Year: 2017

John Peter Bennett (1914-2011)

TIMES INT'L

By Petamber Persaud Though blind, John Peter Bennett continued to work on his typewriter to produce seminal work on the indigenous Arawak people. Bennett was a man who loved books, reading and writing; a man who rewarded good work with more work. Bennett was a teacher, priest, educator, linguist, translator, writer and more. He was the first indigenous person to be ordained as an Anglican priest in Guyana; the first indigenous person to be canonised in the Anglican Church of Guyana; and the first indigenous person to write and publish…

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Sugar union contemplating next ‘serious’ move over impending closure of estates

TIMES INT'L

The Guyana Agriculture and General Workers Union (GAWU) is still working with people in the sugar belt to get their support to protest the impending action to close more sugar estates in Guyana. The union is actively engaged in discussions that look at ways in which they could help to inspire more workers to protest what they have described as an unconscionable decision. President of GAWU, Komal Chand, told Guyana Times International on Sunday that sugar workers are still fired up and will do whatever it takes to have the…

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Gov’t to review gold processing fees

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Following a high-level meeting with a number of mining organisations and syndicates, the Government has decided to take steps to review not only an unpopular hike in the gold processing fee, but the mining regulations as well. The meeting, which saw Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman in attendance, was held on Friday at Cara Lodge. Present at the meeting were members of the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners’ Association (GGDMA), the Guyana Women Miners’ Organisation (GMWO) and representatives from various mining syndicates. It is understood that a number of concerns…

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Guyana’s private sector calls for stimulus package

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…to kick-start stagnant economy The coalition A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government cannot continue with its ‘hodge-podge’ approach to managing the economy; it must present a stimulus for growth in the declining sectors of the economy, without abandoning traditional pillars of economic growth, since the oil industry is still a developing one. The frank views were articulated by President of the Georgetown Chambers of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), Deodat Indar, this past week during an interview with members of the local media corps, where he called for…

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A pot that brings people together

TIMES INT'L

As we celebrate Indigenous Heritage Month, the ‘tuma pot’ will be a popular offer on many menus. Tuma pot is commonly known as a meal, but did you know it is also an actual pot (container)? In an interview with Sunday Times Magazine, Lokono Arawak archaeologist, George Simon, explained how the pot is made and the cuisines enjoyed from it. Tuma pots are principally associated with the Rupununi savannah peoples, the Macushi in the north and Wapishana in the south. No doubt the tradition of pottery making once existed among…

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Jagdeo chides Gov’t for “callous disregard for Indigenous peoples”

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Former President Bharrat Jagdeo has chided President David Granger and Government ministers over their lacklustre approach towards Guyana’s first people and the Heritage Month celebrations currently underway. Speaking at his Church Street Office, the Opposition Leader drew specific reference to the President and his minister’s approach and treatment of this grouping of Guyanese, as was evident during the hosting of the National Toshaos Conference (NTC). President Granger was also a no show on the opening night of the Heritage Month activities, with subject minister Sidney Allicock simply declaring that the…

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Exxon will provide updated Local Content Plan every year

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– says Gov’t Affairs Director Oil giants ExxonMobil are providing assurances that the Local Content Plan they submit by year-end will not be the summation of their corporate responsibility towards the development of Guyanese. Company executives have said there rather is an intention to, on an annual basis, provide an updated plan in regard to Local Content as the sector evolves. According to the Senior Director of Exxon’s Public and Government Affairs, Kimberly Brasington, the Local Content Plan would be an ambitious one that would include plans to develop the…

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PPP plugs need for Audit Office to be strengthened ahead of oil revenues

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As Budget 2018 inches closer, the political Opposition is warning the Government against undermining the financial autonomy of constitutional agencies. And as oil production also creeps closer, it is also putting the Government on notice of the need to strengthen the Audit Office. Guyana is expected to start earning revenue in the form of royalties and profit sharing, from its oil sector by 2020. Speaking to this newspaper, former Minister within the Finance Ministry, Juan Edghill, noted that with this expected inflow of money, the Audit Office of Guyana needed…

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Preserving the Arecuna culture

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Dolly Chambers belongs to one of the four founding families of her village, Paruima, who are said to be the only remaining families of the Arecuna nation. The 18-year-old was born in Kamarang village, Region Seven. She attended Paruima Primary School, and then went on to Graham’s Hall Primary and St. Stanislaus College in Georgetown. She is of the Arecuna nation. Brief history of Paruima The tallest of our indigenous peoples, the Arecunas, who refer to themselves as “pemon” meaning “the people”, occupy upper and central Kamarang river since 1839.…

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Gov’t still committed to constitutional reform process, says PM Nagamootoo

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While pointing out that the Government is still committed to ensuring that constitutional reform remains a top priority, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo reminded the public on Monday that draft legislation on the Constitutional Reform Bill was tabled in the National Assembly before the recess. Nagamootoo has said that this would pave the way for the establishment of a Constitutional Reform Consultative Commission to guide this long overdue process, noting that the Committee was a bipartisan one that would hopefully push this matter more quickly through Parliament. “I am trying to…

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