Scenes from Guyana’s 46th Independence Anniversary Celebrations
Category: News
Strikes, low turnout crippling sugar production – GuySuCo
With some 146 strikes resulting in 18,130 man-days lost for the first crop, the Guyana Sugar Corporation on Monday said it is experiencing serious cash flow problems, which will affect its ability to pay workers the Holiday With Pay Incentive. In a release, the sugar company said that of the 18,130 lost man-days, 11,700 were lost at Blairmont estate. GuySuCo said if the man-days had not been lost an additional 7500 tonnes sugar could have been produced, which is equivalent to Gy$ 1200 million in revenue. In addition to the…
Read MoreGovernment seeking to revive ‘village economies’
President Donald Ramotar said he wants to see every village and “every nook and cranny having a vibrant economy”. He made the comment during his Independence Day address. Pledging that his minority government will work towards achieving this, Ramotar said:” We will work towards breathing new life into our village economies, so as to increase economic activities, provide jobs within villages for residents, promote inter-village economic exchanges and encourage the growth of businesses, large and small, including cottage industries.” He said it is his administration’s hope that in so doing…
Read MoreGuyanese lobbying for representation on N.Y. Council
By North American Correspondent With the electoral maps (constituency boundaries) for State and Congressional districts already drawn up and the Guyanese political activists failing to get a seat for their community to the U.S. Congress or state legislature of New York, an effort is now underway to get a seat on the City Council. The Guyanese community leaders say they are doubling up their efforts to get a City Council seat that will be inclusive of all of the greater Richmond Hill areas. Guyanese predominate in the greater Richmond…
Read MoreN.Y. State Legislature debates proposal to raise minimum wage
By North American Correspondent The New York State Legislature is debating a proposal to raise the state’s minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.50. The Democrats are strongly in favour of the bill but the Republicans are opposed to raising the minimum wage which has not gone up for some time now. Advocates say raising the minimum wage will have a tremendous positive impact on the lives of working families throughout New York. They believe that during these difficult times, with the economy still recovering from the excesses of…
Read MoreThe World Conference on Indigenous Peoples
It is seen as an historic event. Indigenous peoples’ leaders and activists say that a new milestone for the rights of indigenous peoples — their first ever World Conference, slated for 2014 – is on the horizon. They believe that the meeting would offer a unique opportunity to create a framework for addressing the most pressing challenges currently facing this group of people. Five years since the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and two years since the body unanimously adopted a…
Read MoreCongolese minister engages officials in Guyana ahead of Rio+20
Minister of Sustainable Development, Forest Economy and Environment in the Republic of Congo Henri Djombo has arrived in Guyana for talks with President Donald Ramotar as the two countries seek to adopt a strong position ahead of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Rio +20) in Brazil next month. While tourism, health, oceans, climate change and energy are among the priority for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), other developing countries are calling for an additional negotiation session to ensure a successful and mutually satisfactory outcome of the Rio+20. According…
Read MoreGuyanese in Barbados complain about lack of job, education opportunities
Guyanese residing in Barbados complained to President Donald Ramotar at a meeting on Sunday about the prohibitive costs of education for them, as well as the non-recognition of qualifications from the University of Guyana. The Barbados administration over the years has been criticised for its hard-line immigration policy – which has caused many Guyanese hardships. The Barbados Nation has reported Ramotar as saying that Barbados and other territories that are making it difficult for non nationals who are educated in their countries to access jobs are robbing themselves. Ramotar spoke…
Read MoreGov’t gets tough on gold smuggling
By Ariana Gordon Even as local miners across the country express disappointment with what they perceived to be the slothfulness of the administration in curbing gold smuggling, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Robert Persaud said “let’s await some of the plans”. In an invited comment, Persaud said: I would say look at action… I am not going to give details.” He noted that work is in progress and his ministry, in collaboration with other entities such as the Home Affairs Ministry, the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), the…
Read MorePartnership imperative to advance nation’s business – Trotman
Speaker of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman said partnership must prevail among all parties and Members of Parliament (MPs) in the National Assembly. This, he stressed, is not an option but a necessity, as it will help to move the business of the country forward. Trotman said it is no accident that the theme: “Managing through Partnership” was chosen. According to him, the 10th Parliament started with many changes, a reality that must be accepted by all MPs. “Parliament and the executive are expected to work as partners if there…
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