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GUY TV9, Demerara (2025)

23/07/2025

Demerara Bank Severs Ties With WIN Candidates Amid Sanctions Fallout

Two candidates representing the WIN (We Invest in Nationhood) party have received formal notice from Demerara Bank Limited that their personal bank accounts will be closed, deepening concerns over the ripple effects of U.S. sanctions on party leader Azruddin Mohamed.

Natasha Singh-Lewis, a long-time customer and candidate on the WIN list, confirmed during WIN press conference on Tuesday that Demerara Bank has issued her a letter stating that her account will be closed by July 25. She says the bank cited “internal policies and banking requirements,” without providing further explanation.

“I have had an account with Demerara Bank for over 15 years. I’ve never had any financial dealings with Mr. Mohamed or his companies,” Singh-Lewis said. She noted that she has retained legal counsel and is reviewing her options.

Another WIN candidate, Duarte Hetsberger, has also been notified of the same closure timeline and reasoning. Neither candidate has been officially accused of wrongdoing.

WIN spokesperson Odessa Primus confirmed that “a number” of the party’s candidates have been affected, calling the move “deeply troubling.”

“These actions appear to be based solely on association—without evidence, due process, or clear legal basis. It sets a dangerous precedent,” Primus said.

She emphasized that most WIN candidates have no financial ties to Azruddin Mohamed, who was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2024 for alleged gold smuggling and corruption. The sanctions led to the freezing of assets and the closure of accounts linked to Mohamed and his immediate business network.

While Demerara Bank has not issued a public statement, legal analysts say the closures may stem from increased compliance scrutiny, with financial institutions erring on the side of caution when customers are politically linked to sanctioned individuals.

Guyana’s financial institutions are bound by both local and international anti-money laundering (AML) standards, which may include cutting ties with high-risk clients to avoid exposure.

It remains unclear whether the Bank of Guyana or any regulatory agency will investigate the matter. WIN officials say they are considering legal options and may take the issue to court if necessary.

23/07/2025

C.N. Sharma Endorses President Irfaan Ali for Second Term

Veteran broadcaster and founder of the Justice For All Party (JFAP), Chandranarine (C.N.) Sharma, along with his wife Savitree Sharma, has formally endorsed President Dr. Irfaan Ali and the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) for a second term in government.

The endorsement marks a significant moment in Guyana’s political landscape, as Sharma, once a vocal critic of the PPP/C during his active years as a talk show host and opposition politician, now says he has seen a transformation in the party under President Ali’s leadership.

“I see change within the party. Irfaan Ali shows he cares for all the Guyanese people of all races, equally. Well done Irfaan!” Sharma declared in his public statement.

Citing a "genuine concern for the voiceless people of Guyana," Sharma noted that he believes the country is progressing under President Ali, and he is optimistic about a "bright future for all Guyanese."

The Sharmas’ alignment with the PPP/C dates back to the 2020 general elections, when the JFAP broke away from the APNU coalition and conceded victory to the PPP/C, calling for the swift swearing-in of President Ali. Sharma reflected on that shift:

“I was once a loud voice against the government. I have no apologies for keeping them in line; but unity and support are necessary for progress to continue for the good of all Guyanese.”

The endorsement adds to a growing list of cross-party and civil society figures backing President Ali ahead of the September 1 elections

23/07/2025

𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐬

In a significant step toward strengthening support services for men and young people, the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security officially opened its first-ever BRAVE Centre in Region Three on Tuesday.

This new centre, located in the West Central Mall in Leonora, is poised to be a safe and supportive space where men and youths can access vital services, express themselves freely, and receive guidance without judgment.

The space is a collaboration between the Ministry and the Essequibo Islands-West Demerara Chamber of Commerce and Industry. To solidify this partnership, both parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during the opening ceremony, outlining mutual responsibilities and agreeing to waive the rental fee for the centre’s operations during its first year.

The centre will operate under the Ministry’s Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Policy Unit (SO&DPVU) and Family Enhancement Services Section (FESS), offering a range of services tailored to support men and youths with emotional healing, personal development, and accountability.

While delivering the feature address, Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Hon. Dr. Vindhya Persaud, said that the centre’s main purpose is to positively impact lives without labeling anyone.

“𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞’𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬,“ the Minister said.

She stressed the importance of investing in the nation’s youth, especially in areas like mental and emotional well-being.

“𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐦 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡. 𝐖𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰’𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞; 𝐰𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐰. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡, 𝐰𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬, 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲,” Minister Persaud stated.

To date, the Ministry has established three youth hubs across the country, providing safe, supportive spaces where young people can freely express themselves and access the help they need. Ten such hubs will be opened this year.

