14
GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, February 8, 2019
Jagdeo shrugs off claims his rhetoric stirring up instability
THE sudden escalation of threats (bombs and otherwise) to educational institutions including the University of Guyana, has raised questions in some quarters about its genesis. This comes as the PPP ratcheted up calls for protest action as it presses for the holding of general elections within 90 days as mandated following the passage of the no-confidence vote in the National Assembly.
Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, asked about a possible connection, brushed aside concerns saying that the “PPP was taking the high moral ground”. The PPP’s general gecretary said that his party was not preaching violence or polarisation, “That is where we will always stand.” Jagdeo further urged support for racial harmony, calling on all to support the Ethnic Relations Commission’s (ERC) website which
purports to support the aforementioned issue. Some have wondered about a possible connection between the opposition’s calls for increased protetsts, reports of shooting threats against a top Georgetown school and subsequent bomb threats made against UG, the latter of which has been closed until further notice. Jagdeo on Tuesday threatened that there would be no business as usual if his
party’s demand for elections by March 19 this year is not met. Jagdeo had made similar threats when President David Granger found his nominees to for the post of chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission ‘not fit and proper.’ Tuesday, on the picket line outside GECOM, he declared that he will be “ratcheting up” his action. While Jagdeo was making his threats, parents of children attending
School of the Nations were outside of the Ministry of Public Security protesting alleged threats made against that institution and over at the University of Guyana, classes were cancelled owing to a bomb threat. In the aftermath of the no-confidence vote, civil society and the diplomatic community have been urging all parties to remain calm and not to provoke the peace, but Jagdeo on Tuesday told supporters at the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre (Red House) that the party would “ratchet up the pressure” against GECOM and the government. Back in 2018, following President Granger’s appointment of Justice James Patterson as the Chairman
of GECOM, Jagdeo had threatened: “If they think they can rig the elections and have the kind of peace that we have now…they are wrong…they are very, very wrong.” He further added, “I hope they are not thinking that in their calculations and it is not coded language.” The former president has been criticised over the years for being intemperate. He had used similar language in March 2015 at a Babu Jaan rally when he told his successor, Donald Ramotar: “The past three years must have been a nightmare to Ramotar…Sometimes we need to administer something else, some kicks up the asses,” the former president had said.
Massive road improvement works for Region 5 this year – REO COMMUNITIES in Region Five (Mahaica/Berbice) will benefit from an unprecedented number of new and upgraded roads this year, Regional Executive Officer Mr. Ovid Morrison said. Morrison said the RDC itself will execute some 21 such road constructions and upgrades at a cost of close to $200M, while the Ministry of Public Infrastructure will construct an additional nine roads – at least two of them are major roads – within the region, and the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) – one major farm-to-market road. A grand total of 31 such infrastructural improvements within the region, he said. The community roads and farm-to-market roads to be done by the Region will be done at an average cost of about 12 million dollars each. The Region last week awarded contracts for 13 of these roads for works ranging from the upgrading of earthen dams in communities, to crusher-run surfaces and construction of new asphaltic surfaces in others. Morrison said that contractors who won the awards are beginning to mobilise for execution. Meanwhile, two of the nine roads to be done in the region by MPI will be major roads. These are the construction of an access road at Trafalgar, West Coast Berbice (WCB) to the tune of $53.6M and the construction of the main access road to the sea dam and side dam at Number 22 Village WCB to be done at a cost of $48.2M. The National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) has already awarded contracts for these two major MPI projects. The road to be done by the NDIA will be an extension of the farm-to-market access road at Onverwagt, WCB at a cost of $80M. This section of the road presented problems for rice farmers during the last rainy season because it had become impassable due to deterioration of the surface. This section measuring 1.8KM is to be upgraded to an asphaltic concrete road from where it currently ends, up to the Mahaica Mahaicony Abary Agricultural Development Authority (MMA/ADA) Irrigation Regulator Number Three (IR 3). A source at the ministry of Agriculture, disclosing this last week, said that funding has been acquired. Bids will be invited from contractors this month and following the opening and evaluation of tenders, a contract will be awarded for work on this section of the road and this will be of immense relief to farmers, rice farmers in particular, the source said. It is intended that construction of this road extension start in April.