As we approach elections, many new parties calling themselves “multiracial”, will be formed to “solve” our political logjam. I offer an observation made a year before our historical free and fair elections that were supposed to usher in a new age of democracy in Guyana. It is still valid. “Whatever their faults, our parties, like parties everywhere, do not merely affect, they also reflect the nuances of their societies. So the fault, dear friends, might also lie in ourselves. Politicians cannot lead followers wherever the politicians want them to go,…
Read MoreYear: 2019
Waitress gets 6 months for stealing phone
A waitress who was charged for assaulting a man and then stealing his cellphone was on Friday found guilty of stealing the cellphone and was sentenced for that offence. Twenty-five-year-old Sherryann Marks, of Lot 123 Middle Road, La Penitence, Georgetown, pleaded not guilty to the charge which stated that on July 31, 2019, at Vlissengen Road, Georgetown, she stole one Alcatel cellphone valued at G$60,000, property of Collin Woolford. During her address to the court, Marks claimed that she walked away with the phone by mistake and was not given…
Read MoreOil refinery to be completed by next year – GuyEnergy executive
– to be based in Linden; have 4000 BPD start-up capacity GuyEnergy, the company that had publicly announced its intention to build an oil refinery in Guyana since last year, is on course to completing its refinery by next year. This is according its Chief Executive Officer, Dr Turhane Doerga. According to Dr Doerga in an interview with this publication over the weekend, the company is at the stage where the modules for the oil refinery are being built. And according to Dr Doerga, who is also well known…
Read MoreToshaos urged to seek tangible solutions for communities
The National Toshaos Conference got underway on Monday, with National Toshaos Council (NTC) Chairman, Nicholas Fredericks urging the village leaders from across the country to put aside differences and focus on seeking tangible solutions for their respective constituencies. The conference, which usually goes for five days, got underway at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre on Monday morning. Fredericks made this call during the opening ceremony of the conference, which was also attended by President David Granger, his Ministers and the Opposition. “Toshaos, I urge you to continue to make that…
Read MoreSaving the democratic transition
On October 5, 1992, with the return of “free and fair elections”, Guyana joined what the Harvard scholar Samuel Huntington had only the year before dubbed “The Third Wave: Democratisation in the late 20th century”. Referring to the initial wave in the 18th and 19th century led by the US and France, and the second in the decolonisation era following WWII, Huntington noted the structural factors that undergirded the third wave after authoritarian relapses in the preceding decades. For Guyana, the external factor was the fall of the Berlin Wall,…
Read MoreBody of 9-year-old pulled from Linden creek
The body of nine-year-old Imani Leech was on Monday retrieved from Kara Kara Creek at Mackenzie, Linden, following a search led by residents of the neighbouring Speightland community. Leech went missing after he fell into a section of the Kara Kara Creek in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) on Saturday. His partially decomposed body was discovered floating in a section of the Creek at approximately 12:30h on Monday after residents who formed a search party ventured out by boat on the waterway. Following the discovery, Police visited the location and removed…
Read MoreEconomist warns of danger of inflation from oil and gas
– notes exchange rate fluctuation can damage economic sectors While Guyana is in the midst of a currency crisis before first oil has even arrived, Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) Director of Economics, Dr Justin Ram has urged Guyana to guard against the impact that inflation driven by oil can have on the overall economy and exchange rate. Dr Ram was at the time speaking at a public policy talk facilitated by the Guyana Budget Policy Institute last Saturday night at the Regency Suites hotel. The very theme of the…
Read MoreSheer hypocrisy and more empty promises in Linden
Dear Editor, Almost five years passed, five budgets presented, more than one trillion dollars squandered, David Granger and his clueless Cabinet and other big officials jetted around the world many times, frequented all the “hot” spots in Guyana, while communities like Linden were ignored and neglected. This past weekend, Granger and his PNC colleagues woke up and discovered that without Linden, they have no chance of winning the March 2 elections. They came, as usual, with empty promises, hoping they can still fool the people. Granger decided to take the…
Read MoreGuyana’s working class facing ‘tough times’
– GAWU tells int’l union The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU) has informed international trade unions of what is described as “heavy burdens” being endured by the working class in Guyana. Assistant General Secretary Aslim Singh recently participated in a two-day meeting of the Latin American and Caribbean Trade Unions affiliated to the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU). At the meeting held in Argentina, Singh informed trade unionists of the situation in Guyana. “Our Union pointed out that, in recent times, the workers and their families have…
Read MorePPP/C to begin aggressive campaign in all regions – Jagdeo
– Jagdeo says massive development plans on stream for Guyana As the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) announces their plans for the Guyanese people amid the upcoming elections, campaigning will also be done extensively in all communities to highlight some of the projects that will be undertaken under their governance. This was announced by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo during a recent press conference, where he signalled their draft of developmental plans for several years. While there have been protest actions on their part to ensure constitutional adherence, he said their focus…
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