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ONLINE DAILY NEWSPAPER

Capitol riot exposed flaws of Trump DHS: Inexperienced staff, immigration obsession… ExPg2 officials say.

Pg7

Amna Ally admitted to GPHC ICU Pg5

Attorney

Llewellyn John passes on at 96

Monday January 18, 2021

Foreign Minister, UNDP Resident Representative Laud Successful Leadership of G77 and China Pg7

Pg4

Edghill promises completion of SheriffMandela project

by August 2021

Tucville, Georgetown, Guyana, Tel: 592-623-9971

Guyana Post, Monday January 18, 2021

Capitol riot exposed flaws of Trump DHS: Inexperienced staff, immigration obsession… Ex-officials say.

As authorities are still trying to figure out what security failures led to the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol, former Department of Homeland Security officials spanning the Bush, Obama and Trump administrations have a theory.

They say the Capitol riot exposed the shortcomings of an agency with an inexperienced staff and a misplaced focus on immigration instead of the rise of domestic threats over the past four years.

“There is a lack of experience across the board. You could be

the smartest kid in the world, but at some point, experience matters,” a former senior Trump administration official said.

So far, authorities have arrested more than 50 suspected members of the pro-Trump mob on federal charges and FBI offices across the country are searching for more.

One of the suspects, Lonnie Coffman, is accused of driving a pickup truck filled with Molotov cocktails and other deadly weapons to the nation’s capital.

The 70-year-old

Alabama man with no criminal history or known extremist ties represents the worst nightmare for law enforcement, experts say - an apparent lone wolf who operated completely under the radar.

“These are the people who keep law enforcement up at night,” said Clint Van Zandt, a former FBI criminal profiler and an NBC News analyst.

Meanwhile, the stakes are high for Biden’s inaugural address. Here’s what to expect: As President-elect Biden prepares to take office facing more crises

than any other President in modern American history, the stakes for his inaugural address couldn’t be higher.

We can expect the speech to emphasize familiar themes from his campaign: unity, healing and a vision for the many crises the country faces, said a senior advisor.

Rev. Silvester Beaman, the Delaware pastor and old friend of the former Vice- President, who will be delivering the inauguration benediction But the actual transition

will be unlike previous inauguration days: the Trumps and the Bidens are not expected to interact before Biden is sworn in.

President Donald Trump has already said he has opted not to attend

his successor’s ceremony.

Instead, he is expected to leave the White House for the last time as President Wednesday morning and head to his private club Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla.

Transition documents suggest Biden plans Day 1 order rescinding Keystone XL permit

By James McCarten - The Canadian Press

WASHINGTON - One of Joe Biden’s first actions, once he becomes U.S. President, Wednesday will be to slam the door yet again on Canada’s politically fraught Keystone XL pipeline expansion, transition documents suggest.

The documents, seen by The Canadian Press, feature a to-do list for inauguration day that includes signing an executive order to rescind the Keystone XL construction permit granted in 2019 by predecessor Donald Trump.

They also suggest that despite its best efforts, Canada has failed to convince the incoming administration of the virtues of importing fossil-fuel energy from a friendly ally and trading partner with similar climate change goals.

“Roll back Trump enviro actions via EO (including rescind Keystone XL pipeline

permit),” the document reads.

O t h e r

entries under the “Climate” heading include, “Rejoin the Paris Agreement” and “Announce date for U.S.hosted Leaders’ Climate Summit.”

Campaign officials promised in May that if elected, Biden would cancel the $8-billion US cross-border project, but

additional barrels a day of diluted bitumen from Alberta’s oil sands to refineries along the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Government officials quietly refused to rule out the possibility that there might still be time to change the Biden administration’s mind.

neither the timeline nor t h e extent of Biden’s own commitment to the promise was clear until now.

The controversial, onagain, off-again pipeline expansion, owned by Calgary-based TC Energy, would ferry up to 830,000

Kirsten Hillman, Canada’s ambassador to the U.S., has argued for months that the project is not the same one President Barack Obama rejected in 2015 - an argument she reiterated in a statement Sunday.

“Not only has the project itself changed significantly since it was first proposed, but Canada’s oil sands production has also changed significantly,” Hillman said.

“Per-barrel oil sands (greenhouse gas) emissions have dropped 31 per cent since 2000, and

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innovation will continue to drive progress.”

The federal Liberal government has also beefed up its climate plan in an effort to exceed the current target for cutting greenhouse gases by 2030, and to reach netzero emissions by 2050, she added.

