When a new administration takes over the reins of government, they are usually given a “honeymoon period” in which they are not challenged too aggressively. However, from the reports in the press, it appears that the criminals in our midst have not only ignored the honeymoon for the new Minister of Public Security and the Police Force that falls under his bailiwick, but have actually upped the ante in challenging them. In the first four months of the year, there was an average of 14 murders per month but following…
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Rebuilding national unity
President David Granger came to power in Guyana by campaigning on a promise to deliver positive socio-economic change and a Government of national unity that would heal the country, create higher levels of inclusivity and bring ethnic harmony and cohesiveness. Since his entrance in the PNCR back in 2010 at the primaries, Granger has been talking about the need to make Government and politics people centered. This no doubt motivated him, along with the blessings of the top brass of the PNC/R which was still being controlled by Robert Corbin,…
Read MoreUnanswered questions
Shrouded in controversy, the 2015 elections results were announced last Saturday placing the APNU+AFC coalition in the seat of government. The new government is beginning to take shape with the appointment of ministers and other top government officials. The general situation in Georgetown and its environs seems to be getting back to some sense of normalcy. Georgetown literally ground to a halt during the week of elections. School children, especially those sitting the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate Exams, were affected. Businesses also took a beating as there was a feeling…
Read MoreGender inequalities
The issue of women’s advancement in Guyana has been given much attention on the recent campaign trail, particularly by the major parities – PPP/C and APNU/AFC. Both parties boasted of having a comprehensive plan in terms of advancing women’s rights and ensuring that they take their rightful place in the society which they hope to implement once elected. To its credit, Guyana has made significant progress in advancing women’s empowerment under the PPP/C Government. Even though there is still much work to be done, Guyana must be commended for the…
Read MoreRemembering the message
Former President Bharrat Jagdeo on Sunday told supporters of the PPP/C gathered at the party’s mammoth Stewartville rally that they must be vigilant and very observant on May 11 when thousands of Guyanese move to the polls to cast their ballots. Jagdeo, speaking from various political platforms over the past month, has stressed the importance of PPP/C supporters not becoming complacent ahead of, and on elections day. He has been encouraging them to do all that is necessary to ensure that they vote, along with every eligible member of their…
Read MoreThe politics of bitterness
It would appear that we have to revisit the concept of ressentiment, to explain the envy, bitterness, hatred and desire for revenge that undergirds the transparent “anonymous” attack of the “legacy” of former President Jagdeo. Born from their belief that they should have occupied his position because of the “heritage”, they lacked the strong qualities that Jagdeo displayed during his tenure, and became frustrated at their impotence to achieve those values. They finally and insidiously transvalued their original desire for strength and decisiveness to propose that their own weakness is…
Read MoreTransformations in housing
The Government recently announced that the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) has committed to releasing more lands to the Ministry of Housing’s Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) in an effort to meet the growing demands for housing across the country. This is testimony to the fact that more and more Guyanese, especially young professionals, are applying for lands to begin constructing their homes. This forces the Government to look at alternative means in helping every Guyanese achieve their dream of home ownership. Prior to 1992, this level of optimism among…
Read MoreThrough the looking glass
Author Lewis Carroll continues to be recognized and admired for the role he played in redefining literature and playing with concepts that would keep any reader locked into a world of imaginary characters and occurrences. Carroll wrote, “Through the looking glass”, which was a sequel to “Alice in Wonderland” in which chess was used as a central theme, as well as mirrors. The difference with these mirrors was the fact that many things within them appeared to be the opposite of real life and turned either backwards or upside down.…
Read MoreFacing the Venezuelan threat
The news that the Venezuelan Government, through its Foreign Affairs Minister Delcy Rodríguez, has objected to Esso/Exxon about their oil rig preparing to explore for oil off the coast of Essequibo in a concession granted by the Guyana Government, should be cause for concern for all Guyanese. Informing the United Nations Secretary General; the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR); the Organisation of American States (OAS) and the Commonwealth, the Government of Guyana reacted with alacrity to the provocative action: “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has requested that the Government…
Read MoreThe Cummingsburg Accord
On Saturday, APNU and AFC formally announced that they have formed a pre-electoral coalition to contest the upcoming May 11 elections. They also signed the Cummingsburg Accord which they said would see an end to winner takes all politics in Guyana, and herald the formation of a Government of national. At the press conference, the leadership of both parties tried desperately to sell the new coalition as the only viable option of unseating the ruling the PPP/C. They insisted that together they could herald an era of constitutional reform which…
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