible so you may not think twice before
having that home theatre system installed
or taking that expensive trip or buying the
new car or doing the home renovation or
getting the expensive jewellery because,
let’s face it the home theatre is not
$6000.00, no--, it’s just $180.00 per month
and surely honey, we are making good
money, so we can afford that. That Paris trip
is not $10000.00, no--, its just $300.00 per
month and surely, we can afford that. The
new car is just $750.00 per month and the
home renovation is just $600.00 per month
and surely we can afford those.
These small amounts add up pretty fast and
before you know it most of your income is
going to service the debt that you have ac-
cumulated, so you call that guy, the one
who has been nagging you to solve your
debt problem. Hand it over to the pro and
presto, you are consolidated, and although
your mortgage is higher, you were able to
reduce your total interest costs and lower
your monthly payments. It didn’t do much
for you net worth though but it did free up
those credit cards so let’s go out and spend
some more.
A few weeks ago I read an article “when
worst case scenario becomes reality” in
which a young couple found themselves in
a similar situation to the one above except
that the young man was let go from his job
and his wife was at home with a 10 day old
baby. The advisors started hacking away at
everything deemed non essential, from
ATM fees to take out and coffee (everyone
wants you to skip the life saving, sanity
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Indo-Caribbean Times
keeping coffee). They were advised to ne-
gotiate to extend the amortization period on
the mortgage, consolidate a high interest
loan into a line of credit and sell the second
car( have you ever tried to negotiate with a
bank when you are unemployed?)
It seems to me that it will be very difficult
for him to find a job without the conven-
ience of a car and for sure not without the
coffee.
If this couple had been proactive and en-
tered into a wealthbooster plan not only will
they survive this glitch but they will shine
through it. The plan is so flexible that the
monthly payments can be adjusted down-
ward. Nothing will be sold, hacked or ex-
tended and this couple could focus on
getting back to work. Don’t you think that
this will make life less stressful for this cou-
ple? For now I can offer a consolidation,
but wait, they are unemployed, sorry, try the
building at the end of the street with the big
sign out front. It says “BANKRUPTCY”
Ijaz Hosein is a financial adviser with
Boosterlink financial Inc.. He can be
reached at 647-401-1608 or at
ihosein@boosterlink.com
$424 m sent back
home by overseas
Guyanese
Overseas Guyanese are sending back US
$424 million each year to their home
country, equivalent to 43% of the Gross
Domestic Product (GDP). The GDP is the
value of all goods and services produced
in a country.
A report from the BBC says that the
amount of money sent back home last
year by millions of Latin Americans
working abroad grew at the slowest rate in
nearly a decade, partly due to the eco-
nomic turndown in the US.
Despite the decline, the total amount of
money sent home by Latin Americans is
still huge - $66.5bn in 2007. And the fig-
ure is larger than the amount of money
Latin America received in direct foreign
investment and official development assis-
tance together.
Overseas Guyanese were among the most
important to their home country, with
Haitians coming next at : $1.8 billion in
remittances or 35% of GDP. Hondurans
sent back $2.5 billion or 25% of GDP,
immigrants from El Salvador sent back
$3.6 billion or 18% of GDP, Jamaicans re-
mitted $1.9 billion or 18% of GDP and
Mexicans sent back $23.9 billion or 2-3%
of GDP
MARCH 2008 Page 10
By Balwant Persaud
This article focuses on Study Permits and
students who wish to work whilst studying.
Before you can apply for a study permit,
you must have been accepted at a recog-
nized school, university or college in
Canada.
You must prove that you have enough
money to pay for your tuition fees, living
expenses, health coverage and return air
fare to your country of origin.
You must satisfy an immigration officer
that you will leave Canada when you have
completed your studies.
If you want to extend your stay in
Canada as a student, you must complete the
Application to Change Conditions in Institutions that have signed an off-campus
Canada or Extend Your Stay in Canada. work agreement with their provincial or ter-
You should apply for a renewal at least 30 ritorial government will also qualify.
days before your current permit expires. To work off campus, you must apply for
If you apply for a renewal of your study a work permit. Do not begin to work off
permit, and the permit expires before you campus until you have received your work
receive an answer, you can continue to permit. The work permit authorizes you to
study in Canada under the same conditions work up to 20 hours per week during regu-
until you receive a decision. lar academic sessions, and fulltime during
You may work on campus at the institu- scheduled breaks, for example, winter and
tion where you study without a work per- summer holidays, and spring break.
mit if you are a full-time student at a public For some academic programs, work ex-
post-secondary institution, such as a col- perience is part of the curriculum. Foreign
students who wish to participate in a co-op
lege, university or a private post-secondary
institution that operates under the same or internship program must apply for a
work permit as well as a study permit. If
rules and regulations as a public institution.
A Canadian private institution authorized you want to work in Canada after you grad-
uate from your studies, you must apply for
by provincial statute to confer degrees also
a work permit under the Post-Graduation
qualifies to hire students with a valid study
permit. Work Permit Program.
The Off-Campus Work Permit Program The Post-Graduation Work Permit Pro-
allows certain foreign students to work off gram allows students who have graduated
campus while completing their studies. To from a participating Canadian post-sec-
qualify, you must be a fulltime student en- ondary institution to gain valuable Cana-
rolled at a participating publicly funded dian work experience in their field of
post-secondary educational institution or instudies. This program allows all partici-
an approved program at an eligible pri- pants to work up to one year in the Mon-
vately funded institution. treal, Toronto or Vancouver areas, and to
work up to two years everywhere else in
Canada.
Balwant Persaud is a Certified Immigration Consultant and a Member of The Canadian
Society of Immigration Consultants. For answers to your problems on this forum, send
all enquiries to balwantpersaud@yahoo.ca
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Guyana stalemate (From Page 1)
Authorities had sought to link both to
wanted man, Rondell 'Fineman,' Rawlins,
who had threatened days prior to the Lusig-
nan killings that he would create mayhem
if his pregnant, common-law wife, Tenisha
Morgan, was not returned safely after she
went missing on January 18. His threats had
coincided with the ambushing of an army
patrol the same night on the Buxton railway
embankment during which time a soldier
was killed. Two days later the police head-
quarters was attacked and early the next day
the 11 people were slain at Lusignan.
Several persons were quick to make a
connection between Lusignan and Bartica
because of the number of people who were
killed. However, Brigadier, (Rtd), David
Granger said that "What we are looking at
is a pattern in which heavily-armed gang-
sters are capable of creating mayhem."
A former national security advisor,
Granger said that the pattern of mass
killings did not start at Lusignan, noting
that it went back as far as the carnage in
Agricola, Eccles and the shooting at Kai-
eteur News printery. He said that criminals
seem to have now adopted a new pattern of
killing and this may not be peculiar to any
one group. It is not the first time that men
linked to the drugs trade have been accused
of engaging in other criminal activities.
Two recent high-profile robberies in the
Guyana jungle were said to be the work of
drug-linked operatives.
Indo-Caribbean Times MARCH 2008 Page 11
weapons from the station and then moved RURAL DEVELOPMENT ON
Educational and Recreational Opportu-
into the community where they robbed a SUGAR ESTATES IN GUIANA nities
number of places. (From Page 12)
At Lusignan there was clearly no inten-
tion to rob the residents. In the case of Bar- Members of the Educational Councils
Others have arranged courses lasting six which function through the community cen-
tica, observers believe that apart from the
to eight weeks on local government and tres decide what is needed to try to meet
policemen who were killed at the police sta-
have invited some persons knowledgeable the educational needs in two ways. They
tion the other nine people who were slain
on the subject to conduct them. Under the arrange a series of popular lectures by well-
might have been in the criminals' way. Six
guidance of the Welfare Officer, the mem- known people on subjects of general in-
men were lined up and shot dead on the
bers take charge of the proceedings, plan terest, such as health, sanitation,
ferry stelling and this occurred as the gun-
the programme, introduce the speaker and co-operation, etc., to which the whole com-
men were leaving the area.
keep records. All this is good training if and munity is invited , and they enlist the help
Some residents believe that they were
when the areas are taken into the Local Au- of teachers and other people with special
killed because they saw the gunmen's faces
thority, and if they are not it will still be skills and knowledge who undertake to
and because they were all boatmen who
good training in leadership and will help to conduct regular classes for those who wish
could have easily tracked them down. Sev-
break the old tradition of dependence on to study such things as arithmetic, book-
eral Barticians have pointed to possible
management for everything.It has not been keeping, English, economics, etc. These
links between the criminals and members
easy to get the people to form Tenants' As- are, of course, limited by the number of
of their community. Some residents also
sociations. And some of them are still very voluntary helpers available in the vicin-
suggested that some of the killers appeared
hesitant because they are very suspicious of ity.One more ambitious council sponsored
to be in their late 30s and even 40s. At least
innovations and are afraid that it is a first classes is to enable under-privileged boys
one of the gunmen wore a pair of slippers
step towards the Local Authority, under to study for the G.C.E. To date it is not pos-
Killed in the attack were Bartica resi-
which for the first time in their lives they sible to report any passes, but it shows that
dents Edwin Gilkes, Dexter Adrian and Irv-
will be called upon to pay rates and taxes. the people are beginning gradually to real-
ing Ferreira; policemen Zaheer Zakir,
If through the Tenants' Associations we ize that by their own efforts they can sup-
Shane Fredericks and Ron Osborne. De-
could instil into the residents a feeling of plement Government and other services to
onarine Singh of Wakenaam; Ronald
belonging and foster a social consciousness satisfy their own needs.
Gomes ( Kuru Kururu); Ashraf Khan (Es-
so that they will take pride in their housing
sequibo; Abdool Yaseen; Errol Thomas
(Essequibo); and Baldeo Singh of Montrose
area, and develop a sense of responsibility (Concludes in April issue of
for what happens in it, we shall have
were shot execution style on the Transport
achieved something of lasting value. Indo-Caribbean Times)
and Harbours Stelling.