Ever since May, Canadian officials have been advocating for a cross-border discussion on climate and energy that would make room for both building the project and reducing emissions at the same time.

“Keystone XL fits within Canada’s climate plan,” Hillman said, adding that it promises good union jobs in both countries “at a time when our economic recovery is a top priority.”

“Underpinned by a crucial and long-standing trade and security partnership, there is no better partner for the U.S. on climate action than Canada as we

work together for green transition.”

Where Ottawa was clinging to hope, however, Alberta appeared to be girding for a fight. “We renew our call on the incoming administration to show respect for Canada as the United States’ most important trading partner and strategic ally,” Premier Jason Kenney said in a statement.

Cancelling the project would “kill jobs” in both countries, “weaken” cross-border ties and “undermine U.S. national security” by making the country more dependent than ever on oil imports from OPEC countries, he said.

“Should the incoming U.S. administration abrogate the Keystone XL permit, Alberta will work with TC Energy to use all legal avenues available to protect its interest in the project.”

Biden campaign officials did not Con’t on Pg6

Tucville, Georgetown, Guyana, Tel: 592-623-9971

Guyana Post, Monday January 18, 2021

Region Six engaging residents on development

The East Berbice-Corentyne

The East BerbiceCorentyne (Region Six) Regional Democratic Council (RDC) is taking a people-centred approach to realising its development goals.

Regional Executive Officer (REO) Mr. Navendra Persaud said the administration, since August 2020, has been engaging residents, as it found that major issues

had been neglected over the last five years.

“We have had an open-door policy where people would have been coming on a daily basis to meet myself and the Regional Chairman to discuss their issues. People were out of jobs, even the contractors were unable to have jobs,” he said in a recent interview.

Mr. Persaud revealed that the administration made a decision to be inclusive so that the Region could advance. “From day one I said the REO will not run

the Region by himself.

We have engagements and a team effort with the Chairman, Vice Chairman and programme heads.”

The Region was allocated some $1.71 billion in the 2020 emergency budget, which the REO noted, has already been spent. From that amount, $131 million was allocated to the Health sector, $122.6 million for Education, $107 million for Public Works, $50 million for Agriculture and some $18.8 million for the regional administration.

The REO also said a “large sum” was spent in the fight against COVID-19, particularly

for the return of senior students to the classroom in November.

The Region also facilitated the construction of some 40 washrooms and maintenance works in schools to cater for the reopening.

Projects undertaken in the health sector include the construction of a care and treatment centre at the Port Mourant Hospital and the rehabilitation of the kitchen at the National Psychiatric Hospital.

The Region has also started the construction of a maternity ward at the New Amsterdam Hospital. This project should be completed by the end of this year.

A d d i t i o n a l l y, investments were made to erect Covid units at the Rose Hall and Skeldon estates to curb transmission of the disease.

Mr. Persaud noted that several roads across the Region were derelict so the RDC engaged Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) to fix them. The Region also benefited from support from the Ministry of Public Works on some road works.

The REO added that there are still many roads, canals and sluices to be fixed. Those, he said, would be given priority in the 2021 budget.

Can Trump pardon himself? Capitol speech sparks impeachment calls - and new questions.

The founders didn’t think a U.S. President would ever be brash or corrupt enough to engage in pardon-worthy behavior - and then to pardon himself. We are again operating outside our societal and historical norms. But here is what will happen if Trump tries.

It is a fundamental legal principle, and indeed a basic principle of fairness, that no man should be the judge in his own case. Ask the average person on the street whether they could fairly and without bias decide their own guilt or innocence, and the honest among them should say no.

But the Constitution is maddeningly silent when it comes to whether a President should be able to evaluate his own guilt — at least, in the context of pardons, a power we already know President Donald Trump loves. This is likely to be because the founders simply didn’t think a president would ever be brash or corrupt enough to engage in pardon-worthy behavior, and then to pardon himself.

But whether the founders could anticipate it or not, the question of whether Trump can pardon himself for federal crimes is back in the news. Trump sure seems to have incited an insurrection Wednesday in Washington, D.C. An angry mob of Trump supporters listened to him tell them to “fight like hell” and head to the Capitol — which they did.

Lawmakers inside donned gas masks and used furniture for protection.

While Trump may not be legally liable for inciting violence or sedition, the fact that we’re having the discussion is startling.

