GT&T’s Jingle and Song Competition launched

Yog Mahadeo, Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company Limited (GT& T), disclosed that the company will continue to contribute to Guyana’s development through the promotion of competitions on the basis of equality.

Mahadeo said the company will not slacken its drive to transform Guyana in the areas of sport, culture, entertainment, and telecommunications, as it has the nation’s interest at heart.

He was addressing the gathering at the launch of GT& T’s much- anticipated National Jingle and Song Competition, 2011. Mahadeo said the company’s contributions to the development of the lives of all Guyanese are invaluable, and are made on the basis of the company’s social and corporate responsibility to the market within which it has been operating the past 19 years.

“We are constantly investing millions of dollars in various competitions, events and other activities without asking for a cent in return,” Mahadeo said, as he sought to drive home his point on the company’s commitment to Guyana.

The chief executive officer noted that, since GT& T started operating in the Guyanese market, it has plugged a whopping US$ 20 million in investments back into the economy. He explained that the investment was made because the company wanted to provide the stage through which Guyanese can turn their dreams into reality.

Speaking about the investment made in staging this year’s Jingle and Song Competition, Mahadeo disclosed that more than 50 million dollars will be disbursed for the event, which will attract auditions from thousands of Guyanese.

“We have removed all barriers this year because we want all Guyanese to have the opportunity to display their talents. We realise that we are not here to limit talent, but rather cultivate talents and skills”, Mahadeo said at the launching ceremony on Thursday. This year’s competition has a new feature, a “Bollywood category”. According to Mahadeo, the event has grown and must now spread its wings to give all people, regardless of race, background or creed, the ability to demonstrate talent.

He said GT& T hopes to create two new stars in the country using music as the means of enabling Guyanese to accomplish their dreams in this respect. He insisted that the competition must seek to invoke “patriotism, nationalism, pride and overall zeal” in Guyanese. Mahadeo said specific attention should be placed on the lyrics and performance techniques of persons who are part of the competition, as opposed to just their vocal abilities.

This is the fifth staging of the competition, and already GT& T has created several stars in the music industry while affording them the opportunity to become role models and leaders in the emerging entertainment industry.