Year: 2014

Proposed changes to ERC for House vote next week

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Committee on Appointments Chairman, Dr George Norton is expected to present a report in the National Assembly on Monday relating to the reorganisation of the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC). Dr Norton told Guyana Times International on Wednesday that the report will entail plans to add three more members to the legal structure of the ERC. He explained that the committee is moving to increase the number of appointees from seven to 10, and so include a representative from an Afro-Guyanese, Indo-Guyanese and Amerindian group.  That new category will be referred…

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Revenue boss reports dramatic increases in tax collection at Guyana-Suriname border

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The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has reported a dramatic increase in revenue collection at the notorious smuggling hotbed of the Guyana/Suriname border, with tax collection moving from approximately Gy$7 million to a whopping Gy$25 million weekly. But it is still to hone in on a port at Line Path, which GRA chief Khurshid Sattaur admitted was problematic. Sattaur said the increase in revenue was made possible after GRA put several new systems in place, plugging numerous loopholes that for years helped a number of Corentyne businesses to prosper. He noted…

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Engaging the citizenry

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In any democracy citizens expect public institutions to be transparent and accountable. Hence, institutions such as the parliament, government ministries, the courts, law enforcement agencies etc. must always strive to engage the various stakeholders in the society as to how they can be more open, transparent and accessible to the public. Too many times, public institutions operate with a high degree of secrecy and away from public scrutiny. The end result is that, in addition to ordinary citizens being denied an opportunity to direct probing questions to those in authority,…

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Rainstorm to hit Guyana’s coast, massive flash floods expected

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Extreme rainfall is expected to hit Guyana today (Thursday) and can result in massive flash floods across the country, the Agriculture Ministry has warned in a release on Wednesday. The ministry, in collaboration with the hydrometeorological service, has indicated that there is a 70 per cent chance that this can happen. The high intensity weather pattern, which is presently over the Atlantic, continues to develop, and as a result, Guyana will experience rainfall of 45 to 80mm over a 24-hour period, the ministry predicted. Regions Three to Five and northern…

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Peace is essential for progress

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– President Ramotar tells Latin American and Caribbean heads Members of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), on the final day of the 2nd Summit in Havana, Cuba, unanimously adopted a proclamation declaring the area a zone of peace. The proclamation reaffirms the commitment of member countries with the purposes and principles enshrined in the United Nations charter and International Law, and aware of the fact that prosperity and stability in the region contribute to international peace and security. The declaration is mindful that peace is a…

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Another police officer arrested for sodomising teen

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Less than three weeks after several police ranks were transferred and one placed under close arrest following allegations of sexual assault, three others are now in hot water for allegedly committing a similar act on a teenager in Georgetown. The three ranks were placed under close arrest after allegations surfaced that they had sodomised a 16-year-old boy while he was in their custody at the Stabroek Police Outpost Sunday evening. According to information received, the teenager was arrested about 21:00h on Sunday and taken to the Stabroek Police Outpost where…

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American University to roll out anti-suicide programme in Essequibo

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In an effort to reduce the number of suicide cases in Guyana, the American University of Research will be embarking on an initiative to promote self-awareness as a solution. At a press conference on Tuesday, university president, Dr Eton Simon, explained that if persons are aware of their mental state, they can make a better choice than choosing the easy way out. “We are embarking on this initiative due to the urgent need for a solution to suicide in our country,” he said. Dr Simon said members of the university,…

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Seeraj calls for full investigation into allegations against Berbice ranks

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Member of Parliament Dharamkumar Seeraj is calling on the Guyana Police Force to launch a full investigation into the allegations by Corentyne residents that some police ranks have been involved in criminal activity in their villages. Speaking at a meeting organised by the police at the Number 48 Primary School building on Tuesday, the parliamentarian noted that the visit of Police Commissioner Leroy Brumell to the Corentyne is an indication that the spike in crime has caught the attention of the police. He said people in Berbice do not trust…

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“KNOWING” & “DOING”

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By Anu Dev “I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do” – Leonardo da Vinci Just before returning to Trinidad a little over a week ago, I caught a bug. It felt like the flu: you know – fever, cough, headache, aching muscles and tiredness. So I downed the usual over-the-counter medications and hunkered down to see it through. Lots of liquid and all that. Most of the students hadn’t arrived from the other…

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Bulkan, Palmer spreading misinformation about Guyana

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Dear Editor, Kindly permit me to respond to Part IV of Janette Bulkan and John Palmer’s critical review of the annual reports of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) submitted to Parliament and carried in another section of the press on January 30. Bulkan and Palmer’s main objective in their so-called reviewing of the GFC’s reports submitted to Parliament is to deliberately find fault and more so, to criticise the reports which currently have no basis. But the GFC is equipped with its own expertise to prepare its reports and does…

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