Dear Editor, We trust that all is well. We write in relation to the recent assessment by the consultant Pedro Hass from the British-based international think-tank Chatham House, which concluded that building a 100,000 barrel-per-day oil refinery in Guyana could cost up to US$5 billion, and that such an enterprise would yield a net negative outcome of US$2-3 billion per annum. We note that many very thoughtful voices have argued that such an undertaking is essential to our national development project, citing a range of promising economic and financial outcomes…
Read MoreMonth: June 2017
GuySuCo never fails to issue clumsy responses
Dear Editor, I refer to GuySuCo’s letter of June 3, 2017, captioned “GuySuCo’s detractor is being outright irresponsible and reckless”. This letter is a response to my letter published on May 31. Editor, the corporation’s communication unit never fails to present clumsy responses or rebuttals, either knowingly or unknowingly. I shall address the core points raised in this last response to demonstrate how ignorance and incompetence pervades this organization from its apex down. It is an undisputed fact that the Corporation deliberately packed bulk raw sugar from Albion for 2-3…
Read MoreMTA must complete elevator at Lefferts Boulevard and Liberty Avenue subway stop
Dear Editor, Here in Little Guyana, or Region 11 – where the largest number of expatriate Guyanese abound in the largest region – the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) must be reminded about their public commitment, promise and obligation to complete the wheelchair-accessible elevator in the heart of the Richmond Hill community – the Lefferts Boulevard and Liberty Avenue subway stop. The ubiquitous presence of the New York editions of the Kaieteur, Guyana Chronicle, Guyana Times and Mirror newspapers, which are read more than the NY Times and NY Daily News…
Read MoreLegal tug of war continues
…as Magistrate refuses to comply with DPP’s order to commit Rodriguez for High Court trial Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Shalimar Ali-Hack sent another letter on Wednesday to Magistrate Judy Latchman ordering her to commit Regan “Grey Boy” Rodriguez to stand trial in the High Court for the murder; however, Latchman refuses to be bullied and stood her ground. It was chaos at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts as Magistrate Latchman refused to commit Rodriguez to stand trial in the High Court for the alleged murder of Courtney Crum-Ewing. Through Special…
Read MoreU.S. Remittance Tax: Opposition Leader slams Govt’s ‘wait and see’ approach
While Government has acknowledged that the United States tax on remittances to the Caribbean will have an effect on Guyanese, it has adopted a wait-and-see approach to the issue. But the fact that Guyana’s President, David Granger, is Chair of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) puts him in a position to do more advocacy for the Region’s benefit. This is according to former President Bharrat Jagdeo. “I’m arguing for a more proactive approach,” Jagdeo said, when asked to comment on the Government’s wait-and-see stance. “The President is now the Chairman of…
Read MoreVetting of social media profiles begins for U.S. visa applicants
The United Stated Government has implemented a new rule that allows officials to demand five years’ worth of social media profiles and 15 years of biographical information as part of a visa application, according to US media outlets. This recent change also applies to Caribbean nationals applying for US visas. According to ABC News, the rule, took effect May 25 even as the president’s so-called travel ban remains tied up in the courts — part of Trump’s push for “extreme vetting.” Consular officers processing visa applicants at embassies around the…
Read MoreGovernor Cuomo announces campaign to crack down on speeding in New York
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced on Wednesday that the New York State Police will conduct a week-long enforcement initiative to crack down on speeding and aggressive drivers across the state. The Speed Week campaign runs today (Wednesday) through June 13. According to the Governor’s office, last year, during the June 2016 Speed Week campaign, State Police issued more than 21,000 traffic tickets. More than 10,000 of the tickets were for speeding, more than 600 were for distracted driving, and more than 200 for violations of the Move Over law. “Speeding…
Read MoreDecriminalising same sex relations
On a weekend that saw the election of an openly gay son of an immigrant as the head of the ruling Fine Gael party of Catholic Ireland – and so in line to be confirmed as Prime Minister when their Parliament reconvenes on June 13, Guyana’s LGBT community remains in a quandary about their right to engage in same sex relations. For over a decade, the discriminatory nature of laws falling under “offences against Morality”, such as: “Everyone who commits buggery… shall be guilty of felony and liable to imprisonment…
Read MoreCome clean on oil contracts
– local transparency body urges Guyana gov’t In the name of accountability and transparency, Transparency Institute Guyana Inc (TIGI) is calling on the Government to publish the contract drafts and make the negotiations accountable to Parliament that it has with all oil companies, including US-oil giant ExxonMobil. TIGI said in a statement on Wednesday that if the Government decides to move in this direction, then the Guyanese Diaspora, whose knowledge is vast in this area, will be able to make contributions to the process and thus protect the country’s interest.…
Read MoreA mission to impact lives
By Ashraf Dabie US-based Guyanese autism specialist Dr. Sharla Madho-Khargi has embarked on the first phase of her initiative to assess the needs and provide resources for those caring for those who are differently abled. Following 15 years of working with people with disabilities, Madho-Khargi journeyed home on May 14 to continue an initiative which began during her undergraduate studies. The clinical psychologist, during her one week visit to Guyana, accumulated data from research conducted at various institutions from across the country, after which she returned to the U.S. to…
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