Politics

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, in response to whether his responsibilities were being reduced, has reiterated that he only has reporting functions on the oil and gas sector to the National Assembly but that does not diminish government’s priority on the emerging industry. He sought to assure companies that they were not being treated with less importance because they would ...

President David Granger on Wednesday boasted improvements in education performance since 2016, and steps were being taken to were the result of additional teacher training. Addressing the Parliament, he said “targeted interventions, especially in numeracy and literacy, have resulted in improved performance in the National Grade Six Assessment.” Granger said the percentage passes in English moved from 42 per cent ...

With the closure of several sugar estates and the state-owned Guyana Sugar Corporation no longer responsible for drainage in those communities, government on Thursday asked the National Assembly for GY$350 million to finance additional works by the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA). Government is also seeking parliamentary approval for GY$2.451 billion to pay the final tranche of severance to ...

The Guyana government is seeking GYD$4.8 million to help support Venezuelans who have sought refuge here from the political and economic meltdown in their homeland. According to a financial paper tabled in the National Assembly on Thursday at the first session following the two-month annual parliamentary recess, the Ministry of Finance wants the money, equivalent to US$22,535, to provide relief ...

The Guyana Court of Appeal on Thursday unanimously upheld a High Court decision that President David Granger acted constitutionally in unilaterally appointing Retired Justice James Patterson as Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission ( GECOM). Attorney-at-Law, Anil Nandlall said he would be appealing the decision to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). Justice Dawn Gregory said, in her judgement, that ...

Guyana will have to await sufficient earnings from the oil and gas sector to build new prisons because international financial institutions have refused to provide financing, Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan said Wednesday. “That’s the difficulty an executive branch has when its resources are so limited but expect, with greater revenue streams coming from the oil and gas sector, ...

Minister of State Joseph Harmon,  whose gazetted portfolio now includes oil and gas after that responsibility was shifted to the Ministry of the Presidency, is not required to meet with representatives of oil companies, multiple officials confirmed. “The Minister of State in the Ministry of the Presidency is responsible only for such matters as I delegate to him with respect ...

Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo on Wednesday refused to offer his own calculations on what the increased tolls to cross the Berbice Bridge should be, but he deemed the controversy over the Berbice Bridge Company’s proposed exorbitant increase in tolls a political gimmick by the Alliance For Change (AFC). “You don’t have to ask me. This is in the contract so ...

Minister of Public Telecommunications, Cathy Hughes on Wednesday disclosed that she would not participate in cabinet meetings whenever oil and gas issues are discussed pending legal and Cabinet advice , in the wake concerns about perceived conflict of interest by Transparency Institute of Guyana Inc. (TIGI). “Cabinet has not given me advice yet and they are aware that we are ...

The High Court on Monday ordered the State to pay former Guyana High Commissioner to Canada, Harry Narine Nawbatt GY$24.2 million dollars in salaries and GY$500 thousand for breach of contract. Justice Diana Insanally agreed with arguments by the former envoy’s lawyer, Anil Nandlall that Nawbatt was constructively dismissed. Nawbatt’s arguments were that he had been recalled from Ontario in ...