By Ralph Ramkarran – Conversation Tree Blog – November 13, 2021
The amendments to the elections’ laws proposed by the Government through the Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill are woefully inadequate. They are limited to the following: imposing higher penalties for elections’ offences; creating new elections’ offences with high penalties; adumbrating a new structure for District (Region) 4; and establishing new offices for District 4. Having now demonstrated a mindset of where it wants to go by the contents of the Bill, the Government is unlikely to divert from this already decided course, except perhaps with minor amendments.
But much more is required, and this was the opportunity to accomplish needed reforms in other areas of the electoral system, especially since the next elections are four years away. I have written extensively, but vainly, about elections’ reform over several years. I now take the opportunity to repeat some of those ideas. Continue reading
GUYANA: POVERTY AND POVERTY REDUCTION IN GUYANA — by Ralph Ramkarran
Posted by Ralph Ramkarran January 28, 2023- Conversatin Tree Blog
There is no dispute that much poverty still exists in Guyana. Its existence and alleged absence of solutions to relieve it were among the highlights of the Budget Debate last week, uninspiring as many of the speeches were.
The United Nations has more experience than any other international agency in the study, measurement and eradication of poverty. It has embarked on the Third United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2018-2027), having completed a first and a second decade. In its recent reports tracking poverty rates, the UN has used earnings of below US$1.90 per day as the basis of measuring poverty. Those living on less than US$1.90 per day are considered as living below the poverty line. Numerous measures have been discussed and debated over decades to lift people above the poverty line, and prior to the covid-19 pandemic, great successes have been achieved in reducing poverty. Continue reading →
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