Modus operandi

From all reports, the killers at Lusignan

announced their arrival with wild shooting,
randomly targeting homes where they exe-
cuted their victims. A relative of the
Thomases, one of the families targeted had
told this newspaper that the gunmen pushed
down their doors and began firing wildly.
The relative said the criminals asked no
questions. This was the pattern throughout
the hour-long rampage in the community.
Residents were unanimous that the gunmen
escaped via the canefields, a mode typical
of the gunmen operating out of Buxton.
Security experts have remarked that it was
fair to assume that the killers at Lusignan
were linked to the Buxton/Agricola gang
since there was ballistics evidence linking
weapons used in other attacks allegedly
committed by the criminals from those
communities.
The police had recovered an AK-47 rifle
used in Lusignan slayings when they shot
two gunmen during a dusk operation in
Buxton a few days after the Lusignan inci-
dent. Using ballistics tests, authorities also
linked the weapons used at Lusignan to
those that killed Agriculture Minister,
Satyadeow Sawh, two of his siblings - all
three naturalized Canadian citizens - and a
security guard in April 2006. The AK-47
rifle, retrieved from gunman Troy St John,
was also said to have been used in killing
several of the four men, two women, three
boys and two girls who died at Lusignan
. Police further explained that 35 spent
shells found at the Lusignan scene matched
18 other spent shells found at the scene of
the April 2006 killing of Sawh, who was
also a former Guyana Ambassador to
Venezuela.
The gunmen had invaded Sawh's home
with almost military precision shortly after
he, his brother Rajpat Sawh and sister Pul-
mattie Persaud had returned from a late-
night family function. His wife, who hid in
the bathroom, and two sons who were not at
home escaped the grisly attack.
At Bartica, the gunmen first attacked the
police station, ensuring that the lawmen
were immobilized. They proceeded to steal
GUYANA REPORT
RURAL DEVELOPMENT
ON SUGAR ESTATES IN
GUYANA
(From Page 16)
and when they were encountere the wide
gulf in the living conditions and socal
amenities between town and estate life
made it difficult to attract them. Having re-
cruited candidates, the problems of training
them had to be faced. We have experi-
mented with short periods of training in the
United Kingdom and in Puerto Rico, but
they had to rely to a great extent upon in-
service training. By quarterly conferences
and week-end residential refresher courses.
We endeavour to improve their training and
efficiency and renew their faith in and en-
thusiasm for their work. We are eagerly
looking forward to the establishment of the
proposed training course for social workers
at the University College of the West Indies.
Community Centres and Group Activi-
ties
Well-equipped community centres
and playing fields have been built on most
of the estates, with money granted from the
Labour Welfare Fund. Some of these are
beautiful but not functional, and others,
while leaving much to be desired from an
aesthetic point of view, serve more effec-
tively the purpose for which they are in-
tended. (We still hope to be able to combine
these two features.) The community centre
is often the only building on the estate with
any pretense to beauty, and they may be
considered as symbolic of a new deal for
sugar workers. In all cases, efforts are made
to keep them bright and attractive, as ex-
perience has shown that young people are
easily lured by the bright lights and chrome
fittings of less desirable places of enter-
tainment. I believe that the appearance and
atmosphere of community centres have a
great influence upon the use which is made
of them. There is already too much drab-
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Indo-Caribbean Times
ness and monotony in the daily life of the
worker as it is.
We have had to face the fact that
the Indian mothers will not allow their
daughters to attend classes at a mixed cen-
tre and are themselves reluctant to do so.
We have, therefore, built small separate
buildings fitted with equipment for the
teaching of cookery and other household
arts.
All this sounds very much like a
case of spoon-feeding in the extreme. While
it is appreciated that the personal effort and
participation of the people in providing
themselves with the means of satisfying the
need felt for such facilities would perhaps
have been the more doctrinaire method in
projects of community development, it is
against the historical background and the
sense of urgency for reforms and ameliora-
tion that the project must be viewed.
We have, however, never fooled
ourselves in believing that the provision of
such buildings, in themselves, would solve
the problem of raising the cultural and so-
cial level of the people. The buildings have
been furnished and equipped and staffed
with a trained Welfare Officer, whose job it
is to establish sound programmes and to
train local leadership. The officer must gen-
erate enthusiasm for the project, show opti-
mism and faith in the ability of the people
to solve their own problems, and always be
willing and ready to give advice and help
in the actual work in hand.With a people so
apathetic, living in conditions of abject
poverty with no tradition of leadership and
no encouragement to show initiative, with
no place for meeting or playing, some basic
facilities had to be provided lest they be
overwhelmed and discouraged by the enor-
mity of the tasks confronting them. Besides
which, ours was a problem of great ur-
gency. We had to catch up on fifty years of
progress, and we had to do it quickly. The
people were in a state of unrest, the politi-
cal parties were articulate and we needed
stable and contented labour force to keep
up with the high cost of producing sugar in
a country where the problems of drainage
and irrigation are very great.
PTICAL
MARCH 2008 Page 12
By regular film shows of how for everybody a much-needed amenity is a
new experience and one which we hope
people in other parts of the world live and
work, and the action they take to improve will enhance in each member the signifi-
their way of life, we hope to make people cance of his group.
realise that change is possible by their own
Tenants' Associations and Local Govern-
efforts and to help them decide in what di-
rection the changes should take place. Pin- ment
pointing the most urgent needs and
We have been encouraging the formation
discussing them are a first step towards
of Tenants' Associations in all the new
progress. Film shows are supplemented by
housing areas in order to encourage the
guest speakers. Exchange visits of groups
people to take a pride in their area, and to
from one estate to another are encouraged
take steps for improvement of amenities.
to quicken local pride and emulation. Res-
There have been some small successes, as
idential conferences, which bring people
in one area next to the city where the Ten-
from all the estates together, give members
ants' Association negotiated with the De-
the opportunity of living and studying to-
merara Electric Company to supply
gether. In this way they learn that their
electricity to the houses in the area, or
problems are not unique and that others
where delegations from the Tenants' Asso-
are trying to combat similar problems in a
ciation have discussed with management
variety of ways. Opportunity is given to the
the problem of poor water supply or taken
expression of their views about the existing
steps to prevent cattle straying and break-
conditions of living and their own ideas of
ing the drains.In some areas the Tenants'
what constitutes a more satisfactory way of
Associations have started schools for the
life.
Our programmes offer various av- pre-school child and put up street signs in
enues for specific goals. In some cases they the scheme; others have planted ornamental
trees along the roads, and in all cases the
were developed as a result of the expressed
committee members make it their responsi-
wish of the groups interested, as in the case
of cricket and outdoor and indoor games. In bility to see that stand pipes are turned off
and that water is not wasted through care-
others we suggested organizations and pro-
lessness. Instead of reeling helpless and
grammes for the achievement of certain
frustrated in the face of difficulties they can,
goals as in the case of improvement of
through the association, take some sort of
amenities in the housing areas through Ten-
action.
ants' Associations; educational needs
The housing areas are still outside of the
through Educational Councils and libraries;
Local Authority, and the people who are liv-
training of boys through youth clubs and
ing in them have moved out from the estate
boys' clubs; knowledge of nutrition and bet-
“yard” where for generations they have
ter housekeeping methods through domes-
lived and where the estate manager was the
tic science classes, etc.
sole authority, and people have felt no re-
In all cases the satisfaction of
sponsibility for its upkeep.
some need is met through group activity.
The future of the new areas in which
Sugar estate residents are highly individu-
sugar workers live is still uncertain, but if
alistic and there has never been any tradi-
the recommendations of the Marshall Re-
tion of co-operating with each other or
port on Local Government are imple-
with management. The group provides
mented, they will come under the Local
ideal educational situations. Through dis-
Authority. In view of this, most of the Ten-
cussions, new ideas can be aired and the
ants' Associations have arranged study
people's views on matters affecting their
groups to read and discuss the recommen-
time and customs ascertained. The process
dations and to find out how it will affect
of co-operating with each other to secure
them. (CONT’D ON PAGE 11)
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Indo-Caribbean Times MARCH 2008 Page 13
By Lloyd Harradan

T
to keep the economy in serviceable condi-

ERECTS ANOTHER
he Indian Cultural Association Padma
of Petit-Canal in Guadeloupe started
off by planting a neem ("vèpèlè" ) tree in
tion.
In 2004, the one hundred and fiftieth an-
niversary of the arrival of the first Indian
workers was commemorated with great

MEMORIAL TO THE
2004. pomp in Guadeloupe, like Martinique in
In 2005, members of Padma erected the 2003.
Place of the Indian Memory in a small sec- But there were all the thousands of oth-

