Elections
No going back to Parliament: While Attorney General Basil Williams says that a “crisis situation” will result if the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) does not return to the National Assembly, his predecessor and PPP executive Anil Nandlall says government must absorb that blame as his party remains adamant that it will not be returning to the House. “The truth is that the Eleventh Parliament of Guyana expired when the life of the Government expired,” Nandlall last Sunday told Stabroek News. “So constitutionally, there is no longer a lawful parliament to which the Opposition can return. Again, as much as they would deny responsibility for this disaster, history will properly hold them responsible,” he added. Williams had argued that despite the election date having been proclaimed a parliamentary extension is required.
PPP in 15-point pitch to toshaos council conference: With the National Toshaos Council conference set to begin last Monday, the opposition PPP on Sunday made a 15-point pitch for the improvement of Indigenous communities and pilloried the government for violating the constitution. In a lengthy statement that underlined the importance the political parties assign to the Amerindian vote, the PPP pledged restoration of a number of programmes it had begun before losing office in 2015.
Jagdeo accuses Lowenfield of trying to thwart IT aid from UN to GECOM: Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday accused Chief Election Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield of trying to prevent international assistance from reaching the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). “The UNDP has offered assistance in the IT (information technology) area and that’s an area that we badly need assistance in to have oversight over the registration, the tabulation, the quality of the list etcetera and when he met with the people he said I don’t need help in that area I need help in the media monitoring,” he told reporters at his weekly press conference. Asked for evidence to support the accusation Jagdeo said that he has been speaking to persons in several areas and knows that the UN has been trying to offer IT support for ages, as long as two years ago. “I’m aware that they have renewed that offer. I’m aware that Lowenfield presented to the commission as though the only offer from UNDP was for media monitoring assistance when he himself said he didn’t need assistance on the IT,” Jagdeo stressed.
Oil & Gas
Transparency, evidence-based investment decisions needed to avoid oil curse: If Guyana is to avoid the oil resource curse, policymakers need to structure the Public Investment Programme to embrace transparency and evidence-based investment decisions. This is according to the IMF Mission Chief to Guyana, Arnold McIntyre who related in an interview with Trinidadian economist Marla Dukharan that Guyanese authorities are significantly concerned that recent oil discoveries could lead to the oil resource curse. “In the initial years of oil wealth it is important not to ramp up too fast and get caught up in white elephants and bad spending. Give yourself time while you are addressing people’s needs to build the capacity you need,” McIntyre said.
Former energy minister sees Trinidad and Tobago’s future in Guyana’s oil sector: Former Trinidad and Tobago Minister of Energy Kevin Ramnarine says that his country must position itself to be the logistics hub for Guyana’s booming oil sector and Private Sector Commission (PSC) head Gerry Gouveia says that politicians here have to unite to give Guyanese the tools to provide diverse services or watch the opportunities snatched by other countries. “We have enough brainpower between our political stakeholders…but if they continue to fight and believe it is only one party that is endowed with the knowledge to help, they will hurt the people,” Gouveia told Stabroek News on Wednesday. “The quicker they stop fighting, the better for all of us as a nation… political stakeholders have to stop fighting each other, because when they are fighting, [other] people will take over,” he added. According to Trinidad’s Loop News, Ramnarine told a forum that the future of Trinidad and Tobago’s economy depends on its ability to provide port and logistics services for Guyana’s booming oil industry. Ramnarine, according to the report, was speaking at a post-budget session at the University of the West Indies, hosted by the Greater Tunapuna Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the San Juan Business Chamber, and Arima Business Chamber to discuss measures proposed by Trinidad’s Finance Minister Colm Imbert in his recent national budget presentation.
Finance
Ministry probing price hikes by some city cambios for USD notes: Minister of Finance Winston Jordan on Wednesday said that an investigation has been launched into why some cambios in the city have significantly increased their selling rates for the United States dollar when there is no shortage in the banking system. “I can tell you we have adequate reserves. We have almost US$530 million in the banking system. The reserves are nearly US$500 million as at the end of August. The commercial [banks] do have a lot of cash. There is absolutely no question about it,” Jordan told Stabroek News on Wednesday last. “I haven’t heard a great outcry in the commercial banking system as I am hearing at the commercial non-bank cambios. I am being given to understand that it is at a certain, just one or two of the cambios, that have caused this problem. Our investigation is leading into a certain direction,” he added.
