Month: May 2019

zakat: An important Pillar of Islam

TIMES INT'L

The five pillars of Islam (arkan al-Islam; also arkan al-din, “pillars of religion”) comprise five official acts considered obligatory for all Muslims. The Quran presents them as a framework for worship and a sign of commitment to faith. The five pillars are the shahadah (witnessing the oneness of God and the prophethood of Muhammad ), regular observance of the five prescribed daily prayers (salat), paying zakah (almsgiving), fasting (sawm; siyyam) during the month of Ramadan, and performance of the hajj (pilgrimage during the prescribed month) at least once in a…

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Crime…

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…and retribution Your Eyewitness was one of those who called for a more proactive response by the Police to the crime tsunami sweeping the country in general, and Berbice in particular. With the overwhelming majority of the crimes being committed by gun-toting bandits, he called for the deployment of the SWAT Unit to take them on, on an equal footing. The regular Police were invariably late on the scene, even after frantic calls and it was suspected they feared they’d be outgunned. Well, the SWAT Unit WAS rushed out to…

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Learning…

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  …from Indian elections When it comes to India and China, the numbers that crop up when discussing their affairs are more than humungous – they’re literally mind-boggling, since no one can wrap their head around them. Excepting when it comes to electing their leaders. In China, the President and the State Council are elected by the National People’s Congress – made up of 2980 people – while Modi and the Cabinet he’ll form are elected by 900 MILLION persons!! That’s the difference between an authoritarian and democratic system!! How…

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Gaming Authority sets the record straight

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…denies victimising investor The Guiana Holding Incorporated, trading as Superbet, recently complained that it is not being granted its renewal of licences owing to victimisation on the part of the Guyana Gaming Authority. The Gaming Authority, however, on Wednesday denied stymieing the investor. In response to Superbet’s General Manager Shrikant Kisoensingh’s statements, the Gaming Authority explained that the certificate of good standing, which is required by the agency, was not produced by the trending gambling attraction but is necessary to qualify the business for their licence renewal. According to the…

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Gunraj wants sanctions against GECOM staff who failed to cooperate with hiring probe

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Guyana Elections Commissioner Sase Gunraj believes that penalties should be applied against GECOM employees, who disobeyed orders from the chairman to cooperate with the Ethnic Relations Commission during their investigation into hiring practices of the entity. Gunraj was at the time speaking at the conclusion of a statutory meeting on Tuesday. The ERC in its report had complained that the Human Resource Manager had stymied its investigation by not submitting documents. The commissioner revealed that when the matter came up for discussion, GECOM Chairman, retired Justice James Patterson, claimed that…

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Ramadaan Origin, Customs, Traditions

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Ramadan is considered the holiest month of the year for Muslims. In Ramadan, Muslims fast from food and drink during the sunlit hours as a means of learning self-control, gratitude, and compassion for those less fortunate. Ramadan is a month of intense spiritual rejuvenation with a heightened focus on devotion, during which Muslims spend extra time reading the Qur’an and performing special prayers. Those unable to fast, such as pregnant or nursing women, the sick, or elderly people and children, are exempt from fasting. Ramadan is the 9th month of…

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Minibus driver, conductor charged for rape of school girl

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A minibus driver and a conductor were Wednesday morning charged for raping a 12-year-old school girl. Keron Adams, 19, a minibus conductor of ‘D’ Field, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown was charged for engaging in sexual penetration with a child who is under the age of 16. He was not required to plea to the charge when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court. Roy Roach, 41, a minibus driver, was charged with causing the child to have sexual penetration with Adams. Roach was also not required…

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CXC to consider petition for Mathematics re-sit following breaches

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The Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) is to consider a petition calling for all students to re-sit the 2019 CSEC Mathematics exams following serious breaches of the examination regulations, a representative from the Barbados-based institution has said, according to Jamaica Observer. “All of the queries regarding such were [reported] to the head of the department and it’s being worked on. The queries have not fallen on deaf ears so everyone will be notified of a decision in due course,” the representative was quoted as saying by Jamaica Observer. It is unclear…

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City Hall making moves to recover G$8.4B owed in taxes

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The Mayor and City Council (M&CC) on Monday revealed that some G$8.4 billion, excluding accrued interest, is owed by taxpayers within the perimeter of Georgetown and as such, it would be moving to recover these monies. City Treasurer John Douglas made this disclosure on Monday, telling media operatives that after a final computation, the sum of G$8.4 billion was found to be owed by residential and commercial taxpayers combined. Some records show that persons have not paid taxes for over 25 years. As such, a rate recovery drive will commence…

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Audit report paints worrying picture of NIS finances

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…states actuaries warned about effect of deficits on future of fund As far back as 2016, the actuary review into the finances of the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) had warned that repeat deficits may bring its reserves to the brink of collapse. Chartered accountants TSD Lall and Company said in the independent auditor’s assessment for the entity’s 2016 annual report, which was recently laid in the National Assembly, that the actuaries had warned that the reserves were in danger of running dry by 2021. “Without further qualifying our opinion, we…

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