Category: Letters

Dear Editor, The revelation that ExxonMobil paid the travelling expenses of the Minister of Petroleum’s wife, First Lady Sandra Granger; Head of the Department of Energy, Dr. Mark Bynoe; and that of the entourage is extremely disappointing to learn. It would seem that the Granger Administration is incapable of comprehending what constitutes ethical and acceptable behaviour. In sports coaching, we look for ‘teaching’ moments, and then there are times when repetition of mistakes is so glaring that the coach must take the ‘hairdryer’ approach, made famous by Sir Alex Ferguson…

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Dear Editor, Retired Justice James Patterson, the illegally appointed Chairman of GECOM, has finally vacated his post. This is a commendable act, and I say: “Enjoy your retirement years in peace”. This gentleman, in his golden years, was made to suffer ridicule and shame by his president, who, for 20 long months, dragged him through the mud, all because he was a willing participant in a grand scheme of things. However, that has all ended. We are accustomed to the cliché “all good things must come to an end”; however,…

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Dear Editor, The former PNC Prime Minister, Hamilton Green, declared himself an expert in elections saying, “As one who has been in the Election business since we first had universal adult suffrage…” in his recent letter, “Statement by GECOM Chairman is ludicrous”, and said a call for elections in 60 days is “preposterous” because the “integrity of the Voters’ List is a sine qua non”. Mr Green (and the current fallen Government) wants to expand the list but can only do so by destroying the law. It is a legal…

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Dear Editor, What did Bill Gates (Microsoft), Steve Jobs (Apple), Jeff Bezos (Amazon), Tim Berners-Lee (the Internet), Larry Page (Google), Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), and Elon Musk (Tesla) all have in common? Uncompromising vision, a passion to change the world, a willingness to take risks, and exceptional business acumen. Such transformational and visionary leaders have the ability to view life, work, strategies, products and services in a way that very few others can; and with a deep sense of purpose and commitment. They rise above tribalism and ego, and use their…

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Dear Editor, The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) has finally rendered its long-awaited ruling on the two critical constitutional matters pertaining to Guyana and these must be honoured without delay. The CCJ ruled that the No-Confidence Motion was validly passed and elections must be held within ninety days, and the unilateral appointment of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chair was flawed. The court asked (ordered) the lawyers for the two contending parties (really President David Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo) to meet and suggest a solution on a way…

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Dear Editor, After news broke of aggregate payments of over G$20 million to a sitting Minister’s child’s bank account, the Government, through Mr Joe Harmon, disclosed these payments to be for “scholarships” and no details were made available. Minister Broomes’ daughter is now a student of Howard University where she is reading for an undergraduate degree in Biology and Chemistry and for all indications seems to be an educated young lady on the right path. I make no hesitation to say as Guyanese citizens, Ministers’ children are entitled to scholarships…

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Dear Editor, The Guyana Diaspora is Guyana’s second state. The population of the diaspora is almost as large as the entire population of our homeland. This has been because of direct migration and the existence of second- and third-generation Guyanese. This unique situation has great competitive advantages for Guyana: Guyanese in the homeland, in the United States, and in Canada. With such a distribution of our population, we can create great opportunities to harness the diaspora’s potential. There is the need to develop comprehensive strategic plans for solutions to national…

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Dear Editor, There is the submission to the CCJ by Guyana’s Attorney General Basil Williams of a purported confession statement made by defector Charrandas Persaud that he knew beforehand that he was an illegal occupant of Parliament, being a dual citizen. That late submission, according to him, is the proverbial smoking gun which should cause the CCJ to rule in his favour. Now, if we are to take Williams’ argument for what it is worth, then it meant that the Government side was aware of Charrandas’ as well as its…

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Dear Editor, As we unveil this Gallery of Photographs of Our Presidents, let us strengthen our commitment to Get On With It: Get on with us growing and developing ourselves and our country, aware of but not incarcerated in our history of the arrival of Europeans in the land, and subsequently the times of slavery and of indentureship. People from six different parts of the world thrown together here like press-ganged sailors of old on a ship setting out into the then not well known oceans, must survive together or…

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Dear Editor, I write to add my personal tribute to Andaiye, whom I was fortunate to know from my teenage years, as she was a friend of my father’s. There were few plain speakers in the Guyana of my youth. Many were lions in their private circles and mice in the public sphere. Andaiye was one of the few who spoke truth to power, whatever the circumstances, consistently and fearlessly. It was a trait that continued throughout her life. In her conversations and writing, there was a singular clarity of…

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