JAHAJIS
tion of the town of Petit-Canal called "Apri-
cot." The Place of Remembrance is 800
metres from the Mangles crossroad in the
direction of Gros Cap, Petit-Canal.
The area includes a wall to receive
plaques bearing the names of personalities
from Guadeloupe who helped to save the
Indian cultural heritage left by the ances-
tors.
It already includes a plaque on Rene
Tian, a drummer from Petit-Canal. Another
commemorates Henri Sidambarom, who
fought to get the emigrants status as French
citizens in 1923, and the third commemo-
rates Mr. Bidjaï Soukaï for his loyalty and
integrity to the ancestral traditions.
Another wall has a stylized boat. On it,
will be inscribed each year the names of
various boats that arrived, and the number
of passengers depending on the outcome of
ongoing research, until the commemoration
of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary
of the arrival of the last convoy of 1889.
On December 24, 1854, the ship Aurélie
arrived in Guadeloupe with a shipload of
Indian workers commissioned by the Gen-
eral Council of Guadeloupe, at the request
of European settlers.
The cane fields were abandoned as a re-
sult of the abolition of slavery. It was their
cheap and efficient labour that was needed
ers: the long chain of all those who came
later between 1855 and 1889, the majority
of whom made Guadeloupe their adopted
land.
With this in mind, every year on Decem-
ber 27, the Padma Indian Cultural Associa-
tion is organising a chain of lights to keep
alive the memory of those ancestors whose
genes and sweat have greatly contributed,
and continue to contribute, to the evolution
of the people of Guadeloupe.
Why December 27?
Simply because, upon arrival, the Indians
were quarantined, to prevent the spread of
any diseases. Then they were divided by
"lots" to be distributed among the various
settlers who had "ordered" them.
The Association Padma wishes to de-
velop the heritage left by the ancestors. It
has created an award to honour the men and
women of Guadeloupe who have con-
tributed by practice to save these cultural
traditions: "The Award of the Culture of the
Original Indian Patrimony."
This award was made for the first time on
December 27, 2006 to Mr. Mardivirin Mau-
ritius, aged 89 years, for having practiced
almost all the original cultural traditions.

