Tag Archives: opinion

Guyana Politics: The “zone of convergence” must widen and encircle; must get real- By GHK Lall

August 12, 2019 – 12:23 am

Posted by: Demerara Waves in August 10, 2019 – By GHK Lall

It is encouraging to read that the President and Opposition Leader started meeting yesterday (Friday, Aug. 9, 2019) to discuss the way forward. It is the only option: meeting and exploring for finalizing; it is that and nothing else. Nothing else is there, other than the meaningless sounds and postures through public advertisements that do nothing for this country: sells nothing, buys nothing but trouble.

Each leader was accompanied by another from within his inner circle. The gathering must be narrowed from four to two soon. I have been and seen where all others had to leave the room and leave only two. That is how the real, hard, trailblazing business is pounded and grounded into grains, and then sifted meticulously. Both sides know that their positions are palpable, yet invisible to each other, unimaginable to the other, even in the contemplation.    Continue reading →

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Guyana Politics: There must be softening across the political battlefield – by GHK Lall

August 8, 2019 – 12:18 am

Demerara Waves – in August 6, 2019 –  by GHK Lall

Compliments of a Demerara Waves article (July 31) it was reported that coalition commissioners appear “softer on house-to-house-registration.” Softer is not a sign of weakness; it is of common sense wisdom. The same must come from across the floor, since none holds any clear upper hand, nor would be able to claim any powerful position beyond an election.

I submit that any immovable position with reference to registration is pointless, given two related developments made public by GECOM itself. First, the secretariat shared that it has committed more resources in what I would describe as a hard acceleration of the registration process; it is a positive. The second development was to announce that some 100,000 eligible citizens have been registered in the last two weeks. This is another positive, which tells me two things.        Continue reading →

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New PPP GECOM list: an Ocean’s Eleven of the mostly unfavorable – by GHK Lall

July 10, 2019 – 12:26 am

   by GHK Lall –  Demerara Waves – July 8, 2019

I was hoping for a serious list, not necessarily an entirely new list, but one that offered names holding out some hope that the electoral challenges at hand were viewed through a wider lens. I suppose that, now it is on the record, the best will have to be done with it. And if this is the best that came out of the recent government-opposition consultation, then pessimism has to rule. I share what I think of this list of names.  (See list at the end of this article).

There are couple of decent folks in the mix. Literally. From that eleven, there is only one or two of any authentic caliber; and in whom I would place some degree of trust. Trust is the key word demanded, and which has to emerge from what has to be the dirtiest, most thankless, most unforgiving job in the world.          Continue reading →

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My last word on the CCJ today: Guyanese leaders have failed us all – By GHK Lall

June 25, 2019 – 12:56 pm

My last word on the CCJ today: Guyanese leaders want adda people fuh duh de dutty wuk

Posted by: Denis Chabrol in Demerara Waves – June 24, 2019 – By GHK Lall

I am ashamed. I am not sure, nor do I care, how many Guyanese I speak for but I am insulted and embarrassed at some of what came through from the CCJ today. Any self-respecting Guyanese, and I am not certain as to how many are still around, should feel the same way. Did matters really have to come to this humiliating state?

From some of the quotes in the Demerara Waves’ coverage titled, “Caribbean Court gives Granger, Jagdeo more time to find consensus on elections date; GECOM says general elections not possible until after Christmas” (June 24), it is clear that Guyanese leaders, and by extension all of the Guyanese people, have been given a public dressing down. It is one that reeks of impatience, disappointment, condescension, and frustration.  Continue reading →

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Guyana: The current voters list is fundamentally flawed – by James McAllister

April 28, 2019 – 12:07 am

Op-Ed: The current voters list should be scrapped

April 25, 2019 – by James McAllister

It is a fact! The voters’ list in Guyana is bloated by at least 30%. The names of over 180,000 dead, missing or non-existent people are included on the voters’ roll.

Of this number, a minimum of 40,000 are the names of dead people. National Census figures, the House-to-House registration of 2008, and Guyana’s vital statistics published by the Bureau of Statistics are important tools for the attempt to unravel the mystery surrounding this voters’ list.

