Dear Editor, In browsing through the dailies, almost every commentary pertaining to the struggle for British Guiana’s Independence has been polarised or influenced by race and party with Afro writers praising PNCites (African figures) and Indo-writers praising PPPites. It is indisputable that Dr Cheddi Jagan was the leading figure in the struggle for Independence, hence the title the Father of the Independence Struggle. Forbes Burnham was also a leading figure in the struggle, but his anti-Jagan, anti-Indian, anti-socialist, and anti-PPP positions resulted in the delay of the colony’s Independence. It…
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The President should be commended for speech at NY event
Dear Editor, Last Saturday night, as guest of Captain Gerry Gouveia, I attended the 50th Independence Anniversary “Golden Jubilee” Dinner in New York City at which President David Granger was the guest of honour and keynote speaker. For me, the highlight of the evening was the President’s address which did not include any mention of the former government’s 23 years in office, which did not include any mention of any partisan politics, did not include any mention of forensic audits but rather highlighted the assets including our flora and fauna,…
Read MoreLessons of Enmore
It is now a cliche – and a tired one at that – to point out “those who forget the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them”. Today (Thursday) is “Enmore Martyrs’ Day” and while there will be a plethora of speeches invoking the five unfortunate cane cutters who were killed by the colonial Police back on June 16, 1948, what does the incident mean to us today in Guyana? At the barest minimum, with our country having just completed a mammoth celebration of the 50th anniversary of our…
Read MoreLet security systems be more easily obtainable
Dear Editor, The crime situation continues to haunt us and many people are investing heavily to protect their properties and lives with the use of security cameras to identify criminals or raise alarms, amongst other things. Most people installing Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) security cameras would install the cameras at positions that make it impossible to identify someone unless the person could be recognised by his/her physical structure and in many cases, it’s impossible. People should not be fooled with what is shown in the CSI Television series, technology is…
Read MoreStand against bullyism
Dear Editor, As a business owner I would like to express my dismay at the arbitrary imposition of a new fee/fine by the Georgetown City Council. Without publishing in the Official Gazette, local newspapers or without even sending a formal letter to business owners, the Council has just started demanding a fee of Gy$25,000 from business owners each time a container is parked outside their premises for the offloading of their goods. I believe it is time a legal challenge is made against the Council, as nowhere in the by-laws…
Read MorePresident should be more specific when he talks about inclusive governance
Dear Editor, It is with much vagueness that the Leader of the People’s National Congress (PNC) and the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), President of Guyana, David Granger, for some time, has been caressing the media circuit and public events, intimating and advocating for a more inclusive kind of Government and governance but does so without providing any specific feature of this idea. Many are of the belief that Granger’s apprehension to delve deeper into his “own” idea may be due to his inability to come to terms with…
Read MoreWhat benefit would GECOM get from rigging elections?
Dear Editor, As the organisation that is responsible for conducting national elections in Guyana, the Guyana Elections Commission (Gecom) undertakes these procedures transparently, and in accordance with the law. While this has been explained and attested before now, it is important for us to reiterate this fact, in light of the recent protests, held by members of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C). While we respect the rights of citizens to protest, since it is a common feature of a democracy, we abhor misinformation, libellous, slanderous and boisterous assertions about Gecom…
Read MoreAnother attempt by Kaieteur News to create mischief
Dear Editor, I read with some interest an article headlined “Ramotar’s son paid over Gy$32M, for ‘poor supervision’ of E-Governance Project.” It is a known fact that rambunctious headlines are what get newspapers sold. A quick look at the top five selling newspapers in the UK, for example, will show that all are tabloids. Unsurprisingly this is the path that has been taken by KN. Like all tabloids the headlines and articles are usually devoid of facts. Although I have not received a copy of the forensic audit report, which…
Read MoreBlatant omission in National Awards
Dear Editor, I would like to extend my congratulations to all those persons who were bestowed National Awards on the Flag Raising occasion on the eve of our 50th Independence Celebrations. It is always good for a nation to acknowledge and honour citizens who have contributed to the development of the country. Unfortunately I have to express my utter disappointment in the omission to have at least honored one person who would have contributed to the development of sports. There are many deserving persons who over the decades have served…
Read MoreGPSU responds to President’s ‘lazy man pay’ comment
Dear Editor, The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) notes with a mixture of puzzlement and surprise, the comments attributed to His Excellency, the President, and seemingly directed to public servants which state in part that “If they want to be lazy, they will get a lazy person’s remuneration.” The GPSU is a firm believer in the principle that reward, in whatever field of endeavour, should be associated with effort. We hasten to add that with regard to public servants as a whole, this category of workers is richly deserving of…
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