But pundits and scholars aren’t the only people having these discussions. Trump has suggested that he would like to pardon himself, according to The New York Times.

It’s hard to know exactly what federal crimes Trump might be worried about (pardons don’t apply to State prosecutions).

But just a few days ago, Trump pressured Georgia Secretary of State

Brad Raffensperger to overturn the results of the presidential election in Georgia.

Trump’s conduct may have amounted to a federal criminal violation (in addition to a violation of Georgia law). For instance, if Trump knowingly and willfully attempted tried “deprive or defraud the residents of a State [Georgia] of a fair and impartially conducted election process,” by obtaining or counting ballots that he knew are “materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent,” then he could be guilty of a federal crime.

While the Constitution isn’t clear on the question of self-pardons, it’s clear that such an action would be a terrible idea. It would place the president of the United States above the law, regardless of what she or he does. It would make the president unaccountable for any federal criminal behavior. And it would fundamentally undermine our idea of justice.

But the solution to this lack of clarity isn’t to pass another law limiting the

president’s pardon power.

Rather, the solution is to elect honest presidents who don’t commit crimes.

The solution is also to adhere to the norms and procedures we have in place. We have an Office of the Pardon Attorney as part of the Justice Department. We should let it do its job. Not every potential transgression by Trump should be solved by a new law.

Back to the issue of constitutionality: The Constitution provides that the president “shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.”

This means the text of the Constitution doesn’t specifically reject the idea.

The founders clearly knew how to create exceptions to the pardon power — they created one for cases of impeachment. And if the founders decided not to create an exception for self-pardons, some have argued, it is improper and incorrect to read one into the text.

On the other hand, the Office of Legal

3

By Jessica Levinson, Professor at Loyola Law School

Counsel argued that the president lacks the power to self-pardon in a memorandum issued right before President Richard Nixon resigned.

The lawyers argued that, on a basic level, “no one may be a judge in his own case.” (The memo did point out that the vice president or Congress could pardon a president in certain situations.)

Then there’s the question of equality, and the American justice system decrees that no one is above the law.

If the president could pardon himself for any federal offense, he would be operating without accountability. There is also an argument that a pardon inherently requires two people, the person giving the pardon and the person receiving it. Indeed, having the “power to grant” a pardon certainly seems to envision a grantor and a grantee.

Because no president has ever tried to pardon himself, there are no easy answers. We are again operating outside our societal and historical

norms. But here is what will happen if Trump tries.

First of all, there is no way to stop him - at least not initially.

Instead, during the Biden administration, a federal prosecutor would have to charge Trump with crimes falling within the scope of the pardon. Next, Trump would have to raise his self-pardon as a defense against the charges. The federal prosecutor would then have to argue that the self-pardon isn’t effective.

This is the chain of events that would tee up the legal question about a President’s power to selfpardon.

The Justice Department under President Joe Biden may not have an appetite for this politically charged experiment.

It would, of course, be terribly divisive and wrenching to live through a trial of a former President. But if we collectively care about the rule of law, if the Justice Department is truly that a place for justice…then it shouldn’t matter.

Tucville, Georgetown, Guyana, Tel: 592-623-9971

Guyana Post, Monday January 18, 2021

Foreign Minister,UNDP Resident Representative Laud Successful Leadership of G77 and China

Guyana will officially handover the Chairmanship of the G77 and China to the Republic of Guinea on Monday, January 18, 2021.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Honorable Hugh Todd, recently met with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative, Jairo Valverde.

During the meeting, UNDP Resident

Representative extended congratulations to the Co- operative Republic of Guyana for its successful Chairmanship of the G77 + China throughout 2020.

Further, he thanked the Government of Guyana for the opportunity to collaborate on Guyana’s chairmanship of the G77 + China.

Noting the challenges posed by COVID-19, Mr. Valverde lauded the efforts of the staff of the Ministry to organize and produce

the virtual flagship event on climate change held under the theme “Maintaining a Low Carbon Development Path towards the 2030 Agenda in the Era of COVID-19”.

“We are honored to have been able to hold the Chairmanship of the Group of 77 and China (G77 + China)”, Minister Todd stated.

Further, the Foreign Minister emphasized the role of His Excellency

Honorable Hugh Todd,

Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, in leading the charge of the flagship event. “The outcome of the event speaks directly to his leadership and contribution to the Chairmanship of the G77 + China,” the Foreign Minister said.