In 2008, GECOM’s House-to-House registration exercise documented a total of 430,000 persons. The 2012 Census recorded a population of 746,955 of which 61% or 455,640 were 18 years or older. Census figures from 1980, 1991, 2002 and 2012 were used as the data for a regression analysis to forecast the 2019 population as approximately 744,000. Assuming 39% of the estimated 2019 population is below 18, then approximately 453,840 are 18 years and over, and eligible to vote.        Continue reading →

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A comedian as president in Ukraine. Is Guyana overdue? – By GHK Lall

April 26, 2019 – 12:19 am

   – By GHK Lall – April 25, 2019

A comedian has won the race for president in Ukraine. ….. President Zelensky.
No, it is not a laughing matter. If it happened over there, it can happen here, and I am pondering. It has occurred several times already in this hilarious place, and there are some heavy bets placed on history repeating itself. I can imagine a meeting of heads of state between Guyana and Ukraine. It would be Comedy Central; even an evening at the Improv. Bolshoi Theatre, it would be not.

I admit that, at first, I was doubled up with laughter when reading of that result, then something hit me on the head. Being the kind of guy that I am, it had to be a hard hit. Thus, I came to my senses. This comedy business is no joking matter. Consider the following, please.        Continue reading →

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Eusi Kwayana (94)… is a priceless gift to Guyana, the Caribbean and humanity – By David Hinds

April 7, 2019 – 12:06 am

Eusi Kwayana – 2014

OPINION: Demerara Waves – April 6, 2019  – By David Hinds

This past week, one of the architects of our relatively young nation, Eusi Kwayana, celebrated his 94th birthday. Kwayana, by any measure, is a rare human being—a priceless gift to humanity. I use this occasion to remind Guyana that we have given this remarkable gift to ourselves and the world.

As a Caribbean civilization, we are not known for powerful armies, rich economies and high skyscrapers, but our contribution to world civilization has been mostly in the form of what another Caribbean treasure, Rex Nettleford, calls the creative intellect and creative imagination. It says something beyond the ordinary that these former colonial outposts could in the fields of art, sports, political economy and academia produce men and women of the highest caliber who sit and stand among the best of what humanity has produced.    Continue reading →

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Guyana Politics: Bharrat Jagdeo’s decisions have hurt the PPP – By James McAllister

March 28, 2019 – 10:51 pm

The arrogance and hubris of Bharrat Jagdeo are not working for the PPP

Demerara Waves – March 27, 2019 – By James McAllister

After the No-Confidence Motion (NCM), Jagdeo had hoped pressure from his cohorts in the Private Sector Commission (PSC), and at the Stabroek News would have forced the government to resign. If this had happened, Jagdeo would have nullified a significant amount of the incumbency advantage the government enjoys. In addition, he would have forced election within a period when the government was still absorbing the powerful message its supporters sent during the Local Government Elections (LGE). There would have been no time for adjustment or correction.

However, once there was the combination of the government’s move to the court, and the Guyana Elections Commission’s (GECOM) decision to inform the President that elections were not possible before house-to-house registration, he should have adjusted his strategy. Once the issue moved to the courts, impartial observers accepted that the Government was entitled to due process. After all, this was not a case where the PPP won an election and the government was refusing to demit office. This was the case where the dubious vote of a government MP was procured under questionable circumstances.      Continue reading →

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VENEZUELA’S BREATHTAKING AUDACITY – by Ralph Ramkarran – (maps added)

June 16, 2015 – 2:28 am

VENEZUELA’S BREATHTAKING AUDACITY

Venezuelan claims

Venezuelan claims – click to enlarge

Posted on June 13, 2015  – by  – Conversationtree blog

Venezuela’s proclamation of its “Atlantic Coast” on May 27, which includes all of Guyana’s maritime space, having already maintained since 1962 its fictional claim to two-thirds of Guyana’s land territory, is breathtaking in its audacity. Venezuela’s claim violates the Geneva Agreement and international law and threatens the peace, security and stability of the Region.

Oblivious to this fact, the heirs to Hugo Chavez, Venezuela’s late, transformative leader, have damaged the credibility of his legacy. They are attempting to take by force, and at Guyana’s expense, the Atlantic outlet they have always craved and with it Guyana’s newly discovered petroleum resources.   Continue reading →

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E-governance contract: AXE THE DAX – By Ralph Ramkarran

May 6, 2015 – 12:40 am

AXE THE DAX

Posted on May 2, 2015   –  by

Ralph Ramkarran

Ralph Ramkarran

In 1962 the slogan ‘axe the tax’ became well known in then British Guiana. The United Force adopted it in its campaign against a tax on beer in the Kaldor Budget and against the PPP Government. The campaign was the beginning of a successful three-year, multi-national effort, marked by tremendous violence and property damage, to remove the PPP from office.

 The PPP had justice on its side in 1962 but in terms of strategy and public relations, shot itself in the foot. Fifty years later, shooting itself in the foot has become an occupational hazard for the PPP and its Governments.   Continue reading →

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