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Taxi driver sentenced to three years for possession of narcotics Jun 26, 2024 Court Stories, Features / Columnists, News Kaieteur News – A 27-year-old taxi driver from Heathburn Village, East Bank Berbice (EBB) was sentenced on Monday to three years in prison for Possession of Narcotics for the purpose of trafficking. Hardat Chan The taxi driver, Hardat Chan was apprehended on Sunday and subsequently charged. The narcotics found in Chan’s possession amounted to 235 grams when weighed. Chan appeared at the New Amsterdam Magistrates’ Court before Her Worship Magistrate Tuanna Hardy, where the charge was read to him. He pleaded not guilty to the charge and was sentenced. Related Similar Articles

UG signs agreement for Maoka Taawa University of the Forests Campus Jun 26, 2024 News Representatives from the University of Guyana, South Rupununi District Council and the Aishalton Village Kaieteur News – The University of Guyana along with the South Rupununi District Council and the Aishalton Village Council recently signed an agreement to establish the Maoka Taawa University of Forests Campus. This momentous agreement was signed in Aishalton, marking a major milestone for the indigenous communities in the South Rupununi. Seven of nine village Toshao leaders, alongside high-level officials from the 21 villages of the South Rupununi District, and representatives from the University of Guyana’s Turkeyen campus, gathered to witness the signing of a historic agreement. The campus, situated near the Brazilian border, will be located in close proximity to the 21 communities of South Rupununi, as well as other nearby indigenous communities. The campus will cater to the 21 communities of South Rupununi, located closer to the Brazilian border, as well as other indigenous communities nearby. According to a statement from the University of Guyana, the Maoka Taawa University of Forests will cater to a population of over 11,000 individuals across the 21 villages. Notably, the goal is to provide higher education and training opportunities within their territory, reducing the need for students to leave for extended periods. Despite producing over 600 secondary school graduates annually, the South region of Guyana sees less than 5% of these graduates pursing higher education. Those who do often have to leave their communities for extended periods or do not return. The geographic location and other social conditions have presented a challenge to higher education and training until now. The efforts to establish the campus were driven by a delegation of five Toshao leaders who approached the University of Guyana with their idea. Vice-Chancellor Professor Paloma Mohamed Martin played a supportive role, and the negotiations resulted in fruitful collaboration. Additionally, the university will offer courses tailored to the specific needs and interests of the residents. Several disciplines have been prioritized, including education, agriculture, environmental sciences, sustainable tourism, medical sciences, sustainable engineering, construction and infrastructure, business, indigenous knowledge, entrepreneurship, and accounting. Toshao of Aishalton, Timothy Williams said, “Energy and Focus over the past year was to help make this happen along with other key persons. Education is what we have yearned for; we know it’s the key to everything. This is a historic and proud moment for us”. Related Similar Articles

Ganja found in plant bucket at Mahdia Jun 26, 2024 News The 610 grams of marijuana that was found Kaieteur News – The Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Sunday found 610 grams of cannabis hidden in a plant bucket at the Mahdia Arcade, Region Eight during a raid. Police said that several persons and stalls were searched during the exercise. It was during the search that ranks found several plastic bags containing suspected cannabis in a plant bucket between two plastic chairs and hidden under a black tank with construction plastic. Following the discovery, the suspected cannabis was photographed and taken to the Mahdia Police Station, and weighed. Investigations are ongoing. Related Similar Articles

