Choral Bliss: Seniors from the Indo Caribbean Golden Age Association singing lustily at their annual Christmas party on December 11 at the Agincourt Community Centre. Pix by Adit Kumar
By Adit Kumar
Members of the Indo Caribbean Golden Age Association turned out in full force for their annual Christmas party at the Agincourt Community Centre on Sunday, December 11, 2011.
The seniors were bent on making a great day of it and dressed fittingly for the occasion. They danced, sang Christmas carols in a choir and exchanged greetings with old friends, many of whom did not meet up a long while. Lunch was a specialty which they partook of with great gusto. What would be a Christmas party without presents? So Santa visited (along with Mrs Claus, for good measure) to distribute gifts to the participants, adding to their excitement and cheer.
Mrs Sattie Sawh, Acting Guyana Consul General, was in attendance and brought greetings for the season on behalf of the government of Guyana. Veteran musician David Singh was also there and along with fellow musicians Bhim Singh, Ramphal and Rajen, provided entertainment and gave accompaniment to many of the seniors who felt the urge to exercise their vocal chords. They rendered songs ranging from Christmas carols to chutney to film numbers.
The seniors whose birthdays are in the months of December and January were felicitated and took part in a cake cutting exercise. Many of them proudly announced that they were born on Christmas Day, Boxing Day or New Year's Day.
President of the Association, Mrs Leila Daljeet chaired the proceedings and gave an update on plans for next year when the organization will be celebrating its 20th anniversary. She announced that a big bash has been planned for the occasion that would include popular Guyanese singer Terry Gajraj and other talented artistes. The program will include dinner and dance and is scheduled for May 12, 2012 at the Shingar Banquet Hall in Brampton.
The organization will also be participating in the Annual Chowtal sammelan at the Vedic Cultural Centre on February 25th, 2012 and will hold a Valentine's Day program on February 12, 2012.
For more information on the ICGAA's programs and activities please call Mac Gurdial at 905-294-3564.
Following the allegations, Greene wrote to the President requesting to proceed on leave while the investigations are taking place. President Ramotar reportedly granted his request and announced that Assistant Commissioner of Police Leroy Brummel will head the force in Greene's absence.
"I have agreed that he (Greene) should go on leave while the investigation is going on," the President said in a recent interview with the state owned National Communications Network (NCN). Ramotar added, "I've also raised with the Minister of Home Affairs that they should seek other assistance, external assistance in this investigation…so that it can be done very quickly and that justice can be done, that it can be investigated as fast as possible so that we can put this behind us."
Two Mondays ago, in an interview with several media houses, the woman disclosed that the encounter with the Top Cop occurred on November 22 last. The woman said she did not report the matter earlier because she had received several threats to her life if she ever went public with the allegations.
However, the woman said that she was so overwhelmed over the incident that she could no longer live with her conscience and decided to reveal the sordid details of the alleged ordeal.
Chairman of the Alliance for Change (AFC), Khemraj Ramjattan on learning of the matter was the first to demand that Greene be immediately interdicted from the Guyana Police Force.
AFC's leader, Raphael Trotman, said that the matter was the first real test for Head-of-State Donald Ramotar. Trotman said he was worried that Greene remaining on the job could impact on the investigation.
Greene's predecessor, Former Commissioner Winston Felix who contested the November 28 general elections as an opposition APNU candidate, had also called on Greene to "do the honourable thing" and step down from his post. Felix noted that Greene had been interdicting ranks who had committed similar and lesser breaches of the law.
Greene was earlier reported to have told the media, "Let God be the judge. It's not prudent for me to make any comments right now. I've sought legal advice on that matter and it is engaging the attention of my lawyers."
A Partnership for National Unity's youth arm 'Youth for Transformational Change' had picketed Greene's home in Lamaha Springs last week, calling for his resignation. Similar calls for Greene to step aside were also made by the women's advocate body Red Thread and the Guyana Association of Women Lawyers.
Crime Chief Seelall Persaud dismissed any suggestion that the Top Cop had in any way influenced the investigations.
He said that the Commissioner has not given any instructions regarding the investigation.
Meanwhile, some reports state that there is confusion relating to who is in charge of the Police Force. According to the reports Divisional Commanders have received a memorandum from Greene reminding them that he was still in charge of the Guyana Police Force.
And this is raising questions as to the credibility of any investigation against Greene. Reportedly, the latest memo is intimidating.