Author: TIMES INT'L

…flacks government for not knowing of increase   Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, on Thursday said that government not knowing of the increase in fees at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) is unacceptable and had government gone along with the original plan then the increase in volume would have covered the repayment. “The plan (under the PPP) was to use the airport as a mini-hub to connect with Northern Brazil through Roraima, Suriname, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, North America and Europe through those KLM flights coming through Suriname…it would have…

The Rupununi Rodeo is perhaps one of the most anticipated events of the National Calendar. Thousands of locals and tourists flocks the Rupununi for the rodeo spectacle that lasts over three days

…as govt dual citizen MPs resign The Chief Justice, in the case of Compton Reid v. Speaker of the National Assembly et al, declared, on January 31, 2019, that it was unconstitutional for a person holding dual citizenship to be elected as a Member of Parliament. This ruling was affirmed by a majority decision of the Court of Appeal on March 22, 2019. In light of that ruling government dual citizen Members of Parliament, Carl Greenidge, Minister of For-eign Affairs; Dominic Gaskin, Minister of Business; Joseph Harmon, Minister of State…

…new electoral mathematics! – Fmr Electoral Assoc Chair Professor Emeritus Errol Miller, a retired professor from the University of the West Indies versed in election matters, has waded into the debate on the no-confidence motion that was passed while calling on the Caribbean Court of Justice to render a decision that adheres to legal principles. In a video broadcast dubbed Caribbean Commentary, Professor Miller, who is also a former Chairman of the Caribbean Association of Electoral Organisations, noted that the formula used to invalidate the passage of the 2018 no-confidence…

… Jagdeo says in justifying hiring of major US lobbyist firm Opposition Leader and General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Bharrat Jagdeo, said he is satisfied with the effectiveness of Mercury Public Affairs and believes his party got value for the G$34 million contract it signed with the US consulting firm. Fielding questions about the company at this weekly press conference on Wednesday, Jagdeo pointed out that he is happy with the decision to hire the lobbyist firm and did so after reviewing their work and found it…

…over 70% of applicants denied …7506 permanent visas issued last year Even as authorities maintain that there is nothing to worry about regarding United States visa policies, a significant decline in the number of visitor visas issued by the US Embassy in Guyana was recorded last year. According to a visa summary provided by the US Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, a total of 4923 visitor visas were approved by the US Embassy in Georgetown during the 2018 Fiscal Year, which runs from October 2017 to September 2018.…

…Integrity Commission Chairman points to “clear conflict of interest” Junior Minister of Communities with responsibility for the housing sector, Valerie Patterson-Yearwood is coming in for harsh criticisms over revelations that her husband, Godfrey Yearwood was given three contracts in 2017 to construct houses for the CH&PA. Minister Patterson-Yearwood has since insisted that she was unaware her husband was bidding for the projects and that she had no input in the process. But the Integrity Commission Chairman says the public cannot take her word for it. “The only way you can…

Police ranks from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters on Wednesday turned up at the Office of the Opposition Leader, after Bharrat Jagdeo returned from his overseas trip. While he was not arrested, he was questioned about statements allegedly delivered at Babu Jaan and directed to President Granger and PM Nagamootoo. This would presumably mean that the two high officials had to have filed a complaint against Jagdeo, thus giving credibility to claims that Police action against the opposition leader was politically directed.During an annual memorial service March 10, 2019…