The United States Embassy in Georgetown, Guyana has issued over 100,000 visas over the past three years. This was revealed by Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy, Terry Steers-Gonzalez. Steers-Gonzalez was at the time speaking about the achievements of outgoing US Ambassador Perry Holloway at a farewell reception held in Holloway’s honour last Friday evening. “The Consular Section, in the Ambassador’s time here, has issued over 18,000 immigrant visas and 86,133 – not to be too exact – non-immigrant visas, which is over half of all the non-immigrant…
Read MoreYear: 2018
This disrespectful behaviour has become the norm for PNC
Dear Editor, I had tuned into the live broadcast of APNU/AFC’s press event. I hesitate to use the word ‘conference’, as it seemed to have been held in a mini-rally format. That this party event was being broadcast by the Department of Public Information was no surprise; what was astonishing, however, was the absence of representation from the WPA, JFAP and NFA parties, who are supposedly still members of APNU. Given that the reason for this event was to demonstrate the solidity of the Coalition, it raised more questions than…
Read MoreGECOM gets G$5B
The Committee of Supply of the National Assembly has approved the lump sum of G$5,371,061,000 for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) for the period ending December 31, 2019. Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan said the amount recommended represents a substantial amount of the requested G$6,368,100,000 requested by the Commission, DPI reported. In response to the opposition’s concern, Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan expressed that this amount will adequately meet GECOM’s financial needs for the period. He noted that the commission had indicated that there were sums left over from the…
Read MoreFocus now shifts to 2020 polls
…Jagdeo says presidential candidate to be named before year-end The Opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) could name its next presidential candidate in the coming weeks, as General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo has made a commitment to making the announcement by the end of this year. Jagdeo said that his party would stick with the promise to name the next candidate who will take the Party through the 2020 General Elections. He recalled that earlier this year Party executives had agreed to name the candidate after the Local Government Elections (LGE). “……
Read MoreArson suspected in Stabroek Market Wharf fire
Stall holders who were still operating in the Stabroek Market Wharf, although it was cordoned off to facilitate rehabilitation works were forced to evacuate as the facility caught fire. Although it is suspected that the fire may have been started by a female, who had an argument with another vendor, Mayor Patricia Chase Green, who toured the partially-burnt structure, on Tuesday morning said that City Hall was still assessing the number of stalls that have been destroyed by the blaze. “I received a report a little before 12am from the…
Read MoreSeveral issues warrant investigations at GECOM
Dear Editor, Well folks, at last we managed to have a meeting of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) after last Tuesday’s statutory meeting was cancelled due to a lack of quorum. Commissioners Alexander and Corbin were both unavailable, so the Chairman invoked Article 226 (5) of the Constitution, which provides for the meeting to be held on the Thursday following the adjourned Tuesday meeting, and for decisions to be made with or without a quorum. This week, however, there was a quorum, with only Commissioner Alexander being absent, so the…
Read MorePPP to push for more accountability at City Hall
At the recently concluded Local Government Elections (LGE) of 2018, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) secured seven seats in the capital city of Georgetown, which is an increase of five seats when compared with the last LGE in 2016. With the addition of its new voices at City Hall, PPP General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo at a recent press conference outlined that the Party will be employing measures to ensure that the Georgetown City Council is fully accountable to its constituents. With a 2018 LGE voter turnout of just 28.3 per…
Read MoreTeenage girl nabbed with unlicensed pistol
An 18-year-old girl is now in police custody after an unlicensed pistol was allegedly found in her possession on Wednesday afternoon. The teen was intercepted at Victoria Road, Plaisance, East Coast Demerara (ECD) at about 12:15 during a routine “stop and search” exercise. This newspaper understands that the teenager who resides at South Better Hope, ECD was searched during which the .45 pistol, which had no magazine, was unearthed. She was arrested and is being processed for court.
Read MoreA conversatin with aspiring model Mohindra Kumar Scarce
Being told no is just one of the many obstacles one encounters in pursuit of one’s dreams and aspirations and for 22-year-old Mohindra Kumar Scarce, being told no has never deterred him from pursuing his passion of becoming a professional model. “Mohanram” or “Moh” as he is known stands at 6’2” and hails from the village of Tuschen on the East Bank of Essequibo. Although he is yet to get a professional modelling gig, “Moh” has been making heads turn and strides in the industry he so wants to be…
Read More22-member oversight committee proposed
By Jarryl Bryan Government has released the draft Natural Resources Fund Bill of 2018, which proposes among other things a 22-member Public Accountability and Oversight Committee that will oversee the management of the Fund and provide checks and balances. According to the Bill, the Committee will include a media representative proposed by the Guyana Press Association (GPA). Other entities that will have to propose representatives include the Guyana Bar Association; the Guyana Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (GY-EITI); Transparency Institute of Guyana Incorporated (TIGI), the Guyana Consumers’ Association and the various…
Read More