Guyana News

-company forging ahead with two more offshore oil projects Still on target for first oil in the first quarter of next year from its Liza 1 project, offshore Guyana, ExxonMobil is forging ahead with plans for two other offshore developments in the Stabroek Block that are expected to see Guyana receiving additional revenue as there will be increased production.

“The residents don’t want it! We have the power and if we have power, we are not standing for that,” a frustrated resident declared yesterday on behalf of citizens of Houston Gardens, East Bank Demerara and other communities, who held a press conference to argue against a proposal by Nalco Champion Guyana to store large quantities of chemicals at Industrial Site, Ruimveldt.

While President David Granger has said that a Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) can be appointed by Monday and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has expressed a willingness to meet, efforts to arrange a meeting between the two were still to yield a result up to last evening.

The opposition PPP/C-nominated members of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) have declared that the Elections Commission Secretariat must immediately begin preparing for general elections in accordance with Friday’s ruling of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).

The Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) has called for the country’s political leaders to meaningfully engage each other in order to resolve the current impasse over the holding of general elections and the appointment of a Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chairperson.

Saying that Guyana has benefitted significantly, particularly in the areas of trade and investment, health and security since establishing diplomatic ties with the United States (US), President David Granger on Friday night expressed optimism that two countries will continue to enjoy good relations and cooperation.

After meeting with the Labour Department just over a month ago, former Fly Jamaica workers remain concerned about the lack of progress in getting them paid monies owed to them by the now decertified airline.

The fourth annual Guyana Animation Network (GAN) Summer Camp was officially launched on Friday and is set to commence tomorrow.

The Working People’s Alliance (WPA) yesterday said that while the holding of timely elections must be at the top of the government’s agenda, it should not inhibit it from carrying out its normal functions.

The Government of Guyana today said it accepts its “interim” status but that “Cabinet has not stopped functioning”.

Notwithstanding the fact that a Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission is still to be named, the PPP/C appointed commissioners today said that the electoral body must immediately begin preparing for general elections in accordance with yesterday’s ruling of the Caribbean Court of Justice.

The Working People’s Alliance today said it welcomed yesterday’s rulings by the CCJ on the motion of no confidence and the GECOM Chairman but it said it did not agree that the current caretaker government should be limited to just preparing for elections.

The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) has declined to fix timelines for general elections, which it says should be held in accordance with the Constitution following the December 21st, 2018 passage of a motion of no-confidence against the APNU+AFC government and it has further established that a “caretaker” administration now exists.

Saying that there is no need to issue directions given the resignation of Justice James Patterson from the post of Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) yesterday urged President David Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo to ensure the urgent appointment of a replacement.

Reiterating his commitment to free and fair elections, President David Granger late yesterday afternoon said he is prepared to appoint a Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) as early Monday once he has the cooperation of the Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo.

A jubilant Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday thanked the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) for the professional manner in which it handled the cases stemming from last December’s passage of a no-confidence motion against the government and he once again declared that his party will not be returning to the National Assembly to grant an extension to the three-month election deadline outlined in the Constitution.

The Guyana Prison Service (GPS) has released murder accused Alvin Reid, known as ‘Satan,’ by mistake and the police are now seeking the public’s assistance to recapture him.

Larry Singh, the owner of the drug bond on Sussex Street that the government was renting in a controversial deal, has admonished Prime Minister (PM) Moses Nagamootoo for “misleading” comments on the building.

Several villages on the Corentyne were flooded yesterday, following heavy rainfall on Thursday that continued throughout the evening.

Sports-betting giant Superbet has sued the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the Gaming Authority for not processing its application for betting licences and imposing the requirement of good standing certification as a precondition.