2017 – Page 18 – Guyana Times International

NBS G$79M appeal ruling set for Dec 19

December 8, 2017December 8, 2017 TIMES INT'L

After refusing to pay a past employee an awarded sum of G$79 million for wrongful dismissal, the New Building Society’s appeal against former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Maurice Arjoon will come up for ruling by Justice Rishi Persaud at the Appeal Court of Guyana on December 19. During Wednesday’s proceedings at the nation’s highest court, the parties, who appeared were Arjoon and one of the representing attorneys, Siand Dhurjon; while NBS Attorney, Senior Counsel Ashton Chase, was also present. It was recently disclosed that December 5 was the date set…

Failed promises

December 8, 2017December 8, 2017 TIMES INT'L

The 2018 Budget offers an opportunity not only to evaluate the Government’s plans for next year, but signals of its longer-term goals. We can do worse than begin with the sugar industry, which for so long had been the mainstay of the economy, but all the stakeholders concede far-reaching changes had become necessary subsequent to the unilateral jettisoning of the “preferential prices” by Europe a decade ago, reducing them by 36 per cent. The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government, then in office, attempted to reduce the cost of production of…

G$148M for Small Business Bureau in 2018

December 8, 2017December 8, 2017 TIMES INT'L

In 2018, the Small Business Bureau (SBB) intends to implement a programme, where it will register companies that meet certain criteria with regard to standards and quality. These companies would form a list of companies that the Bureau can recommend to larger companies looking to sub-contract or contract Small-to-Medium Enterprises (SME.) This was announced by Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin during his budget presentation to the National Assembly. Minister Gaskin noted that over the years, the SBB has demonstrated the capacity to manage business development programmes successfully. He also disclosed…

Now that sugar workers are being ‘royally screwed’, where is Moses?

December 8, 2017December 8, 2017 TIMES INT'L

Dear Editor, An anonymous letter writer described me as ‘a confused complainer’ because I exposed Mr Moses Nagamootoo’s hypocrisy with regards the plight of the sugar workers. He, Nagamootoo had said at a rally in Canje (ironically the first set of workers in Berbice to be given redundancy letters) that, “Guyanese should light a candle for sugar workers…sugar workers are being screwed”. Now that the sugar workers are being ‘royally screwed’, where is Moses? Of course, he is not busy parting the Red Sea, that was done a long time…

Budget 2018 is a clear path towards “Continuing on the Road to More Debts”

December 8, 2017December 8, 2017 TIMES INT'L

Dear Editor, APNU/AFC presented its Budget 2018 under the caption “Continuing on the Road to the Good Life”. Unfortunately, more accurately, Budget 2018 is really a document that deserves the title “Continuing on the Road to More Debilitating Debt”. I was assisted in this initial contribution on Budget 2018 by RA, a public servant who has to remain silent, fearing recrimination. This past week, Finance Minister Jordon read APNU+AFC’s Budget 2018, the fourth budget since assuming office in May 2015. Budget2018 further solidifies the sad fact that both the minister…

Man accused of murdering waitress remanded to prison

December 8, 2017December 8, 2017 TIMES INT'L

The suspect who Police say confessed to killing 22-year-old Marissa Fraser-whose body was fished out of a trench in Number 4 Village, Berbice earlier this week- was on Thursday hauled before the Fort Wellington Magistrate’s Court and charged with murder. Odit Thom, 38, also known as Odit Persaud, a guard of No. 4 Village, West Coast Berbice (WCB) was not required to plead to the indictable charge and was also ordered that he undergo a psychiatric evaluation. He was remanded to prison until January 24, 2018. A Post Mortem Examination…

3 to stand trial for Multiplex Mall owner’s murder

December 8, 2017December 8, 2017 TIMES INT'L

The three men accused of gunning down the Multiplex Mall owner Ganesh Ramlall on July 5, 2015 outside his La Jalousie, West Coast Demerara (WCD) home have all been committed to stand trial in the High Court. Magistrate Rochelle Liverpool told 21-year-old Fazeel Bacchus of Cornelia Ida, WCD; 32-year-old Lennox Roberts of Tuschen Housing Scheme, East Bank Essequibo (EBE) and 35-year-old Kurt Erskine of Grove, East Bank Demerara (EBD) that the submissions made by their attorneys, Brandon De Santos and Lyndon Amsterdam, were considered; however, a prima facie case has…

Guyana hosts high-level security conference

December 8, 2017December 8, 2017 TIMES INT'L

…aimed at breaking ‘threat networks’ Guyana is hosting this year’s Caribbean Nations Security Conference (CANSEC) during which top military officers from 16 nations will meet to intensify collaborative efforts with the aim of dismantling the “threat network” created by extremists groups. The regional security seminar is sponsored by the United States’ Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) and provides a platform for dialogue among chiefs of defence and public security ministers aimed at examining threats to Caribbean stability and improving regional security cooperation. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the two-day conference, Chief…

Guyana’s potential as eco-tourism destination high – IDB economist

December 8, 2017December 8, 2017 TIMES INT'L

Guyana has the potential to become a major eco-tourism destination, and there is always room for growth. This is according to Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Country Economist Mark Wenner. Wenner made the comment while speaking at the Guyana Tourism Authority awards on Monday night at the Pegasus Hotel. According to Wenner, public/private partnerships are important for the industry to become sustainably viable. The IDB representative added that tourism stakeholders must decide what is it that they want for the sector, and then begin to work on achieving that goal. Meanwhile,…

UG commissions new registry building

December 8, 2017December 8, 2017 TIMES INT'L

Registration, the issuance of transcripts and everything in between, is expected to flow smoothly for the students of the University of Guyana (UG), following the commissioning of a new registry building at the Turkeyen Campus. According to Vice-Chancellor of the University of Guyana, Professor Ivelaw Griffith, the building aims to benefit the registry staff and students of the Turkeyen University. “Is it necessarily all that we want? No. But it is much better than what we have had allowing us to enable our staff to be in a place of…