Dear Editor, The world recently witnessed how Mr David Granger unpatriotically pushed Guyana into a constitutional crisis when he used strongman politics to disrespect and deny the constitutional rights of Guyanese. In keeping with his strongman attitude, he refused to call elections within the constitutional timeframe required by the successful passage of the No-Confidence Motion on December 21, 2018. Mr Granger’s behaviour does not surprise us at all. He is addicted to bullying others. This is exactly how the PNC operates. We can all remember how we were forced to…
Read MoreMonth: September 2019
Caretaker Govt accused of suppressing rights of citizens
…as roads leading to President’s Office blocked off It was chaos in the capital city on Tuesday, after all roads leading to the Ministry of the Presidency were blocked off by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) – which said it was instructed to do so to prevent any protests against the Government. “The Office of the President is being cordoned off due to anticipated protest action by whatever political party or nongovernmental organisation,” a Police source informed Guyana Times International. The Police Force blocked Vlissengen Road between North Road and…
Read More8200 persons living with HIV in Guyana
…500 new cases recorded in 2018 Some 8200 persons are living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in Guyana. This was revealed by Public Health Minister, Volda Lawrence on Monday at the launch of World Aids Day 2019, which is to be observed on December 1. “Our statistics reveal that there are 8200 children, adolescents, youths, women and men living with HIV. In 2018, about 500 new infections occurred in Guyana mainly from key populations and young people.” The Minister was keen to note that of the 8200 persons living with…
Read MoreThe PNC playbook…
…on power In case anyone had any doubts about the veracity of David Granger’s claim to the PNC-faithful in Atlanta that he’d been “always PNC”, they should’ve been dissipated by now like morning mist in this equinox sun we’re sweltering under! Behind that vacuous, simpering expression he cultivates, the man does not deviate from the PNC playbook, compiled by Forbes Burnham – and passed on directly to him when he was just a junior officer in the GDF. Imagine Burnham entrusting a junior officer with his indoctrination programme for the…
Read MoreThe horror…
…of barbaric reversion In Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness”, the protagonist Kurtz emerges from the jungle where he’d been trying to impart “civilisation” to the natives. So shocked at what he’d become, he could only mumble, “The horror!! The horror!!” As a Polish refugee in 19th Century Britain, Conrad was a keen observer of the striving of “outsiders” to join the world of civilised manners and mores. He couldn’t miss the sometimes-grotesque efforts of some who imitated the forms, but missed the substance of what it took to rise above…
Read MoreAll stakeholders should work towards peaceful and credible elections in Guyana
Dear Editor, I have full confidence that a date for the upcoming elections will be released soon and a return to calm will ensue. There is no need for anyone to be portrayed as uncivilised or uncouth and less need for aggression and revenge. We must avoid the potential for violence and the insulting of each other. We the people of Guyana are all looking for a transparent and trustworthy election process free of violence, disorder and corruption. Once a date is provided, which will be soon, the key issue…
Read MoreHospitality institute to be built in Guyana
…to train hotel personnel The Business Ministry plans to construct a hospitality institute to ensure hotel personnel, in particular, are equipped with the skills they need to make visitors comfortable in Guyana. With the oil and gas sector preparing for production in a few months’ time, visitors to Guyana have already increased. To be sure that they have a memorable experience, Business Minister Haimraj Rajkumar said the facility is crucial. Rajkumar was quoted by the Department of Public Information (DPI) as saying he expects 500,000 visitors in the country by…
Read MoreFruit vendor charged for sexually assaulting 10-yr-old
A fruit vendor was on Monday hauled before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts after he was charged for sexually assaulting a 10-year-old child. Thirty-five-year-old Devon Mohamed was not required to plead to the indictable charge when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan. It is alleged that between August 1, 2019 and August 31, 2019, at Wortmanville, Georgetown, he engaged in sexual activity with a child, that is he touched the child’s genitals. The matter was held in-camera. Reports are the 10-year-old child was left in Mohamed’s care when he allegedly…
Read MoreFormer Guyana presidents boycott Chinese commemoration of 70th anniversary
Monday night’s 70th Anniversary ceremony at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre for the People’s Republic of China was boycotted by three former Presidents of Guyana after it emerged that caretaker President David Granger would be the chief guest even as he is in breach of the Constitution. Former Presidents Bharrat Jagdeo, Donald Ramotar and Samuel Hinds indicated in a joint letter to Chinese Ambassador Cui Jianchun and his wife Liang Huili that they would not be attending the ceremony when the President and Government have lost their legitimacy. “We three…
Read MoreBreast cancer: All women are at risk
Just being a woman is the biggest risk factor for developing breast cancer. In a published article some years ago, US-based Oncology Surgeon, Dr Theophilus Lewis pointed out that all women are at risk for breast cancer, since the risks associated with contracting the disease are not controllable. This worrying pronouncement was made during a seminar held in Guyana, which was spearheaded by US-based Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Organisation for Social and Health Advancement in Guyana (OSHAG). Most notably, it was revealed that age and family history are among the biggest…
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