These words were uttered by a male Guyana Member of Parliament to a female Member when she was talking about cars being purchased by the Government for Ministers. I will not reveal her or the tormentor’s name, a well-known heckler of his time (I attribute this story to Kamal Ramkarran). With the rise of the @MeToo movement and opposition to degrading remarks about women, such a comment would not be appropriate today. For the same reason, neither would Winston Churchill’s alleged remark to Bessie Braddock when she told him ‘Winston, you are drunk, and what’s more, you are disgustingly drunk.’ He retorted: “Bessie, my dear, you are ugly, and what’s more, you are disgustingly ugly. But tomorrow, I will be sober and you will be disgustingly ugly.’ There is some uncertainty as to the truth of the exchange. But it has entered the Churchill folklore.
Continue reading “YOU DON’T NEED A CAR, YOU NEED A BROOMSTICK”CHINA’S RELATIONS WITH GUYANA
Guyana holds a special place in China’s diplomatic history. It opened diplomatic relations with China as far back as 1972, the first country in this region to do so and at a time when China was struggling to break the bonds of isolation. China has always been grateful and developed political relations with the PNC, adding to that which had been historically established with the PPP.
Continue reading “CHINA’S RELATIONS WITH GUYANA”NO NEW TAXES
The public is hardly interested in the details of budgetary explanations and analysis and for many like myself, I find going through figures to be sheer drudgery. But I could not help but feel a sense of elation at the conclusion of the budget speech by the Minister responsible for Finance. As was expected, and consistent with his first term as Minister of Finance, the Budget projected a sense of optimism and this was underlined by increasing benefits for the most vulnerable, removal of burdensome taxes and increased expenditure for services and infrastructure.
Continue reading “NO NEW TAXES”TAIWAN
As is to be expected, a complete reorientation of US-Guyana relations took place with the visit of Secretary of State Pompeo in September last year. With the emerging importance of Guyana as a petroleum producing state, it was natural that the US would want to place greater emphasis of its relations with Guyana. The critical role of the US Government in promoting free and fair elections resulting in a change in government provided the opportunity for the unusual high level visit of Secretary of State Pompeo. It could be that the Secretary’s visit reflected deep US concern at the Venezuelan Decree that Guyana’s maritime space, including the area covering the Stabroek Block, was under its military jurisdiction., thereby posing a significant threat to US economic interests.
Continue reading “TAIWAN”VENEZUELA ESCALATES THREAT TO GUYANA
Triggered by the decision of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) on December 18, 2020, upholding the Court’s jurisdiction to determine the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award establishing and defining the border between Venezuela and British Guiana, Venezuela has predictably escalated its threat to Guyana’s sovereignty. The Secretary General of the United Nations, under the discretion granted to him by the Geneva Agreement of 1966 between Venezuela, British Guiana and Great Britain, had referred the issue to the ICJ for determination in January 2018, after decades of bilateral and UN sponsored discussions had failed to resolve the issue.
Continue reading “VENEZUELA ESCALATES THREAT TO GUYANA”