2014 – Page 2 – Guyana Times International

1,000 Homes Turnkey Project on schedule for mid-2015 completion

November 28, 2014 TIMES INT'L

– over Gy$12B invested in last four years to boost housing development along East Bank corridor The 1,000 homes turnkey housing project in Perseverance on the East Bank of Demerara is slated to be fully completed by mid-2015, Housing Minister, Irfaan Ali said as he also disclosed that some 12,000 house lots have been allocated for 2014. Speaking with the media, Ali said his ministry has been working tirelessly to provide “affordable housing for all” which is also the ministry’s theme. He noted that for 2014, the Central Housing and…

No thanks! Opposition refuses President’s invitation for talks

November 21, 2014November 21, 2014 TIMES INT'L

– General Elections could be called soon The combined Opposition, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC), have rejected President Donald Ramotar’s invitation, issued via a letter on Tuesday, for talks following the prorogation of Parliament. General Secretary of APNU, Mr. Joseph Harmon, told the media on Wednesday that the main Opposition considered the President’s invitation during a meeting of its Executive Council and their position is that there will be no talks. “We have said this before and our position remains the same, APNU…

Private sector slams authorities over flooding

November 21, 2014November 21, 2014 TIMES INT'L

– calls for national inquiry on governance problems The Private Sector Commission on Thursday slammed the authorities over rain-fuelled flooding that has gripped the city and it declared that its confidence has been further diminished in the effectiveness of big ticket items such as the Doppler radar and the Hope canal. The PSC statement follows: Rainfall has once again resulted in major floods in the City of Georgetown and the Coastal Plains of Guyana and the business entities and poor households will once again suffer hundreds of millions of dollars…

US-based company expresses interest in Guyana’s oil and gas sector

November 21, 2014 TIMES INT'L

A high-level team from HESS Corporation on Wednesday met with Natural Resources and Environment Minister Robert Persaud to discuss collaboration in the oil and gas sector. The team included Tim Chisholm (Hess Exploration Vice President), Michael Dalkin (Hess, Environmental Manager), and Mark Johnson (Senior Commercial Manager Exploration International). The Minister was accompanied by acting Commissioner of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission Newell Dennison. Hess Corporation is a leading global independent energy company engaged in exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas. The company has a global portfolio…

The spirit of Parliament

November 21, 2014 TIMES INT'L

Now that a week has passed since the President prorogued Parliament, the major source of the Opposition’s angst appears to be their claim that the President “didn’t play fair”. While they had to concede that the power of prorogation is a Constitutional prerogative conferred on the President, they are making all sorts of arguments as to why he ought not to have exercised it. He violated the “spirit of Parliament”. But the arguments all boil down to the issue of fairness – ultimately a moral question. But as with all…

Courts parent company commissions US$6M distribution centre in Guyana

November 21, 2014 TIMES INT'L

– testimony to confidence in the economy Unicomer Guyana Inc, home of the Courts and Lucky Dollar brands, has commissioned a new multimillion dollar distribution centre on Wednesday at Eccles Industrial Site, East Bank Demerara. The 60,000 square feet facility has the capacity to offload 18 trucks or containers simultaneously and can house about 20 containers in the compound. The distribution centre sits on four acres of land and replaces the warehouse that was located in Montrose, East Coast Demerara. Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Unicomer Guyana Inc Managing Director…

Prorogation

November 18, 2014 TIMES INT'L

On Monday (November 10), for the first time since Independence, Guyana’s Parliament was “prorogued”. Since June of this year, the populace has been educated to the nuances of the Parliamentary “No-Confidence” Motion through its introduction by the AFC and supported by APNU. It is clear that Guyanese, both at home and abroad, will have to become familiar with this other, somewhat arcane, practice of Parliament, and this editorial is a preliminary to contribute to this objective. Very simply, the prorogation of a Parliament results in the termination of a session…

One of the world’s largest untouched open ranges of savannah lands

November 12, 2014 TIMES INT'L

The Rupununi Savannah, which is characterised by flat grasslands and mountainous terrains, is located in Guyana, between the Rupununi River and the Brazilian border, in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo region. The savannah, an extraordinary natural area in southern Guyana, is teeming with wildlife, including 500 bird species; 1,500 different plant species; more than 400 species of fish; 120 species of snakes, lizards and frogs; 105 mammal species including the elusive jaguar, which roams the hills and mountains while the Harpy Eagle flies overhead. Three of Guyana’s Amerindian tribes, Wapishana, Wai…

Art as a ‘force of beauty’

November 12, 2014 TIMES INT'L

“Art makes life, makes importance, and [there is] no other substitute for the force of beauty and its process.” These are the words by prolific artist Collette Jones-Chin, who holds a Diploma in Painting and Graphic Arts from the Burrowes School of Art, a BA in Art Education and Fine Art from the University of Guyana, and a Certificate in Fine Art from the Mount Allison University, New Brunswick, Canada. She also possesses several other certificates in Management and Strategic Planning. Jones-Chin has mounted several solo exhibitions in Barbados, St…

Nandlall clears air on audio recording

November 12, 2014 TIMES INT'L

– calls it an “unexpected betrayal” Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall on Tuesday before professional staff of the Advice, Litigation and Drafting Departments and members of the senior management of the Ministry of Legal Affairs, clarified a number of issues in relation to the much-talked about audio recording. In his address he maintained that the audio that was leaked by publisher of the Kaieteur News, Glenn Lall was selected portions of a private conversation which was recorded unknowing to him and which was manipulated, distorted and…