During their first few months of life, young fish are called ‘fry’; most do not survive to adulthood. The idiom, ‘small fry’, has been used to refer to children and people of low status since the 14th century in England and is perhaps derived from the ‘fry’ of fish. Artisanal fishers in Guyana are treated…
The claim by the National Toshaos Council (NTC ) that it is the ‘sole, legal and legitimate’ body that represents the interests of Amerindians in Guyana (Department of Public Affairs, ‘NTC affirms its position as legitimate representative body of Amerindians’, 24 November 2023) has no legal basis. This claim is an unreasonable/erroneous extrapolation of the…
You extracted from a press release by the Office of the Vice President in your article ‘APA withdraws from Carbon Credits appeal process’ (SN October 30, 2023). The Vice President’s Office is yet again misleading the people of Guyana by implying that the National Toshaos Council (NTC) has authority to surrender control to the Guyana…
I am glad to read that Toshao Orin Fernandes of Chinese Landing Amerindian Village has asked the National Toshaos’ Council (NTC) for a slot at the opening of the NTC’s conference on Monday 28 August to talk about the continuing illegal mining on Chinese Landing’s titled Village Lands. It has been over a month since…
These four posters focus on Bangamary (scientific name Macrodon ancylodon, also known as King Weakfish in neighbouring Suriname), the most affordable fish in Guyanese coastal markets and available throughout the year. The posters are part of the public dissemination of research findings supported by a Canadian Government SSHRC Insight grant (2022-2024) awarded to Dr Janette…
International measures of economic growth – usually expressed as Gross Domestic Product – add the tremendous growth in the enclave economy of ExxonMobil and co-venturers to the small locally-controlled business achievements. The official GDP figures contrast with the 48 per cent of the population living below the World Bank’s estimate of the poverty line. The…
MARAD Notice to Mariners number 114 dated July 31 2023 was published through the Department of Public Information on 03 August. The Notice covers the arrival and deployment of another of Jan De Nul’s dredgers. Jan De Nul is the 15 percent shareholder in the VEHSI shore base alongside the 85 percent shareholding of NRG…
A priest once said with reference to a local bigwig in Guyana, an impoverished country perched on the northern shoulder of South America: “first you get on, then you get honest.” That is, you need to acquire wealth before you can be philanthropic. Little of that culture of philanthropy appears to have survived among the…
Your editorial ‘IACHR resolution’ on 30 July 2023 summarises the resolution about the dreadful long-running case of illegal mining at Chinese Landing. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights had previously addressed the complaint about similar problems at Isseneru. The two documents are well worth reading for the careful histories of events, and summaries of the very dubious…
I am not clear on what grounds the General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party was speaking on 27 July 2023 about issues which are proper to the mandates of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs and Ministry of Legal Affairs, as well as agencies EPA, GGMC and GLSC. I…
