Category: Editorials

Politics and identity in Guyana

TIMES INT'L

By Ravi Dev As we stagger fitfully towards general elections between bouts of engaging the Courts to interpret what were once thought to be pellucid road signs, the discourse is seemingly inevitably becoming dominated once again by “race talk”. It would appear that the announcement of the demise of such an orientation in our political campaigns with the emergence of another generation of voters have been rather premature. Sadly, the questioning of the right of Indian-Guyanese, through their preferred party the PPP to seek national power – has reappeared. I…

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First Oil

TIMES INT'L

First oil is on the horizon in Guyana and all around the country, citizens are beginning to feel a sense of renewed hope. Never before in the history of this country was there so much optimism and excitement as it relates to our development potential. It is now up to our political leaders, the business community, civil society and citizens themselves to work in harmony so as to ensure that all this talk about oil and the huge potential it has for our development could really translate into actually improving…

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Credible elections in Guyana

TIMES INT'L

The Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has ordered that the ongoing house-to-house (HTH) registration be halted as of August 31. This decision seems favourable to those who cited constitutional provisions, through claims and objections, to add names of new eligible voters and remove those deceased. They would have preferred the decision be taken a few weeks earlier in view of the belief that the HTH process was a deliberate ploy encouraged by the government to continually delay the elections which should have been held as of March 21…

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WPA as a PNC flank group

TIMES INT'L

By Ravi Dev As the elections draw closer, as usual, our two major polarised ethnic groups are acting like magnetic poles dragging the society into one or the other camp. In the classic Liberal polity, supposedly rational individuals engage in a variety of roles and belong to a multitude of organisations and groups whose several interests are cross cutting. The individual, in his political role as a voter, therefore, makes a “rational” choice based on the position a given party takes on the issues before the electorate. Even if all…

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CPL: A success story

TIMES INT'L

As Guyana prepares to host its first round of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) matches, the level of excitement that is currently building is no surprise, as it has now become a norm that during this time, there is a renewed interest in the game from everyone in Guyana and in the diaspora. Now in its seventh year, CPL is truly established as one of the leading T20 leagues in the world and compares favourably with the likes of the Indian Premier League (IPL). In addition to the high level…

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The next war

TIMES INT'L

By Ravi Dev Reflecting on the sudden agreement on the next GECOM Chair reached by Caretaker President David Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, after the long war of attrition waged by the PNC leader, I was reminded of the salutary advice of George Orwell: “…the object of waging a war is always to be in a better position in which to wage another war.” Orwell made the observation in his classic dystopia novel “1984”, which has since been proven to be quite prophetic about the actions and motives of…

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Abiding by the Constitution

TIMES INT'L

The eagerly awaited consequential orders from the CCJ, flowing from the consolidated cases appealed from the No-Confidence Motion (NCM) of Dec 21, 2018 and David Granger’s unilateral selection of the GECOM Chair were delivered last Friday. Ultimately, the decisions and orders of the CCJ relate to the date for holding of elections in Guyana in accordance with the Constitution. Inter alia, the CCJ summarised: a) The provisions of Article 106(6) and (7) of the Constitution apply to a No-Confidence motion. b) Thirty-three votes constitute a majority of the 65-member National…

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Caricom’s silence on what is happening in Guyana

TIMES INT'L

Dear Editor, If there was any doubt the Government of Guyana fell on December 21, 2018, the Caribbean Court of Justice’s (CCJ) ruling on June 18, layered with consequential orders issued on July 12, 2019, now af-firms the Guyana Government was defeated in a No-Confidence Motion on that day. The facts are unambiguous, pellucidly clear and unequivocally affirmed by the CCJ. The Constitution of Guyana requires that the President and the Cabinet resign with immediate effect, the President and his Gov-ernment transition into a caretaker role, the elections held within…

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Caretaker Government in Guyana

TIMES INT'L

By Ravi Dev ROAR was formed and decided to contest the elections set for 17 Jan 2001 in accordance with the Herdmanston Accord. However, a dispute between the PPP Government and the PNC Opposition over one of the agreed reforms – the number of “geographical” seats – prevented the necessary legislation being passed and the elections had to be delayed to March 19. I remember the PNC suggesting that the PPP Government should resign and a coalition Government should govern during the interregnum. An all-party committee, however, decided that the…

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Pawan Etwaroo

TIMES INT'L

Pawan Etwaroo The story of Pawan Etwaroo of Cumberland Primary— who gained 520 marks at the NGSA to earn a place at Queen’s College, the nation’s premier Secondary School— is not just heart-warming one of a young boy overcoming adversities and succeeding against great odds, but also a heart-breaking reminder of the plight of the 7000+ sugar workers who were fired when the PNC-led Government unilaterally and precipitately shut down four of the seven sugar estates in the country. Pawan Etwaroo’s father had been employed at Rose Hall Estate but…

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