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Scenes of Guyana Day celebrations at York College in New York
Month: May 2011
Strike balance between religion and gay rights – British high commissioner
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans-gender (LGBT) community in Guyana May 17, marked International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) with British High Commissioner to Guyana, Simon Bond, urging that it is important to strike a balance between religious freedoms and the rights of LGBT people not to be discriminated against. Bond said homosexuality remains illegal in about 80 countries, noting that it is punishable by death in seven countries: Iran, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, Yemen and Nigeria. He said, too, that some 43 Commonwealth countries still…
Read MoreWork on LCDS projects to be accelerated
The Guyana government said on Tuesday, May 17 that, as its Low Carbon Development Strategy moves beyond the start-up phase, work on the six priority investments for this year is being advanced. The six investments will accelerate Guyana’s transition to a low carbon economy by deploying the US$70 million earned by Guyana for the provision of forestry climate services under the Guyana/Norway Agreement, the Office of Climate Change said. The six 2011 investments are: (1) Amerindian land titling, which will cost US$3.9 million. The objective of this investment is to…
Read MoreOLPF orientation commences for trainers
Government said its One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) project is picking up pace with application forms dispatched to Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven and 10 for persons to uplift from their Neighbourhood Democratic Councils, Regional Democratic Councils and the OLPF head office located on Lamaha Street, Georgetown. The trainers, from Region Three, were engaged is an orientation session Wednesday at the OLPF’s Duke and Barrack Streets office, Kingston, Georgetown location. Training is scheduled to last from May 18 to June 10, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and is…
Read MoreGovt releasing funds for polls preparations – AFC seeking audience with GECOM on several matters
The Bharrat Jagdeo administration has said that funds have been allocated to the Guyana Elections Commission for the registration of officials nationwide, to ensure that the claims and objections exercise is run smoothly. This announcement was made on Wednesday, but the Alliance For Change said it is upset that GECOM had to reduce the number of days for the claims and objections period due to no fault of the political parties. Head of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS), Dr Roger Luncheon, told reporters on Wednesday that Cabinet has noted that it…
Read MoreAlmond Beach community exploring prospect of bottling coconut water
Along the 90-mile-long stretch of beach in the North West District of Region One in Guyana, popularly known as Shell Beach, is the nesting ground for several species of endangered sea turtles, including the Leatherback, Hawksbill, Green and Olive Ridley. These turtles are protected by residents of Almond Beach, who engage in patrols with the aim of monitoring their activities. Apart from taking part in the turtle conservation efforts, the community’s leaders also strive to drive development, which is progressing alongside turtle conservation efforts, since the staffers are all residents…
Read MoreAnother event on to celebrate Indian Arrival Day in NY
Dear Editor, Guyanese will celebrate Indian Arrival Day this Sunday (May 22) at Smokey Park, 127 Street and Atlantic Avenue in Richmond Hill, New York. The celebrations are sponsored by the Indo-Caribbean Federation. This will be the organisation’s 26th annual celebration to mark the 173rd anniversary since Indians set foot in the Guyana. The Indo-Caribbean Federation was founded by activists like Rudra Nath, Bhanu Dwarika, Vishnu Bisram, Ramesh Kalicharran, Baytoram Ramharack and others. It is being led by Guyanese Ralph Tamesh whose team has planned and organised the commemoration of…
Read MoreThe comprehensive benefit package for teachers is indeed a “giant leap forward”
Dear Editor, Our teachers are the educators of Guyana’s future generation. It is they who are responsible for educating the nation. Teachers, however, have remained on the lower end of the income bracket for a long time. Subsequent salary increases by the government have helped to better this, but there still remain many challenges that teachers experience. The government, in an understanding with the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU), has reached another five-year comprehensive package agreement to better these conditions, and ultimately enhance the quality of teaching in Guyana. With this…
Read MoreThe Hauraruni project should be used as a model in other communities
Dear Editor, I have been avidly following your editorial column, and would like to express my views in support of the ones you mentioned concerning the need for agriculture diversification in order to lift communities out of poverty, and to ensure that Guyana is food secure. I have noted, with interest, the recent visit by Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai and USAID Mission Director Carol Horning to one of those projects operating under the Guyana Trade and Investment Support Programme (GTIS) and supported by USAID, and I was encouraged by…
Read MoreNo place for racism in our society
Dear Editor, I read in your newspaper that the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) is in the process of investigating alleged racist comments made by Mr Tacuma Ogunseye of the African Cultural Development Association (ACDA), during a public meeting on the East Coast Demerara sometime last month. Mr Ogunseye was quoted in sections of the media as making statements which, in my view, warrant condemnation by all stakeholders. I do not wish to repeat those statements, as it would not be wise to give further publicity to what was already widely…
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