Year: 2012

Ramotar pleased with first-year progress

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– but calls for more cooperation to move country forward President Donald Ramotar President Donald Ramotar said that he has managed to sustain the work started by the previous PPP/C administrations, catering for the social and educational needs of citizens, as he reflected on his first year in office. The first Guyanese president to lead a minority government, Ramotar told media operatives that  since he was sworn in as Guyana’s seventh executive president, he  has been pleased with the work done to improve and develop the education, health and housing…

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Gov’t beefing up efforts to fight human trafficking

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In an effort to beef up its fight against human trafficking, the Human Services and Social Security Ministry in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will be holding a workshop to sensitise persons on how to tackle the scourge. Minister Jennifer Webster on Monday disclosed that the aim of the workshop is to train and sensitise individuals to be focal point persons so that there can be better linkages and identify with persons to understand what the issue is about. She said that funding has been provided by…

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Nabobs of Negativity

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Opposition’s wilful blindness Some say that that a pessimist is one who sees a cup “half-empty” rather than “half-full”. So what do you call someone who calls the same cup ‘completely empty’? The Guyana Opposition, that’s what. And this is one of the major reasons why politics is so intractably conflictual in our country.  The opposition will just not concede that the government does anything right. Take the IMF which just released one of its periodic reviews of the Guyanese economy. The organisation, as is usual, looked at the macroeconomic…

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RUSAL to increase bauxite production next year

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The Russian Aluminum Company (RUSAL) plans to increase bauxite production by 1,900,000 tonnes next year while commencing work on a new deposit, officials told President Donald Ramotar during a meeting at the Office of the President on Tuesday. Leading the team was RUSAL Alumina and Bauxite Business Director Valery Matvienko, who was joined by head of representative in Guyana Vladimir Permyakov and Russian ambassador to Guyana Nikolay Smirnov. Natural Resources and Environment Minister Robert Persaud was also part of the meeting, which explored the situation with aluminum and alumina bauxite…

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Congratulations to the miners for meeting production target

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Dear Editor, I take this opportunity to congratulate my fellow miners on achieving once again the feat of reaching gold production levels surpassing 363,000 ounces in November, which was total production for the year 2011. The sector is anticipating reaching an unprecedented target of 400,000 ounces for 2012, the largest in the history of Guyana’s gold production. Once again we have proven our resilience to achieving greater heights within the mining sector under the first ever Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, established to coordinate the extractive and natural…

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National footballers want to play but under different GFF administration

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Dear Editor, For years, this football administration has not progressed, shown no vision and provided no solid foundation for its national athletes to progress in football. This is purely based on vision and future for football in Guyana and its players at all level and ages. The last 12 months have been the most marketable period for the Guyana national team, and the federation has failed miserably. The team created history by reaching that stage of World Cup Qualification, however the federation never matched the progression of the on-field and…

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The gold-smuggling business

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Dear Editor, The government’s zero tolerance approach to gold smuggling is really a high priority, and it should be. Following allegations of a Guyana fishing vessel, that reportedly smuggled 470 pounds of raw gold, valued US$11.5 million, a meeting was quickly convened with the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) and licensed gold and diamond dealers. Over in India, Guyana’s problem with gold has been and is being replicated. The news from India recently revealed that gold smuggling seems to be on a new high. Customs officials at Mumbai…

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Making UG world-rated

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Dear Editor, At the 46th convocation of the University of Guyana, President Donald Ramotar said his administration is committed to making the institution world rated. A similar sentiment was expressed in the portfolios and presentations of all four candidates vying for the post of vice chancellor. The dreams and ambitions of these men are indeed quite lofty, but before looking to the stars, there is need for immediate attention to the very mundane. UG road is not in the best shape. It has navigable pot-holes but when it rains, there…

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Change

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“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” – Alan Watts Last week, we the students of Queen’s College spent the week over at Richard Ishmael’s. The experience, for me, was an eye-opener in more ways than one. But the thing that struck me the most was by Friday, we’d all settled in, and everything started feeling like routine school again. But it probably shouldn’t surprise me, after all, we’re young and supposed to be able to…

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GT&T announces release of Call Home Guyana card

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The Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) has announced that Guyanese living in the USA and Canada can stay in touch with their family and friends in Guyana through the use of the cost effective and reliable Guyana Call Home card which is now available at popular West Indian and convenience stores. The card is offered in two denominations; $5 for 22 minutes of talk time and $10 for 50 minutes of talk time.  Unused minutes are not lost but rather can be reused at another time to its fullest.…

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