Politics

Guyana is on the verge of signing an agreement with ExxonMobil for its Payara Development Plan that would provide for hefty fines for flaring and the dumping of untreated water back into the sea, Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat said Friday. He told News-Talk Radio Guyana 103.1 FM/Demerara Waves Online News that the actual fines were still under discussion ...

Former Minister of Citizenship Winston Felix on Thursday defended the then APNU-AFC government’s decision to sole-source about 500,000 birth certificates from a United States (US)-based company controlled by People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) executive member, Larry London. Mr Felix said the sole-sourced contract of GYD$23 million contract was awarded by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) after the ...

Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Charles Ramson Jr. says a national registry of artists and cultural workers  would be established in keeping with Guyana’s commitments under the Caribbean- European Union Economic Partnership Agreement. He told the House during consideration of the 2020 National Budget estimates that the registry would also be in line with the Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM) free ...

Former Minister of Education Nicolette Henry and current Education Minister Priya Manickchand on Wednesday took on each other over questions about  COVID-19 learning packages” for schools, with Henry charging that Manickchand was trivialising her explanations and Manickchand blaming her for holding on to power instead of getting work done. During consideration of 2020 Budget estimates of expenditure  COVID-19 accelerated programme, ...

Despite intense pressure from opposition coalition parliamentarian Jermaine Figueira to disclose the cost of producing one ton of sugar to justify the spending of GYD$3 billion on reopening several sugar estates that had been shuttered by the David Granger-led administration, Agriculture Minister Zulficar Mustapha on Tuesday maintained that the the question was irrelevant to the consideration of budget estimates for ...

PNC/R Executive Mr. Lawrence ‘Larry’ London, benefitted from a GYD$23 million contract to print passports and birth certificates on behalf of the then Ministry of the Presidency (MoTP). Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Hon. Gail Teixeira, made this disclosure on Monday during consideration of the estimates for Citizen and Immigration Services under MoTP for 2020. Mr. London signed the ...

Claiming that several senior police ranks unlawfully searched his home and seized several barber chairs and air conditioning units in violation of his constitutional rights, APNU/AFC Member of Parliament, Christopher Jones has filed a lawsuit seeking damages in excess of GYD$300,000. He is also asking the High Court to order the return of his property valued at almost GYD$5 million ...

The opposition A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) has indicated that it would be mounting a campaign for constitutional reform or reform of  certain electoral laws in a bill that could be jointly drafted with government, Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon said at the weekend. He was at the time contributing to the debate on the 2020 National Budget ...

People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) executive member, Aubrey Norton has described as a “very bad move” by the Guyana government to support regime change in neighbouring Venezuela, and at the same time activating the now 19-year old Shiprider anti-narcotics agreement with the US. “If you are operating in a context where you are not attempting regime change in Venezuela, it ...

Even as United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stressed that State-owned enterprises are not the best fit for development, President Irfaan Ali said a deal with the United States to promote the private sector does not lock out China’s investments through the Belt and Road Initiative. “There is no counter to anything. We are open to investment all over. ...