2011 – Page 188 – Guyana Times International

PNCR town hall meetings to kick off January 14

January 13, 2011 TIMES INT'L

A total of 17 town hall meetings have been planned across the country for the five nominees vying for the People’s National Congress Reform presidential candidacy to interact and address party supporters and other members of society. The public meetings will be held between January 15-Februaury 14 this year at venues in all ten administrative regions, the party announced on Wednesday. The first meeting will be held on Friday at the Queenstown Community Centre, Essequibo Coast and then on Saturday at Hopetown Primary School, West Coast Berbice. There are two…

President challenges Corbin on elections claim

January 13, 2011January 14, 2011 TIMES INT'L

President Bharrat Jagdeo, whilst reiterating an intention to hold general elections this year, has challenged People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) leader Robert Corbin to produce proof of his allegations that there are plans to defer those elections. Last week, Corbin claimed the president is trying to find a way to remain in office beyond his constitutional two-term mandate, and had sought three legal opinions on how this could be done. But, last Saturday, the president challenged Corbin to prove that he had sought legal opinions on the matter by naming…

U.S-based Guyanese deferred inspection incomplete

January 13, 2011 TIMES INT'L

– attorney fears deportation proceedings on the horizon By Natasha Waldron Anthony A New York-based Guyanese, an ex-Navy Petty Officer, still does not know if he has the right to remain in the United States as a permanent resident, or if he has to battle deportation proceedings. The 36-year-old resident, and his attorney, Angelo MacDonald of MacDonald law firm, reported to the JFK Deferred Inspection Unit on January 10, 2011, and were told by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials that the inspection process is still incomplete. Angelo MacDonald spoke…

Laptops begin arriving for one per family project

January 13, 2011 TIMES INT'L

The laptops to be distributed as part of the government’s US$30 million ‘One Laptop Per Family’ (OLPF) project have begun arriving in the country, coordinator of the programme Sash Sukhdeo said at a meeting held at the Health Ministry on Wednesday, January 12. Wednesday’s meeting discussed how the computers will be programmed and how they will be distributed to the eligible families. Government plans to distribute 90,000 computers to poor families across the country. Guyana Times International was told that as part of the planning phase of the project coordinators…

Activists call for enhanced role for women in elections

January 13, 2011 TIMES INT'L

By Michael Younge Several women’s rights activists are of the belief that Guyanese women need to break the barriers of tradition and start a process which will guarantee them more meaningful contributions to the country’s governance and decision-making processes. Programme Officer and lecturer of the Women’s Studies Unit, International Development Studies, at the University of Guyana, Audrey Benn, explained that women and girls, in particular, need to understand that, in order to bring about gender balance, they must be more aggressive. While she acknowledged that women continue to play an…

GECOM commissioners have risen above politics – Surujbally

January 13, 2011 TIMES INT'L

Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission, Dr Steve Surujbally, has said that members of that commission have risen above engaging in political mêlée, despite retaining their political persuasions. Dr Surujbally made these remarks several weeks after the political opposition called for that electoral body to be made up of persons without links to any political party, and for the commission to be in control of its own finances. But the GECOM chairman has said that, while he had always supported changing the set up of the commission, he is no…

Guyana must become more export-oriented

January 13, 2011 TIMES INT'L

– small business group The Small Business Development Finance Trust (SBDFT) believes that Guyana’s economy can flourish if the agriculture sector is industrialised, so that the country can become more export-oriented and generate more income. Manjula Brijmohan, managing director of the trust, a microfinance association which focuses largely on agro-based businesses, put forth this theory during an interview with Guyana Times International. She stated that while there is much potential for growth of the economy through the agriculture sector, there are several obstacles that are barring farmers from moving from…

‘We’re mentally prepared’- Seeram

January 8, 2011 TIMES INT'L

By Avenash Ramzan Despite being robbed of much needed turf practice due to the current inclement weather, coach Ravindranauth Seeram says the national T20 team is mentally prepared and focused on defending the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Caribbean T20 title when the competition is staged in Antigua and Barbados from January 10-23. The Guyanese won the inaugural competition last year and subsequently qualified to represent the region at the Airtel Champions League in South Africa where they failed to get beyond the preliminary round. Seeram, a former national first-class…

Shelly G stirring up things in T&T

January 8, 2011 TIMES INT'L

The 2009 Soca Queen Shelly G is the leading lady artiste on the latest “Break Riddim”. The 25-year-old sultry artiste, who recently signed to API Promotional Record Label in Trinidad, is leading the cast of eight Guyanese and Trinidad and Tobago nationals on the music release. The “Break Riddim” was produced by Fojo of Platinum 101 Studios. Fojo says he began the production in the studio, and completed the tracks in Platinum’s Trinidad branch. API record label artiste, Guyana-born Rudy, is the third artiste out of Guyana on the “Break…

Best on the track in 2010

January 8, 2011 TIMES INT'L

By Kiev Chesney Although the rain affected much of the local track and field season which already had insufficient competitions, a few athletes managed to clear those hurdles and make considerable strides on the track in 2010. While most panels only recognise just the top athletes, Guyana Times International Sports looked at a wider spectrum, based on their performances at local, regional and international competitions. Athletes of the Year At 32-years-old, Aliann Pompey is, hands down, the athlete of the year, having captured her second Commonwealth Games (CWG) medal in…