Pundit M

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COMMUNITY NEWS
One Love
Guyana Day
on March 29
A “One Love Guyana” Benefit Day in sup-
port Of Guyana after the recent massacres
will be held on Saturday, March 29, 2008
from 12 noon to 12 midnight at The Cen-
tre, 6765 Invader Crescent, Mississauga.
Sponsors include the Canadian Hindu Arts
& Cultural Society, Smart Fitness Goals,
Uprising Tv, Guyana Outreach Program,
Caribbean Xpress Newspaper, Association
of Concerned Guyanese (ACG), Rootsthe-
atre.Com, Uprising Newspaper Inc. Pro-
ceeds go to the Guyana Burn Care Unit &
Fund For Victims Of The Guyana Mas-
sacres.
The benefit features Pamela Maynard,
Terry B, Manda B, Upscale Dance Acad-
emy, Roger B, Cyborg, Staria Dancers,
Freedom Drums, Tassa Drummers, Rama
Prashad, Ras Leon & The Cast Of “Sweet,
Sweet Karaila” Play – An Upcoming Car-
ifesta ’08 Presentation. Guyanese food and
merchandise will be on sale, and there will
be dominoes games and live music for en-
tertainment.This event will be broadcast
live on the Internet all day from 12 noon on
Www.Helloworld.Com/Uprisingtv. For
more information contact Leon @ 416-333-
2724 or Patrick @ 416-286-0344. Email:
Leon_Saul2005@Yahoo.Com.
PHAGWA DAY
Toronto Arya Samaj holds its annual
Phagwa Day celebrations on Friday March
21 at the Vedic Cultural Centre, 14th Av-
enue and Kennedy Road, Markham, start-
ing at 10.00 a.m. The annual Phagwa
Concert os on Saturday March 29, from 7
Kamla’s Fashions Inc.
pm. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for
children 6-13. For info call 416-287-0330
Massive clearance sale continues in the factory outlet (same location)
Adult Tee-Shirts in a variety of sizes and colours - $2.00
Wide variety of transfers/screen prints – Babies, Children, Humour, Christmas, topical,
geographical/Souvenir from 50 cents.
Indo-Caribbean Times
HUMAN CONCERN INTERNA-
TIONAL presents Gaana Khaana Masti, a
fundraising dinner and cultural program,
on April 8 at 6.30 pm at the Chandni Ban-
quet Hall, 125 Chrysler Drive in Brampton.
Funds raised at the event will go mainly go
the Three Rivers Kids Foundation of
Guyana for taking children to India for
medical treatment. Among the artistes at the
show are Shivo Mahabeer, Jonita Gandhi,
Sunil Patel, Roy Rampersad and the Tarana
Dance School. Tickets are $40, and can be
obtained by calling 905-676-0973 or 647-
287-6491.
NAAC DINNER DANCE
Naparima Alumni Association of Canada
celebrates its 30th anniversary with a Din-
ner and Dance at the Holiday Inn Select,
Brampton on May 24. Tickets at $60 for
members and $65 for non members are
available from Merle at 905-844-1254 or
Norma at 416-283-0675. A special hotel
room rate of $95 is available for persons at-
tending the function. The Association holds
its Annual General Meeting on Saturday
May 31, at 1.30 pm at the Montessori
Teacher Training Centre, 1050 McNicoll
Avenue, Scarborough.
CANADA-GUYANA FORUM
After the massacre of eleven women, men
and children in Lusignan, Guyana, the
Canada-Guyana Forum hosted a gathering
to mourn the victims and share conversa-
tion on ways forward for Guyana. We in-
vite you now to attend another gathering to
bring all Guyanese together to mourn vic-
tims of the latest mass slaughter of
Guyanese in their homeland.
Just before midnight on February 17,
2008 three policemen at the police station
and ten regular citizens were gunned down
in a brutal massacre by a highly armed gang
in a well planned attack in the hinterland
township of Bartica, Essequibo.
Wholesale Garment Manufacturer
1510 Birchmont Road
Units 106 & 107
Scarborough, Ontario M1P 2G6
Phone: (416) 913-2379 Fax: (416) 752-1105
e-mail: KamlasFashion@gmail.com
We accept orders from schools, clubs and organizations
Fill your barrels to send back home
Youth T-Shirts and Tank Tops - $2.00 each
Adult Golf Shirts $5.00
Ladies Leggings and Capri Pants $3.00
Children’s Clothing from $2.00 each
Wide range of Winter Clothing on Sale
Scrap for cleaning - $5.00 a bag
We ask you to join with us in sharing the
grief of the Bartica and indeed, the entire
Guyanese community.
We plan to provide an update on actions
taken by the Forum since the last gathering,
report on initiatives by stakeholders in
Guyana and seek your approval of future
plans to help deal with the rapid deteriora-
tion in security, law and order in the coun-
try.
The meeting will be held on Saturday,
April 5, 2008, from 2.30 p.m. to 5.30 p.m.
at the St. John the Divine Anglican Church
Hall, 885 Scarborough Golf Club Road,
Scarborough. For further information,
please call:Rampersaud Tiwari: 416-439-
8617, Sister Hazel Campayne: 416-920-
0132, Alissa Trotz: 416-978-8286, Diana
Abraham: 416-532-756, Jai Parsram: 416-
289-1346, Harry Hergash: 416-626-2897
SCOTT’S AND MENDEZ OVERSEAS
UNITED & MASTERS SPORTS CLUB
present a Grand Indian Musical Extrava-
ganza on Saturday March 29 at Chingua-
cousy Secondary School, 1370 Williams
Parkway in Brampton, starting at 7 pm. En-
tertainers on the program include Sharma
Ramdular, Shanti Jackree, Bisram D,
Ganga Persaid, Bobby Armoogam,
Romeela Ali, and Racquel and Randy Ma-
hadeo. Music is by Sound Sensations, and
dances by Chris Badree Dance School,
Peryan, Baby Sarah and Seeta Ramkissoon.
Tickets are $10 per person,. For info call
Deo at 416-798-2118 or Terry at 905-799-
3494.
THE TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO 50
PLUS AND SENIORS Association of
Canada will hold their monthly meeting at
Birkdale Community Center on Sunday
31st March 2008 at 1.30pm. Guest speaker
will be our very own Dick Lochan talking
about regulations at border crossings. There
will be an opportunity to ask questions and
after the meeting there will be refreshments
MARCH 2008 Page 15
and socializing. For more information
please call 416-281-5264.
HINDI CONVENTION
The International Hindi Association (IHA)
is organizing its 14th Convention (Hindi
Sammelan – 2008) and famous Kavi Sam-
melan at the Crowne Plaza Hotel (2200
Centreville Road, Herndon, Virginia) in
Washington, DC Metro area on April 12,
2008.For details, please visit
www.hindi.org
BHAGVAD GITA FOR EACH HOME
Bulk distribution centres.
The Gita can be available in bulk at the fol-
lowing contacts: Donations are expected to
fund further copies; any individual or or-
ganization wishing to assist in this project
can contact us.
CANADA
Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton
Ramnarine Sahadeo 905 671 9233 e-mail
ramjihindu@rogers.com, Omesh Sharma
Omesh@flexomark.com, Chandan
Persaud at 416-754-2382, Gulcharan at
416 481-5777 gmohabir@hotmail.com,
Ram Jagessar at 416 289 9088 or
ram@eol.ca
RICHMOND HILL
Omo Persaud at omo@globalspectru-
minc.com 905-886-1724
Winnipeg:
Ajodhya Mahadeo 204-661-6643
British Columbia
Chameli Seegobin 604-945-9510, e-mail
address maylee34@hotmail.com, and
Naraine Mohabir at 604-274-8938
GUYANA: Saraswati Vidya Niketan ph.
2760013/14
HEALTH AND FASHION
Rural development on Sugar Estates in British Guiana
By Ruby S. Samlalsingh
A paper presented at the Conference on So-
cial Development organized by the Federal
Government of the West Indies in Port of
Spain, Trinidad in March 1959, and subse-
quently to a Commonwealth Conference in
Oxford, England. Published in Community
Development Bulletin, University of
London Institute of Education,
December 1960, Vol. X11, No 6
Introduction
In the middle of the last century an inter-
esting experiment in social development
was taking place on the sugar estates of
British Guiana, in which it was my privi-
lege to have played a small part. It was a
period of great social unrest on the estates
and indeed throughout the country.
The People's Progressive Party (PPP) had
won the first General Election held under
universal adult suffrage in 1948. This
caused great consternation and anxiety in
the London boardrooms of the Sugar Pro-
ducers Association, the owners of the eight-
een estates along the East Coast, the West
Bank Berbice, and the Corentyne. The
sugar lobby had considerable influence
with the British government; the latter
feared that communism would spread
throughout the West Indian colonies, so
they immediately suspended the Constitu-
tion and established direct rule from Britain
under a fully nominated Legislative Coun-
cil. Dr. Cheddi Jagan, the leader of the P.P.P.
was imprisoned and the other leaders and
activists scattered abroad.
The estate residents were depressed and
resentful. The owners of the plantations be-
came greatly concerned about the contin-
ued profitability, indeed the very viability
of their businesses in British Guiana, given
the severe labour shortage in the colony at
that time. They realized that the causes of
the unrest were genuine, rooted as they
were in the abominable living and working
conditions which had changed little since
the indentured labourers were first brought
from India to British Guiana between 1838
and 1917. Times were changing and the
people had become aware and resentful of
the injustices of the system largely through
the campaigning of the political parties dur-
ing the 1948 General Election. They wanted
change but were powerless to do anything
so they sulked and brooded. They were tied
to the estates because there was no land and
no work available anywhere.
The SPA (Sugar Producers Association)
realized that they had to do something to
ameliorate the situation, and they had to do
it fast. They began to allocate funds for a
programme of social welfare and develop-
ment but did not know how to go about
spending it in ways that would help the peo-
ple out of the morass into which they had
fallen and quell their revolutionary passion.
So they began to assemble a team of people
to advise and execute programmes geared
towards that end.
Mr Ralph Scargall was brought out from
the U.K. with considerable experience in
community work; Mr McDonald Bailey,
the 1952 Olympic bronze medalist in the
100 yard race from Trinidad; Mr Clyde
Walcott, one of the famous three W's of
cricket fame, from Barbados; Mr Robert
Christiany, Guiana's own West Indies Test
cricketer, was personnel manager on one of
the estates. These were all legendary and
heroic personalities, able to make very im-
portant and lasting contributions.
In recognition of the fact that the East In-
Indo-Caribbean Times
dian custom inhibited the women and
young girls from frequenting the same
premises and publicly engaging in the same
social activities and educational pro-
grammes designed for menfolk, and indeed
required a different approach altogether.
I was appointed as a social advisor and
director of programmes geared specifically
to the needs of women and in compliance
with their traditions and customs. I arrived
in Georgetown in late 1955 and set about
trying to effect some social change. But it
was a daunting task. Slowly, however, with
the cooperation of many people on and off
the estates, things began to happen.
Some four years later and official from
the Colonial Office in London on a visit to
British Guiana observed what was taking
place and shortly after his return to London
I was invited to present a paper on the proj-
ect to a Commonwealth Conference on
Community Development to be held at Ox-
ford. The paper was subsequently published
in Community Development Bulletin Vol.
X11 No. 6, December 1960.
Ruby Samlalsingh,
Toronto, Canada, August 7, 2007
RURAL DEVELOPMENT ON SUGAR
ESTATES IN BRITISH GUIANA
There are fifteen sugar estates along the
140 miles of the coastlands of British
Guiana, each with a population of 3,000 to
9,000. Ninety per cent of the population are
of East Indian and 10 per cent of African
origin, and until ten years ago the majority
of people lived under the same conditions
as they did at the time of indenture, with
large families living in “ranges” or “bar-
racks” with one room to a family, with de-
plorable sanitary arrangements, and with
complete dependence upon the goodwill of
the Estate Manager who was often the com-
plete autocrat.
The worker was tied to the estate by lack
of avenues for employment elsewhere, the
impossibility of acquiring land either for
agriculture or for building, the facility of
free housing and medical attention (such as
they were) which the estates continued to
provide long after they were required by
law to do so, and the high incidence of
malaria, which sapped the energies and
consequently the initiative and ambitions of
the people. With large families and low
wages, the possibility of saving was remote
even for the Indian, who is a proverbial
saver.
Under such conditions of poverty and de-
pendence, with no encouragement to the
development of initiative or enterprise, with
very few opportunities for social satisfac-
tion, or hope of individual advancement,
the pervading attitude becomes one of ap-
athy, suspicion and a deep sense of griev-
ance.
Residents on sugar estates have been so
cut off from the rest of the population by
distance and poor communications that
until recently they have been communities
living in isolation with no connection with
the adjoining towns and villages, or with
other sugar estates. Partly through the pol-
icy of estate management who wished no
interference from outside sources, and
through the limited resources of the Gov-
ernment services of sanitation, social wel-
fare or infant care, the estate residents have
never benefited from these. As a result they
have been far behind their village neigh-
bours in most respects. There has never
been any co-ordinating factor to make
them feel that they are part of a larger com-
MARCH 2008
munity, and as a result they view them-
selves as separate communities and tend to
feel that they have been neglected and ig-
nored.
Recent Changes
Over the past ten years all this has been
changing gradually. In 1951 the Labour
Welfare Fund Committee started granting
loans to estate workers to build their own
houses on land prepared and leased by the
estate, and to date 7,581 houses have been
built and 462 more are under construction
in what are called locally the “Extra Nu-
clear” Housing Areas. There is an estimated
2,000 more families to be rehoused and
every day new houses are going up.
The anti-malaria campaign sponsored by
the industry and carried out by the world fa-
mous malariologist, Dr. G. Gigliogi,
O.B.E.,E., has resulted in the extermination
of the Anopheles mosquito, ans as a result
British Guiana is now a malaria-free area.
The health of the people has improved. The
population is increasing at an alarming rate,
and it is estimated that it will have doubled
by 1980.
The companies have now declared them-
