It was a century ago that Einstein proposed time was not a constant as we had been taught – in one instance, it depends on the speed at which we are travelling. So here it is, we have arrived at another year and it does seem to have passed just a bit faster than normal. Have we been travelling faster? Maybe not; but we have been squeezing more and more activities into the same 365 days and psychologically, the effect is the same. To live the good life, adults must…
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The Euro Zone
It would seem that the news of the euro’s demise has been greatly exaggerated; or at least deferred. The monetary union at the centre of the world’s largest trading bloc had been on life support in the wake of the massive pressures created by efforts to keep Greece and other weaker economies solvent. The latest missed deadline was on December 19 when the 150 billion Euros that were supposed to be collected from members to pass on to the IMF (to stabilise the eurozone) remained up in the air. In…
Read MoreSecurity and deportees
Following the February 2003 infamous jailbreak, Guyana experienced a wave of unprecedented criminal activities. While the crime situation was relatively new to Guyana, other countries of the Caribbean and further afield were already experiencing high levels of criminal activities and of a more violent nature. In 2001, leaders of Caricom mandated a taskforce to look into the causes of crime, which have resulted in escalating fear and panic, with implications for law and order in member countries. The report coming out of the taskforce made clear the interconnected nature of…
Read MoreThe Cabinet
In the selection of his Cabinet on December 5, President Donald Ramotar has clearly opted for continuity: there were only a few new faces and most of these had served in other capacities in the previous administration. While, as we have pointed out before, President Ramotar has tremendous political experience and knowledge, this will be his first stint in the national Executive. He is to be complimented for going with experience over experimentation. As the president noted in his brief remarks following the swearing-in ceremony, the new ministers will discover…
Read MoreContinuity and Change
Donald Ramotar has been duly elected as the seventh executive president of Guyana. We offer him our congratulations and wish him all success during his tenure. His success will be Guyana’s success and as such, our good wishes are boundless. As far as countries go, ours is still a youthful one. As such, it is imperative that the hand on the helm maintains a continuity of our progress and ebullient growth trajectory that defied all odds in the region. As general secretary of the PPP for the past decade, President…
Read MoreU.S. immigration reform
It must have come as a relief that the U.S. authorities will be flexing their muscles regarding the deportation of law-abiding illegal immigrants. After many decades of constant bad news about deportation of illegal Caribbean and other immigrants from the “Land of Many Opportunities”, President Barack Obama, a few months ago, announced that there would be a suspension of deportation proceedings against illegal but law-abiding immigrants. In a major policy shift, announced in August of this year, the White House said it would instead focus federal resources on booting out…
Read More“Conspiracy Theory” Press
In the U.S., the term “conspiracy theory” has become a signifier of claims that are deemed ridiculous, misconceived, paranoid, unfounded, outlandish, or irrational because they suggest that powerful, secretive forces are automatically behind actions aimed at “stealing” power, money, or freedom, from “the people”. In Guyana, this has been the default position of two newspapers – the Stabroek News and the Kaieteur News – when it comes to the government of Guyana. We have always taken pains to point out that we recognise the role of the press to inform…
Read MoreDebate or Denigrate?
The Americanisation of our politics continues apace and we ponder its utility. The latest insistence is that there be “debates” between the major candidates. This phenomenon became a fixture on the American hustings after JFK drubbed Richard Nixon in 1961 and went on to capture the presidency. Essentially, it adopts the “beauty pageant” premises, wherein the candidates are paraded before prospective voters via TV into their living rooms. They are judged on their telegenicity: smiles, nods, winks, well-rehearsed sound bites and audience reaction comprise the elements of the performance. Our…
Read MoreGuyanese human development
After great soul searching and debate in 1990, the UNDP issued its first “Human Development Report”, which introduced the concept of a Human Development Index (HDI). It was a bold effort led by development economists such as Mahbub ul Haq and Amartya Sen to offer a more nuanced metric than “economic growth” or Gross National Income to measure progress in human well-being. The HDI was a composite measure of three basic dimensions of human development: health, education and income. It is adjusted for economic inequality and helps us assess better…
Read MoreMoney from trees
Less than two weeks ago, the California Air Resources Board voted unanimously to adopt the U.S.’ most comprehensive cap-and-trade system. It was intended to provide financial incentives to firms to reduce the state’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, notably carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, to their 1990 level by the year 2020. This was a significant event for climate change policy worldwide and for the use of market-based approaches to environmental protection. While not at this stage directly connected to the international market for carbon trading and REDD, it is a strong…
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