Dear Editor, President Jimmy Carter’s recent intervention in Guyana’s domestic politics is a refreshing development. It shows that the Carter Center and the US Government are closely monitoring Guyanese politics. Even more importantly, they are following issues of governance, or rather bad governance, which prevails today under the Coalition Government. The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has done a remarkable job in exposing all aspects of mismanagement; incompetence; corruption; and significantly, abuse of power, violations of law, the Constitution, and several undemocratic decisions and actions taken. It appears that it is…
Read MoreYear: 2018
“SPANGLISH NIGHTS”: A GROWING COMMUNITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNERS
By Jarryl Bryan Under the cool night breeze, the gathering crowd of laughing and chattering patrons at local bars could be mistaken for partygoers. But they have a more sober purpose. They are there at a “Spanglish Night” event, a fast-growing new initiative, to learn to speak a foreign language. The organisers of the event are Guyanese education administrator Gordon Roberts; English anthropologist Charlie Tokeley and Chilean engineer Christian Vargas. These three may hail from different countries, but they are united in their desire to help Guyanese get more in…
Read MoreNew FAO report warns of significant impacts on C’bean fisheries due to climate change
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) — A new research report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) cautions that climate change is expected to significantly reduce fisheries globally by 2050, including in the Caribbean. The report also advises countries to build a more sustainable and resilient sector through climate adaptation and mitigation strategies that can protect marine species, as well as strengthen fisheries production, food security, revenues and fisheries governance. Titled ‘Impacts of climate change on fisheries and aquaculture: Synthesis of current knowledge, adaptation and mitigation options’, the…
Read MoreBuktas in a knot…
…over NYT report on oil prospects As his job demands, your (conscientious) Eyewitness scours the dailies on his phone even before rolling out of bed in the mornings. And he was quite riled up when not one, but THREE Muckraker columnists went ballistic over an article filed on our oil prospects by a New York Times reporter. From what these fellas described, the snotty foreigner “washed his mouth” all over our reputation; which wasn’t exactly stellar to begin with, thanks to the Muckraker’s sensationalism!! Now, your Eyewitness is as patriotic…
Read MoreJagdeo says G$30B GuySuCo bond will put pressure on foreign reserves
As Guyana’s foreign currency reserves continue to deplete daily, there are no signs of this changing anytime soon, especially with the G$30 billion syndicated bond that was recently secured by the Special Purpose Unit (SPU) of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) to assist with revitalisation of the cash-strapped Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo). This is according to Opposition Leader and General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Bharrat Jagdeo, who told a news conference on Wednesday that when the spending of the G$30 billion bond begins, it…
Read More39% of Guyana’s population connected to Internet – Hughes
Acknowledging that it may sound like a low number, Public Telecommunications Minister Cathy Hughes disclosed recently that slightly less than 40 per cent of Guyana’s population has Internet connectivity. She made this admission in the National Assembly as she defended the frequent statements in the public domain regarding Guyana’s fledgling Information Communication Technology (ICT) sector. “I know in the press, I’ve been carried talking about our drive to provide connectivity. We’ve connected all the Ministries at this point in time. Over 150 government agencies, over 195 schools and we’ve created…
Read MoreGuyanese must ensure an accurate image of our country is portrayed
By Ashley Anthony On July 20, 2018, “The 20 Billion Question for Guyana” hit the New York Times. In said article, one Mr Clifford Krauss attempted to discuss the potential impact of our recent oil finds on the country. I will not address the parts of the article that delve into the impacts of oil, the parts which warn of potential mismanagement, nor even the parts which draw comparisons to other countries that have found oil in the region. These concerns raised are valid ones, and I do not think…
Read MoreTalking
Satiricus was livid, and his expression and gait betrayed this as he strode firmly towards the Back Street Bar. He didn’t care what the fellas said, he was going to give them a piece of his mind. How dare the PPCEE demand his leader, Nagga Man, not be the lead negotiator between them and the Government? “How dare Jagdesh complain about Nagga Man to Carter?” Satiricus demanded of his friends without even taking a swig of his beer. “Eh! Eh! Sato? Like fyaah a come t’roo yuh nose!” said Bungi.…
Read MoreIndian Indentured Labour and Emancipation
By Ravi Dev It’s the run-up to Emancipation Day, and sure as the sun rises in the East, there will be the claim made by folks from the African Guyanese community that Indian indentured labourers “undercut” the bargaining power of the freed slaves after 1838, and that is what pushed them off the plantations. “It’s like déjà vu all over again,” as Yogi Berra was alleged to have quipped. In vain I’ve pointed out over the years that it’s futile to play the “blame game” when, in the development of…
Read MoreUsing ministerial powers to bully ordinary citizens
Dear Editor, I would like to dwell on a single statement of importance in a letter from Dr David Hinds: “Minister Broomes incident is a clear case of official bullying of powerless citizens.” Dr Hinds states, “I am very certain that had she been a private citizen, she would have handled the matter differently”. I disagree with Dr Hinds. Dr Hinds needs to know that Ms Broomes is simply a bully. I am pretty sure that she has bullied others as a private citizen, even when she was not decorated…
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