selves against paternalism and embarked
upon a Social Welfare and Personnel Pro-
gramme which would make people more
self-reliant and through which they are fast
catching up with their neighbours in the vil-
lages. The rate of progress is likely to cause
a problem with the villages in the near fu-
ture, as the amenities of the new housing
areas for sugar workers are outstripping
those of the villages. Cognizance of this
must be taken by the appropriate authorities
and measures planned to prevent antago-
nisms arising out of comparison.
In 1946 a Social Welfare Officer was ap-
pointed to plan and implement a Social
Welfare Programme on the sugar estates.
Mr. Ralph Scargal undertook this job at a
time when welfare was considered an un-
necessary extravagance by most of the es-
tate managers, and viewed with fear and
suspicion by the people , who looked upon
anything sponsored by management as an
effort to further bind them to the estate or
to get something out of them. It is a great
credit to Mr. Scargal's patience and method
of approach that by 1956 this attitude had
almost completely changed, and estate
management had come to accept pro-
grammes for the improvement of living
conditions of sugar workers as a necessity.
The political crisis of 1953 was a great
setback to our work. Sugar estate workers,
who were all supporters of the deposed
P.P.P. Government, were bitter and antago-
nistic to estate management. They regarded
Estate Welfare Officers as instruments of
estate management who, in their minds,
were the cause of the party being deposed;
social welfare was viewed by the people as
a ruse to keep them down and an excuse for
paying low wages. This suspicion and dis-
trust of our motives is not surprising when
it is realised that many of the people's lead-
ers were at that time in prison, the constitu-
tion was suspended and political meetings
were forbidden.
The Nature of the Problem
A people who have lived for so long
under conditions of poverty, ill-health
(malaria), paternalism and ignorance, very
often have no desire for change and may
not even know that change is possible or
that ways of life other than their own exist.
Page 16
The majority of sugar estate residents were
in this category, accepting things as they
were, and in place of other social satisfac-
tions, squeezing out what they could by in-
dulging in excessive drinking and litigation.
The influence of the priests and religions
leaders on the younger generation has
weakened, and the conflict of cultures re-
sulted in waywardness and lack of respect
for authority.
The women lived the traditional
life of the peasant Indian woman, bearing
large families and working hard in the field
to supplement their husband's wages. They
had very little time for household duties,
which to be
performed at the end of a hard day's work in
the fields and with the most primitive
equipment. Under these circumstances, it is
surprising that the homes were kept as clean
as they were, but not surprising that so lit-
tle attention was paid to the household arts
and skills which make the home an attrac-
tive place in which children and young peo-
ple and husbands want to spend their
leisure.
Our job, therefore, was seen as
one of reducing tensions, providing av-
enues for social satisfaction, channeling the
abundant energies of the under-employed
youth into socially acceptable patterns, ini-
tiating and giving guidance and direction to
the changes which obviously had to take
place, and of educating and training the
people to deal with the new situations
which would arise as a result of such
change. In other words, it is a project in
changing attitudes and teaching new skil1s
and providing opportunities for social rela-
tionship which would result in increased
satisfactions among the mass of the people.
But to do so the social c1imate has to be
right. For one thing, the people have to be
convinced of the sincerity of purpose and
of the real interest of management in their
well-being. To the minds of the people all
this social welfare was too good to be true,
and they suspected some ulterior motive.
Only time, patience and frank discussion of
their problems by management, and the oc-
casional presence of the estate manager or
his representative at centre meetings and
functions, combined with improved condi-
tions of work resulting from negotiations at
estate joint commitlees and recognition of
their trade unions, could create the social
climate necessary for involving the people
in the programme for the advancement of
the community as a whole.
The creation of this social climate
was perhaps our most difficult problem and
only after ten or twelve years of persistent
effort has it changed sufficiently for the
successful growth of the programme for de-
velopment. This may be illustrated by the
fact that since 1953 efforts have been made
to get the Tenants Associations functioning.
It is only during the past year or two that
any degree of success has been achieved,
although the aims and the methods have al-
ways been the same. The variable factor has
been the attitude of the people, and in some
parts it is still suspicious.and hesitant.
The proccss of initiating and effecting
change in a community by the voluntary ac-
tion of its members is an educational one,
but thc method of teaching must be made
simple and graphic and the content must be
related to the everyday needs and experi-
ence of the people
CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
RELIGION
Schools bring life to Trinidad chowtal sameelan
Phagwa in Hindu students mark new year
Georgia protest raksha ban in
P
A raja harischand dancer performs
rimary school choirs competed with
community kirtan (singing) groups, in-
cluding teens and adults, in this year's
chowtal sameelan organised by the South
Regional Chowtal Council, which was at
the Parvati Girls' Hindu College in Debe,
Penal..
To the music of the jhaal and dholak, the
Sameelan began promptly at 9 a.m. with the
Saraswati Ladies Chowtal Group of St
John's Road, Claxton Bay. Singing the an-
cient songs brought to Trinidad by their In-
dian ancestors, the youthful group captured
the spirit of Phagwa or Holi.
Chowtal, which means "four claps", is
structured in four beats and sung with joy
in an invitation to join the celebration that
symbolises the victory of good over evil.
The Saraswati ladies were followed by
primary Hindu school groups, including
Woodland Hindu School, San Fransique
Hindu and Penal Rock Road Hindu. The
children sang about the antics of Lord Kr-
ishna.
"A thief is on the loose in Madhuban,"
they sang in voices that moved from one
level to another in the four-claps rhythm of
Chowtal singing.
Churkoo Village Mandir/Youth Group
followed. Matching the powerful sound of
the dholak (drum) and jhaal, the group sang
of Holi festivities as observed in Ayodha,
the holy city in which Lord Rama was born.
Three children's groups followed - Ramai
Trace Hindu, Mohess Road Hindu and
Rousillac Hindu.
Harmony Hall Bhajan and Chowtal group
of Gasparillo stood out in the sameelan.
Dressed in sparkling white cotton salwar
kameez suits with red dupattas (long scarf)
draped across their chests, the young ladies
began with, "Gajanand Swami Ki Jai"
(Glory to Lord Ganesh in commencement
of this offering of prayer) then moved to
"Shiva Shankar Deen Dyal" (Merciful
Lord) and one of the most popular chowtal
song "Pan gatta na jawoo". The group com-
prised 20 members and was led by Deok-
ienanan Maharaj, with Cristalle Rajan as
lead singer.
Over 60 groups were listed to perform
and the joyous sounds of chowtal continued
as groups made their way home after per-
forming.
On March 20, southern schools will in
participate in the construction of Holika
(evil aunt of Prahalad who tried to burn the
child to keep him from his devotion to
God), burning of the Holika and the spray-
ing of abeer and merrymaking. Holi or
Phagwa will be celebrated throughout the
country on March 23.
Indo-Caribbean Times
Bali Hindus
silence.
At the New Year’s Day for Hindus in Bali
The Vishva Bhavan Mandir is inviting
Canadian Hindus to join them in celebra-
tion of Holi/Phagwah 2008 at 2535 Garrett
Road, Monroe GA 30656.
Activities for this auspicious occasion are
as follows:
♣ Saturday March 21, starting at 7:30
pm ~ Holika Burning
♣ Sunday March 22, starting at 10:00
am ~ Havan followed by Chowtal, Tassa
and Phagwah playing with Abrack and col-
orful powders. (A preview of the Mandir’s
interior will be done directly after Havan,
before Phagwah playing).
Enjoy a variety of appetizing Vegetarian
Dishes, and mouthwatering sweets.
Cost: F R E E
Worship with murtis
By Pundit Brahmanand Rambachan
Ideal behind the idol
Worshipping the formless reality by un-
thought thought is the best kind of worship.
But when one is not fit for such formless
worship of God, worship of form alone is
suitable. Formless worship is possible only
for people who are devoid of the ego-form.
Know that all the worship done by people
who possess the ego-form is only worship
of form. (-Sri Ramana Maharshi)
The saguna (with form) devotee serves
the Lord through the indriyas, the organs of
perception and action, whereas the nirguna
(formless) devotee thinks constantly of the
good of all the world.
The first (saguna devotee) appears ab-
sorbed in outward service but he meditates
constantly within. The other (nirguna devo-
tee) seems to do no direct service, but
within him a great service is going on.
Though differing outwardly, the two are of
the same nature within, and both are dear to
the Lord. But, of the two, Saguna bhakti
(devotion or worship) is much the easier.
For the saguna (with form) worshipper,
the indriyas (organs of perception and ac-
tion) are an aid. They are like flowers to be
offered up to the Lord. With his eyes, he be-
holds His form; with his ears, he listens to
His story; with his mouth, he utters His holy
name; on his feet he performs pilgrimages;
and with his hands, renders service. In this
way he dedicates all his indriyas to the
Lord. They are not there for enjoyment.
The flowers are there to be offered to the
Lord, not to be worn around one's neck.
Thus he uses all his senses in the service of
the Lord. This is the way of the saguna wor-
shipper.
But to the nirguna worshipper, the senses
seem to be an obstruction. He keeps them
under control. The saguna worshipper sur-
renders his indriyas at the feet of the Lord.
Both these are methods of controlling the
indriyas (senses), two ways of restraining
them. Whichever method we adopt, we
must keep the indriyas (senses) under con-
trol. The aim of both the methods is the
same - to prevent them from wallowing in
the pleasure of the senses. One method is
easy, the other difficult.
The nirguna worshipper is devoted to the
welfare of all beings.
(Cont’d on Page 19)
Hindu pupils at the Cunupia High Schoo in
Trinidad l were told by security guards to
remove the raksha (coloured strings tied to
wrists) after performing their religious
Maha Shiva Raatri prayers.
Teachers of the school wrote to Chagua-
nas Mayor Surujrattan Rambachan for his
intervention.
In the letter, the teachers said: "To our
horror, on entry to school this morning (last
week Monday), we were stopped by a num-
ber of Hindu students who were abhorred
at the fact that they were not being permit-
ted onto the school's premises as they were
wearing the raksha."
On investigations, the teachers said they
realised that the MTS security guards "were
forcing children to cut off their raksha and
in one instance, a girl had to tear the raksha
off her hand, which resulted in her hand
being severely bruised."
The teachers added: "On speaking to the
principal, he informed us that he will not
allow any student on the compound wear-
ing the sacred raksha unless he is given di-
rective from the Ministry of Education."
The teachers demanded action, since they
consideedr the incident "a violation of their
fundamental rights".
The principal Vishnu Gopaul-Maharajh
was not available for comment.
The Hindu Students' Council of Trinidad
and Tobago (HSCTT) condemned 'On be-
half of the students of the school, as well as
Hindu students nationwide, the HSCTT de-
mands an explanation and apology from the
administration of the Cunupia High School,
and more immediately from the Ministry of
Education. We also demand that a public
policy be taken by the Ministry of Educa-
tion on the wearing of the Raksha by stu-
dents,”said group secretary. Reena
Teelucksingh. Support came from the
Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha and several
other Hindu organizations in Trinidad.
Education Minister Esther Le Gendre lat-
ger apologized to the Hindu students and
advised the the school principal had over-
stepped his authority. Students have re-
sumed wearing their rakshas on their
hands..
MARCH 2008 Page 17
earlier this month, they observed it with
total silence, fasting and meditation. The
quiet is enforced by a traditional militia
called the Pecalang who are the only ones
allowed out and about:
Bali peccalang -peace emforcers
Westerners open the New Year in revelry,
however, in contrast, the Balinese open
their New Year in silence. This is called
Nyepi Day, the Balinese day of Silence,
which falls on the day following the dark
moon of the spring equinox, and opens a
new year of the Saka Hindu era which
began in 78 A.D. [Link]
Observed from 6 a.m. until 6 a.m. the next
morning, Nyepi is a day reserved for self-
reflection and as such, anything that might
interfere with that purpose is restricted.
The main restrictions are: no lighting
fires (and lights must be kept low); no
working; no entertainment or pleasure; no
traveling; and for some, no talking or eat-
ing at all.
Y
The effect of these prohibitions is that
Bali’s usually bustling streets and roads are
empty, there is little or no noise from TVs
and radios, and few signs of activity are
seen even inside homes.
The silence is total, even amongst non-
Hindus who observe it out of “respect.”
Tourists are warned to make sure they walk
their dogs before the quiet peroid starts so
that they don’t cause offense:
Even tourists are not exempt; although
free to do as they wish inside their hotels,
no one is allowed onto the beaches or
streets, and the only airport in Bali remains
closed for the entire day.
The only exceptions granted are for emer-
gency vehicles carrying those with life-
threatening conditions and women about to
give birth.
Honestly, a new year that starts with total
silence sounds kind of nice for a change.
YOUTH Indo-Caribbean Times MARCH 2008 Page 18

