Dear Editor, Social cohesion is always an elusive element in our country, primarily because it is not the will of our politicians who believe in the ‘divide and rule’ principle. Being in Government is the biggest business, and nasty politicians can sell their own maternal and paternal affiliations to gain a share in that pursuit. I must commend the effort of our President, His Excellency David Granger, for his brave attempt to bring the Emancipation Celebration to Region 6 at Union Village, which saw the attendance of people from various…
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Blatant case of political interference and intrusion in the affairs of a sovereign nation
Dear Editor, In a section of the media, the British High Commissioner is reported to have made a statement which I find to be very curious and, frankly, disturbing. He said the United Kingdom is getting value for money as it relates to the operation of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) under the guidance of his countryman and Financial Investigations Advisor to SOCU, Dr. Sam Sittlington. Responding to questions from the press at his residence on Friday, August 24th, Greg Quinn is quoted as saying, “It is not for…
Read MoreWill the Coalition Government ever make GuySuCo viable?
Dear Editor, The greatest enigma Guyanese have experienced is the way forward for the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) – to close the estates, to diversify, to make all viable and then sell some, and to downsize and to ‘upsize’. Even the sugar workers who were dismissed are being fed with euphemistic epithets to give them some mental reprieve. We were told in February this year that G$10-15 billion is needed to open the closed estates and then sell them to fetch a ‘good’ price and then a week later we…
Read MoreGuyanese teachers poorly paid when compared to regional counterparts
Dear Editor, WPA is dismayed by the inability of the Government to arrive at an amicable settlement of the wage issue with the Guyana Teachers Union. What is even more frightening is the Government’s apparent indifference to the threat of industrial action by the teachers. Rather than trying harder to arrive at an agreement, the Ministry of Education, according to reports, appears to be more concerned with hiring scab labour to counter the teachers’ threat. This insensitivity towards the teachers’ reasonable demands is at odds with President Granger’s strident education…
Read MoreDirect cash transfer to citizens is not the way to go
Dear Editor, The announcement by Dr Clive Thomas of a grand cash payout of US$5,000, the equivalent of Gy$1 million, sounds like the “good life” is finally here; yes, at last it seems like the present poverty will be a thing of the distant past. That announcement has caused some prominent personalities to write in exhilarating penmanship splashed all across the print and electronic media. Listen to the comment from one politician/trade unionist, “Professor Thomas is on to something…let’s not shy away from conversation on its feasibility.” Another politician has…
Read MoreIn favour of giving oil money directly to Guyanese
Dear Editor, I completely agree with Guyana’s distinguished economist Dr Clive Thomas that a significant part of the nation’s oil revenue should be given directly to each household in Guyana at set times. There is no question in my mind that such a move would have a lasting and positive impact on the people of Guyana. This will be a powerful incentive that will bring our people’s latent aptitude for thrift, creativity, ingenuity and business to full bloom, and enable them to expand their contributions to the country’s sustainable development.…
Read MoreGuyana Govt must seek answers in death of young scholar
Dear Editor, A young, brilliant Guyanese scholar, Yogeeta Persaud, of the simple village of Zorg, on the Essequibo Coast, died suddenly last Sunday in Peru. Guyana lost a young lady, whose potential was unlimited. Guyana lost a young lady who, while still very young, already contributed more than most Guyanese to our national image and national psyche. When she topped the CSEC at the national level, she made all Guyana proud, but she also brought pride to Essequibo and particularly her school, the Anna Regina Multilateral School, and her village.…
Read MoreCPL games in Guyana a good example of national cohesion
Dear Editor, After being at Providence, East Bank Demerara, I wish to point out the seminal contribution the Guyana Amazon Warriors are making to our national development. First there is the matter of “national cohesion” of which we have heard so much during the past three years. But who has done more for national cohesion than the Warriors, during that time? Once again, they have created such a positive buzz in our country that the doom and gloom threatening to put us into a national depression has been dissipated like…
Read MoreIt seems as if the WPA just awoke from its slumber
Dear Editor, It would seem that the Working People’s Alliance [WPA] has just woken up. For three years, with all the scandals — including the move by the Coalition Government, of which it is a part, to hide the US$18 million signing bonus — the WPA has been silent. Now it claims that it was never “consulted or briefed on the negotiations and other official deliberations” on oil and gas. This all seems very convenient because we are months out from the Local Government Elections and it would seem that…
Read MoreGuyana in ‘reverse’ mode
Dear Editor, Various international organisations, such as the World Economic Forum, through a series of annual countries’ assessment, inadvertently espouse the axiom that “Guyana is in reverse mode”. In 2017, the Global Human Capital Index, a report that ranks countries according to their effectiveness and level of human capital development, demoted Guyana below its 2015 global position of 79 by 9 positions, surpassing frail economies such as Uganda, Zambia and Kenya. A closer look at some of the key indicators revealed that, within one year, 2015-2016, Guyana slipped by more…
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