In a matter of a few days, the Government of Guyana will lift its first share of crude from the Liza Phase One Development, according to the Energy Department’s Director, Dr Mark Bynoe. “I am sitting here and I can definitively say that Guyana’s first million-barrel entitlement will be shipped in February. You can call that what you wish but that’s a reality,” Dr Bynoe said during an on-air interview on Thursday. The Energy Head was at the time responding to questions surrounding the deal Guyana has with ExxonMobil and…
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Despite firing over 7000 workers, President says he “preserved” sugar industry
Despite the closure of four massive sugar estates and the firing of over 7000 workers under his tenure in office, caretaker President David Granger believes that his Administration has “preserved” the industry. He shared this position during at a campaign rally at Leonora on West Coast Demerara on Friday evening. Granger addressed the gathering as Presidential Candidate for the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) coalition, as the date for the polls draws nearer. Shortly after his Administration took office back in 2015, estates along the sugar belt…
Read MoreGovt should do more to fight corruption – Global Witness
A key report written by award-winning anti-corruption advocate Global Witness has urged the Guyana Government to prioritise increasing its capacity to fight off corruption, particularly with the massive inflows expected from oil. The report, titled “Signed away” and released only days ago by the United Kingdom-based Global Witness states that Guyana needs to develop the capacity to fight corruption considering the perception of corruption not only internationally but in its own shores. “Guyana ranked 93 out of 180 in Transparency International’s 2018 Corruption Perceptions Index and many of the citizens…
Read MoreMore false promises for sugar workers
Dear Editor, Sugar workers have been treated as second-class citizens by the Granger-led APNU/AFC. They have been lied to and cheated on the last five years. During that time, David Granger never once acknowledged their plight. Suddenly, it is election time and Granger and APNU/AFC are twisting themselves like a good American pretzel, making more false promises to the sugar workers, not only reaffirming their second-class citizen treatment, but now treating them like they are stupid. For five years they did nothing to give the sugar workers land, which they…
Read MoreTimehri man dies after stabbing reputed wife
The 24-year-old man who stabbed his reputed wife to the neck before consuming poison on Thursday evening in a churchyard on Timehri Base Road, East Bank Demerara, died on Saturday at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). Clifton Richmond, a bus conductor, stabbed his reputed wife, Sheria Khalil called “Sherry”, 22, a bank teller attached to Republic Bank, during a dispute. Reports are the incident occurred at about 21:30h on Thursday evening. When contacted on Saturday, Commander of Region Four (B) (Eccles-Moblissa), Superintendent Kurleigh Simon, told Times International that Richmond…
Read MoreState sued for $450M by relatives of trio killed
The relatives of Ron Somerset, Shemroy Bouyea and Allan Lewis, who were killed on July 18, 2012, by ranks of the Guyana Police Force during a protest in Linden have filed $450 million lawsuit against the State, with Attorney General Basil Williams listed as the respondent. In the lawsuit’s application filed by Attorney-at-Law Darren Wade – a candidate on the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) candidates’ list for the upcoming elections – each of the families is making an application for a declaration that the deceased right…
Read MoreGRA accelerating paperless system – Deputy Commissioner
The Guyana Revenue Authority is accelerating its move towards a paperless environment and will soon begin to scan documents, among other things, to reduce its paper load. This was revealed by Deputy Commissioner of GRA, Hema Khan, during a press conference at the tax agency’s Camp Street, Georgetown, head office on Friday. According to Khan, soon, persons will no longer have to bring copies of documents such as proof of identification (ID) and addresses when transacting business at GRA. “We will just collect them, scan them and give them back…
Read MoreLesson may have come too late for David Granger
Dear Editor, In a display of willful ignorance, David Granger and his Cabinet sat on January 23, 2020, and decided upon appointments for various State Boards. While the ignorance of laws is the new normal for Granger as noted by the US State Department “The United States is concerned about recent actions by Guyana that may undermine democratic principles, including apparent misapplication of the Guyanese Constitution and certain court rulings,” it is the damage being done to the institutions and character of persons who accept these appointments that is the…
Read MoreSoesdyke labourer killed by drinking buddy
A labourer was in the wee hours of Sunday morning stabbed to death during an argument with a drinking buddy along the Soesdyke Public Road, East Bank Demerara. Dead is 44-year-old Winford Jacob, of Bonking Sand Road, Soesdyke, EBD, and of Blueberry Hill, Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice). Based on reports received, on the day in question, Jacob had been consuming alcoholic beverages with a male friend and the mother of his child and at about 02:30h, they left the drinking bar and were walking along the Soesdyke Public Road,…
Read MoreSugar workers protest President’s office for wage hike
As a result of several picketing exercises in the past which yielded little to no results, sugar workers have returned again on Tuesday outside of the President’s office calling for a wage increase. The workers, from Uitvlugt, Blairmont and Albion Sugar Estates, converged to express their dismay over the fact that they are yet to benefit from an increase since 2015 – when the coalition administration took office. At the protest line, General Secretary of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), Seepaul Narine, stated that he is disappointed…
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