Banana award for Manning

THE EDITOR: I would like to offer our beloved Prime Minister Patrick Manning congratulations on being the recipient of the Guyana Institute for Democracy award. I am sure the PNM member Rickford Burke carefully considered the PM’s democracy agendas before presenting him with such a prestigious award.

I would also like to recommend our PM for another award. It is called the “Banana Award,” given only to Prime Ministers who take developing nations and turn them into Banana Republics. With the murder rate over 200 and kidnapping over... robberies over... sorry, lost count, besides who is counting anyway? Only if a ransom is paid then it is counted as kidnapping. This is what happens when police officers with a low level of education are in the top echelons of the force. Banana Republics are going nowhere. Criminals rule their nation. They have no vision and foresight. Their leaders are paid high salaries for doing nothing. They give their supporters money in return for loyalty. The business community is always under siege in a Banana Republic. Nobody feels safe, as soon as someone is shot the news is out before any investigation is done, “oh it drug related,” better take the front first mentality. Words like suspicious, drug related, gang members are key watch words in a Banana Republic. Children grow up learning to steal, committing crimes at an early age.

I would like to declare December “Banana Republic Month” and to celebrate I would ask all citizens to eat bananas for this month. I would also ask that a banana tree be planted in the PM front lawn to celebrate. Since it is nearing the year end, I feel it is fair that some other awards be handed out in this democratic nation. This award is a little different from a Banana Award (there could only be one of those). In honour of the founder of the PNM party Dr Williams, it is called the “Crapaud Award.” I would like to suggest some ministries (note I did not say individuals) for the Crapaud Award. One would recall Dr Williams saying “if ah put ah crapaud there dey go vote for him.”

The Crapaud Award goes to these ministries whose work has given birth to the Banana Republic:
(1) Ministry of Education — 14 schools recommended for armed police presence. No word condemning Dr Cudjoe’s anti-Indian teachers comment. Education Ministry is now producing the future criminals, practising violence in the schools.
(2) Ministry(er) of National Security — This award is most deserving, in Banana Republics crime must be higher, the higher it gets the better the notoriety for the republic. Over 200 dead, kidnappings and armed robberies? — too high to count.
(3) Ministry of Health — this ministry deserves this award because of the 20 dead babies (might be more) at Mount Hope ..less. Citizens have their own horror stories regarding these health institutions (too numerous to recall here).
These three ministries are vitally important in maintaining a Banana Republic status. I would recommend a huge bonus for employees in these ministries.

KHEM HARRINARINE
Port-of-Spain