Year: 2017

Minister Bulkan says local organs will be given opportunity to manage their own affairs

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By Samuel Sukhnandan The return of Local Government Elections to Guyana and initiatives being undertaken to strengthen the system have been touted as major achievements of the coalition Government. Delivering his contribution to Budget 2018 debate, Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan said that the Government was moving to return to local organs the right to manage their own affairs. Bulkan accused the previous Government of stifling the local Government system and depriving it of resources, asserting that this would not be allowed to continue. “Local Government will no longer be stifled…

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“My art is a physical evocation of my subconscious”

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…young artist awaits grand debut By Ashraf Dabie Even as society continues to view the creation of art as a leisure time activity rather than a possible career, aspiring artist Roberto Anthony Teekah is defying the odds as he awaits his grand debut to his professional journey. Teekah, who is 19 years old, has been for some years now exercising the depths of his talent, by crafting artist pieces, using social media as one of his main platforms to showcase his work. It all started during his academic pursuits at…

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Hopelessness, fear across sugar belt

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…as hundreds of workers given marching orders in Guyana Hundreds of workers attached to the East Demerara Estate (EDE) located in Enmore, East Coast Demerara, have been issued termination letters by the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), as the plans announced by Government earlier this year to close the sugar estate starts to take effect. A senior official of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) confirmed this with Guyana Times International on Wednesday, stating that workers are devastated by the move, as they are now contemplating how they will…

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Taxi driver charged for killing young teacher Kescia Branche

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Less than a week after returning from the United States, the taxi driver who was implicated in the brutal murder of a Richard Ishmael school teacher was Wednesday arraigned before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan. Matthew Munroe, of Diamond, East Bank Demerara (EBD), appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts to answer to the capital offence in shackles. With a grave look on his face, the father of six stood before Chief Magistrate McLennan as the indictable charge was read to him. The charge stated that on November 7, 2017 in Georgetown,…

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2018 Budget the most disastrous ever presented, says Irfaan Al

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Budget 2018 has been described as the worst financial paper ever produced by any Government; one that lacks hope, creativity, innovation, and thinking power; and that does not have the ability to create and advance opportunities for the people of Guyana. This was the firm view expressed by Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) Irfaan Ali, who was the first to lead the charge in the 2018 budget debates which commenced on Monday in the National Assembly. Ali said the budget has failed to address employment and several other bread-and-butter issues.…

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‘Kali’: A Guyanese icon passes on in Queens

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By Dr. Vishnu Bisram The Guyanese diaspora in North America is mourning the death of Ramesh Kalicharran, formerly of Essequibo. Kali, as we fondly called him, was a high achiever who did very well in everything he was involved. And he was an inspiration to many. He was a legendary Guyanese figure known in England, greater Toronto, all of the US, as well as in Trinidad and Suriname especially by people of Indian descent. And he was also well known by nationals of India having served as a liaison between…

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Guyana’s telecoms sector to be fully liberalized by first quarter of 2018

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– Minister Hughes Public Telecommunications Minister Cathy Hughes said the liberalisation of the telecommunications sector would be realised by the first quarter of 2018 while adding that the Government is seeking to introduce a number of legislations to advance the ICT sector. In her 2018 Budget debate presentation, Minister Hughes said negotiations for the liberalisation of the sector are currently ongoing with ATT and GTT, adding that they are yet to sign the agreement. She said her Ministry is in the process of establishing a telecommunications agency in keeping with…

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Guyana-Venezuela boundary marker located in Region 1

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Ranks of a joint patrol on Thursday last stumbled upon a landmark in Region One (Barima-Waini) which confirms the boundaries of the border existing between Guyana and Venezuela. This discovery was made by a group of officers attached to the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) during regular rounds in the Amakura River in Region One. The patrol, which was led by Sergeant Herschel Gilead, who, along with ranks of the coastal battalion and the GPF, was at the time deployed to establish a Joint Services…

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Blanhum removed as Guyana’s Crime Chief

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…to act as Deputy Commander of ‘A’ Division Substantive Crime Chief, Senior Superintendent Wendell Blanhum, has been removed from his post, and will now act as Deputy Commander of “A” Division. While Blanhum was on leave, Assistant Police Commissioner Paul Williams was functioning as interim crime chief, and will continue to function in that capacity, according to acting Police Commissioner David Ramnarine. Ramnarine has said that Blanhum’s being reposted to second in command of ‘A’ Division was not done without precedent. He said this was done to facilitate the Force’s…

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Ramkarran fires back at AFC’s top brass

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…says Ramjattan has succumbed to temptation of the ‘politics of abuse’ One week after criticising the Alliance for Change (AFC) for not taking a firm stand within the coalition Government on many important issues, prominent Senior Counsel Ralph Ramkarran has responded to some comments made by Chairman of the AFC, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan. In quoting some of the comments reportedly made by Ramjattan, the former Speaker of the National Assembly said the AFC chairman has succumbed to the temptation of the ‘politics of abuse’. He also claimed that…

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