The Carter Center has officially launched its observer mission for Guyana’s General and Regional Elections due March 2, while at the same time making it clear they are also prepared for any potential post-election legal challenges. This was communicated in a statement sent out earlier on Tuesday. According to the Carter Center, the observer mission has already been deployed around the country. These observers, it was explained, will later be joined by short-term observers and high-level officials from the Center. “The mission will observe and examine key aspects of the…
Read MoreMonth: January 2020
The fight for political power
Now that Nomination Day is over, we know that there are thirteen parties – down from the nineteen that had declared their intention and symbols – that will be contesting the March 2 General and Regional Elections. It is possible that that number may be further reduced since the GECOM Secretariat would have scrutinised the lists for duplications and other transgressions of the rules of the nomination process. Only three of the parties were able to field candidates in all ten regions and as such claim to be “national” parties.…
Read MoreChinese Contribution to Guyanese Fabric
Guyana is a melting pot of cultures and one of the most unique nations in the in the Caribbean region. It is unique in the sense that nowhere else can you find the level of cultural integration we have here. It is perhaps one of the goods that came out of the colonial period since it sets us apart from others. One of the identifiable cultures in the melting pot is that of the Chinese people. The Chinese came to Guyana after the colonial masters lost their slaves and was…
Read MoreForeign Envoys urge political parties in Guyana to ensure peaceful elections campaign
With a few weeks to go before General and Regional Elections in Guyana, members of the diplomatic community are urging political parties to practice true social cohesion and tolerance for differing political views during the campaign season. In a joint statement by United States Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch, British High Commissioner Gregory Quinn, and European Union representative Fernando Ponz, which comes just one day after Nomination Day, the diplomatic community is urging the embracing of unity. “Now the hard work of campaigning begins in earnest. During this election season, we encourage…
Read MoreCoalition officials talk up Govt’s achievements since May 2015
A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC), held its public meeting in Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara (WBD) on Sunday as supporters braved rain to listen to coalition leaders’ electoral pitch. Taking the platform as the main speaker was Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon. During his address, Harmon stressed the importance of persons going out to vote on Election Day. “We have to mobilise. We have to come out and vote. A real victory translates when people come out to vote. We have to understand…
Read MoreMuch at stake in the upcoming polls
Dear Editor, I write to urge caution amidst the heightened passions and hollow promises which so often characterise Guyanese elections. This election is perhaps the most monumental in the whole of Guyanese history, for it comes at the same time when our oil industry is taking off. The wealth at stake, and the power of good or evil it will provide those who wield it, will surely set the tone for Guyana’s future. It is vitally important that the Government keeps those revenues flowing. It seems to be fashionable of…
Read MoreWindsor Forest – The first Chinese Settlement
Windsor Forest is a small village on the West Coast of Demerara and it is also the first village the Chinese indentured immigrants settled it. Today, the village is predominantly occupied by Indo-Guyanese with very little trace of its Chinese heritage. However there is a monument in the compound of the Windsor Forest Primary School that is dedicated to the Chinese immigrants. Windsor Forest is also the home of Guyana’s First President, Arthur Chung. Photographer Dexter Ceres recently visited the village and took these photos.
Read MoreGovt’s closure of sugar estates taking severe toll on communities
…families struggling to make ends meet Even as Government seems to have moved on after closing four sugar estates, shattering the lives of over 7000 workers, these workers are still struggling to find stable jobs. After garnering the support of workers on the sugar belt at the 2015 elections, the APNU/AFC coalition since taking office has downsized the sugar industry to just three estates – Uitvlugt, Blairmont and Albion— placing over 7000 workers on the breadline. Although the incumbent Government had promised to find alternative job opportunities and give lands…
Read MoreAPNU/AFC list is dominated by the same people who have squandered the country’s reserves
Dear Editor, It is an honour to be selected as a candidate for the People’s Progressive Party/Civic for the upcoming General and Regional Elections. Over the course of the last eighteen months, I have had the pleasure to work with many of the fellow candidates and work it has been as we have struggled with the obduracy of the Granger Administration. At 52, I am one of the older members of the list, which augurs well for Guyana’s future; the destiny of our country should be driven by youth guided…
Read MoreGranger toys with Ramjattan as PM candidate
…embarrassed AFC says President’s statement “gratuitous”, “confusing” The tit for tat over the coalition’s Prime Ministerial position seems never-ending with the Alliance for Change claiming that their candidate is the substantive choice, while President David Granger claims the right to choose who would serve as his chief minister. President Granger, on Wednesday, had told reporters that he is yet to decide on who his running mate is, although AFC announced Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan as the coalition’s Prime Ministerial candidate. “We have completed our review of the Cummingsburg Accord…
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