Editorial

Aside from the injustice of payment in two stages, the controversy surrounding severance for thousands of sugar workers has crystallised yet again the incoherence in the APNU+AFC government on pivotal issues and the lack of decisive leadership.

If President Donald Trump trumped himself last week, Guyana had its own lapse to deal with, albeit not of the same scale or character as that of the ‘Genius of Stability.’

In 1997 the ‘stress consultant’ Richard Carlson made the phrase ‘don’t sweat the small stuff’ into a popular self-help mantra – his bestselling book of that name was cleverly subtitled ‘and it’s all small stuff’.

On Tuesday, January 9, 2018 Justice Navindra Singh handed down a sentence of 16 years imprisonment to Sylvester Bristol, called ‘Rambo,’ for the killing of female taxi driver Savitri Gangadeen Parma, after Bristol pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter even though originally charged with the capital offence of murder.

Around October last year, marine and underwater photographer Caroline Power, who is  based in Honduras, published a series of photographs and videos on her Facebook page, of large swathes of garbage, mostly plastics, floating on the Caribbean Sea near Roatán, one of Honduras’s Caribbean Bay Islands.

As of January 1, 2018, the minimum wage in the province of Ontario, Canada was raised from $11.60 per hour to $14.00, by the current provincial government.

More than three decades after southern Africa put the travails of white minority rule behind it the liberation movements in the region continue to dominate the region’s politics, having transformed themselves into structured political parties and captured what they considered to be the ultimate reward for their military and political struggles ‒ the state.

Towards the ending of December and in keeping with the constitutional requirement, President David Granger wrote to Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo proposing Chief Justice of Belize, Kenneth Benjamin as the next Chancellor of the Judiciary. 

When the city saw the inimitable Ms Carol Sooba off the scene following a change at the central government level, and local government elections brought in their wake the installation of a new council and Mayor, the citizens of Georgetown heaved a collective sigh of relief.

Michael Wolff’s account of the Trump administration’s chaotic misrule will surprise no one who has read a newspaper during the last year, detailing as it does, the President’s profound unreadiness for his new role, his childish ignorance of world affairs, his obsequious and feuding advisers – who privately voice contempt for him – his fleeting attention span and tendency to repeat anecdotes every ten minutes.

Many will argue that Cheddi Jagan and Forbes Burnham, the two foremost leaders in Guyanese history since Independence, have left an indelible mark on the political landscape of our country, and continue to affect the way we are governed.

Around mid-December of last year, the Inter-national Labour Organization (ILO) in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Protection launched a report on a study conducted in Guyana on the skills required for green jobs, which highlighted the “policies, programmes and emerging opportunities” as Guyana sets it eyes on “transitioning into a green economy.”

Last Saturday, 30th December, one of Canada’s largest and most prestigious newspapers, the Montreal French-language publication La Presse, rolled out its final print weekend edition (Canadian weekend newspapers have traditionally been sold on Saturdays), in the 133 year history of the newspaper.

As the new year dawns, the APNU+AFC government must be commended for its decision, as announced by Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman, that all contracts henceforth between the government and companies will be made public.

We will be waiting today for the big news from New York.

On 19 April 1906, an apocalyptic fire engulfed San Francisco. One day earlier an earthquake had toppled buildings, uprooted utility poles, and disrupted the water supply.

As the year 2017 winds to a close, the tragic loss of life through violent crime and road accidents continues to cast a spotlight on the Guyana Police Force (GPF), exposing its failure at fulfilling its mandate to protect and to serve the Guyanese populace.

Towards the end of every year, dictionaries announce their word of the year.

No doubt there will be pleasant memories for Caribbean sport fans when they reflect down the road on the year now drawing to a close.

In this season of sharing and goodwill, it is meet to reflect on the APNU+AFC government’s allocation of the country’s resources particularly at a time when large swathes of the sugar community are suffering the dread of displacement and great uncertainty.