THE RIGHT TO INFORMATION

Written by Ralph Ramkarran
Saturday, 11th February 2023, 9:00 pm

In July last year, well known activist, Jonathan Yearwood, sought from the Commissioner of Information his good offices in obtaining a copy of the contract entered into between the Ministry of Housing and Impressions Inc. relating to the Building Expo which had been held earlier. Yearwood had requested the information from the Ministry without success. The Commissioner, Justice Charles Ramson S.C., former Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, wrote to the Ministry requesting a copy of the contract and advised Yearwood accordingly. As it turned out, the Ministry did not provide the Commissioner with the contract, and it has never been revealed. This begs the question, was there a contract in writing?

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CONSTITUTION REFORM AND THE 2023 BUDGET

Written by Ralph Ramkarran
Saturday, 4th February 2023, 9:00 pm

The Constitution Reform Commission Act was passed in November 2022. Its membership is comprised as follows: 5 – PPP/C; 4 – APNU+AFC; 1 each representing the following: LJP-ANUG-NM; Guyana Bar Association; Labour Movement; National Toshaos’ Council; private sector; womens’ organisations; youth organisations: Christian organisations; Muslim organisations; Hindu prganisations; farmers. The chair and deputy chair shall be elected from among the members. The structure reflected the Constitution Reform Act of 1999.

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POVERTY AND POVERTY REDUCTION IN GUYANA

Written by Ralph Ramkarran
Saturday, 28th January 2023, 9:00 pm

There is no dispute that much poverty still exists in Guyana. Its existence and alleged absence of solutions to relieve it were among the highlights of the Budget Debate last week, uninspiring as many of the speeches were. 

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GUYANA ON THE MOVE

Written by Ralph Ramkarran
Saturday, 21st January 2023, 9:00 pm

The budget outlining the Government’s plans, programmes and expenditures for 2023 reflects Guyana’s increasing income from its rapidly expanding petroleum industry. At $781.9 billion, as against $552.9 billion for 2022, this budget is 41 percent larger than 2022. The 2022 budget was in turn larger that the 2021 budget by 44.3 percent. This budget was facilitated by an economic growth of 62.3 percent in 2022. The 2022 budget was facilitated by a growth rate in 2021 of 19.9 percent.

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VESTIGES OF SOCIALISM

Written by Ralph Ramkarran
Saturday, 14th January 2023, 9:00 pm

In response to a complaint by Dr. Terrence Campbell that higher wages and salaries by government and foreign companies areattracting workers away from local businesses which cannot compete, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo responded that “people want the vestiges of socialism still to hang on…” (Dem Waves Jan 9). It appears that the Vice President meant that the plea for the protection sought for local business is tantamount to relying on the ‘vestiges of socialism.’

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The Conversation Tree is both physical and philosophical. The physical is the tree itself, which has given its name to the road from which it originates at the intersection of the Rupert Craig Highway. It was reputedly first planted by Napleton William King in 1876 to celebrate the birth of his son Napleton Walter. As...
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