Daily Archive: Friday, January 5, 2007

Why, oh why, do I choose to begin the Western folks’ “New” year like this?

The trial of Swiss House Cambio boss Farouk Razac and his wife Carolan Lynch, who were charged with allegedly having a gun and ammunition at their home is set for March 5.

Magistrate Hazel Octive-Hamilton further remanded into police custody, Cyril Bovell, the father of now dead wanted man Neil Bovell when he made his first appearance before her at the Wales Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

Responding to the surge in violent crime over the last six years, the Administration adopted a multi-dimensional approach that relies not solely on the Guyana Police Force but also on creating parallel schemes based on the greater involvement of citizens and their communities.

Controversy associated with the January 1, 2007 implementation of the new Value Added Tax (VAT) persisted throughout the week as public disquiet grew over glitches in the application of the new tax regime.

A former senior official in the local bauxite industry has told Stabroek Business that it is unlikely that the Government of Guyana can do a great deal to reverse the recent sale by IAMGGOLD of its 70 per cent stake in the bauxite operations at Linden to the Chinese mining giant Bosai.

This newspaper has published several articles on the delinquency of employers in the matter of remitting employee National Insurance Scheme (NIS) contributions.

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The Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Inc is continuing its campaign to bring defaulters on electricity payments to justice and recently won judgement in three cases brought before Commercial Court Judge BS Roy.

The new Value Added Tax (VAT) which came into effect from January 1 this year appeared to have gotten off to a less than auspicious start with trading in the city being marked by a number of VAT-related controversies between businessmen and consumers.

The enhancement of employee capacity and improvement of information technology associated with upgrading the customer care and service delivery capacity of the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) has been identified as one of its major priorities under a reform project aimed at overhauling critical aspects of its operations.

Lawyers for the plaintiff, Citizens Bank Inc, and the Defendant, the Attorney General representing the State of Guyana, have lodged written submissions with Justice Roy in the Commercial Court in the case that involves US $21.4 million worth of bonds issued by the Government of Guyana to the creditors of Guymine when that state-owned company was restructured in 1992.

Notes 1 – Interim results 2 – Prospective EPS: earnings per share for 12 months period to the date the latest financials have been prepared.

Central American and Caribbean Games’ ladies gold medallist and local squash `Queen’ Nicolette Fernandes and Kenya-based track athlete Cleveland `The Little Kenyan’ Forde are prime candidates for the 2006 Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year awards respectively.

Horse racing has been on the rise again locally and although there has been a number of improvements in racing facilities countrywide there still has been evidence of bad management and poor track administration at most meets.

Dear Editor, In response to the letter captioned “Members of this Water Users Association were not democratically elected” (07.01.03), we firstly will put this aspect of the national drainage and irrigation programme in perspective so that public opinion will be properly informed.

Dear Editor, The introduction of the VAT has seen businesses stooping to an all-time low.

Dear Editor, It is now the third (3rd) day of 2007, which means it’s Guyana’s third day as a beneficiary or victim of VAT, depending on your perspective.

Dear Editor, I have noticed the confusion (that most predicted) with the implementation of the Value Added Tax on January 1, 2007.

Dear Editor, It is noted that in your article of January 1, 2007 captioned “Glarey gets wheelchairs, supplies” (on page 14 of your newspaper) it was reported that a wheelchair was donated by Gafoors and a wheelchair and some foodstuff by the Ministry of Human Services.

Dear Editor, It is really painful to see and smell various parts of the city.

Dear Editor, I am a Guyanese by birth and was issued with a National ID Card.

Dear Editor, Dr Ian McDonald’s Sunday column captioned “One of life’s great questions” (06.11.05) refers.

Dear Editor, One columnist wrote that he was operating outside the Ministry’s code when he used corporal punishment (CP).

Dear Editor, Several prominent Guyanese are heading for India for this weekend’s conference on Indians in the Diaspora in New Delhi.

Dear Editor, I refer to Mr F. Skinner’s letter captioned “Burnham’s socialist policies created hardships for all.”

Four days after the 16% Value Added Tax (VAT) was introduced a range of questionable practices continued amid widespread uncertainty and frustration among consumers and the head of the Georgetown Chamber acknowledged that there was confusion.

Trinidad Cement Ltd of Trinidad and Tobago is the first company on the official listing of the Guyana Association of Securities Companies and Intermediaries Inc (GASCI), Guyana’s Stock Exchange.

The US government is continuing to oppose a bail application for Roger Khan, saying the drug-indicted Guyanese businessman remains a flight risk.

Four persons were arrested at #70 Village, Corentyne, Berbice on Wednesday following the attempted armed robbery of a goldsmith’s shop and a joiner’s shop.

Acting Chief Magistrate Cecil Sullivan yesterday granted $150,000 bail to a police officer who allegedly raped two three-year-old girls last year.

A toddler was pronounced dead at the Georgetown Public Hospital on Wednesday night, two hours after she fell into a trench in front of her Lot 115 Church of God Road home at Buxton.

Late Wednesday night two armed men invaded the Silver Faith restaurant at Plaisance Railway Embankment, ECD and robbed the owner of $40,000.

First Lady Varshnie Jagdeo took Christmas cheer to children during the holidays.

Government is to pump more than $29 million into the local government and regional development community service enhancement project to convert three regions to towns.

Health professionals in Guyana will soon be bound by law to operate under a set of guidelines following government’s endorsement of a code of ethics governing their operations.

The National Centre for Education Resource Deve-lopment (NCERD) says that the final examination for the National Grade Six Assess-ment is set for April.

Two masked men broke into a house at Yarrowkabra, Soesdyke-Linden Highway yesterday and stole two firearms and a video camera.

The threatened city strike action has been put on the back burner since Guyana Labour Union General Secretary Carvil Duncan is now waiting to see if the Georgetown municipality will ‘stump up’ the second half of its last year’s debt to workers.

The bill being laid in parliament on Thursday to authorise casino gambling provides for a gaming authority and “no more than three casino premises licences” in any region and the main opposition PNCR-1G yesterday signalled it would strenuously oppose the legislation.

The 20 BMW vehicles being purchased by government for use during the upcoming Rio Summit and during the Cricket World Cup super eight matches are expected here by next month end.

Town Clerk Beulah Williams on Wednesday met with senior officers to discuss issues affecting the administration’s performance and some of its plans to ensure that public health standards are maintained during the Cricket World Cup (CWC).

The controversial parking lot outside the Celina Atlantic resort, Kitty has received further attention from the Guyana Police force’s traffic department following a recent embarrassing lapse and now the entire area has been yellow-lined and a more prominent no-parking sign has been painted on.

The mini-bus operators plying the Georgetown to Mahdia route have stopped operating their vehicles to protest the hike in the bridge-crossing fee due to the newly implemented Value Added Tax (VAT).

The Queenstown, Essequibo Coast Community-Based Rehabilitation Centre is working to build its membership so that all of the region’s differently-abled persons can be accommodated.

The Region Three Regional Administration Office said rehabilitation works on the Windsor Forest Community Centre are complete.