Malton function raises Essay contest focus on alcholism in TT

funds for Vedanta Academy A lcoholism, the major social, economic,
and health problem in Trinidad, is
marked by excessive alcoholic consump-
tion at levels that interfere with physical
and mental health, and affects social, fam-
ily, and occupational responsibilities. Alco-
hol is involved in crime, accident and traffic
deaths, and suicides. Children of alcoholics
are exposed to increased risks of alcohol
and drug abuse; social and behavioral prob-
lems; and anxiety and mood disorders.
Every citizen in our nation should assist
in dealing with this serious problem. For its
part, GOPIO Trinidad & Tobago intends to
raise the consciousness of our people, es-
pecially the youth; sensitize and increase
awareness; and provide solutions that can
be implemented throughout Trinidad and
Tobago. As a first step, GOPIO Trinidad
and Tobago has organized a nationwide
The winners will be announced, and
prizes distributed, at the Indian Arrival
Day Seminar 2008, on Sunday May 11th,
at the Divali Nagar Main Auditorium, Ch-
aguanas, where a Panel of Experts will
explore and analyze this topic with the au-
dience. The other major theme at this
Seminar is Developing Networks and Re-
lationships in Business, Agriculture,
Technology, and Culture, between
Trinidad & Tobago and the International
Indian Diaspora. More information
about the Indian Arrival Day Seminar
2008 will be released at a later date.
GOPIO Trinidad and Tobago, a chap-
ter of GOPIO International, is a secular,
non–political, non-profit and Non-Gov-
ernmental Organization. You may con-
tact us at 687-7529, 314-1456, or email
GOPIOTT@gmail.com

A
Vedanta Academy in Bush Lot, West Coast Berbice essay competition, on the topic: ALCO-
successful fundraising dinner for tarian food, non alcoholic family atmos-
HOLISM in Trinidad & Tobago – Causes, New rules bar Common-
Vedanta Academy, Bush Lot, West phere. There were many photographs of
Effects, and Solutions.
Details are as follows:
wealth doctors from join-
Coast Berbice, Guyana was held on March old buildings in Bush Lot, including the 100
15, 2008 at Malton Community Centre.
Participants are required to define the ing UK health service
year old mandir and photographs of many scope of the problem, describe the effect of Doctors from India and other Common-
This was just the first of many pro- who are now deceased but who started the
Alcoholism on our society, and propose wealth countries will be barred from com-
grammes to meet the approximately first mandir at Bush Lot. A source of pride
practical and pragmatic solutions that can ing to the UK for training and subsequent
$60,000 (can) to complete the school proj- was a slide show of the history of the vil-
be realistically implemented in Trinidad & recruitment in the National Health Serv-
ect. So far over $10,000 was pledged and lage with some of the most important struc-
Tobago. It is expected that analysis of cur- ice under the new immigration rules com-
collected and this has encouraged the or- tures-the mandir, the mosque, Arya Samaj
rent data and relevant information will be ing into force from February 29, a move
ganisers to continue. They were well sup- Centre and the Latchmansingh Secondary
presented, in both text and graphical for- welcomed by physicians in Britain.
ported by many stalwarts, who just would School.
mats. Data sources and references should But "Indian doctors can come for serv-
like to see more private Hindu schools in Those who were absent and did not get an be credited. ice jobs", Ramesh Mehta, President of the
Gyana patterned after the success of opportunity to contribute can make their
Age 17 & under: Winner will receive a British Association of Physicians of In-
Sraswati Vidya Niketan, headed by Swami cheques payable to : Bush Lot S.D.S
desktop computer dian Origin (BAPIO), said. Mehta said
Aksharananda. Vishnu Mandir and mail it to Dave Ra- Age 18 to 25: Winner will receive a Lap- the new Home Office rules make it clear
Each person was given a free Gita in an moutar, 75 Hisey Cres. Toronto ON M3N
top computer. to international medical graduates
effort to promote Vedic knowledge and Gita 1T9.
Four runner-up prizes will be awarded in (IMGS) currently overseas who are plan-
For Each Home Project. Gitas were fi- For more info. call President Ramraj each group. ning to come to the UK that it would be
nanced by a Hindu, a Moslem and a Chris- Sookdeo at 416 292 5650 or Treasurer
Minimum word length: 2500 difficult for them to obtain post-graduate
tian, all East Indians from Guyana who Youth Chan Jotis at 416 742 6113 or Roy
Entries should be mailed on, or before, training here.The change announced early
appreciate the universality of Gita philoso- at 905 487 0940. For more details of this
18th April 2008, to this month imposes a condition on Tier 1
phy. colourful evening, pictures of the project GOPIO Trinidad & Tobago (General) Migrants and Highly Skilled
Many crowd pleasers included musical and other Hindu learning centres in Guyana
PO BOX 2286, Chaguanas, Trinidad Migrants prohibiting them fromtaking a
and dancing talents, ample supply of vege- visit www.bushlotmandir.com.
post as a doctor in training.

