More lows than highs in 2k8

Test of faith in 2K8

By Sharief Khan

THIS was a roller coaster year -- a leap year of highs and lows that tested the faith of Guyanese who again proved that they can overcome differences and rally to the national cause.

The senseless massacre of civilians, including sleeping women and children, at Lusignan on the East Coast Demerara and in the mining town of Bartica at the mouth of the Essequibo River, and then the slaughter and cremation of eight miners in an isolated camp were undeniably the low points that stunned the nation into numbness.

But there was a collective huge sigh of relief when the leaders of the killer gang met their demise in a shootout with security forces.

Among the other high points were the successful hosting of CARIFESTA X which saw massive public turnouts and participation, and the formal commissioning of the long-awaited bridge across the Berbice River.

The expected opening of the crucial bridge across the border Takutu River with Brazil did not materialize and the coming into full operation of the ultra-modern sugar complex at Skeldon in Berbice has been put back.

And as the year closed, floods from record high rains that evoked memories of the disastrous inundation of late 2005-early 2006, threatened to put a damper on the Christmas season.