Year: 2015

“Quasi-political” Ramayya takes up office as REO

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…gets a bigger piece of the pie – Nagamootoo Political activist Dr Veerasammy Ramayya on Tuesday took up office as the Regional Executive Officer (REO) of Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) replacing Paul Ramrattan who was fired by the David Granger Administration and demitted office on Monday. Ramayya who one month ago used the media to signal his intentions to Alliance For Change (AFC) officials to resign from the party citing neglect and his dissatisfaction over the way things were being done, recently said his resignation was from the AFC) and…

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PPP/C offers to “brief” Govt on pending tax cases

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The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Opposition has put forward an offer to Government to have former Attorney General Anil Nandlall aid his successor in several pending tax evasion cases that would bring in some Gy$20 billion if they were won. This offer was made by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo during his first meeting with President David Granger and a ministerial delegation from the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition on August 31 at the Ministry of the Presidency. On Tuesday, Jagdeo told reporters at a press briefing…

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Several injured during accident on Essequibo Coast

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– 4 air-dashed to the city After an accident on the Perth Public Road, on the Essequibo Coast, left four persons in critical condition at the Suddie Public Hospital in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), they were been air-dashed to the city after their conditions worsened. On Wednesday morning at about 07:10h, a speeding minibus collided with a motorcyclist on the Pert Public Road, resulting in the four persons being severely injured. They have been identified as Leon Fetherson, 31, of Darthmouth Village; Onika Grant; Imanie Cecil and Winston Livian. According to…

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The Government’s empty promises

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Dear Editor, The ruling APNU/AFC coalition campaigned throughout the election period and made a whole host of promises to the people of Guyana which they promised to deliver within 100 days. 100 days have passed by and most of the promises they made to us Guyanese were not fulfilled. The APNU/AFC claims that Guyana is currently bankrupt and yet we have a whopping Gy$221 billion budget. The ruling party is only trying to put a shield over the eyes of the innocent people by attempting to make us all believe…

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Government and BBCI should engage in negotiations

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Dear Editor, The current state of affairs between the Berbice Bridge Company Inc. and the Government of Guyana reflects poorly on all sides and on Guyana as a nation. With the company seeking to negotiate on behalf of shareholders and the Government seeking the interest of the general public, no common ground has been identified nor solutions proposed. Instead, the Government is proposing to go into competition with the BBCI with the introduction of a Water Taxi service, which is as short sighted and backward a solution as can be…

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Let us be proud of our “Guyaneseness”

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Dear Editor, I read the rather thought-provoking piece about “Guyaneseness” by Ravi Dev. The question is “Why do we have to hear about Africans and Indians or Amerindians? Why can’t we all just be Guyanese?” This brought back memories of our experience in the UK in the 1950s/1960s, when seeking accommodation. Landlords/ladies, when they heard a non-British accent, would often enquire about one’s nationality. Guyanese would always say they were from South America, to dispel the negative image the British had of “Windrush”. In Guyana, in the 1990s, I asked…

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Freedom of expression is a human right

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Dear Editor, Former President Jagdeo signed the Declaration of Chapultepec on May 24, 2002. This Declaration was instituted by the Inter-American Press Association in 1994, a body that represents freedom of the press. The principle of the ‘Chapultepec Declaration’ is a result of a struggle begun by English poet John Milton, in his book Aeropagitica, in which he clamoured for the freedom to write and publish without any official license. Press freedom should be the inalienable rights of every citizen of any democracy to express themselves freely without fear of…

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Leave politics and envy out of the operations of the Berbice Bridge

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Dear Editor, I have been following the recent hullabaloo about the Berbice River Bridge and while I remained silent all the while, I cannot stand the one sided view of some members of society. I have followed in the news most of the comments made by President Granger, Minister Harmon, Christopher Ram and even former President Jagdeo. Many of these comments are political and I have not seen anyone make a fair assessment based on how commuters feel about the Berbice Bridge and the services they now enjoy in light…

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Berbice Bridge Company sustains Gy$1.5B in accumulated losses at 2014

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Despite suffering accumulated losses of Gy$1.5 billion in 2014, the Berbice Bridge Company Inc (BBCI) has neither accepted nor rejected the subsidy proposed by the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government to cover the loss to the company from lower tolls. According to a release from the BBCI, it is under threat of insolvency unless it can restructure its financing and to date, it has never declared or paid any dividends to any of its ordinary shareholders. Guyana Times International was told that the company must either…

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Tragedy in Syria

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As the wave of refugees from Syria engulfs Europe by sea, air and land, the world is gradually beginning to ask questions about “causes” of the tragedy. Evidently, because the situation is now defined as a “European Crisis” and the victims – some of them at least – are breaking out of the anonymity of faceless “refugees”. The image of Aylan Kurdi, the three year old toddler lying dead, face down on a beach in Turkey as he and his family tried to reach Canada via Germany, finally seemed to…

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