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INDIANS IN THE CARIBBEAN
The Passing of an Roti Festival Worship with murtis (from Page 17)
Indo-St.Lucian scores in Jamaica This is no ordinary matter. Nirguna worship the value (which is far greater value than
Trailblazer
is difficult.
The nirguna worshipper is devoted to the stamp it bears gives its value. It is after all,
M.R.Reece
welfare of all beings. This is no ordinary an inanimate piece of paper. We placed our
matter. "To work for the good of all the value in that piece of paper.
world" is a thing easy to say, but difficult to
MANGAL passed away at his home in
Mon Repos, St Lucia, on
Monday 4th February 2008.
He may not be known to
many of the younger gener-
ation of Mon Repos and
Micoud, but Joseph Reece
Mangal better known as Mr.
Reece literally and figura-
tively made his mark in Mon Repos. He
was an astute businessman, dedicated fam-
ily man and an independent thinker. He es-
tablished a family home and business place
in the corner next to “Ma Robert” and op-
posite Mr. Robinson Joseph (Malzaire).
He would have been one of two out-
standing businessmen in the community,
evidenced by the fact that his had ample
space for a dance hall as well as owning a
generator for his independent source of
electricity. There was no other choice in the
late 1960’s before the expansion of elec-
tricity services to rural communities like
Mon Repos.
The other such machinery in the com-
munity were to be found at Eddie Gaston,
Mon Repos Parish (operated by the FMI
Priest) and of course Patience Estate (Fine
Timbers) and Mamiku which both operated
saw mills. Reece stood out as a colossal
giant above other men in the community.
His towering figure, broad shoulders, East
Indian genetic features, neat handsome
looks and good conversationalist combined
to give him a charismatic appeal and com-
manding presence.
Reece, The Family Man
Reece was apparently a tailor of some re-
pute as well. He certainly practiced that
trade in French Guiana (Cayenne) where he
spent some time as a young man seeking
fortune and adventure, before his return to
Saint Lucia in the 1950’s.
There he conceived his first daughter
Amelie.In the early to mid-seventies the
family moved to Hospital Road in Castries.
The decision coincided with the period
when most of his children were ready to
embark on their secondary school educa-
tion.
Secondary school places were limited in
those days, with the Vieux Fort Secondary
being the only one in the South while St.
Mary College and St. Joseph’s Convent the
premier secondary schools of the state, and
the first choice for parents who were com-
mitted to getting the best education for their
children.
In those days a Standard Six certificate
was good enough to land a teaching job at
the Mon Repos Combined-Assisted
Catholic School.Reece’s move to Castries
also demonstrated his ability to take advan-
tage of the changing economic climate.
He no longer depended on the SLBGA
contract as a trucker but moved into the de-
veloping tourist industry where he invested
in “Coasters” used to shuttle tourist on tours
throughout Saint Lucia.
This activity was reserved or undertaken
by established transport operators or the
daring. To date a Coaster “Unique” is a sig-
nature bus of his tourism business.
the the value of bulky newspaper)? The
My mother scribbled three or four lines
Prakash Putkoon flipping the gigantic
Bus up Shut roti.
Roti lovers may have thought they died
and went to heaven if they were among the
hundreds who turned out for the annual
Roti Festival at Club India, Lady Musgrave
Road, on Sunday. With numerous rides and
activities to occupy the children, the adults
were free to indulge in all the fine delica-
cies that were on hand. And indulge they
did!
This year, the plain old roti took a back
seat, making room for new favourites like
the cheese roti, the vegetarian favourite
chick pea roti and the Trinidad-inspired
Buss up Shut. Monster roti
Though roti was the star of the evening,
there was also Dhal Vada, prepared by
Jaya's Catering.
But what's roti without some dhal, curry
mango and curry goat? There was plenty of
that to satisfy even the most demanding roti
lover. There were also other Indian dishes
such as dhal vada, chicken lollipop and the
oh-so-sweet Gulab Jamu.
T he growth of the festival was obvious in
the numerous stalls and the large turnout.
Though many persons came and collected
their roti and left, many hung around to
enjoy all that the festival had to offer.
Shortly after 2:00 p.m., the entertainment
segment of the festival kicked off with tra-
ditional Indian dancing, singing and a
demonstration of the making of the big
kahuna: Buss up Shut. It was the centre of
attraction as Trinidadian native Prakash
Putkoon demonstrated how thisroti is made.
This monster can get up to 30 centimetres
in diameter. A favourite at weddings in the
twin-island republic, it can feed quite a
crowd.
It's made with the basic roti ingredients:
flour, sugar, baking powder and a sprinkling
of salt. It's rolled thin and continuously
based with a mixture of oil and butter.
Home- makers and curious onlookers
crowded the booth to watch the monster
rise. Once it is well cooked and based on
both sides, it is gathered and beaten, caus-
ing it to break into bite-size pieces.
As the evening wore on and the sun re-
treated, the crowd seemed to enjoy the en-
tertainment. From a performance by
Rochelle and Chantelle Biersay, to a 'spir-
ited' dance by nine-year-old Suhail Chopra,
there were also performances by the St
Johns United Tassa Band out of Trinidad
and local favourites Fab Five. It was a great
way to spend a Sunday afternoon at a gas-
tronomic fair for the whole family.
Indo-Caribbean Times
practise. One devoted to the good of the
world can think of nothing else. That is why
nirguna worship is difficult.
Saguna worship, however, can be ren-
dered in many ways, according to one's
powers and opportunities. To serve the lit-
tle village we were born in, to look after
one's parents, this is saguna worship. All we
have to make sure is that we do not work
against the welfare of the world. No matter
how insignificant your service is, as long as
it causes no harm to others, it will ascend
to the scale of bhakti (devotional worship);
otherwise it would become a form of at-
tachment. Whether it is our parents or our
friends, our suffering kinsfolk or great
saints that we serve, we should regard them
as the Lord. Imagine that in every one of
them you see an image of the Lord and rest
satisfied. This saguna worship is easy, but
nirguna worship is hard. The meaning and
substance of the two are the same.
We must admit that it is difficult to dis-
tinguish between what is saguna and what
is nirguna. What looks like saguna from one
point of view may be nirguna from another.
We worship saguna (with form) by placing
a stone in front of us and performing puja
(devotional worship). In this stone we con-
ceive the presence of God. In our mother
and in our saints, we see the visible pres-
ence of chaitanya (the conscious principle),
the living spirit.
In them jnana (knowledge), love and
warmth of heart shine clear. But we do not
regard them as the Supreme, and as such we
do not worship them. Such people, filled
with the living spirit, are seen by us all. We
should, therefore, serve them. We should
see in them the concrete manifestation of
the Supreme.
And yet, instead of doing this, people pre-
fer to see the Lord in a stone. To see the
Lord in a stone is in a sense the ultimate
limit (test) of nirguna. In the saints, in one's
parents, in one's neighbours, love and
knowledge and willingness to help are man-
ifested. It is easy to conceive the presence
of God in them; but it is difficult to con-
ceive it in a stone.
But on the contrary, if we do not conceive
the presence of God in the stone, where else
can we conceive it? It is only the stone that
is fit to be the image of the Lord. It is mo-
tionless, full of peace. Light or darkness,
heat or cold, the stone remains the same.
The motionless, passionless stone is best
fitted to be a symbol of the Lord. Father,
mother, neighbour, the people, all these are
subject to passion and change. Therefore,
in one sense, it is more difficult to serve
these than to serve the stone.
There is great beauty in the idea of wor-
shipping an image. Who can break this
image? The image in the beginning was
merely a piece of stone. I filled it with my
bhavana, my feeling. I put life into it. How
can anyone destroy my feelings? Stones can
be smashed and broken into pieces, but not
feeling. When I withdraw my feelings from
the image, then what remains will be mere
stone, a thing which anyone can break to
pieces.
What after all, is the weight of a hundred
Dollar bill (paper currency note)? (Much
less than a bulky sunday newspaper). If we
burn the hundred Dollar currency note, we
might perhaps, be able to warm a drop of
water. What gives this small piece of paper
MARCH 2008 Page 19
on a piece of paper and sent it off to me.
Another gentleman sent me a long discur-
sive fifty page letter. Now, which is more
weighty? But the feeling in my mother's
few lines is beyond measure; it is sacred.
The other stuff cannot stand comparison
with it.
Suppose two men go for a bath in the
Ganga river. One of them says: "What is
this Ganga river that people talk so much
about? Take two parts of hydrogen and one
of oxygen; combine the two gases- it be-
comes Ganga. What else is there in the
Ganga?"
The other says: "The Ganga flows from
the lovely lotus feet of Lord Vishnu. Thou-
sands of Rishis, seers, both ascetic and
kingly, have done penance by her banks.
Countless holy acts have been performed
by her side. Such is the sacred Ganga, my
mother." Filled with this bhavana (feeling),
he bathes in the river. The other man, re-
garding as combination of hydrogen and
oxygen also bathes. Both derive the benefit
of physical cleansing. But the devotee gets
the benefit of inner purification as well.
Even a buffalo, if it bathes in the Ganga
river, will achieve physical cleanliness. The
dirt of the body will go.
But how to wash the mind of its taint?
One got the petty benefit of physical clean-
liness; the other, in addition, gained the in-
valuable fruit of inward purity.
Nirguna is all jnana, knowledge, but sa-
guna is full of love, of bhavana, of feeling.
There is the moisture of the heart in it and
perfect safety for the bhakta (devotee).
When the principle of devotion or bhakti,
enters into any action, it is only then that it
appears easy. It is not difficult to push a
boat in the water; but how hard to drag the
same boat on land, on rocks? If there is
water under the boat, we can cross over to
the other shore as without effort. In the
same way, if our life's boat floats on the wa-
ters of bhakti (devotion), we can sail easily
in it. But if life is dry and the way dusty,
stony, full of pitfalls then it would indeed
be hard to drag the boat along. The princi-
ple of bhakti (devotion), like water, makes
easy the voyage of our life.
The truth of the matter is that saguna and
nirguna complement each other. Both these
means take us to the same end.
The whole religion of the Hinduis centred
in realisation.
As we find that somehow or other, by the
laws of our mental constitution, we have to
associate our ideas of infinity with the im-
ages of the blue sky, or of the sea, so we
naturally connect our idea of holiness with
the image of a church, a mosque, or a cross.
The Hindus have associated the idea of ho-
liness, purity, truth, omnipresence, and such
other ideas with different images and forms.
But with this difference that while some
people devote their whole lives to their idol
of a church and never rise higher, because
with them religion means an intellectual as-
sent to certain doctrines and doing good to
their fellows, the whole religion of the
Hindu is centred in realisation. Man is to
become divine by realising the divine. Idols
or temples or churches or books are only
the supports, the helps, of his spiritual
childhood: but on and on he must progress.
ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT Indo-Caribbean Times MARCH 2008 Page 20
TRINIDAD BORN PROF. AMAR BOSE
Chowtaal – a rich musical tradition Bose, who holds over two dozen patents,
By SEETA PERSAD
PIO BALKRISHNA INDUCTED IN US
earned his Bachelor, Master and Doctoral
CHOWTAAL is one of the best-known degrees in electrical engineering from the
the country prepares for Phagwa celebra- NAIPAUL'S NEW INVENTOR'S HALL
styles of East Indian folk singing in TT. As Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT), where he was faculty from 1956 till
singers in villages throughout the country BOOK RELEASED OF FAME
tions later this month, on March 22 and 23, 2001. His research at MIT led to the devel-
opment of new, patented technologies. With
are currently involved in performing this those patents, he founded Bose Corporation
popular folk music. in Framingham, Massachusetts. The com-
Trinidad born PIO Balkrishna Naipaul Amar Bose, a pioneer in modern coustics
This style of singing originated in South pany's first product, designed to recreate the
has published another of his good works in who is known for the high-end audio prod-
India and was brought to TT by the inden- rich sounds of live musical performances,
literature, this one recently released titled ucts bearing his name, has been inducted
tured labourers 160 years ago. The musical was the 901 speakers.
"The Other Side of The House". into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in
style has increased in popularity in recent Bose Corporation, since acclaimed inter-
Bhasyam G. Iyengar of the New York the US, which has previously honored
years after being actively promoted in pri- nationally for groundbreaking products, de-
Times wrote that "The Other Side Thomas Edison, Graham Bell and the
mary schools run by the Sanatan Dharma velops and manufactures audio equipment,
of The House" is a compelling story about Wright Brothers.
Maha Sabha. These youngsters participate including speakers, amplifiers, headphones
a young man in pursuit of an education. Born in the US to a Bengali father and a
in the annual Chowtaal Sammelan, a and sound systems for luxury cars.
This is Balkrishna Naipaul's fifth book in German mother, Bose's name is in the 2008
singing competition for Phagwa Council for With annual revenue close to $1.8 billion,
seven years, and like his trilogy this is a big list of 18 inventors to be honored, 11 of
Indian Culture and TT’s Ramleela Organi- the privately held company ploughs back
book - 500 pages. them posthumously, by theOhio-based Hall
sation and have been promoting chowtaal part of the profits into advancement in non-
"It is a compelling read, especially when of Fame in May.
singing events. One local exponent of the audio areas such as research on cold fusion
compared to the major works of the giants The citation released last month for the
artform is singer, Nirmala Roodal, of Felic- and developing automotive suspension sys-
from the Caribbean", said Churaumanie 78-year-old, who founded the Bose Corpo-
ity. She told Newsday singing chowtaal is tems. The company employs nearly 8,000
Bissundyal, "and as with his earlier works, ration in 1964, says: "Bose has introduced
simple. “It is done in four ‘taals’ (musical people in its Framingham headquarters and
his prose is fluid, poetic, and musical." a variety of products through his company,
scales). The song is sung by one section of elsewhere, and has over 150 stores of its
The National Library of Trinidad and To- including the 901 Direct/Reflecting speaker
the group and another replies with the same own, including in India.
bago will be launching the book on April 1, system, customized sound systems for au-
verses or a new verse to challenge their op-
2008. tomobiles, and active noise-reducing head-
ponents,” she explained. Roodal, along
"The Other Side of The House" will be phone."
with with Rukmini Beepath, Daykalya
available from Canadian bookstores and The Hall of Fame was founded in 1973
Ramnanan, and Romatie Singh, teach
from Global Publications in Canada, and by the US Patent and Trademark Office and
chowtaal singing in the Chaguanas area.
from bookstores in the U.S.A and from the National Council of Intellectual Prop-
Research shows that in the taals the
Xlibris, a partner of Random House U.S.A.

