Opposition Leader rejects President’s nominees – Greenlights persons for integrity commission Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has rejected the appointment of Justice Kenneth Benjamin as Chancellor of the Judiciary and Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards as Chief Justice following their nomination by President David Granger. In a letter dispatched to the media and addressed to the President, Jagdeo said, “I have duly considered the two (2) nominees for whom you seek my agreement for appointment as Chancellor of the Judiciary and Chief Justice, respectively, in accordance with Article 127 (1) of the Constitution…
Read MoreMonth: January 2019
Pause Scotiabank acquisition and do proper evaluation
…urges Washington DC-based Financial Analyst With the recent announcement that the Bank of Nova Scotia (Scotiabank) plans to sell out its operations in Guyana and in eight other Caribbean countries, there have been several rigorous debates about what this could mean for the country’s local financial sector. Washington DC-based Financial Analyst Sasenarine Singh said there is a possibility that if Republic Bank does acquire Scotiabank, it could lead to staff at the latter becoming jobless, and it would indeed have negative implications for the local financial sector. Singh told Guyana…
Read MoreYEAR IN REVIEW: NOVEMBER – $300.7B budget presented to National Assembly
…no measures for ordinary citizens …$1000 increase for pensioners …tax exemptions for dentures, electric cars At $300.7 billion, the National Budget for 2019 was presented on Monday to the National Assembly. But through it all, measures that can directly benefit the small man are noticeably absent. The only thing that Finance Minister Winston Jordan, who spoke almost uninterrupted for five hours during his budget presentation, announced under ‘measures to increase workers’ income was the increase in the income tax threshold to $780,000 per annum ($65,000 monthly). This is an increase…
Read MoreYEAR IN REVIEW: MAY – 19 homeless after Georgetown, Berbice fires
Two separate fires at Cotton Tree on the Corentyne Coast and Hadfield Street, Georgetown left 19 homeless. At Berbice, swift action by the fire department prevented two nearby houses from burning after the family of six were trapped in the burning building. Reports are that the family was asleep and at about 00:30h was awoken to a building filled with smoke. Initial efforts to exit the Lot 28 Cotton Tree building proved futile. According to Jairam, after an alarm was raised, he tried to get everyone out of the burning…
Read MorePolice accused of beating Enterprise man, residents
Residents of the East Coast Demerara village of Enterprise are accusing ranks of the Vigilance Police Station of brutality following an incident which saw officers excessively beating an allegedly unarmed man while facing off with residents. Police have since refuted claims made by the residents by saying they were compelled to use “excessive” force after being attacked first. Guyana Times was told that at least five residents of Enterprise had to seek medical attention after being released from custody late Monday night, following an encounter with Police ranks.
Read MoreYEAR IN REVIEW: DECEMBER – Govt defeated
…PPP wins no confidence motion in National Assembly …as AFC’s Charandass Persaud votes against Govt There was shock in the National Assembly as a no confidence motion brought by the Opposition – Peoples Progressive Party – against the Government succeeded when Alliance For Change (AFC) Member of Parliament Charandass Persaud broke ranks and voted in favour of the motion. A total of 10 MP’s debated the motion, but when the dust was settled, and a vote of division was called, Persaud’s vote changed the numbers to 33 versus his colleagues’…
Read MoreWCD/EBE flooding, 300 residents affected
Monster waves of the agitated Atlantic Ocean demolish a part of the sea defence structure on March 3 and rush invasively into sections of West Coast Demerara/East Bank Essequibo, flattening fences, confiscating bridges, ransacking homes, and destroying cash crop and poultry enterprises as flood waters besiege hapless communities leaving some 300 resident affected by the tidal phenomenon. Areas such as Leonora, Meten-Meer-Zorg, Uitvulgt, Stewartville, Windor Forest, West Coast Demerara (WCD) along with residents of Zeelught, East Bank Essequibo (EBE) were affected. Displaced residents in some area had to be relocated…
Read MoreNo review of ExxonMobil contract
– President Granger says Just over one week after Presidential Adviser on Petroleum, Dr. Jan Mangal, said that the government can review and renegotiate the Production Sharing Agreement with ExxonMobil, President David Granger said that Cabinet does not intend to do such at this time. He noted that the PSA is currently engaging the attention of Cabinet and a decision would be made.
Read MoreRevaluation of GuySuCo pension fund need to determine status – CEO
…fund has been destabilized – source …Hand-in-Hand Insurance tightlipped While there have been major concerns regarding the status of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) Pension Fund, which is said to be at a crisis level, Acting Chief Executive Officer, Paul Bhim has defended his company stating that there have been certain mistruths about the fund. Bhim told Guyana Times that there are currently two pension funds for sugar workers, one which is for all unionized employees which is fully funded by GuySuCo, and another for senior staff. In the case…
Read MoreYEAR IN REVIEW: SEPTEMBER – PPP takes Govt to court over added Local Authority Areas
Following complaints that the Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan is involved in the gerrymandering of Local Authority Areas (LLA) in Opposition strongholds, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) filed a legal challenge in the High Court to halt the Minister’s move even as Bulkan maintained that everything he did was above board. Former Attorney General Anil Nandlall filed the Fixed Date Application (FDA) on behalf of People’s Progressive Party Guyana Elections Commissioner (GECOM) Commissioner, Bibi Shadick. The Applicant filed judicial review proceedings in the High Court against decisions of named respondents, Communities…
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