Opinion

by R. Evan Ellis, Latin Research Professor at the U.S. Army War College. Introduction The embrace of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) by Guyana President Irfaan Ali during his July 2023 visit to the country highlights a renewed wave of Chinese engagement and influence in a country that has transformed in just a few years from one of the region’s poorest ...

by Dr Randolph Persaud (Professor Emeritus) Frantz Fanon and Walter Rodney are two of the most formidable thinkers on problems of race and racism. Fanon, a psychiatrist from Martinique, and Rodney, a Guyanese historian, were both world class scholars, anti-colonial activists, and champions of the poor and the powerless. Anti-racism was an integral dimension of their respective intellectual and political ...

by GHK Lall I thought that an invitation was the next best thing for politicians in the PPP and PNC, since I don’t challenge leaders and ministers and legislators anymore.  The PPP Government came up at long last with its draft oil law, which is a good development.  Yesterday, the Opposition trotted out its draft amendment proposals, also a positive ...

by GHK Lall Dr. Roger Luncheon has long been gone from the public limelight, that which he occupied with some distinction in both the last and this century.  He spanned more than centuries; Roger Luncheon, on occasion, bridged the expanse that ruptures this country in so many ways.  Now, he is finally gone to shake hands at the heights with ...

by GHK Lall I had repeatedly warned the top leadership in the PPP Government, President Ali and Vice President Jagdeo.  The message was the same: beware the Chinese Dragon.  Embedded in that message was another: beware even more the American Eagle.  Both leaders, especially brother Barry, responded with the cold shoulder, the back of their hands, a foot raised.  Now, ...

by GHK Lall Women have rights in Guyana.  In the view of some men in this country women have a right to the kitchen, women have a right to the bedchamber, and women have a right to the maternity ward.  The old American term was “barefoot and pregnant.”  Thinking of what has unfolded recently, and before, the politically powerful, the ...

by GHK Lall In classic Robeson Benn fashion, the Hon Minister of Home Affairs came out swinging for the fence.  In CLR James parlance, it was aiming for beyond the boundary, when I consider the full import of what Minister Benn put on the table as his mini-project plan to crackdown on disorder in Region Four.  I say this right ...

By GHK Lall I sense trouble in paradise.  Considering the ripples of unease in the PNC, it would be more on the money to say that there is possibly looming trouble in purgatory.  Now the call circulating (again) is for a PNC gathering.  To this call, there has been subdued response.  Polite phrases, such as ‘in the proper time,’ and ...

By GHK Lall I was always of the belief deep down that this matter involving Minister Nigel Dharamlall was going to come to a halt before the completion of what has been a turbulent journey.  It is a little glimpse of how far I have grown into paying attention to this place, and understanding better how it works.  So, now ...

By GHK Lall I keep trying to help Vice President Jagdeo.  The more he tries to tighten his interest rate narratives, the more his slip is showing.  It is not an appealing picture. Brother Jagdeo: it is agreed that investors have to get a return for their money; that is as basic as a, b, and c.  Guyanese know.  I ...