Rice
Rice land flooded by salt water may not be usable for two years: More irrigation pumps have been dispatched to flood-affected farmlands along the Mahaicony coast in a bid to drain farms of salt water that rushed in during spring tides and some land may not be usable for two years. Land cultivated and being used to rear livestock was flooded after heavy overtopping and several breaches along the sea defence on the Mahaicony coast. Seawater surged through one section of the fragile defences where natural protection mangroves had been washed away and salt water has ruined large swathes of rice acreage. Many farms along the stretch remain inundated last week.
Crime
Brothers found shot to death at Shell Beach: The bullet-riddled bodies of two fishermen were on Thursday morning found on Shell Beach, Region One. The two fishermen were identified as brothers Ian and Rakesh Matthias. According regional commander Wendell Blanhum, on Wednesday afternoon around 2 residents in the area heard gunshots. Blanhum said the “rapid gunfire” lasted for approximately 30 minutes and at the time the brothers were in the area, fishing in their vessel. Their bodies were found hours later. Autopsies later confirmed that they were shot with high powered weapons and have also suggested that they were tortured prior to being killed.
Bourda pensioner suspected to have been strangled with net: A pensioner, believed to
have been strangled with her mosquito net, was found dead on Thursday evening at her Bourda Street, Georgetown house. Dead is Marva Oudkerk, 67, of Lot 241 Bourda Street, George-town, who is believed to have been killed sometime between 4.30 on Wednesday and 6.30 pm on Thursday. At the time of the discovery, police spokesman Jairam Ramlakhan said, Oudkerk’s body was on a bed with a mosquito net “tightly wrapped” around her neck.
In the courts
Man gets 21 years for killing bedridden mother: Terrence Madray, who clubbed his bedridden mother with a piece of wood, resulting in her death, was on Monday sentenced to 21 years in prison after admitting to the crime. Madray, 57, called ‘Terry,’ admitted before Justice Jo-Ann Barlow that on April 21st, 2016, at Lot 2 Good Faith, Mahaicony, he killed Cecilia Madray, called ‘Suzy’. Although charged with murder, the man pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter. According to State Counsel Sarah Martin, the accused lived with his mother at the time and was her primary caregiver as she was injured and left bedridden following an accident.
Teen labourer charged with murdering Golden Grove NDC worker: A 19-year old labourer of Melanie Damishana, East Coast Demerara (ECD), was charged with the murder of Golden Grove resident David Gentle last Tuesday morning. The accused, Rollan Abrams, was arraigned before Magistrate Fabayo Azore at the Cove and John Magistrate’s Court. Abrams, who was not required to plead, was remanded until October 22nd. Gentle’s lifeless body was discovered early on the morning of September 2nd with chop wounds about his body and his head almost severed from his neck at Haslington, ECD. The fifty-five-year-old had left his Lot 42 Golden Grove, ECD home for karaoke at Nabaclis North, also on the East Coast.
Man, 45, found guilty of raping child: A 12-member jury found a 45-year-old man guilty of rape and sexual activity with a child when the case was called at the High Court in Georgetown on Wednesday. The charges against Selwyn Lancaster stated that on October 6th, 2018, he engaged in sexual penetration of a child under the age of 16 years. A second charge stated that on November 6th, 2018, he engaged in sexual activity with a child by touching her vagina. He is expected to be sentenced later this month.
Accidents
Geologist dies after cave collapses at Troy’s Karouni operation: Ryan Taylor, a geologist at Australian-owned mining company Troy Resources, died on Tuesday morning after a cave where he was working collapsed at the company’s Karouni operation in Region Seven. Taylor, 33, a father of three, of Alberttown. Troy Resources, in a subsequent statement, said that operations at its Karouni site have been temporarily suspended and that an investigation is to follow. The ministry of natural Resources said that the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) has been instructed to carry out a thorough probe. The Ministry said initial reports revealed that Taylor was among miners working on the construction of a “bench” in a mining pit, where there was a slippage, which allegedly led to him falling and being covered by the rubble. (A “bench” refers to a path created for a machine to access a mining pit.)