According to Minister Todd, the technical support provided through Guyana’s partnership with the local UNDP office

proved instrumental in the success of Guyana’s Chairmanship.

Minister Todd also commended the commitment and efforts of the Permanent Representative of Guyana to the United Nations, Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett, her team, and the staff of the Ministry.

They also discussed financing for small states in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,

the reclassification of Caribbean economies, among mutual areas of interest.

The UN continues to be a strong and trusted development partner of Guyana that has aided in the promotion of the implementation of the global development agenda in the country.

Major upgrades to Linden water treatment plants this year.

Covent Garden, Grove plants to become fully functional…

Residents of Linden, Region 10 can expect improved water supply this year, as the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) plans to execute major upgrades and maintenance works to the five water treatment plants in that area.

GWI’s Chief Executive Officer - Mr. Shaik Baksh said currently, the Mackenzie, West Watooka, Amelia’s Ward and Wisroc water treatment plants are functioning at reduced capacity.

“We have five water treatment plants in Linden alone and there is a problem there…because nothing has been done in Linden over the last five years to upgrade and maintain the systems,” he disclosed in a recent

Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Water Incorporated, Mr. Shaik Baksh

interview.

The CEO said funds for those works were included in the 2021 National Budget. “We have to upgrade the water treatment plants before they collapse,” he added.

Mr. Baksh said works

would also be done at water treatment plants at Covent Garden and Grove, East Bank Demerara.

Those plants have not been fully functional over the last three years.

Upgrades were done to the Eccles plant during

the latter part of 2020.

Mr. Baksh noted that the residents are now receiving treated water through their taps and there have been minimal complaints from those areas.

“The plants were not

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operating as treatment plants; that is Eccles, Covent Garden and Grove. Actually, raw water was coming through those plants. Also, the water was treated by a chemical known as Sequest and we have discontinued that because it is a huge cost.

This Sequest to treat iron content in the water cost this utility over four years, $1.8 billion and we are now flushing the wells and they are minimum complaints,” Mr. Baksh explained.

Works would also be done to improve water quality at the wells in the Essequibo Islands. These projects, Mr. Baksh said, are part of GWI’s overall plan to provide 80 per cent access to treated water by 2025, in keeping

with World Health Organization (WHO) standard of 0.3 milligrams per litres of iron content or less.

Currently, 96 per cent of Guyana’s population has access to water; However, the treated water coverage that meets the WHO standard is only 52 per cent from a total of 27 water treatment plants.

Therefore, the Government plans to construct new water treatment facilities to meet the standard and to improve and expand the transmission and distribution network to maximize coverage from existing treatment plants.

There are also plans to install water meters to monitor, control demand and increase revenue.

Tucville, Georgetown, Guyana, Tel: 592-623-9971

Guyana Post, Monday January 18, 2021

Man found dead in Canje River

Jiachim Perez Peters

Police are investigating the circumstances that led to the death of a 33-yearold man, who was a passenger on board of a punt in the Canje Creek, East Berbice. The man has been identified as Jiachim Perez Peters of Friendship, East Coast Demerara.

According to information, Peters was a passenger on the punt along with five other men – who are employed by a Sheet Anchor Village, East Berbice sawmill

– and about 18:00h on Friday he was observed floating in the water.

A police statement related that one of the men reported the incident on Saturday. He told investigators that the punt measured 30ftx8ft and had a shed. It was steered by a 17ft boat with a 40HP outboard engine.

The man related that about 18:00h on the said date, the captain related that he was about to take a turn in the Canje River

and while checking to see if his path was clear, he noticed the body of a male floating in the water.

He called out to the other occupants of the vessel and two of them plunged into the water to render assistance.

However, the water was extremely rough and they were unable to save him. They later reported the incident to the police and an investigation was launched.

later, as Assistant General Secretary of the PNC. He married Evelyn Rose Arthur in 1956 and had five children – Helen, Richard, Dina, Marie and Hannah..

“The legal career of Senior was one of distinction and impact, in the legal profession and the Guyana society. His service was recognized in 2015 with the award of the Cacique’s Crown of Honour (CCH), our third highest national award.”

Senior has been part of and participated in over fifty years of the transformation of the legal profession, preindependence, postindependence, prerepublican status, the 1980 constitutional reforms, the fusions of the legal profession, the 2003 Constitutional reforms, the 2016 Civil Procedure Rules, and in 2017 the personal achievement of

admission to the Inner Bar. The name CML John, was a constant presence.

