Following a marathon debate in the House, government last night used its majority to pass the anti-terrorism bill with the opposition abstaining from the vote after raising a number of questions about the “draconian” bill including the inclusion of the death penalty for 14 offences.
Under pressure over a contentious anti-terrorism bill, the government yesterday dropped plans to rush it through the National Assembly but two other bills were approved by the APNU+AFC side in the absence of the PPP/C whose parliamentarians walked out in protest.
About two-thirds of projects funded via the Amerindian Development Fund (ADF) did not achieve their objectives and Minister of Indigenous Peoples Affairs Sydney Allicock says the ministry is working to build management capacity to rectify the problems.
Just about 33% of school-aged children in Baramita, Region One attend school and many youngsters between the ages of 10 to 16 years work in the goldfields, Minister of Indigenous Peoples Affairs Sydney Allicock has said.
The Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) has granted permission for a miner to operate a river dredge near to Isseneru’s residential area, triggering a call by concerned residents for authorities to halt the operation and protect their rights.
Conflict is brewing between two Region Eight indigenous villages over land and despite pleas for the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs to intervene, officials have not responded to letters sent.
“Is tiger! Is tiger!” the man shouted, and, despite admonitions to sit, I rose up in the huge canoe again, quivering with excitement trying to get a shot of the “tiger.”
He stood outside the Kamarang Police Station, no longer the smiling man he was a day earlier.
Engaging a Mines Officer earlier this month, John Spencer became alarmed when the official said that a map of mining blocks obtained by his village, Tasserene, was outdated and from a month ago, 60 new mining blocks now cover land claimed by the indigenous Region Seven community.
– will it be enough for govt? Five years after beginning operations here, Indian logging company Vaitarna Holdings Private Inc (VHPI) has finally begun processing of logs albeit on a small scale even as it continues to export them.
Amid heckles to “name the date” for local government elections, Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan successfully piloted a bill in the National Assembly to pave the way for the long-delayed polls but did not name a date saying this would have to be done in consultation with the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
One hundred days after David Granger was sworn in as President, the APNU+AFC coalition government has managed to fulfill several of its 100 days pledges but more than half are still in various stages of being implemented.
Asserting that the hinterland faces a “huge human development crisis,” President David Granger yesterday unveiled a 10-point plan for the development of hinterland and indigenous communities which focuses on education, poverty reduction, jobs and a new Lands Commission to deal with long festering indigenous land issues.
Turning up for the first time in the 11th Parliament yesterday, opposition PPP/C MPs denounced the 2015 Budget as “full of fluff” with former Housing Minister Irfaan Ali leading the charge but his accusations drew heckles from the government side which repeatedly invoked the PPP’s failures during its 23 years in office.
Chile is urging respect for existing treaties including those related to territory and Santiago is not in favour of third parties’ involvement in issues such as the Guyana/Venezuela border controversy unless this is explicitly requested by both States.
The recent petroleum find by US firm ExxonMobil could be as much as 1.5 billion barrels of oil, according to Minister of Governance Raphael Trotman who says that government would press the company to bring the well into production within five years.
Up to the end of March this year, US$39.4 million earned from Guyana’s efforts in limiting deforestation under its partnership with Norway, remained in the Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund (GRIF) and as the partnership wraps up this month, the new administration seems unsure on how to proceed.
President Donald Ramotar last evening pledged to take Guyana to a great future if re-elected as he joined other speakers at the PPP/C’s final rally for tomorrow’s general elections to appeal for votes to reclaim a parliamentary majority and sound warnings over any attempts to manipulate the process.
By Gaulbert Sutherland in Lethem Lamenting the underdeveloped state of the Rupununi, and saying that education is the way out of poverty, APNU+AFC presidential candidate David Granger last evening pledged to construct technical, agricultural and home economics institutes in Region 9 should the alliance win Monday’s general elections and also pledged to resolve Amerindian land issues.
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