Dear Editor, I am reminded of an article titled, ‘Party Paramountcy’ which was published in Caribbean Life in August 2016 which aptly summarises the PNC’s ideology during the Burnham dark era. It stated that, ‘Burnham ruled Guyana using his publicly proclaimed euphemism: “party paramountcy.” The party, not the state, controlled the arms of the Guyana Defence Force, the Guyana Police, departments of government and, in critical matters, parts of the judiciary, the electoral machinery, the media, the trade unions.’ It went further to state that, ‘Burnham possessed two additional arms:…
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Govt walkout of National Assembly unheard of anywhere else
Dear Editor, The coalition Government (APNU/AFC) qualifies for inclusion in the Guinness Book of World Records. It is the first Government to boycott itself in Parliament– first time that a Government in any part of the world has walked out on (boycott) itself (its own parliamentary sitting). The Government Members of Parliament (MPs) walked out when Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, the main PPP respondent in the ongoing budget debate, delivered his contribution. The Government asked for the sitting and it asked for the debate. Therefore, it behooved the Government to…
Read MoreNagamootoo is prepared to do the ‘double role’ and violate the Constitution
Dear Editor, The Opposition’s chief whip the Honourable Gail Teixieira filed a motion in the house asking that the acting President of the Republic of Guyana, Mr Moses Nagamootoo vacate his place in The National Assembly as Head of Government. It is a legally binding motion as stipulated in Article 178 (4) of the constitution which states; once a member (who must be an elected member of The National Assembly) of the cabinet is appointed to perform the functions of the office of President, then that Minister’s seat in The…
Read MorePNC senior leaders must step up or get out of the kitchen
Dear Editor, Great, courageous and selfless leaders are those willing to confront the material anxieties of their people as the occasion arises. There is a great anxiety in Guyana as to the good life for the ordinary man as promised by the government. After three and a half years in office, the Government has spent some GYD$1.1 trillion in four consecutive budgets since 2015, and it is clear that the benefits are not trickling down to the poor and the working class. Thus, it was not surprising that the results…
Read MoreWhat a vulgar statement by Minister Lawrence!
Dear Editor, This letter was motivated by a statement by the Minister of Health and Chairwoman of the PNC, Volda Lawrence on preference of PNC party comrades for employment and Government contracts, which was widely reported in the media. She was also the former Minister responsible for the labour portfolio. What a vulgar statement! However, Volda Lawrence must be commended for her honest confession of the not so subtle practice of the PNC. That position is discriminatory and unlawful as stated hereunder, The system of industrial relations is informed, influenced…
Read MoreWith such a cabal of corrupt officials can the new Mayor make a difference?
Dear Editor, I was looking at the new Mayor of Georgetown for the year 2019, Mr Ubraj Narine, and immediately my reaction to the news was a long, deep sigh. The reason for my lamentation is the fact that the new mayor was flanked by two known characters; current Mayor, Patricia Chase Greene and Mr Oscar Clarke. Green and Clarke are already ex-officio members of the new finance committee of the Council whose stewardships so far have been utterly tainted by corruption. With such a cabal of corrupt officials on…
Read MoreCCJ’s ruling is a blatant, backward step
Dear Editor, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo overstepped his authority when he announced Government’s commitment to “giving teeth” to the CCJ’s ruling that, in Guyana, men are free to disguise themselves as women, and women are free to disguise themselves as men, in public. The Prime Minister has perhaps forgotten that he and his Government are accountable to the 800,000 people of Guyana, and not to the seven judges of the CCJ. Whether or not the CCJ’s ruling is right is irrelevant, because the Government of Guyana has bound itself to…
Read MoreShocked that Scotiabank is pulling out
Dear Editor, I was astounded when I read an online article from a prominent news establishment that Scotiabank has sold its local operations and will be exiting the Guyana operations. I am astounded because as a long-time account holder of this Bank, I would have expected to be informed by the Bank before this information reached the public domain. I would hope the arbitrary transfer of my account to the sold bank is not a done deal without any consultation with me. Your respectfully, Shamshun Mohamed
Read MoreAPNU/AFC coalition has proven to be a failed government
Dear Editor, The fourth National Budget for the APNU/AFC coalition Government was presented to the National Assembly despite the majority of the Guyanese population, through the Opposition Leader has declared no-confidence against the APNU/AFC administration for the mismanagement of affairs in Guyana Since the 2011-2015 period when the APNU and the AFC were the combined opposition with a dangerous weapon of a parliamentary majority, they have used it deliberately and conveniently to take Guyana down the path of destruction. The combined opposition, during that period, who promised a good life…
Read MoreCharacter assassination will become more rampant during General Elections period
Dear Editor, Campaigning for General Elections due in 2020 has begun in earnest, and with it the attempts at character assassination that has become part of the parcel. The go-to claim is usually ‘racism’ and I strongly believe this is a result of lazy intellectualism. My experience is of a Guyana where most differing perspectives are due to economic and social positioning rather than ethnicity and some are based on social conditioning within ethnic structures, however, recent statements attributed to the Minister of the Presidency where he asserts there will…
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