Miranda La Rose

Baramita, in Region One is considering a ban on the sale of rum in the community, according to Toshao Sharmain Rambajue

When the great grandfather of iconic businessman Yesu Persaud, CCH, took the decision to escape poverty in Uttar Pradesh, India and come to British Guiana as an indentured labourer, he was placed on the Diamond Sugar Estate.

 Trinidad and Tobago’s Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar on Thursday said that while Guyana should work towards ensuring its “energy security and energy independence,” its citizens should not abandon the country’s agricultural and other industrial prospects as the emerging oil and gas sector here is developed.

Since their establishment some eight years ago, the constitutional rights commissions have made no serious impact on the quality of life in the sectors they were supposed to defend and promote, according to Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) Co-President Mike McCormack, who says Parliament should evaluate their success instead of moving to renew them.

Despite low turnout and the omissions from some electoral lists, early voting by members of the disciplined services for this year’s Local Government Elections (LGEs) went relatively smoothly yesterday. 

Restored and digitised archival materials with, information spanning two centuries and dating back to the 17th century when Guyana became a Dutch colony, were yesterday handed over by the National Archives of the Netherlands to its local counterpart.

Teachers are not in favour of government’s new wage offer of 10 per cent for 2016 and eight percent for 2018 and the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) will likely refuse the offer when representatives meet with the Ministry of Education (MoE) today, according to General Secretary Coretta McDonald.  

The Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) yesterday signalled its intention to resume industrial action after government failed to meet an ultimatum to rescind its unilateral appointment of a chairman of the arbitration panel to rule on salary and non-salary benefits for teachers.

The People’s Progressive Party-nominated commissioners on the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) are rejecting a claim by the Local Government Elections campaign manager for the Alliance For Change (AFC) David Patterson that they were responsible for the names of the nominators of party candidates being made public.  

Guyana and China yesterday signed a framework agreement under which Beijing will provide a US$36.46 million concessionary loan.

Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) has made a commitment to examine the law prohibiting the transshipment of honey from Guyana into the twin-island republic, its Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat says.

Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago yesterday inked a long-awaited Memoran-dum of Understanding (MoU) on Energy Sector Cooperation with the leaders of both countries assuring that there is no need to fear any “takeover” of the energy sector by either side.

Guyana should sell its crude oil for refining at the best market price and whatever is in its best interest says Dr Thackwray “Dax” Driver, Chief Executive Officer of the Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago (T&T).  

In seeking to preserve the home and possessions of late president Hugh Desmond Hoyte, SC, and his family at their former North Road, Bourda, Georgetown residence, Samuel Khan believes he is also safeguarding the political history of Guyana.

Chief Statistician Lennox Benjamin yesterday said cross border immigration and the start of oil production will bring changes in the profiles of Guyana’s population over the next two to four years, thereby making the Bureau of Statistics’ data gathering essential to informing growth and development.

The proposed Indigenous Peoples-based political party is slated to be launch-ed on September 28th to cap off Indigenous Heritage Month, former Vice-Chairman of the National Toshaos Council Lenox Shuman has revealed.

Members of the newly-installed National Toshaos Council (NTC) executive are looking forward to obtaining, in a few days’ time, the lease to a parcel of land at Sophia on which they will build their secretariat, NTC Chairman Nicholas Fredericks says.

The past executive of the National Toshaos Council (NTC) had to do a lot of work to counter a Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs (MOIPA) lobby to install a chairman that it could potentially control at the just-concluded NTC annual conference, according to former Vice-Chairman Lenox Shuman.

President David Granger yesterday urged toshaos and other indigenous community leaders to use the annual National Toshaos Council’s conference as a vehicle for change and to deliver public services that will create more sustainable and secure livelihoods, and increased opportunities to reduce the inequalities between coastland and hinterland communities.

The just-concluded CARICOM Heads of Government conference has recommitted to the free movement of skills across the region and has agreed that all states will put in place the necessary legislative framework to facilitate all ten approved categories of skills by December 31st, 2018.