2014 – Page 65 – Guyana Times International

GECOM to continue search for new chief elections officer

January 10, 2014 TIMES INT'L

After several months of searching, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is yet to make a substantive decision on the appointment of a new chief elections officer. GECOM Chairman, Dr Steve Surujbally told Guyana Times International on Tuesday that commissioners are expected to resume work on January 21, where they will discuss in more detail the appointment of a new chief elections officer. Calvin Benn remains the acting chief elections officer until such time a decision is made to fill the substantive position. Dr Surujbally had said that the current team…

Guyanese man gets 20 years for Ghanaian cocaine bust

January 10, 2014 TIMES INT'L

An Accra High Court has sentenced a Ghanaian and a Guyanese to 15 and 20 years respectively in prison for unlawful possession and importation of cocaine into the country last year. The two are among five persons who were arrested at the Takoradi Port on board a Guyanese ship containing 414 bales of cocaine. They pleaded guilty upon interrogation. The captain of the ship, Miller Ronald O’Neil and the Ghanaian Seth Grant, were sentenced 20 and 15 years respectively on each count to run concurrently. The substance was tested positive…

Jhaat –o-care

January 10, 2014 TIMES INT'L

Satiricus wasn’t as ebullient as he usually was about the New Year. He’d realised that a new year meant being one year older. And his body was beginning to tell him that “older” meant aches and pains. Satiricus wondered when some local politician would come up with a local version of Obamacare – taking care of all health worries. He knew Guyana already had free health care. But he knew too, as Prezzie pointed out, government hospitals and clinics were terrible when it came to keeping records on drugs. They…

Incoming Caricom Chairman promises to increase focus on climate change

January 10, 2014 TIMES INT'L

Vincentian Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves said Monday that he would use his six-month term as chairman of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) to deal with the deleterious effects of climate change on the socio-economic future of the 15-member bloc. St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Lucia, and Dominica are now emerging from the effects of a weather system that left a trail of death and destruction over the Christmas holidays. Caribbean countries have also had to deal with the annual hurricane season and in many cases, like in Haiti, unseasonal…

Trying to turn the tide

January 10, 2014 TIMES INT'L

A few months ago, I saw the documentary “Sicko”. It’s directed by Michael Moore and compared the American healthcare industry with that of other nations. The Americans are finally grappling with universal health insurance…now dubbed “Obamacare”. Even though I was horrified by the revelation that insurance companies in the U.S. have warped the healthcare system to such an extent that it’s geared towards churning out billions of dollars in profits instead of providing healthcare, I was even more troubled by the section of the movie that detailed Hillary Clinton’s healthcare…

Two held for murder of Mahaicony cash crop farmer

January 10, 2014 TIMES INT'L

Two men have been arrested and questioned for the murder of cash crop farmer Dearoop Sieuchand, 72, of Lot 8 Zeeland, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara who was killed on Sunday morning during a robbery at his home. The two men are at the Mahaicony Police Station and are being grilled, but have not confessed to the murder. As the police continue their investigation, they are also looking for a third suspect. Ambika Sieuchand, the 70-year-old wife of the murdered man, remains a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital with facial…

The simple joys of softball cricket

January 10, 2014 TIMES INT'L

Dear Editor, The former Barbadian parliamentarian Hamilton Lashley recently declared that, as the foundation of all forms of cricket, there is urgent need for the re-emergence of softball cricket on the island. With that said, I personally believe that softball cricket should be promoted in Guyana. Records show that people like Joel Garner, Malcolm Marshall, Carlisle Best, and many other top Bajan cricketers all played softball cricket quite frequently. Softball is a fun and safe game that can provide indulgence for all age groups. All that is needed is a…

Bisram’s reduction of the PPP/C to an electoral machinery is flawed

January 10, 2014 TIMES INT'L

Dear Editor, In a letter published in a local newspaper on December 23, written by Vishnu Bisram, the writer raised certain issues which require a response. In that letter, Bisram purports to polemise on the electoral chances of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) at the next elections and expresses the view that the PPP/C is labouring under some delusion about winning those elections. He argues that among the bases for this delusion are that the PPP/C has neglected its constituency, many officials have erred, the PPP/C’s campaign style is lewd,…

Tripping

January 10, 2014 TIMES INT'L

Satiricus was waiting for his wife to return. Mrs Satiricus had gone berserk over the blackout. The power was still not back on after almost half a day. It was now Christmas Day. She hadn’t gone because all her meats in the freezer have all spoiled. Even the turkey ham. It was not that the low voltage just before the blackout had blown her microwave. She’d lost it when her Christmas cakes “fell” in the oven when there was no electricity to switch back on the oven flame. Mrs Satiricus…

Gold declarations boom as miners burn

January 10, 2014 TIMES INT'L

Faced with the fluctuating prices for gold on the world market, a number of miners have been forced out of the industry while some who have not paid their bills have seen the banks repossessing more than 100 excavators that they had taken loans to purchase. Observers say that despite government’s lavish praises on the sector, not much has been done in terms of guiding some of the miners into reinvesting their earnings. Speaking at a miners’ forum on Monday, Guyana Gold and Diamond Mining Association (GGDMA) President Patrick Harding…