Dear Editor, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo submitted his list of six nominees to President Granger for selection of one to be appointed as Chairman of the Guyana Election Commission (GECOM). The President should move with haste in making the appointment, since all of the nominees are fully qualified and ‘fit and proper’ to head GECOM. The business of the elections body has been left at a standstill since last February. That is more than six months, with a lot of work remaining in planning and organising for the next local…
Read MoreMonth: September 2017
Guyana’s sugar industry can be saved
One thing’s for certain: media coverage of the sugar issue is not where it ought to be at this time, and many of the experts I have spoken to have advised me it has much to do with sugar being seen as a rural issue when the media houses are all based in Georgetown. I am humbly calling on the media houses to spend some more time reporting on the sugar issues in the villages of Demerara and Berbice. But that issue aside, one of the greatest betrayals of our…
Read MoreWomen have fought for the right to work and should not be prevented from doing so
Dear Editor, I do not think that the proposal being advanced by the Social Protection Ministry, through its minister responsible for labour, is possible at this juncture. The fact is that too many women need to work to supplement their families, as they are the sole bread-winners of their households. It is the opinion of this writer that Keith Scott has moved with emotion, love and respect for our women. It is known that at times emotionality can affect our judgement, but at the same time, it can lead to…
Read MoreWhat’s next for “Dreamers”?
In what could be regarded as a massive blow to the immigrant community in the United States, the Donald Trump Administration last week announced that it has scrapped an immigration programme designed to protect young undocumented immigrants, also referred to as “Dreamers”. The policy, widely known as DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) programme, was introduced by then President Barrack Obama in 2012. The programme was mainly designed to protect young illegal immigrants in the US from deportation, and provide temporary permits for work and study. The policy was created…
Read MorePaul Williams to act as Crime Chief as Budhram needed in ‘F’ Division- Ramnarine
Just days after it was announced that ‘F’ Division Commander Ravindradat Budhram would be temporarily taking up the mantle of Crime Chief until such time that Detective Senior Superintendent Wendell Blanhum returns from leave, Acting Commissioner of Police David Ramnarine has announced a change in that plan. Ramnarine in responding to inaccuracies surrounding the deployment of Blanhum on leave, said, among other things, that a series of events led to Budhram being temporarily chosen to helm the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). He noted that Blanhum’s Deputy, Detective Senior Superintendent Rishi…
Read MoreJagdeo raises serious concerns about new Demerara River bridge
…queries land acquisition, funding Former President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo is calling on Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson, and the Government at large, to come clean with the Guyanese populace on its bid to bridge the Demerara River, including the financial structure, level of subsidies, toll increases and likely sovereign debt to be guaranteed. The former President now Opposition Leader made the demands during a press engagement with members of the local media corps at his Church Street office on Wednesday and further suggested that based on what little information was…
Read MoreCity holds Day of Action to spread awareness to NYC’s 30,000 “Dreamers”
On September 8, the City hosted a Day of Action on the DACA program, providing information and resources for New York City’s 30,000 Dreamers. The Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, the Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit, the NYC Commission on Human Rights, the Department of Consumer Affairs, and the Mayor’s Public Engagement Unit worked alongside over 200 volunteers in 31 neighborhoods with high-density immigrant populations, a release from the Mayor’s Office stated. Volunteers were joined by Bitta Mostofi, Acting Commissioner of MOIA, Carmelyn P. Malalis, Commissioner and Chair of CCHR, and…
Read MoreNew Canadian envoy envisions increased cooperation in energy sector
President David Granger on Wednesday accepted Letters of Credence from Her Excellency Lilian Chatterjee, accrediting her High Commissioner Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Canada to Guyana. The new High Commissioner replaces His Excellency Pierre Giroux whose tour of duty ended in July. The President said while the two countries have much in common in terms of stable economies and plural societies, Guyana has much to learn from Canada, especially in the areas of social cohesion and inclusionary democracy. To this end, he said Government welcomes the active cooperation between the two…
Read MoreMinisters’ relatives, friends now applying for oil licences
…allegedly using ‘front companies’ A worrying case of cronyism is currently evolving where relatives, friends and associates of Ministers and senior Government functionaries have been incorporated into companies through complex shareholding arrangements and are applying for Exploration and Production Licences for Oil and Gas in the blocs still available in Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone in the Atlantic. The matter was raised on Wednesday by former President Bharrat Jagdeo when he addressed media operatives at his Church Street office. According to the Opposition Leader, such a ploy could see middlemen through…
Read MoreMs World Guyana extends benevolence to sport organizations in Berbice
Ms. Guyana World 2017 Vena Mookram as part of her personal platform for the upcoming Ms. World Contest in China on Thursday last donated sports gear to three sports organisations in the ancient county. The presentation was made during a massive Health Fair organised by Ms. World Guyana, the cricket teams of the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS, with the support of Namilco and the Region 6 Ministry of Health. Ms. Mookram donated a quantity of footballs to the Rose Hall Town Football Club, Basketballs to the…
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