Christopher Ram

Introduction That the Government used its majority in the National Assembly to push through major amendments to the New Building Society Act was not surprising.

Introduction When this series began several weeks ago – this is its fifth and final column, – its focus was a review of the report on the Public Accounts of Guyana, the ministries, departments and regions for 2008.

Introduction During the past week I received an irate call from the treasurer of the Guyana Relief Council complaining that the statement in the 2008 Report of the Audit Office misrepresented the status of the audits of the GRC.

Conclusion Health Ministry: fire and non-cooperation In closing last week’s column, I referred to a mystery fire on July 17, 2009 that destroyed the main office buildings of the Ministry of Health housing its Central Accounting Unit and the storage area for financial and other records.

Introduction In Oslo, Norway two Fridays ago, speaking to a reporter from Stabroek News, President Jagdeo added to the growing confusion about the Amaila Falls Hydro-Electricity Project in what was intended to be a clarification.

This and previous articles are available at Chrisram.net to which readers can post their comments Introduction Today’s column continues this series on the award of a US$15.4 million contract made by the government to Synergy Holdings Inc.

Introduction Last week I addressed the process by which Synergy was awarded the contract with a price tag of US$15.4 million for road and transmission line construction in connection with the Amaila Falls Hydro Electricity Project (AFHEP).

Introduction Very little would be known about Synergy Holdings Inc but for a remarkable display of journalistic persistence that deserves an award for champion investigative reporting, not derisive and unpresidential talk about the fabulous five unnamed “bitter old people.”

Introduction The US$15 million contract to Synergy Holdings Inc for the first phase of the Amaila Falls Hydro-electric Power Project (AFHEP) has drawn intense scrutiny from the two independent dailies.

Conclusion Introduction Today’s column is my conclusion of GuySuCo’s Strategic Blueprint prepared by a special taskforce appointed by the President following the disastrous performance of the state-owned entity in 2008, recording its lowest sugar production since 1992 and the highest financial losses ever.

Introduction The annual general meeting (AGM) of the New Building Society (NBS) returned to Georgetown after a two-year sojourn in Berbice.

Introduction In today’s column I will begin a review of GuySuCo’s Strategic Blueprint announced by President Jagdeo on January 8, 2009, following the installation of an interim board he appointed to steer the local sugar industry out of its field of inefficiencies, tonnes of red ink, and punt-loads of government subsidies.

Business Page today interrupts its series on the state-owned Guyana Sugar Corporation to present an overview of the annual reports and accounts of two of the country’s financial institutions which will soon be holding their annual members’ general meetings at which the presentation of the annual reports is a major agenda item.

Part 4 Introduction In part 3 last week dealing with GuySuCo’s 2008 annual report, I opined that Ms Geeta Singh-Knight’s role in the collapse of Clico the insurance giant, and the loss to Guyana of close to G$7 billion made her unfit to be a director of the state-owned entity.

Part 3 Introduction In the two preceding parts of this series on the state-owned sugar entity, my focus was on the 2008 financial statements which are contained in the annual report tabled in the National Assembly in late 2009.

Introduction Today we continue our review of the 2008 financial statements of the state-owned corporation which are contained in its 2008 annual report tabled in the National Assembly late last year.

Introduction For more than a year, the state-owned Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc has been in the press, mostly for all the wrong reasons.

Introduction It was interesting to see almost the entire Cabinet turn out on February 17 at a ceremony at the Georgetown Club to mark the end of the Guyana Threshold Country Plan/Implementation Project (GTCP/IP).

Introduction Mark Twain said, “there are three kinds of lies: Lies, damned lies, and statistics.”

Introduction Ram & McRae in their Focus on the 2010 Budget drew attention to a section of their 2009 Budget Focus which examined the explosion of the number of ministries between 1992 and then.