Year: 2015

SVN: An Exemplary School

TIMES INT'L

The results of this year’s CSEC exams, in which Saraswati Vidya Niketan dominated the headlines by copping the top two places in the country and in the Caribbean, might have surprised many. While this newspaper has its doubts about the advisability of children at an average age of 16, writing twenty subjects, one has to acknowledge that it is an incredible feat for the number one student to not only sit for that number, but to actually achieve all grade 1′s. Saraswati Vidya Niketan (SVN) – which means “Goddess of…

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Completing Infrastructural Plans

TIMES INT'L

As the Budget debate rages in Parliament, there is unfortunately more heat than light being produced on several issues. One of them in the continuation of the UNASUR sponsored “Initiative for the Integration of the Regional Infrastructure of South America” (IIRSA) which is supposed to link South America’s economies through new transportation, energy, and telecommunications projects. We were included in second component of the Guyana Shield Hub aspect of the Initiative, focusing on connecting us to Brazil. The construction of the Takutu Bridge was a standalone project within the IIR-SA…

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Indo-Guyanese fearful of discrimination

TIMES INT'L

– in wake of Govt’s dismissal of former GPL CEO Bharat Dindyal By Kristen Macklingam In light of the A Partnership For National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government’s decision in relieving Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Power and Light (GPL), Bharat Dindyal, of his duties without proper notice or dialogue, concerns continue to grow as to whether this was truly a political move or an act of ‘ethnic cleansing’. Former Speaker of the National Assembly, Ralph Ramkarran, in his blog, “The Conversation Tree” on Saturday, stated that the…

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2015 Budget offers “a fresh approach to a healthy life”

TIMES INT'L

BY KRISTEN MACKLINGAM Junior Health Minister, Dr Karen Cummings, during her budget debate speech on Monday stated that the 2015 National Budget proffers a ‘fresh approach’ for a healthy life for all Guyanese, with the aim of having a ‘green economy’ irrespective of their political affiliation. However, seconds after this statement, members of the Opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) shouted out “Bharat Dindyal” who was functioning as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) until the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government…

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Calls mount for No-confidence Motion against Ramjattan

TIMES INT'L

…over rising crime wave By Devina Samaroo With the crime situation spiralling out of control, calls are being mounted for the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) Opposition to declare a No-Confidence Motion against Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan, given his evident inability to get a grip on the crime situation in the country. In fact, newly-appointed PPP/C Member of Parliament (MP) Cornel Damon declared in the National Assembly on Wednesday that Ramjattan needed to go since the Ministry was failing miserably to reduce or even stabilise the soaring crime rate.…

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Trump’s anti-immigrant policy not good for Guyanese in the U.S.

TIMES INT'L

By Vishnu Bisram Republican candidate, Donald Trump is seeking his colleagues support for the party’s nomination for the 2016 Presidential election. But many Guyanese living in the US believe that Trump’s anti-immigration stance, a reversal of a few months ago, is not good for Guyanese Americans and/or other immigrants. Trump has stated his preference for deporting all illegal immigrants in the US (over 11 million) and to restrict citizenship to legal immigrants as well as to babies born in the US to illegal immigrants. It must be noted that all…

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Budget 2015: APNU/AFC Govt “duped” Guyana – Jagdeo

TIMES INT'L

BY ALEXIS RODNEY Amid his claim that the 2015 National Budget is a copycat of the initiatives of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), former President Bharrat Jagdeo on Tuesday said that the new Government has deceived the Guyanese populace. A day after the National Budget was presented in the National Assembly, the former President and soon to be Opposition Leader told a media conference that the new Administration’s plans as projected in the Gy$221 billion budget has not really addressed the real issues affecting Guyanese. He spoke particularly of the…

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Govt withdraws GPL subventions

TIMES INT'L

– Linden to get over Gy$1B in subsidies The future of the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Incorporated is still unclear especially with the most recent setback of no provision of any subventions in Government’s 2015 Budget estimates. A senior official at GPL told Guyana Times International on Wednesday that this move by the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Administration was not one the company expected. He stated that GPL will now have to adjust its 2015 budget so as to not reflect any capital works and…

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The “Good Life” budget

TIMES INT'L

On Monday, the new A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance for Change coalition Government presented its first budget to the National Assembly under the theme “A Fresh Approach to the Good Life in a Green Economy”. Finance Minister Winston Jordan used most of his presentation to attack the previous People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government while articulating his Government’s plan to develop the country over the next five years under a new brand of governance that will hopefully agar well for all Guyanese. While boasting about how the new Government responded to…

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The intention behind the Government’s negligence

TIMES INT'L

Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan remained almost invisible and quiet since the coalition Government took Office. So quiet that one is led to wonder if he’s being deliberately silenced. His few attempts to address the drastic soar in crime observed over the past three months, appear to be a source of mockery and anger for the public, probably causing him to return to hide in his cocoon away from public criticism. Could it be that the Security Minister is being dictated a code of conduct and a restricted agenda by…

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