Letter to the newspapers - 3 December 2008

Dear Sir,

Now that GT&T have blocked VOIP totally on their network, I hope that all the people who are going to be out of work, and all the poor people who can't afford to make direct overseas calls to ask their families for help,especially in the coming Christmas season, take note of what effects a monopoly can truly have. How much poorer they are going to be. I hope they won't be too forgetful about it either.
Is it any coincidence that today's paper mentions the SMS interconnectivity between the two networks? Could it be that Digicel is slowly gaining grounds and GT&T is feeling the pressure. Well guess what people, it is the poor ones who feel the squeeze whilst the big ones squabble over the spoils.
Don't believe that the government will be able to come into this at all. After all, they started the whole shebang when they started fighting that they loosing out on their precious VAT they not getting from "illegal" call centres. Same VAT they discovering they making millions surplus every quarter. Imagine that, the poor people can't afford to pay GT&T's overseas rate (so enabling the government to benefit from VAT), so they try to save their 'lil dollars (most likely asking for more dollars from their overseas relatives) using these same "illegal" call centres, who in turn trying to find a way to make their own small piece; and what happens? The government "clamping" down on the thieves!!!
Instead of asking them to register their business and file returns, they get very technical (I wonder who are their technical advisers) and give GT&T sole rights to VOIP, something that wasn't even dreamt of when their contract was made. Or as my friend says, even charge a little bit on the thing, making their money at the resellers end. But no, they want the whole hog.
Let's hope this nightmare can come to an end by or before 2012, when that contract expires.
Let's hope we can survive just so long somebody else can give GT&T real competition?
But we can make GT&T pay too. You know how? All of you with GT&T cell phones switch to Digicel. I wonder if GT&T would make more money on their overseas than on their cell circuits? Can the Guyanese people actually get that angry to do this? Are they strong enough to say enough is enough? What say you? Digicel for GT&T?

Yours faithfully,

Nyall Jodhan

Letter to the newspapers - 20/11/2008

Dear Sir,

It was great shock that I read in the papers GPL's "campaign" to catch the "pirates" who have found a new way to "steal" current. These "thieves" and "pirates" happen to be those who have put security lights up on the streets. Here we have fearful and insecure people, trying to make a bit of peace of mind around their homes, being branded thieves and pirates.
One would think that GPL are being callous taking such a stance so soon after Lusignan and Bartica. Incidentally GPL, these same lights are up in Lusignan. Are they going to removed too? Are the folks living there going to be made to pay $3400 monthly for each light? Are they thieves and pirates too?
Also, if GPL has already worked out that these lights cost them $3400 monthly, why would they want to have consumers put a meter on them if the consumers want these lights on the posts? Wouldn't such a thing be a waste of money?
It's not enough that we have to suffer daily blackouts, but now we are not allowed to have safe streets anymore. But then I contradict myself, the lights don't work anyways with all the blackouts.

Yours faithfully,

Nyall Jodhan