It seems the Government really has little excuse for not dissolving Parliament as the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) itself has confirmed that it has enough funds for the holding of General and Regional Elections next year. This was related by Commissioners from both the Government and the Opposition side on Tuesday and comes following claims by the Government that it has not dissolved Parliament yet, just in case GECOM needs additional funds. Following the conclusion of the weekly statutory meeting, Opposition-nominated GECOM Commissioner Sase Gunraj was asked whether the Secretariat…
Read MoreAuthor: TIMES INT'L
Respect for the Constitution is utmost
Dear Editor, Constitutional reform is the cause célèbre of new parties; and indeed, given the events since the 21st December 2018 No-confidence vote, I am inclined to agree with them. Where we differ is on how, why, and for the benefit of whom. The PNC and the ‘new’ parties see reform of the Constitution as the work of a special corps of persons who know what is best for all Guyanese. They would have a small, Government-dominated committee suggest changes, and implement these by way of a majority vote in…
Read MoreAPNU/AFC moving ahead with major shakeup at Foreign Ministry
…3 months before elections The Government, which in caretaker mode, through the Foreign Affairs Ministry on Monday announced that a number of ambassadors on overseas missions will be recalled, while the Director General was replaced. In a statement to the media, amidst reports of a major fallout, the ministry claimed that this move was decided since some ambassadors had been serving beyond the official years they were permitted to serve. In addition, there are reports that attempts to extend the contracts of these ambassadors started the upheaval at the…
Read MoreNominations Day is January 10 in Guyana
The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has announced in a notice published in the media that Nominations Day for the upcoming General and Regional Elections is January 10, 2020. In the notice published on Saturday, GECOM is calling for all political parties contesting the 2020 General and Regional Elections to submit their symbol for approval. In the notice, GECOM said that the approval of the symbols has to be done before Nominations Day. As such, the deadline for the submission is December 13, 2019. The notice of Nominations Day comes days…
Read MoreThe beat goes on…
…in Suriname The case was brought since 2007; but, at long last, Desi Bouterse was convicted of murder for the execution of 15 Surinamese citizens who’d been rounded up and murdered in 1982. In 1980, he’d been the leader in the “Coup of Sergeants” that had violently ousted the democratically elected President Henk Aaron from office. Suriname had enjoyed only 5 years of peaceful independence from the Netherlands. Bouterse had appointed himself head of the Military Council, and had proceeded to hand-select pliant presidents for Suriname while he ruled behind…
Read MoreAnother road death: Teen biker dies after colliding with truck
An 18-year-old cyclist is now dead and his pillion rider was injured after the motorcycle they were riding collided with a truck at Industrial Estate, Ruimveldt, Greater Georgetown. Deshon Morris of Lot 4 East La Penitence, Georgetown was pronounced dead on the spot while Keon Granville, 27, of Phase 2 Lot 1 East Ruimveldt was treated and sent away. Based on information received, the accident occurred at about 20:00h and involved motorcycle CJ 6021 and motor lorry bearing registration number GTT 2073 with trailer number TEE 6391 owned by Muneshwers…
Read MoreBusinessman accused of attempting to smuggle G$7.3M in raw gold faces bribery charge
A businessman, who was charged on November 25, for attempting to export G$7.3M in raw gold through the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), was on Thursday, slapped with a bribery charge at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. Forty-four-year-old Vibert Marks of Lot 95 Independence Street, La Grange, West Bank Demerara, appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan and denied the charge which alleged that, on November 18, 2019, at the CJIA, he corruptly offered an agent, Dominic Smart, a CANU officer employed by the State of Guyana, G$100,000 as a reward for…
Read MoreGuyana accumulates US$15.9M in debt to China in 6 months
Statistics released by the Finance Ministry show that Guyana’s debt to other countries is US$450 million as of June 2019, with China, through the State-owned Export Import (Exim) Bank of China, accounting for the lion’s share as Guyana’s largest bilateral creditor. This was revealed in the Public Debt report for 2019. Guyana’s bilateral debt, which is money owed on a government-to-government basis, does not include the money it owes to multilateral creditors like the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). In fact, Guyana’s bilateral debt as of June 2019 accounted for just…
Read MoreMother of young accident victim calls for more serious penalties against reckless drivers
By Devina Samaroo Following an accident that has changed her daughter’s life forever, a mother is calling on the authorities to send a stronger message to reckless drivers. While her little girl was fortunate enough to survive the crash, this parent believes the penalty against the guilty driver was too lenient. Adalia George, 11, was struck down on November 19, 2019, as she was making her way across a busy road using the pedestrian crossing at Grove, East Bank Demerara (EBD). After spending several days in a hospital bed, Adalia…
Read MoreDaily life in Paramakatoi
The crisp air of the Pakaraimas is just one of the major reasons for living in the picturesque village of Paramakatoi, which is located on the left bank of the Kawa River in the North Pakaraimas. The beautiful settlement is one of the largest and most developed of Amerindian communities in Region 8 and functions as a regional centre for the catchment area. The village has just a little over two thousand residents from the Patamona, Makushi and Wapichan tribes and is bordered by Kato, Taruka and Tuseneng villages. The…
Read More