Guyana Observer News

The Guyana Medical Council has met with embattled physician Dr. Vishwamintra Persaud, who was convicted in the US for a sexual offence against a minor. Chairman of the Medical Council, Dr. Sheik Amir, confirmed that Persaud met with the Council on Monday, but declined to comment further on the matter. However, Kaieteur News understands that the Council is to write to the physician regarding new information that has come to the members. According to the sources, the Council will request that Dr. Persaud state why he should not be sanctioned. He reportedly has to respond within seven days. Members of both the past and present Council have said that they were unaware of the physician’s conviction in the US. The Council had also said that Dr. Persaud misled its members by submitting an expired certificate of registration and by failing to reveal that his registration had been revoked. He was granted institutional registration, which allowed him to practise at the GPHC. Director of Medical Services Dr. Madan Rambarran had told Kaietuer News that the past Council and GPHC officials knew “up-front” that Dr. Persaud was a convicted sex felon and that his licence had been revoked.

 

Andrew Meredith, the City Treasurer of the Mayor and City Council, sought refuge at the Guyana Revenue Authority’s Licence and Revenue Office (LRO) in Georgetown yesterday after he was confronted by a man who is accusing him of accepting a bribe. Leon Phillips, 24, of 169 D’Aguiar’s Park, East Bank Demerara, alleged that Meredith took $80,000 from him as an inducement to make a final payment on the purchase of a low bed and hauler. The police were summoned and they escorted Meredith out of the GRA premises. They had come from the Brickdam Station. Phillips, who is a debt collector, told Kaieteur News that RRT Enterprise had sold a hauler and low bed trailer to M&CC for $10M. He stated that the first payment of $6 M was made by the M&CC on March 16. Another payment of $2M was made on April 23. The remainder was outstanding. Meredith said that there was a delay on paying the remainder because money was not available and because RRT did not provide City Hall with the documents to the hauler and low bed. He said that at the instigation of the City Engineer, he paid a further one million dollars on October 12, by declining to pay NIS contributions and PAYE.

Woman (Tiffiney Jackman) badly beaten back in September of this year by her Jealous child-father, is still seeking justice. No help from the police and women groups in Guyana, we wonder why?

By Freddie Kissoon

I was watching a Harrison Ford movie on illegal migration into the US the other night and after I pulled out the disc from the DVD player, I saw on television, President Bharrat Jagdeo addressing the guests at the lightening up ceremony of the Christmas tree at Houston. I was glad I saw it because his delivery wasn’t featured in the private print media (I do not read the Chronicle and honestly don’t know the last day I set eyes on a copy of the Guyana Times; really a waste of a very good newspaper press) I heard Mr. Jagdeo describe Guyana as the only country that saw high growth last year in both the Caribbean and South American regions. That is not true. That is egregiously incorrect. Quite a number of economies in Latin America experienced high growth rates in 2009 with Brazil way at the top.

Cleveland Thomas, a Christianburg head teacher who refused to promote low achievers in his secondary school was summoned to appear before the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) yesterday sparking protests by parents who support his stand. Following yesterday’s meeting in Georgetown, the TSC is to write to him setting out its position on the matter. “Sir Thomas is saying that, I will take a stand and whatever the consequences I will pay the consequences.” That was the emphatic statement made by Thomas, head teacher of the Christianburg Wismar Secondary School as he took a stand against the Ministry of Education’s `No child left behind’ policy. The summoning of Thomas to appear before the TSC was passed on to the Parent-Teachers Association of the school and its members decided that they would show their support for his stand.

- Accuses Govt. officials of racism

The Ministry of Labour yesterday morning attracted some of the sacked Rusal workers, their friends and union leaders, each with placards in hands held high, depicting their disgust and anger with the way Government has responded to their pleas for help as it relates to their labour dispute with the Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc. (BGCI), (RUSAL). Approximately one year ago, BCGI issued suspension and dismissal letters to a majority of their workers who were involved in a strike. In the end, 57 of these were dismissed. The bauxite company had also notified the Labour Ministry that it had erratically terminated the Collective Labour Agreement (CLA) that it had signed previously, and in simple words, would no longer honour that agreement.