Girley captures
erty Law Associations.
mnemonic syllables are an important part
of Indian rhythm. They are variously re-

Chutney crown
ferred to as “bol”, “solkatu”, or “kon-
nakkol”. These are syllables which
correlate to the various strokes of the musi-

in Guyana
cal instruments such as the tabla, mridan-
gam, and pakhawaj as well as other
classical percussive instruments. . The use
of rhythmic mnemonics in South India is
Sandradai Persaud who prefers the mav-
part of a very rich tradition. It has a very
erick `Girley' used before her surname yes-
important place in pedagogy and in the ac-
terday said she truly felt like a queen when
companiment of south Indian classical
she went on stage to perform her winning
dances. In the south, the recitation of the
song `Rum is meh husband tea'.
rhythmic syllables may be called several
"I knew I was going to win from that
things. One of the most common is
very first moment," she told a local news-
“solkattu”. It is also known as “konnakkol”,
paper..
which is derived from the Telugu phrase
On Saturday night at the Uitvlugt Commu-
“Konu Kolu,” which means a “measuring
nity Centre Ground, eleven contestants
rod”. Unlike the recitation of the tabla
from regions Three, Four, Five and Six cre-
“bols” in the North India, the “konnakkol”
ated a chutney explosion as they vied for
is a highly respected art in its own right. It
the 2008 crown.
is from this fast paced music that classical
`Girley' Persaud confidently claimed the
music such as “Tumree” and “Gazals” were
chutney throne from last year's winner and
sung by the Indian indentured labourers.
repeat Chutney king Haresh Singh while
Later these songs were made into the tradi-
Levi Nedd managed to secure his place as
tional chutney beat that was created in TT.
first runner-up. There was a tie between
Chutney then became soca chutney when
Aron Dasraj and Mahesh Narine for second

Q-TREX INTERNATIONAL
English wordings together with the soca
runner-up. Sandella Craig was judged to be
rhythm were added. Chowtaal singing has a
the most promising artiste at the competi-
flavour of its own and it is widely enjoyed
by people of all walks of life in TT.
tion. 5040 Maingate Dr., Mississauga (Tomken & Eglinton)
The 39-year-old Chutney queen for 2008,
who has for the past nineteen years lived in
Industry, East Coast Demerara, attributes Ship 10 barrels (100 cubic feet) in one Calendar
her success to long, hard hours working on Year and Ship the 11th Barrel (10 cubic feet) for FREE!
her sound track, lyrics and rehearsing tire- Enjoy this:
lessly.
Success, however, is no stranger to this Guyana...............$45.00 per barrel
woman who has been singing since she was Trinidad..............$30.00 per barrel
Kingston............$30.00 per barrel
eight as she placed first in the Essequibo
Chutney Competition in 1999 and more re-
cently captured second place in the 2006 Montego Bay ....$35.00 per barrel
Chutney Competition. Barbados...........$55.00 per barrel
Grenada, St Vincent, Dominica
St Lucia, Antigua..$60.00 per barrel
We deliver empty plastic,
cardboard or steel barrels
Delivery Service to any U.S. or Canadian city

Ask about our weekly a ir service

to Guy ana and the Cari bbean
Call 905.290.1946 or
toll free 1 866 GO QTREX (881-5433)
SPORTS Indo-Caribbean Times MARCH 2008 Page 22
Cricket: Australia postpone Pakistan tour
Security concerns because of political tur-
moil in Pakistan has caused Australia to Indian Premier League Fixtures 2008
postpone their tour of Pakistan scheduled
for later this month. The tour has not been
cancelled but it is not likely to happen this Chandigarh Lions vs Ahmedabad Rockets. 10 Mar, Mon
Delhi Giants vs Mumbai Champs 11 Mar, Tues
year, because of the tight Australian sched-
ule.
"We are very sorry that the tour could not
take place at this time," Creagh O'Connor,
Chennai Superstars vs Lahore Badshahs. 12 Mar, Wed
Cricket Australia's chairman, said. "This Mumbai Champs vs Kolkata Tigers. 13 Mar, Thu
was a difficult decision based on independ-
ent review of the circumstances prevailing Hyderabad Heroes vs Lahore Badshahs 15 Mar, Sat
Delhi Giants vs Chandigarh Lions. 15 Mar, Sat
in Pakistan at the moment.”
James Sutherland, the chief executive of
Cricket Australia, said Australia's busy pro-
gramme meant it would not be easy to find
Hyderabad Heroes vs Chennai Superstars. 16 Mar, Sun
a spot to reschedule the series. "There's a Ahmedabad Rockets vs Delhi Giants 16 Mar, Sun
couple of windows in 2009 and 2010,"
Chandigarh Lions vs Lahore Badshahs 17 Mar, Mon
DRAUGHTS Chennai Superstars vs Kolkata Tigers. 18 Mar, Tues
TOURNAMENT: Ahmedabad Rockets vs Mumbai Champs 19 Mar, Wed
Hyderabad Heroes vs Kolkata Tigers 20 Mar, Thurs
2008 Ontario Draught Championship
April 05, 2008, at Island Grove Restaurant,
4525 Ebenezer Rd, Brampton
TO REGISTER: Contact: Fred Lall 905-
Chennai Superstars vs Delhi Giants. 21 Mar, Fri
794-5423 lall4@rogers.com www.hori- Hyderabad Heroes vs Ahmedabad Rockets. 21 Mar, Fri
Mumbai Champs vs Lahore Badshahs 22 Mar, Sat
zoncricketclub.com

Kolkata Tigers vs Ahmedabad Rockets. 22 Mar, Sat

CHESS TOURNAMENT RESULTS
Congratulations to EDWIN CASARENO -
2008 Canadian Recreational Chess Cham-
pion
Chandigarh Lions vs Chennai Superstars 23 Mar, Sun
Mumbai Champs vs Chennai Superstars 23 Mar, Sun
Delhi Giants vs Lahore Badshahs 24 Mar, Mon
The 2008 Canadian Recreational Chess
Championship was held on March 01, 2008

Delhi Giants vs Hyderabad Heroes 25 Mar, Tues

in Ontario. Top chess players compete for
the prestigious title of 2008 Canadian
Recreational Chess Champion. It was an
exciting final between Ian Bell and Edwin
Chandigarh Lions vs Mumbai Champs 26 Mar, Wed
Casareno. At the end, EDWIN Kolkata Tigers vs Lahore Badshahs 27 Mar, Thurs
Chandigarh Lions vs Kolkata Tigers 28 Mar, Fri
CASARENO was crowned the champion.
Complete results updated at www.horizon-

Superstars vs Ahmedabad Rockets 29 Mar, Sat

cricketclub.com

DEVON THOMAS, the champion for the

previous chess tournament, received con-
Chandigarh Lions vs Hyderabad Heroes 30 Mar, Sun
gratulatory letter from the Prime Minister Ahmedabad Rockets vs Lahore Badshahs 30 Mar, Sun
Delhi Giants vs Kolkata Tigers 01. 31 Mar, Mon
of Canada. Letter posted at www.horizon-
cricketclub.com

Hyderabad Heroes vs Mumbai Champs 02 Apr, Wed

Special thanks to the tournament judges:
(1) Dr. Harold Chan – 2007 World Draught
Champion
(2) Barry Thorvardson – President of the
SEMI FINAL # 1 ……….( 1 & 4) 03 Apr, Thurs
Ontario Chess Association SEMI FINAL # 2 ………..( 2 & 3) 04 Apr, Fri
Also special thanks to the following for 3rd vs 4th place 04 Apr, Fri
FINAL # 1 04Apr, Sun
bringing extra chess sets and chess clocks
(1) Barry Thorvardson from the Brampton
Chess Club
(2) Les Stevens from the Tottenham Chess
FINAL # 2. 06Apr, Mon
Club FINAL # 3 07 April
Next chess tournament: December 2008

CHESS, DRAUGHT AND

DOMINO TOURNAMENTS
Players of all skill levels (beginners to advanced) are
invited to participate. Tournaments held every month
during the winter.

See schedule at www.horizoncricketclub.com or phone

905-794-5423. Also, adult and kids CHESS LESSONS
(beginners to advance). Learn to play the world’s best
board game.
Registration information at
www.horizoncricketclub.com
 Indo-Caribbean Times MARCH 2008 Page 23

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