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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday July 18, 2016
Give more to Fallen Heroes Foundation –– Ramjattan urges private sector
AS several officers and officials gathered to pay homage to police officers who died in action, an appealed was made to the private sector to increase its support to the Fallen Heroes Foundation (FHF). The gathering on Sunday at the Police Monument site, Eve Leary, laid wreaths as they remembered the fallen heroes who had loyally served the Guyana Police Force (GPF). This year 64 officers are being remembered officially but the Force is also paying
homage to those who died on the job. According to the Guyana Police Force, since 1913, these 64 policemen would have been those killed in the firing line. Last year, the Force remembered 62 ranks. The two new ranks added to the list this year are Antonio Dawson who was stabbed while apprehending a suspect at Gafoors Complex at Houston and Leonard La Rose who was also stabbed while arresting a suspect who was wanted for rape at Mathews Ridge.
At the remembrance event, Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud announced that the FHF has amassed $2.7 million from each divisional commander so far. This is apart from the donations of Government officials and members of the business community. The money, he said, will go towards helping with the education and welfare of the children of the fallen heroes. “The suffering of the spouses and children of these men and women who were killed in the line of duty
Minister Ramjattan laying a wreath in memory of the heroes who fell in action
Members of the Guyana Police Force stand at attention during the remembrance ceremony on Sunday
often times go unnoticed, therefore I assure you all that there will be greater economic support to these families,” the Police Commissioner stated. Meanwhile, he declared that it is time Guyana observed a National Day for its fallen heroes. And Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan in supporting the call, pledged the Guyana Government’s continuing support to the Foundation and praised the Police Commissioner for the initiative that led to implementation of
the Foundation idea. However, even as the Foundation continues to amass funds for the surviving family members, Ramjattan called on the private sector to put more cash into the initiative. “This is a larger call from beyond here to the business community and to members of the society generally that, yes, you ought to come forward to help and support so that the comfort levels of the families of the deceased are going to be lifted,” he said.
Telecoms Bill for National Assembly... From page 2 “Net Neutrality.” Since 2011, Digicel has decried GT&T’s 20-plus year’s monopolistic control of the sector, which the company said has not been in the interest of the Guyanese people. More recently, in May of this year, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Digicel, Kevin Kelly, said GTT had held the nation back for over 20 years. In one of its published handbooks on Net Neutrality, ‘What is the best approach for the Caribbean?’ which is available online, Digicel argues that developing any strategy in respect of “Net Neutrality” can only be done when policy-makers and regulators have a clear policy framework and policy goals to test whether any proposed approach is actually fit for the purpose and deliver the maximum overall benefits to the various stakeholders based on the actual conditions in their local market. Some of the policy questions that Digicel believes need to be clarified before a “Net Neutrality” approach can be developed and decided on include: do we want to maximise broadband connectivity?; do we want to maximise Internet usage?; the extent to which inclusiveness is a goal; do we want to encourage network investment?; do we believe that the commercial benefits of the converged Internet should be concentrated or distributed?; and the extent to which different services and service providers (both traditional and converged) need or should
be protected. The handbook goes on to state that “Net Neutrality” discussions in the U.S., the EU and elsewhere have been high-profile and there might appear to be an urgency for regulators and policy makers in other regions to do something or risk being left behind. However, the Irish-based company argues that this isn’t the case. Digicel reasons that the fact that there is such debate going on, even in economies that have been considering this for some time is an indication that the matter is far from straightforward and that no one has started to gain an advantage. MUCH TO GAIN “In fact, the Caribbean region has much to gain by adopting a more considered approach, as there is time to see where the various debates lead and to analyse the specific policy goals and challenges Caribbean markets face,” the handbook said. The handbook also pointed out that any intervention will have long-term effects. The extra time taken now to craft the best possible approach will be repaid many times over compared to a sooner but less appropriate (and perhaps even damaging) decision. As such, Digicel contended that for developing countries, any disincentives to operator investment would have serious consequences. The company also referenced a recent article in Forbes magazine,
which noted that “If Net Neutrality is bad policy in a developed economy, it is nothing less than outrageous in a developing one, which has yet incipient networks and a lot of rural areas to be covered. Net Neutrality rules obliterate the incentives to innovate and expand networks.” However, when contacted for a comment on whether the company has reservations with the term net neutrality being included in the bill, Digicel’s CEO Kevin Kelly did not respond to questions put to him through the company’s Public Relations Officer. On the other hand, GTT sought to reaffirm its commitment to serving the people of Guyana, when quizzed on its ability to provide high-quality services to compete with potential service providers. Asked whether GTT has reservations regarding aspects of the bill, the company responded, “GTT is reviewing the bill and awaiting an opportunity to engage in contractual negotiations. GTT is very supportive of liberalisation and is excited to bring new and exciting services to Guyana.” GTT also said that it will continue to position itself to be a winner in the market as they look forward to seeing a level playing field and ensuring that the rule of law is respected. When asked specifically if the company is pleased with the bill in its current form, the service provider responded, “We are eager to engage GoG [Government of Guyana] on liberalisation.” Just recently, customers were com-
plaining that Digicel had blocked GTT’s Mobile Money Guyana service from running on their network, and at one time, blocked the Mobile Application from running. Subsequently, GTT reportedly censored a website by redirecting traffic (users) who were trying to access http:// digicelgroup.com to GTT’s website. According to one Information Technology (IT) expert, this move sets a dangerous precedent, since it has the potential to muzzle anyone who disagrees with the company. “Hopefully, the Government doesn’t condone this behaviour as that would tell me much about them,” he said. Meanwhile, Minister Hughes said that she was unaware of additional concerns outside the net neutrality issue, if there were indeed any, given the fact that she was not part of the Special Select Committee. The minister said though that she is confident that the bill is one which is designed to benefit all of Guyana. “I am confident that the bill will be good for the telecommunications sector in Guyana. Digicel and GTT will have issues with aspects of the bill, but we think that there were enough consultations and everything that was said and proposed were taken into consideration at the level of the select committee. We have a bill that [is] going to benefit all of Guyana, not just one company or one stakeholder,” she said.