President Donald Ramotar said he wants to see every village and “every nook and cranny having a vibrant economy”. He made the comment during his Independence Day address. Pledging that his minority government will work towards achieving this, Ramotar said:” We will work towards breathing new life into our village economies, so as to increase economic activities, provide jobs within villages for residents, promote inter-village economic exchanges and encourage the growth of businesses, large and small, including cottage industries.” He said it is his administration’s hope that in so doing…
Read MoreYear: 2012
Damian Marley rocks National Stadium
By Bhisham mohamed Jamaican reggae superstar Damian “Junior Gong” Marley lived up to all the pre-show hype to deliver a stirring performance at Saturday night’s Food, Arts and Musical Festival held at the Guyana National Stadium. His performance was the highlight of the first day of the inaugural festivities, hosted by the Tourism Ministry. The evening saw the energetic Jamaican creating heat waves with his phenomenal vocals, while showing off his body-length dreadlocks in a blue denim outfit. After one of Marley’s band members introduced him, upon hearing his…
Read MoreGuyanese lobbying for representation on N.Y. Council
By North American Correspondent With the electoral maps (constituency boundaries) for State and Congressional districts already drawn up and the Guyanese political activists failing to get a seat for their community to the U.S. Congress or state legislature of New York, an effort is now underway to get a seat on the City Council. The Guyanese community leaders say they are doubling up their efforts to get a City Council seat that will be inclusive of all of the greater Richmond Hill areas. Guyanese predominate in the greater Richmond…
Read MoreN.Y. State Legislature debates proposal to raise minimum wage
By North American Correspondent The New York State Legislature is debating a proposal to raise the state’s minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.50. The Democrats are strongly in favour of the bill but the Republicans are opposed to raising the minimum wage which has not gone up for some time now. Advocates say raising the minimum wage will have a tremendous positive impact on the lives of working families throughout New York. They believe that during these difficult times, with the economy still recovering from the excesses of…
Read MorePhillip Moore’s status – not dependent upon a state funeral
Dear Editor, I have the highest regard for the late Phillip Moore. I also wish that the government had been more caring in terms of assisting this icon, during his days of declining health. Now that he is no more, my personal desire is that something substantial be done – wake, funeral, celebration of his works etc. However, I have a word of caution. First, there should be no politicising of Phillip Moore, in any form or fashion. When his health was fading, and maybe his resources falling short,…
Read MoreThe partnership between Scripps College of Communication and UG should be lauded
Dear Editor, During my time at the University of Guyana, I was engaged in various lobbying efforts to have the curriculum reformed to cater for the changes that are taking place both nationally and internationally. Certainly, we cannot have an outdated curriculum and be able to produce graduates capable enough to take on the challenges of today’s world. The University of Guyana has a crucial role to play in national development and courses offered by the institution must be designed to cater for this. Now I am happy that…
Read MoreSarwan’s reminder and a timely question
Dear Editor, Ramnaresh Sarwan, indeed, is giving the West Indies selectors a timely reminder of his Test credentials. He scored a second century for Leicestershire, in their championship match against Essex. The 31-year-old was the star of the show, as Leicestershire fought back after a nightmare start in their first innings. It was runs under duress. In fact, Leicestershire were 29 for 3 in over number 10, but Sarwan came to the fore. This is like the Sarwan of old. Only a few weeks back, Sarwan explained that simply…
Read MoreThe World Conference on Indigenous Peoples
It is seen as an historic event. Indigenous peoples’ leaders and activists say that a new milestone for the rights of indigenous peoples — their first ever World Conference, slated for 2014 – is on the horizon. They believe that the meeting would offer a unique opportunity to create a framework for addressing the most pressing challenges currently facing this group of people. Five years since the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and two years since the body unanimously adopted a…
Read MoreDependence & Independence
Independence Day” reminds us that we were supposedly once ‘dependent’ – on Britain, in this instance – and that on May 26, 1966 we became ‘independent’. One way to gauge our progress on the ‘independent’ front might be to cast a glance back at the ‘dependent’ relationship. What strikes one immediately is the chutzpah of the imperial power that enslaved and indentured us to labour and produce goods for their consumption, to then define us as ‘dependent’. We were ‘dependent’, the ‘mother country’ informed us, because we were simple, benighted…
Read MoreCongolese minister engages officials in Guyana ahead of Rio+20
Minister of Sustainable Development, Forest Economy and Environment in the Republic of Congo Henri Djombo has arrived in Guyana for talks with President Donald Ramotar as the two countries seek to adopt a strong position ahead of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Rio +20) in Brazil next month. While tourism, health, oceans, climate change and energy are among the priority for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), other developing countries are calling for an additional negotiation session to ensure a successful and mutually satisfactory outcome of the Rio+20. According…
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