Author: TIMES INT'L

…no measures for ordinary citizens …$1000 increase for pensioners …tax exemptions for dentures, electric cars At $300.7 billion, the National Budget for 2019 was presented on Monday to the National Assembly. But through it all, measures that can directly benefit the small man are noticeably absent. The only thing that Finance Minister Winston Jordan, who spoke almost uninterrupted for five hours during his budget presentation, announced under ‘measures to increase workers’ income was the increase in the income tax threshold to $780,000 per annum ($65,000 monthly). This is an increase…

Read More

Two separate fires at Cotton Tree on the Corentyne Coast and Hadfield Street, Georgetown left 19 homeless. At Berbice, swift action by the fire department prevented two nearby houses from burning after the family of six were trapped in the burning building. Reports are that the family was asleep and at about 00:30h was awoken to a building filled with smoke. Initial efforts to exit the Lot 28 Cotton Tree building proved futile. According to Jairam, after an alarm was raised, he tried to get everyone out of the burning…

Read More

Residents of the East Coast Demerara village of Enterprise are accusing ranks of the Vigilance Police Station of brutality following an incident which saw officers excessively beating an allegedly unarmed man while facing off with residents. Police have since refuted claims made by the residents by saying they were compelled to use “excessive” force after being attacked first. Guyana Times was told that at least five residents of Enterprise had to seek medical attention after being released from custody late Monday night, following an encounter with Police ranks.

Read More

…PPP wins no confidence motion in National Assembly …as AFC’s Charandass Persaud votes against Govt There was shock in the National Assembly as a no confidence motion brought by the Opposition – Peoples Progressive Party – against the Government succeeded when Alliance For Change (AFC) Member of Parliament Charandass Persaud broke ranks and voted in favour of the motion. A total of 10 MP’s debated the motion, but when the dust was settled, and a vote of division was called, Persaud’s vote changed the numbers to 33 versus his colleagues’…

Read More

Monster waves of the agitated Atlantic Ocean demolish a part of the sea defence structure on March 3 and rush invasively into sections of West Coast Demerara/East Bank Essequibo, flattening fences, confiscating bridges, ransacking homes, and destroying cash crop and poultry enterprises as flood waters besiege hapless communities leaving some 300 resident affected by the tidal phenomenon. Areas such as Leonora, Meten-Meer-Zorg, Uitvulgt, Stewartville, Windor Forest, West Coast Demerara (WCD) along with residents of Zeelught, East Bank Essequibo (EBE) were affected. Displaced residents in some area had to be relocated…

Read More

– President Granger says Just over one week after Presidential Adviser on Petroleum, Dr. Jan Mangal, said that the government can review and renegotiate the Production Sharing Agreement with ExxonMobil, President David Granger said that Cabinet does not intend to do such at this time. He noted that the PSA is currently engaging the attention of Cabinet and a decision would be made.

Read More

…fund has been destabilized – source …Hand-in-Hand Insurance tightlipped While there have been major concerns regarding the status of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) Pension Fund, which is said to be at a crisis level, Acting Chief Executive Officer, Paul Bhim has defended his company stating that there have been certain mistruths about the fund. Bhim told Guyana Times that there are currently two pension funds for sugar workers, one which is for all unionized employees which is fully funded by GuySuCo, and another for senior staff. In the case…

Read More

Following complaints that the Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan is involved in the gerrymandering of Local Authority Areas (LLA) in Opposition strongholds, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) filed a legal challenge in the High Court to halt the Minister’s move even as Bulkan maintained that everything he did was above board. Former Attorney General Anil Nandlall filed the Fixed Date Application (FDA) on behalf of People’s Progressive Party Guyana Elections Commissioner (GECOM) Commissioner, Bibi Shadick. The Applicant filed judicial review proceedings in the High Court against decisions of named respondents, Communities…

Read More

Guyana will have to repay approximately 4.75 per cent interest on the whopping $30 billion bond it secured recently to revitalise the operations of the three estates which fall under the management of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) or all of the assets and companies owned by the National Industrial Commercial and Investment Limited (NICIL) could be lost. A source close to the Finance Ministry’s Special Purposes Unit (SPU) told Guyana Times that while the interest rates secured would appear to be very favourable, the implications of failing to consistently…

Read More

A Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Captain has been arrested following a shooting which resulted in the death of his girlfriend in Alexander Village, Georgetown. Dead is Reona Payne. According to reports received, at around 11:00h, the couple was in a car bearing registration number PWW 7163, proceeding along First Street, Alexander Village. Subsequently, residents of the area heard the now dead woman and the GDF Captain Orwain Sandy arguing, after which she was reportedly seen exiting the vehicle. Sandy then followed her carrying a loaded firearm and discharged several rounds…

Read More