Govt. does not have citizens’ best interest at heart – Red Threat Activists Jun 26, 2024 News …lament Exxon’s tax-free ride, high cost of living Kaieteur News – The rising cost of living and a willingness by the Government of Guyana to allow ExxonMobil Guyana Limited to operate tax free shows that the government does not have the citizens’ best interest at heart, Civil society activists said on Tuesday. Wintress White and Norma Adrian, members of women’s rights organization, Red Thread, on Tuesday morning joined Charles Sugrim of Oil & Gas Governance Network (OGGN) as guests on the radio programme Oil Talk with OGGN Guyana with the episode being titled “Exxon cashing in —poor people suffering”. They spoke at length about the disparities between the prosperity being experienced by ExxonMobil and its partners, and the suffering of the Guyanese people at a time when the cost of living is consistently on the rise, with no increased purchasing power. During the course of the discussion, White stated that she believes that the government of Guyana holds its people in contempt, due to the discrepancies between their treatment of the oil companies that have been operating on and off of shore, and the very people that should be benefitting the most from those operations —the Guyanese people. “I think there is a contempt for the people of Guyana by the government. How could you ask poor people to pay taxes and you are exempting ExxonMobil and its partners from paying so much money in tax, what is it you’re saying to us? What is it you’re telling us, when you’re using our tax money, our hard-earned tax money to build roads, to expand airport and to use on other things and Exxon and their partners have those facilities to use and they’re not paying a cent? When the road breaks up, we still have to fix it; and they’re not paying a cent,” she said. Guyanese currently pay a 14 percent Value Added Tax (VAT) on specific goods and services, while Exxon and its sub-contractors, as outlined under the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA), are completely exempted from paying taxes. “In Guyana, we have seen the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer and contempt for poor people. In Guyana, if you work over time, they take out pay as you work. If your family sends a barrel for you, you got to pay tax on that barrel, they open it and they tax you. In Guyana, if you buy a washing machine, they charge you VAT and if you buy a bed, they charge you VAT too. So we, the poor people are heavily taxed,” White said. Further, the Red Thread representative questioned: “How could you ask us to pay and you not asking them? Them is nah poor people, they don’t have to scrape, they don’t have to worry about doing mathematics… They don’t have to worry because their bank book in the billion line, we own in the thousand line.” Similarly, Adrian lamented the sharp, repeated increases of the cost of living in Guyana, listing several food items that have seen an increase in price in recent times. “No matter how we planting the greens right in Guyana here, everything is expensive. Imagine, mango is in season right now, and [you only get] six ripe mangoes for five hundred dollars and that grows in Guyana,” the activist said. Meanwhile, host Charles Sugrim questioned how the tax waiver Exxon received could have benefitted Guyanese families. “If we were to take the tax for last year that was waived —not collected—, every family of four would have received GYD $1.4 million last year. What would an extra $1.4 million do for a family of four in Guyana?” he asked. Both White and Adrian acknowledged that such an amount would be a good start but maintained that approximately GYD $116,000 a month would still not be enough when factoring in the ever-increasing living costs like housing and transportation. Related Similar Articles

President Ali announces honey production project for Santa Mission Jun 26, 2024 News President Irfaan Ali DPI – The village of Santa Mission (Santa Aratak) situated in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), is poised for significant development, especially in the agriculture sector with President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali announcing a new honey production project in the community. The president was conducting an outreach to the Amerindian community on Tuesday. President Ali said the local honey production project will benefit from the support of the government. The head of state’s vision for the village is to produce high-quality, well-packaged honey that would appeal to tourists. “I want to see the best-packaged honey available here so when the tourists [visit] all of them can go back with two bottles of honey,” he said. To kickstart the project, the president announced the establishment of a local committee and the provision of 25 beehives. The government will also offer training and safety equipment to ensure successful honey production. “You didn’t ask for this. We brought this because we know what your needs are in expanding agriculture in this community,” The head of state underscored. He distributed various agricultural equipment and plants to enhance production and promote self-sufficiency. The coconut plants the community received on Tuesday The items handed over included fifty bags of fertiliser, 50 bags of limestone, 500 coconut plants, 200 citrus plants, two chainsaws, two brush cutters, a fogging machine, a knackpack, as well as cutlasses, shovels, rakes, hoes, insecticides, and acoushi ant bait. “In three years… between the 500 coconut trees that we will plant and the more than 200 citrus plants that we will plant, I want to see eco-lodges. “I don’t want to see in the next three years, boat coming in with frozen chicken, I don’t want to see eggs coming in. I want to see chicken, going out, citrus going out, dry coconut going out,” President Ali told the residents. Meanwhile, President Ali also pledged government engagement with the forestry sector to explore avenues of assistance for residents. Logging is one of the main economic activities in the village. To further support the community, he announced the acquisition of a new 40-horsepower engine and a boat for the community’s use. “I told the Toshao, let the boat right here and we are going to get the engine because we want to get this done as soon as possible,” he said. Additionally, a new well will be drilled to the tune of $19 million. The project, expected to commence next week, aims to enhance water access in the community. “Not only that, I have asked GWI to come into the communities and work with the community on extending the water supply to give the pipe network and they are going to spend $10 million to extend the pipe network in the community,” he further revealed. Over the past four years, the PPP/C Government has invested millions of dollars in Santa Aratak Village. The community received $5 million through the ‘Because We Care’ cash grant for children. This equates to an investment of $125,000 per child over the years. Addressing educational needs, the government responded to concerns about parents being asked to provide funds for learning aids by directly allocating $924,000 to schools in the last two years. The government also allocated $17 million towards constructing sanitary facilities, maintaining teachers’ quarters, and undertaking essential repairs at the primary school. Some $9.5 million has been earmarked for ongoing maintenance and rehabilitation at Santa Mission Primary School in 2024. Furthermore, residents benefitted from the installation of 75 solar home systems, equipped with a 3-kilowatt solar PV system and batteries at a cost of $4.4 million each. The village also benefitted from $18 million under the Carbon Credit Fund initiative. In total, the government has disbursed over $36 million in old-age pension to pensioners, and $1,585,000 in old-age pension grants. Nearly $10 million in public assistance was also disbursed to vulnerable persons, while $3.4 million was for individuals with disabilities. Related Similar Articles

