Dear Editor, Our best days are ahead of us. The changing of Government, accompanied by the level of activism and involvement that brought about this change, bear testimony to this. Guyanese, whether living at home or abroad, want better for themselves and country. This desire for betterment is often seen in criticisms of things that appear contrary to aspirations. Such criticisms bode well for this country’s body politic because they come from a healthy desire of what we are capable of being and achieving. As heated conversations take place in…
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The Government’s empty promises
Dear Editor, The ruling APNU/AFC coalition campaigned throughout the election period and made a whole host of promises to the people of Guyana which they promised to deliver within 100 days. 100 days have passed by and most of the promises they made to us Guyanese were not fulfilled. The APNU/AFC claims that Guyana is currently bankrupt and yet we have a whopping Gy$221 billion budget. The ruling party is only trying to put a shield over the eyes of the innocent people by attempting to make us all believe…
Read MoreGovernment and BBCI should engage in negotiations
Dear Editor, The current state of affairs between the Berbice Bridge Company Inc. and the Government of Guyana reflects poorly on all sides and on Guyana as a nation. With the company seeking to negotiate on behalf of shareholders and the Government seeking the interest of the general public, no common ground has been identified nor solutions proposed. Instead, the Government is proposing to go into competition with the BBCI with the introduction of a Water Taxi service, which is as short sighted and backward a solution as can be…
Read MoreLet us be proud of our “Guyaneseness”
Dear Editor, I read the rather thought-provoking piece about “Guyaneseness” by Ravi Dev. The question is “Why do we have to hear about Africans and Indians or Amerindians? Why can’t we all just be Guyanese?” This brought back memories of our experience in the UK in the 1950s/1960s, when seeking accommodation. Landlords/ladies, when they heard a non-British accent, would often enquire about one’s nationality. Guyanese would always say they were from South America, to dispel the negative image the British had of “Windrush”. In Guyana, in the 1990s, I asked…
Read MoreFreedom of expression is a human right
Dear Editor, Former President Jagdeo signed the Declaration of Chapultepec on May 24, 2002. This Declaration was instituted by the Inter-American Press Association in 1994, a body that represents freedom of the press. The principle of the ‘Chapultepec Declaration’ is a result of a struggle begun by English poet John Milton, in his book Aeropagitica, in which he clamoured for the freedom to write and publish without any official license. Press freedom should be the inalienable rights of every citizen of any democracy to express themselves freely without fear of…
Read MoreLeave politics and envy out of the operations of the Berbice Bridge
Dear Editor, I have been following the recent hullabaloo about the Berbice River Bridge and while I remained silent all the while, I cannot stand the one sided view of some members of society. I have followed in the news most of the comments made by President Granger, Minister Harmon, Christopher Ram and even former President Jagdeo. Many of these comments are political and I have not seen anyone make a fair assessment based on how commuters feel about the Berbice Bridge and the services they now enjoy in light…
Read MoreGuyanese must become more free spirited and independently driven
Dear Editor, How does a little dot on the globe dominate such a great space on the world stage? I have always been fascinated by the individual and collective drive that our Caribbean neighbour to the North possesses. Why is it that other countries are unable to cultivate this kind of excellence that seems to emanate so effortlessly from a country that isn’t developed and where the people do not havethe luxury and convenience to achieve great things? Yet, persons from humble beginnings are able to. Having had the opportunity…
Read MoreGovt treating GuySuCo with much indifference
Dear Editor, The Agriculture Minister, has announced that Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) will be turned around by the end of 2015. For the sake of GuySuCo and the sugar workers and for the sake of Guyana, I hope he’s right. However, it is now an established norm that this Government says one thing but does another. Even as the Agriculture Minister spoke of the 2015 turnaround, GuySuCo and the APNU/AFC were lowering the target from 240,000 to 227,000 tonnes of sugar. The truth is there’s a turnaround plan but it…
Read MoreEducation Minister should acknowledge outstanding performances of SVN students
Dear Editor, Education Minister, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine, in commenting on the results of the May-June 2015 CSEC exams, and in an apparent reference to the number of subjects written by the two students of SVN (Guyana Times, 8/17/2015), expressed his belief that students are able to cope with “that number of subjects” because the “intensity” of the curriculum has been diluted. Coming to the first of the Minister’s concern, are our students really writing too many subjects? Before we can adequately answer this question, we would need to know what…
Read MoreGovt should refrain from interfering in the work of State media
Dear Editor, I have been following the discussion of the roles and responsibilities of the State-owned media in Guyana especially against the backdrop of the Chronicle headline issue and the reported but denied decision of the Prime Minister to have the headlines in each day’s edition of the newspaper monitored by a political functionary. Let me at the outset say that if the reports of the Prime Minister’s decision are accurate then this is a sad day for democracy and press freedom in Guyana. I am aware of the reported…
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