Year: 2019

Cassava flour in the making

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Constructed at a total cost of G$26 million, the first-ever Cassava Processing Factory is now completed, and is expected to significantly benefit the residents of the Kwebanna community, located in Moruca, Region One (Barima-Waini). The project, which commenced in December of 2018, was conceptualised with the main goal of providing a string of benefits, with employment opportunities being on top of the list. With the new processing facility now available, residents can now have jobs in either the processing or packaging departments, while farmers will solely take advantage of supplying…

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Snake oil salesman…

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…in the Presidency Here we go again!! It’s clear that President Granger is a devout practitioner of the advice given by WC Fields: “If you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit!!” And in this he’s following in the footsteps of that other snake-oil salesman, Forbes Burnham. But that shouldn’t surprise us, should it? He’s publicly sworn to “complete the legacy” of his mentor Burnham. Take his promise a few days ago on housing: “I would like to leave office where there is not a single homeless Guyanese.…

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ExxonMobil hosts oil spill demonstration exercise on Shell Beach

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More than 100 persons recently participated in an oil spill demonstration exercise facilitated by ExxonMobil Guyana at Waini Point, Shell Beach Protected Area in Region One (Barima-Waini). These representatives were from the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), coastal village councils and other key agencies. “Because we want to ensure that yours and other communities remain beautiful and untouched, ExxonMobil Guyana is committed to safe and environmentally responsible operations. This commitment is highlighted in our Corporate Environment Policy; Protect Tomorrow, Today,” Country Manager Rod Henson indicated in his address to those gathered…

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Cutting Guyana’s nose…

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…to spite PPP’s (sugar) face With every passing day, the PNC’s vindictive nature is exposed with their no-holds-barred efforts to destroy the PPP’s electoral base. Back in the day when the PNC of Burnham had discriminated against PPP supporters at every step of the way in the new co-operative dispensation of 80% of the economy being nationalised, Jagan had accused the PNC of “racial discrimination”. Burnham laughed and said, “it’s just political, comrade!” Once again, the PNC’s moves in the sugar belt – the bastion of the PPP’s strength –…

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A needed paradigm for development

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A decade after the last financial crisis which roiled the world, it has become obvious to most observers that more than facile cosmetic “tweakings” are needed for us to return on the path of sustainable development. This conclusion has forced many leaders of countries in crisis to re-examine the structural bases of their economies in an attempt to craft comprehensive and coherent responses that go beyond merely ameliorating symptoms. Such fundamental reappraisals have raised the demand for us to go beyond merely aspiring for “democracy”. Our expected oil revenues from…

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Case against vendor in G$1M gold heist dismissed

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Georgetown Magistrate Dylon Bess on Monday dismissed a robbery charge against Leonard Farley, a vendor implicated in a G$1 million gold heist after the prosecutor failed to provide sufficient evidence in the case. The 31-year-old man of Lot 3 Grove Public Road, East Bank Demerara (EBD), had denied the charge when it was read to him by Magistrate Judy Latchman on his first court appearance. it was reported that on September 29, 2018, at Black and White Bridge, Tucville, East La Penitence, while being armed with a knife, he robbed…

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Guyana urged to pursue “realistic” renewable energy source

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Although Guyana may not be in the hurricane belt, it certainly will have to deal with issues such as the rise in sea levels and flooding as the country builds its new energy future. This is according to Caricom’s Energy Programme Manager, Dr Devon Gardner, who at a recent talk about Guyana’s Green State Development Strategy (GSDS) noted that while there are multiple potential renewable energy sources for the country, focus needs to be placed on those that can be “realistically developed.” “…In a way that gives us the kind…

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Onlookers should desist from this careless action at crime scenes

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Dear Editor, I sat and watched with amazement at the various live feeds of the shootout at Norton Street, Georgetown, between the police and those who are supposedly bandits. Crime has really escalated and incidents must warrant our attention. What is disgusting is to see the scant regard onlookers have for their lives and that of others. This is a norm in Guyana and we must desist from this practice. During the shootout, bullets could be heard being rapidly fired and onlookers and media operatives could be seen heading closer…

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Cocaine in fish: Duo gets for 4 years, fined G$25M each

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Two men were on Monday sentenced to four years’ imprisonment and fined G$25 million each by Magistrate Leron Daly for attempting to ship 20 pounds of cocaine in frozen fish at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) in 2018. The men are 30-year-old businessman Amir Ally of Goed Fortuin, West Bank Demerara, and 32-year-old Baldeo Persaud, a truck driver of Kingston Street, C Field, Leonora, West Coast Demerara. They were found guilty of trafficking 9.366 kilograms of cocaine at Laparkan Cargo Shed, CJIA, on February 6, 2018. Ally was said…

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Road Trip – Soesdyke – linden Highway

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By Lakanand Singh After two months of planning, indecision and busy weekends our road trip up the Soesdyke-Linden Highway came to fruition. Was it my idea? No. Did I plan the excursion? Again, no. I did, however, invest in fishing line, hooks, two yari-yari rods and tagged along with my brother and three of his friends. Journeying along the stretch of the Soesdyke-Linden Highway has always been, for me, one of the more enjoyable road trips in Guyana, second only travelling along the coast to East Berbice (granted, I haven’t…

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