Additionally, shifting her focus to men, the Minister clarified that the BRAVE Centre is not about stereotyping, but about creating a space where men are heard and supported.

It is going to be one of the transformational centres to help men in areas of conflict resolution, prevention of violence against women, fatherhood and responsibility, anger management, mental health, peer-to-peer support, healthier relationships, and behavioral change.

“𝐖𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐮𝐬. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬,” Minister Persaud pointed out.

The opening of the BRAVE Centre follows the recent launch of the Ministry’s men’s policy, called “Bridging the Gap”, aimed at engaging more men and boys in the national conversation around gender-based violence and promoting preventative approaches to healing and change.

Minister Persaud also expressed deep appreciation to the Chamber of Commerce for their support, describing the partnership as instrumental in making the initiative possible.

Among those in attendance were Regional Vice Chairman, Omesh Satyanand, and Managing Director of the mall and the Chamber’s President, Bhabita Albert. They both made presentations expressing the timeliness of the initiative and their support.

22/07/2025

CARICOM, PAHO Launch 2025–2029 Subregional Strategy to Strengthen Caribbean Health Systems

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) today marked a bold step forward in regional health cooperation with the official signing of the Joint PAHO-WHO-CARICOM Subregional Cooperation Strategy 2025–2029 (JSCS). The signing ceremony, held at the CARICOM Secretariat Headquarters, brought together leaders and health officials from across the region in a shared commitment to reimagine the future of health and well-being in the Caribbean.

The documents were formally signed by PAHO Director, Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, and CARICOM Secretary-General, Dr. Carla Barnett, in the presence of Honourable Dr. Frank Anthony, Minister of Health; Dr. Lisa Indar, Executive Director of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA); and other senior officials and stakeholders.

The JSCS serves as a transformative five-year blueprint designed to address persistent and emerging health challenges, including non-communicable diseases, climate vulnerability, demographic shifts, health workforce migration, and mental health crises. It builds on the foundation of previous frameworks such as Caribbean Cooperation in Health IV, the PAHO Strategic Plan, the CARICOM Strategic Plan 2022–2030, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“The strategy is grounded in equity, resilience, and action,” stated Honourable Dr. Frank Anthony, Minister of Health, during his remarks at the signing ceremony.

He underscored the need for the region to move beyond traditional approaches, stressing, “We must act boldly, think creatively, and collaborate deeply to address the evolving health challenges facing the Caribbean.”

Dr. Anthony further affirmed the fundamental principle guiding the strategy: “Health is not just a service, it is a human right. In the Caribbean, that right must not be determined by geography, income, or age.”

The five strategic priorities that chart the path forward in the JSCS are:
- Enhancing resilience of Primary Health Care- based health systems
- Advancing climate adaptation, mitigation, disaster preparedness and response to enhance environmental sustainability, and health security
- Strengthen multisectoral action towards the surveillance, prevention and control of NCDs, violence, injuries, mental health conditions and their risk factors
- Advancing the prevention, control and elimination of priority communicable diseases through subregional coordination with One Health Approach.
- Enhancing Technical Cooperation through Partnership, Resource Mobilisation and Advocacy.

The Minister concluded his remarks by highlighting that the strategy calls for enhanced collaboration among CARICOM, PAHO, CARPHA, the University of the West Indies (UWI), and other regional institutions. He emphasised that this collective effort is essential to fostering innovation, strengthening human capital, and advancing digital and community resilience across the Caribbean.

22/07/2025

General Secretary of the Peoples Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) Dr Bharrat Jagdeo on Sunday outlined a blueprint for massive infrastructural development in Region Six over the next five years once the party is returned to office.

22/07/2025

A young lawyer, Eden Corbin, believes that the vote is something that should not be taken for granted. In some countries he said that people do not have access to this democratic process. Adam Harris Reports...

22/07/2025

Opposition presidential candidate Aubrey Norton has dismissed the fanfare surrounding Azruddin Mohamed and his WIN party’s Nomination Day turnout, claiming it was more about financial incentives than genuine political support.

22/07/2025

President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali has announced the establishment of a US$200 million fund aimed at providing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with improved access to capital and essential financial services. More in this report...

22/07/2025

The Guyana Police Force is without key regulatory bodies. Two retired officers say that the absence of these bodies have relegated the police to an entity that has gone out of control. Adam Harris has this story...

22/07/2025

President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali has unveiled a sweeping development agenda for Region One, promising major investments across key sectors including healthcare, infrastructure, land ownership, and employment. More in this report

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