News

Junior Finance Minister, Jaipaul Sharma on Tuesday said government would soon increase the ceiling for contracts for which Cabinet must offer its no-objection if agreement could not be reached on establishing the more transparent Public Procurement Commission. “The law stipulates that Cabinet’s role should be phased out and by government increasing the limit is an indication that we are going ...

by Gary Eleazar Guyana will for the first time in its 50-year history as an independent nation operate with a fully liberalised telecommunications sector, with Monday’s parliamentary passage of a modern telecoms law. “This legislation will allow other companies to ensure the local market offer a variety of services and benefits…including more mobile rates, land lines and a host of ...

The opposition People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) on Monday denounced what it said was the increasing militarization of Guyana by the administration of President David Granger, a retired high-ranking military officer. “The Granger administration has a penchant for placing retired and serving military officers in government agencies and departments and to head Commissions of Inquiry into one incident after another,” ...

by Gary Eleazar Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Barton Scotland, on Monday threw out a motion submitted by opposition Chief Whip Gail Teixeira, to have Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and Natural Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman committed to the Parliament’s Committee of Privileges over ‘misleading statements’ made to the House. Teixeira in April last had written to the Speaker of ...

Public Accountant and Attorney-at-Law, Godfrey Statia  has been appointed as the new Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), according to usually reliable sources. He was chosen from among four applicants by the GRA’s Governing Board. When Statia assumes office before month-end, he would become the next substantive office holder after Kurshid Sattaur with whom the tax collection agency ...

by Gary Eleazar The Parliamentary Committee of Appointments has recommended that Matthew Edward Hugh Langevine, be appointed as Director of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) within the Ministry of Finance. The FIU works closely with the Special Organised Crime Unit of the Guyana Police Force, Guyana Revenue Authority and the Ministry of Finance in detecting and pursuing those suspected of ...

by Denis Chabrol and Gary Eleazar Top Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) officials on Monday dismissed People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) claims that a plan has been hatched to pad future voters’ lists by sharing the database with the Ministries of Education and Social Services. GECOM Chairman, Dr. Steve Surujbally ruled out voter-padding, saying that a completely new house-to-house registration exercise ...

by Gary Eleazar Warrants have been solicited from the High Court to gain access to the bank accounts of former Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) Ministers and to carry out searches at their respective places of residence. At least this is according to General Secretary of the PPP, Clement Rohee, who on Monday when questioned by Demerara Waves as to the ...

Former Anglican Bishop of Guyana, Randolph George has died, according to usually reliable sources. He was 92 years. The Anglican Diocese  could not be immediately contacted, and it was yet to announce Bishop George’s passing. Sources said he died at his home at Peter’s Hall, East Bank Demerara on Sunday, July 17, 2016. He served as Bishop of Guyana from ...

Foreign Affairs Minister, Carl Greenidge on Monday announced the overhaul of Guyana’s foreign service, with the hiring of several former diplomats as advisors and the recruitment of a number of others to head the country’s diplomatic missions. “This enables us to capitalize on the experiences that have been accumulated in the past in terms of policy formulation and the like ...