Georgetown Magistrates’ Court hosts first Open Day Jun 26, 2024 News Attendees at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court Open Day Kaieteur News – The Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday held its first ‘Open Day’ at its Avenue of the Republic building. The event aimed to connect with the public and stakeholders and offered an opportunity to interact with various court representatives, including the Chancellor of the Judiciary and several Magistrates. Chancellor of the Judiciary Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards expressed her appreciation for the initiative, “It gives me a great pleasure to be associated with the initiative that has been planned and executed solely by Chief magistrates, Principal Magistrate, Senior Magistrates… in executing our first ever open day.” The event drew a large crowd and had several goals, including encouraging the public to access justice, understand the court process, and strengthening community relations between the court and the public. Activities included guided tours, live court proceedings, interactive sessions, educational presentations, and questions and answers survey. Senior Magistrate Clive Nurse remarked on the importance of the event, “We believe that this will assist members of the public and stakeholders to have a better appreciation and understanding of what the court does and the way it does it.” Senior Magistrate Nurse also provided detailed information about the Court and future plans for the district. He mentioned that Georgetown is one of ten Magisterial Districts in Guyana, with others being in East and West Demerara and, Corentyne, Berbice, West Berbice, Essequibo, North West, Rupununi, and the Upper Demerara River. He also announced that there would a new magisterial district which will be created soon on the East Bank Demerara. Further, Magistrate Nurse disclosed that there are 52 magistrates in the country and efforts are being made to have courts established at Friendship, Timehri, and La Parfaite Harmonie. New buildings will be dedicated to court at Port Kaituma and Mabaruma. Meanwhile, attendees also had the opportunity to learn about different court services offered, including the children’s court, drug treatment and counselling. They were able to see the layout of the court and understand the roles of everyone involved, including the persons handling criminal cases, civil disputes, domestic violence issues, and cases involving children. A student of the University of Guyana told Kaieteur News that the event “was good and informative because I was not aware that the Magistrate court offers so many services especially to juvenile offenders.” Related Similar Articles

A bargain means a great deal dese days Jun 26, 2024 Dem Boys Seh, Features / Columnists, News Kaieteur News – Yuh ever tried getting a discount from certain stores in Guyana. You could beg from now to never and these stores would never budge. In fact, some of dem have items that they do not need but they would rather it remain there than sell it. They never heard about the word discount. It does not exist in their vocabulary. But who can give then wrong? Nowadays, the trend is for people, when buying an item, to demand a discount. But smarter de population wiser de businesses. They does increase the prices and when you ask for a discount, they does bring it down to the price they originally had in mind to make you feel nice. Nowadays, when people hear about sale, they lining up since midnight to cash-in on the bargains. And when the stores open their doors during a sale, a stampede takes place. A bargain today is rarer than a 50-carat diamond. As one man said, “A bargain is something you don’t need at a price you can’t resist. Finding a bargain in Guyana is like finding a parking space in downtown Georgetown during peak hours. It reminded dem boys about the de story of a man who was late for a meeting and could not find a parking space. He kept circling the block but could not find somewhere to park. Desperate he looked to the heavens and said, “Lord take pity on me. If you find me a parking place, I will stop womanizing and stop drinking alcohol for the rest of my life!” Miraculously, a parking place appeared. The man looked up to the heavens again and said, “Never mind, I found one.”  Talk half. Leff half. Related Similar Articles