Year: 2017

History of street lighting, tree planting in Georgetown

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Have you ever looked at the towering trees on Main Street or around Georgetown and thought of when tree planting in the capital city began? Or thought of the history of the installation of street lights? Gas lighting According to the book “The story of Georgetown” by James Rodway, Stabroek was lighted in early times with lanterns fastened to wallaba posts. The oil used was probably train oil. In 1860 kerosene was introduced and iron lamp posts erected. Rodway also said in his book that gas lighting had been mentioned…

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Supernaam: The Secondary Town

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By Isahak Basir CCH Supenaam, located on the mainland situated left of the Essequibo River and Wakenaam, is an island.  Supenaam and Wakenaam are two Dutch words. Originally, Supenaam was involved in agricultural production and subsidized the former sugar estates of Aurora and the 12 sugar plantations of Wakenaam. It also served as a communication point for Fort Island. On one occasion, a Dutch entourage had its vessel sunk in the vicinity of Troolie Island and several persons drowned. Their bodies were recovered from the river and entombed at Caria…

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Treasures of the National Collection

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From simple beginnings, the National Collection over the years has gathered and exhibited artwork of Guyana’s best artists Guyana’s national gallery of art, officially known as the National Collection, is housed at Castellani House, the name given to the building in honour of its designer and builder Cesar Castellani. The art collection’s unofficial beginnings developed in the 1950s when public subscription was mustered to purchase a Denis Williams painting, “Human World”. Its official start came in 1962, when the National History and Arts Council was established, which began to acquire…

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British Guiana Tramcars

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Algernon E. Aspinall in the 1914 edition of “The Pocket Guide to the British West Indies”, describes the “admirable” Georgetown service of electric tramcars provided by the Demerara Electric Company as plying four routes daily, through the city, at 15-minute intervals. They stopped, he noted, along the route at places marked by white poles, to pick up and drop off passengers. The trams traversed along lines named the (1) Belt Line, which went from the company’s office, Water and Coal streets, crossing Camp Street, the cricket ground on New Garden…

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New Ombudsman to be appointed soon

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Minister of State Minister Joseph Harmon has announced that Government will be making moves to fill the post of Ombudsman by month-end. “We’re still in the process of identifying that person, and we believe that by the end of April we will be in a position to make that announcement,” Harmon told reporters at his most recent post-Cabinet press briefing at the Ministry of the Presidency. This pronouncement by the State Minister comes months after he had said that Government would have appointed a new Ombudsman within the first quarter…

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Education Minister opposes hike in UG fees

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…calls for review The University of Guyana (UG) Council has decided to hike student tuition fees at Guyana’s premier public education facility, but the Education Minister has signalled his opposition to the move. In a recent interview with this publication, Education Minister Dr Rupert Roopnaraine declared that he is not in favour of the hike. He indicated that there is need for the decision to be reviewed, and has promised that he would speak with the MoE’s representatives on the UG Council. “Anything that makes life more difficult for children…

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High drama as “Grey Boy” charged again for Crum-Ewing’s murder

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Regan “Grey Boy” Rodrigues, the prime suspect in the execution of Courtney Crum-Ewing almost two years ago, was remanded to prison after stirring an hour-long drama in the Police Outpost at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Tuesday afternoon. Upon arrival at the courts, Rodrigues refused to enter the courtroom and opted to remain in the outpost area, creating a racket as seemingly powerless armed officers stood nearby, withstanding his tantrums. Magistrate Judy Latchman went downstairs in a futile effort to persuade him to attend the hearing. It was only upon…

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Edghill says Govt not serious about fighting corruption

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– cites lagging debarment apparatus, Integrity Commission While Guyana has a Public Procurement Commission (PPC) and a Bid Protest Committee, effective measures for debarring contractors are still lacking. If the Government were serious about fighting corruption, it would have brought legislation to make this a reality, says Opposition Member of Parliament and former junior Finance Minister, Juan Edghill. He said that since the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) falls under the purview of the Ministry of Finance, then the responsible minister ought to bring this legislation. “If this…

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Manickchand slams Govt’s ‘flip-flop’ approach

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Former Education Minister Priya Manickchand has described Government’s decision to impose the Value Added Tax (VAT) on private education as “senseless and unimaginative”. Manickchand told Guyana Times International recently that the situation begged the question whether the David Granger-led Administration planned to stick with the promises it had made with respect to education. Under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government, the “Because We Care” Education Grant was introduced to the public school system in 2014, while Manickchand was Minister. The initiative saw parents receiving G$10,000 for each public school student…

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