Dear Editor, It seems to me that no other country will join the Appellate Division of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) before the retirement of the second President, Sir Denis Byron in July next year. The first President, Michael de la Bastide and three other Judges have retired since the court was established in 2005, and we were only fortunate to see four countries on board. I am very disappointed at the attitude of the Governments of Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and a few of the Eastern Caribbean states…
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Guyanese diaspora will mount vigorous lobby to avoid any “punishment” due to UN vote on Jerusalem
Dear Editor, I must salute the Government of Guyana for its vote on Thursday in the United Nations on the issue of Jerusalem. I must, however, express my disappointment that the 14-member Caribbean Community (Caricom) did not vote in unison in favour of this UN resolution. Seven members abstained, or did not vote. Prior to the vote, both US President Trump and UN Ambassador Halley issued warnings that America would take note of the names that voted for the resolution, and that aid to those countries would be negatively affected…
Read MoreRamjattan singing a different tune since he became a minister
Dear Editor, Vice President and Minister of Public Security, AFC Chairman Khemraj Ramjattan, is quoted in the Guyana Times of December 08, 2017 as saying, during his contribution to the 2018 National Budget debate: “This party [AFC] must make hard decisions in relation to sugar”. But while VP Ramjattan was making such an incredulous statement in the Parliament, his Party was, in a statement, expressing “…its deep concern for the welfare of sugar workers, who are likely to be affected by the changes contemplated by the GuySuCo”. The two statements…
Read MoreUsual propagandists on the Govt’s payroll
Dear Editor, I refer to a letter by Wesley Kirton titled, “When it comes to protection of our territory, no stones should be left unturned”. The gentleman, commenting on the US$18 million-dollar controversy, seems to support the President and Ministers involved in the non-disclosure of this money. He even suggests that the public should keep its mouth shut about the non-disclosure, unless it wants Venezuela to take away Essequibo, and for us to have to rewrite the Constitution. Kirton feels the media can play a “critical role” is keeping the…
Read MoreWill Guyana become another Venezuela?
Ominous and sinister: Guyana Times’ photo of two undercover Policemen in Parliament sitting at the media table. Were they spying on the media, or the opposition, or both? This report follows the debacle in Parliament wherein Police assaulted female MPs from the PPP. Were those policemen in the scuffle? Unchartered waters for Guyana. Complaints should be lodged with the Organisation of American States (OAS) and the Commonwealth Secretariat. Is Guyana going to be another Venezuela? Guyana’s democracy is under threat. A PPP-filed pending elections claim continues to languish in the…
Read MoreShocked about the long time it takes to deal with potential investors in Guyana
Dear Editor, After reading the news article “Guyana lost out on US$5M investment – Baron Foods Head” (SN, 17th December 2017) I am shocked at the inordinately long time it takes to process investment in Guyana. I would have thought that the Government would welcome any investment into Guyana, as this would showcase that investors have confidence in Guyana, and this could act as a catalyst for more investments. Yet Baron Foods Ltd spent years waiting on Guyana. It takes a lot to attract investment and for investors to want…
Read MoreHamilton Green should not try to rewrite Guyana’s history
Dear Editor, I felt revolted when I read a recent letter which appeared in the letters columns of the dailies. It was authored by Hamilton Green and captioned, ‘This kind of behaviour is unheard of’. This letter is referring to the incident which saw Bishop Juan Edgehill refusing, as an elected member of the House, to be silenced; to be made to sit; or to be put out of the House. The gall and hypocrisy of Hamilton Green are just unbelievable. Had it been any other person — and I…
Read MoreGovt to be blamed for ‘bungling’ the signing bonus
Dear Editor, My initial thinking is that the coalition Government’s handling, if not bungling, of the signing bonus with ExxonMobil resulted from inexperience, if not incompetence, rather than a desire to be corrupt. Time may perhaps tell. However, no one can be blamed, other than the Government itself, for the widespread perception that corruption was the intent. That having been said, I am of the view, as has been evidenced by several letters and articles which I have previously written, that no stone should be left unturned in ensuring that…
Read MoreAnother example of authoritarianism by APNU-AFC Govt.
Dear Editor, The use of force by the police on the opposition Members of Parliament during a Parliamentary session and the attempt by the police to forcefully remove the elected Member of Parliament for the opposition, Bishop Edghill, because he refused to comply with the Speaker’s order to leave the chamber of Parliament as he was merely seeking more time to question the government’s budget estimates will forever be remembered as a day of disgrace on our democracy and yet another example of authoritarianism by the APNU-AFC government. As a…
Read MoreWhere are the voices of independent thinkers in Guyana?
Dear Editor, Let me be very clear: Ministers Raphael Trotman and Winston Jordan are beings of President David Granger. They cannot collect three billion, seven hundred and eighty million dollars (G$3,780,000,000) — the equivalent of US$18 million — from a private sector investor that has a track record that is not perfect with respect to relations with Third World governments. It is unacceptable that team Granger and Exxon tried for a year to not declare these funds; but what is worse is that Article 216 of the Guyana Constitution was…
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