Dear Editor, Many of you may not know this, but 63 years ago on 27 May, 1953, Janet Jagan and others founded the Women’s Progressive Organisation (WPO). The WPO was the first mass political women’s organisation in Guyana that introduced women to politics. Several years before the formation of WPO, the Women’s Political and Economic Organisation (WPEO) was formed on 9 July, 1946. This organisation advocated for women to attend meetings and participate in political discourses, for better working conditions for working women, especially domestics. It also advocated for better…
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Diplomats should have pressured GECOM to undertake recount
Dear Editor, There is a sharp contrast in election officials’ response to a request for a ballot recount in the United States and Guyana. In the state of Kentucky, Senator Bernie Sanders requested a recount of the ballots in Democratic presidential primary held on May 17 in his contest against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the party’s Presidential nomination. The final unofficial result had Clinton winning the contest by 1911 votes. Sanders immediately asked for a recount of all the state’s ballots and it was granted right away…
Read MoreThere is need for neutral third party to push for constitutional reform
Dear Editor, Constitutional reform in Guyana is not likely to happen anytime soon and if it does, it will not be anything substantial. One night in 2012 after my TV programme at Channel 9, I was invited by a group of PNC stalwarts to have a drink at the shop across the road from the TV station. (I drank Vita Malts). The conversation revolved around the 1980 (Burnham) Constitution. The general consensus that night from the PNCites was that nothing was wrong with the Constitution but rather, those who were…
Read MoreHidden agenda in Govt’s actions
Dear Editor, I was in a conversation with my PNC friend the other day when I asked the pointed question, look at how yuh Boy Granger treat the Stabroek Vendors? The reply was “don’t get tie up, Granger gat to do that for the 50th anniversary, but dem people going back right deh.” In fact he gave me a specific date, he said, “everything was going back to normal by May 28 after the celebrations.” Now I could not fathom the logic of his statement, reasons being, why should the…
Read MoreNascimento fires back at Gouveia
Dear Editor, I have seen a letter to the media from Mr Gerry Gouveia seeking to personally denigrate Mr Michael Correia and his family which can only be described as self-centered, self-serving, self-indulgent and narcissistic. I respond only because Mr Gouveia has insulted both myself and Captain Chan-A-Sue by claiming that Mr Correia, at Board Meetings, shouts us into silence. Anyone who knows Captain Chan-A-Sue, to say nothing of myself, and reads this nonsense is bound to find it laughable. It, however, demonstrates the extraordinary low level to which Mr…
Read MoreExciting T20 cricket in New York to celebrate Guyana’s Independence
Dear Editor: The Co-operative Republic of Guyana will on May 26th, 2016 celebrate its Golden Jubilee of Independence. Jubilee celebrations are planned for Guyana as well as the various Diasporas. The New York City celebration will take place from June 4 – 12, 2016. It would be an unprecedented display of Guyana’s illustrious history, rich culture and national pride. The activities in the New York City area from June 4 – 12 include a unity concert, soccer match for youths and a parade on June 12th to conclude the celebration.…
Read MoreCommemorating Independence on 26 May is also celebrating the Wismar atrocities
Dear Editor, The independence anniversary of any country is a major landmark, not to speak of its golden jubilee, and currently there are widespread signs of celebration and enthusiasm, clearly evident in, at least, one section of our population. We now know of the duplicity and machinations of the American and British governments along with the connivance of the PNC to overthrow the PPP and to deny Cheddi Jagan an opportunity to lead the nation into independence. This is now commonly accepted history. In many parts of the then colonial…
Read MoreProcrastination in addressing the abolition of death penalty has no advantage for Guyana
Dear Editor, The Attorney General Basil Williams is absolutely mistaken about the death penalty being a requirement for FATF compliance. During the PPP time in Government, with the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Amendment Bill in the Parliament, the then APNU and AFC Opposition made many demands that they claimed would address deficits in the Bill, and the death penalty was not one of them. They knew then, as they know now that the death penalty was not a FATF requirement. When the amendment bill for the Anti-Money Laundering Bill was…
Read MoreGovt has become indifferent to the needs of the people
Dear Editor, In a news article of May 3, it was reported that prolonged flooding of a large section of eastern Queenstown, Georgetown, due to heavy rainfall on April 30/May 1 was avoided as a result of intervention by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI) and City Hall to clear blocked culverts in Queenstown one of which was under Peter Rose Street discharging into a drainage channel immediately west of Vlissengen Road. An accompanying photo showed the channel completely blocked with weed and debris with a worker supervised by three…
Read MoreStreet vending has added vibrancy to urban life in our capital city
Dear Editor, Witnessing the condescending manner in which Georgetown’s Town Clerk Royston King spoke to vendors at a meeting he held recently under a tent in the forecourt of City Hall, speaks volumes of the contempt and disregard the administration of the city has for these small-businesspersons. It wasn’t just King’s s tone of voice, but what he said and how he said it. The language he used, the way he constructed sentences, the sound of his words and personality, the way he gesticulated, suggested that he thought the vendors…
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