Editorial

“Members of the public can look out for the Guyana Police Force’s proactive arrangement in terms of dealing with noise pollution, which is expected to bring some degree of relief,” said acting Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken in July last year in reference to a ceremony where the Environmental Protection Agency had officially handed over noise meters to the GPF.

Last Friday, as the World Health Organisation (WHO) celebrated its 75th anniversary highlighting the contributions it has made over the years and the progress in global public health, World Health Day was observed under the theme ‘Health for All’.

Last weekend – Easter – would certainly have created a treasure trove of priceless memories for many of our younger generation; lots of sunshine, Easter Monday kite flying on the seawall, or in open spaces, bundles of fun, the overwhelming delicious smells of barbecues, cook-outs, and spending time with family and friends.

The fact that political control of the state-owned media in Guyana has, over time, ceased to be a matter of any meaningful national debate is a reflection of the extent to which we have come to accept the reality that control of both the administrative and operational levers of those media houses that are funded by our ‘tax dollars’ has become a fait accompli.

The Ministry of Public Works should be applauded for issuing an ultimatum to businesses to remove trucks and trailers on the city’s roadways.

The capital city has always represented a challenge for a PPP government.

It might be asked why so many column inches are being expended on the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament.

As multiple crises continue to threaten the world, the United Nations estimates that 350 million people will face acute food insecurity this year.

Here in Guyana, for the last 40-odd years, we have been deluged with hours of American television programming to the point where local aficionados have begun to identify with professional sports teams as though they are actually living in those cities, whether it be the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers, or the NFL’s New England Patriots of Boston, or Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees.

Some of the earliest ‘returns’ from the recent disclosure that President Irfaan Ali would be moving in the direction of ‘decentralizing’ his own office along with those of various Ministries and other state-run agencies in order to make their services more accessible to Guyanese residing beyond the capital were made public in the Stabroek News of April 1st.

Posterity will record that a doughty battle is being waged by civil society activists, the media and ordinary citizens for accountability in the oil and gas sector, to ensure that the environment is not compromised and to make certain that the country and its people are not being cheated of what belongs to them.

Last week in an advertisement in this newspaper, miners, shopkeepers and the residents of Eteringbang related how they were being harassed and robbed by the National Guard and infamous Sindicato gang of Venezuela.

In late February, the National Population Commission of Barbados released its draft document which sets out how the country plans to grow its population by 185,000 from its current level of 289,000 by 2050.

In 2021 after meeting with President Chandrikapersad Santokhi of Suriname, President Irfaan Ali announced “We have come to a solution.”

Race was the theme of choice at the event held on Sunday last at Babu John, Corentyne, Berbice to commemorate the life and work of the Jagans – Cheddi and Janet – both former presidents of Guyana and founding members of the ruling People’s Progressive Party.

 The spectacular Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles, built between 1678 and 1684 during the reign of Louis XIV, pays tribute to the political, economic and artistic success of France.

The past few months have been a challenging period for discipline in state-run schools.

Jamaican economist and University of the West Indies lecturer, Dr Damien King certainly provoked the ire of the government when he issued a very gloomy forecast of Guyana’s future at the intersection with the veritable oil bonanza that the country is now tapping.

It could only be wished that the government would stop the pretence.

A recent article in this newspaper quoted the Prime Minister’s office as assuring the nation that GPL will have its transmission and distribution system prepared to accept the 300MW of power coming from the gas to shore plant.