Dear Editor, General aviation is in crisis, and the President David Granger needs to get the general aviation sector reviewed from top to bottom. This is no joke! My sympathy to the family, loved ones and friends of the perished pilots. The lives of the flying public are at stake, and the affordability of flying is as well. I shudder at the thought of flying and whether it is still safe within Guyana and the cost of insurance for the aircraft operators (due to frequent aircraft crashes resulting in many…
Read MoreCategory: Letters
Large-scale production of onion cultivation in Guyana deemed feasible
Following several trials of onion cultivation by small farmers, large-scale production of the commodity in Guyana has been deemed feasible. This would result in a significant reduction of the import bill for onions into the country. This information was disclosed after partnering agencies, the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) and World University Service of Canada (WUSC), had conducted pilot projects in several parts of Guyana. The project was rolled out in Regions Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Four (Demerara-Mahaica), Five (Mahaica-Berbice), Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) and 10 (Upper…
Read MoreAddressing the dynamics of suicide
Dear Editor, Recently, sections of the local media inaccurately cited the statistics on suicide by the World Health Organization (WHO) when they reported that Guyana’s suicide rate stood at 20.6 per 100,000 in 2015. Editor, there is no truth to this. A visit to the WHO website (http://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide/suicideprevent/en/) revealed a suicide rate of 30.6 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2015, which is significantly higher than what is reported by the local media. Such inaccuracy spurs widespread speculation that some sections of the media may be hiding the suicide problem for political…
Read MoreCaricom countries beginning to feel effects of humanitarian crisis in Venezuela
Dear Editor, Guyanese organizations (listed below) are calling on Governments and civil societies of Caricom to recognize the magnitude of the humanitarian crisis currently being experienced by the people of Venezuela. Caricom countries are already beginning to feel the effects of the tens of thousands of refugees seeking asylum in neighbouring Latin American countries as a result of the severe economic disintegration and political instability fuelling that crisis. The humanitarian crisis is characterized by a shortage of medicines and food, the collapse of public services, the world’s highest inflation rate,…
Read MoreGuyanese in New York hold forum on ‘ballot box martyrs’
Dear Editor, The Guyanese Solidarity Movement (GSS) in NY, along with the 100th Anniversary Foundation and other co-sponsors, held a forum last Sunday to pay tribute to the ballot box martyrs of 1973, as well as to remember the rigged referendum of 1978 that led to the foisting of the authoritarian Burnham constitution. The forum, held in Richmond Hill, also discussed potential electoral fraud in the 2020 elections, and offered suggestions on combating potential electoral fraud. Discussants expressed fear that the next election will be rigged similar to what took…
Read MoreDiscrimination in any form should not be tolerated
Dear Editor, I refer to an article, ‘Linden church leader stages march against homosexuality’, appearing in sections of the media. I shook my head in disbelief as I read this; and I thought to myself that women are raped and battered every day in this country, and this is what this man of God chooses to march against – homosexuality; which is in fact taking a public stand on discriminating on people that are different from him. I am always so curious about why people seem to have such harsh…
Read MoreA second deliberate attempt at besmirching my integrity
Dear Editor, A letter which appeared in another section of the media under the title “Will the Auditor General investigate the deputy chief elections officer?” is the second deliberate attempt at besmirching my integrity – obviously with clandestine objectives. And it brings to mind something that a former boss of mine had continuously repeated; i.e. a lie repeated often enough metamorphoses to become the truth. That is the only reason why I have taken the decision to respond to this piece of mischief, lest the general populace internalize the contents…
Read MoreCaribbean Voice applauded for social work
Dear Editor, I write to applaud The Caribbean Voice (TCV) for its social welfare, activism, and educational programmes that benefit all Guyanese. Without its social programmes, Guyana would be worse off today. TCV has done very much to educate Guyanese about social ills and combat problems affecting the population. Among its programmes are: The Youth and Student Workshop to mostly private schools and youth groups. This workshop is endorsed by the Ministry of Education (MoE), which also indicated that it would be made part of the Health and Family Life…
Read MoreGovt officials must come clean on ExxonMobil trip
In an article which appeared in the media on August 13, it was reported that senior ministers in the APNU/AFC Government are on an official visit to the ExxonMobil Headquarters in Texas, USA — apparently to familiarize themselves with oil and gas matters as they relate to the development of oil fields off Guyana’s coast. The ministers’ visit was treated as a state secret, as Guyanese are usually informed prior to any overseas visit of Govt. officials, and the reasons therefor. By design, however, no prior information was given to…
Read More‘Do nothing …fear nothing’!
Dear Editor, A letter which appeared in another section of the media titled “Will the Auditor General investigate the deputy chief elections officer?” is the second deliberate attempt aimed at besmirching my integrity – obviously with clandestine objectives. And it brings to mind something that a former boss of mine had continuously repeated i.e. a lie repeated often enough metamorphose to become the truth. This is the only reason that I have taken the decision to respond to this piece of mischief, lest the general populace internalize the contents of…
Read More