His distinctive dress of the Nero Collared Suit, his command of the Queen’s English, and a resounding voice which enhanced his stature, all elements of a distinguished gentleman in the Law. For the Bar Association we have lost a constant supporter. Senior has never waived in his support for the association.

His name is recorded as present at most meetings throughout the decades of our existence. Senior in recent years has even served as a member of the Bar Council, sharing his experience, guidance and wisdom with another generation of Attorneysat-Law. With his passing, we have lost a colleague, mentor, supporter and friend.

The Bar Association

Attorney Llewellyn John passes on at 96

Llewellyn John, SC, CCH,

With the passing on Saturday of Mr. Clifton Mortimer Llewellyn John, SC, CCH, (‘Senior’), the records of The Bar Association of Guyana will be amended by the appending of an asterisk at the end of the name of one of the longest serving legal practitioners and supporters of the profession.

Born on January 25, 1925, Mr John spent most of his working life as a solicitor and attorney at law. He was a leading member of the League of Coloured Peoples, becoming the editor of the ‘Sentinel’ newspaper and,

of Guyana extends its deepest condolences to the family of Clifton Mortimer Llewellyn John, SC, CCH (of blessed memory), may his soul rest in eternal peace.

Leader of the People’s National Congress, Brig.

David Granger, also expresses condolences on death of Clifton Mortimer Llewellyn John, SC, CCH. Former President and Leader of the People’s National Congress David Granger has expressed condolences on the death of Clifton Mortimer Llewellyn John, SC, CCH. Mr John was elected a Member of the National Assembly and served as Minister of Local Government, Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of Agriculture in the People’s National Congress-United Force Coalition Administration from 1964 to 1969. He

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later established his own party, the People’s Democratic Movement.

President David Granger conferred the

national award of the Cacique’s Crown of Honour (CCH) on him by in 2015 and Senior Counsel (SC) in 2017.

Tucville, Georgetown, Guyana, Tel: 592-623-9971

Guyana Post, Monday January 18, 2021

GM Canada announces tentative deal for $1 billion electric vehicle plant in Ontario

GROUP OF COMPANIES

By The Canadian Press

VACANCY EXISTS FOR AN ASPHALT PLANT OPERATOR QUALIFICATION:

• Degree in Electrical Engineering • AutoCad Techical Certificate • Computer Literate INGERSOLL, Ont. GM Canada says it has reached a tentative deal with Unifor that if ratified will see it invest $1 billion to transform its CAMI plant in Ingersoll, Ont., to make commercial electric vehicles.

Unifor National President Jerry Dias says along with the significant investment the agreement will mean new products, new jobs and job security for workers.

Dias says in a statement that more details of the tentative deal will be presented to Unifor Local 88 members at an online ratification meeting scheduled for Sunday.

He says the results of the ratification vote are scheduled to be released

on Monday. Details of the agreement were not released Friday night.

A GM spokeswoman says in a statement that the plan is to build BrightDrop EV 600s -- an all-new GM business announced this week at the Consumer Electronics Show that will offer a cleaner way for delivery and logistics companies to move goods more efficiently.

Unifor said the contract, if ratified, will bring total investment negotiated by the union to nearly $6 billion after new agreements were ratified with General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler in 2020 that included support from the federal and Ontario governments.

It said the Ford deal

reached in September included $1.95 billion to bring battery electric vehicle production to Oakville and a new engine derivative to Windsor and the Fiat Chrysler agreement included more than $1.5 billion to build plug-in hybrid vehicles and battery electric vehicles.

Unifor said in November, General Motors agreed to a $1.3 billion dollar investment to bring 1,700 jobs to Oshawa plus more than $109 million to in-source new transmission work for the Corvette and support continued V8 engine production in St. Catharines.

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Transition documents suggest Biden.....

Con’t from Pg2

immediately respond to media queries Sunday.

TC Energy, however, confirmed an ambitious plan to spend $1.7 billion US on a solar, wind and battery-powered operating system for the pipeline to ensure it is zero-emission by 2030, and to rely exclusively on union labour — all of it clearly aimed at winning Biden’s favour.

“Since it was initially proposed more than 10 years ago, the Keystone XL project has evolved with the needs of North America, our communities and the environment,” project president Richard Prior said in a release.

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“We are confident that Keystone XL is not only the safest and most reliable method to transport oil to markets, but the initiatives announced today also ensure it will have the lowest environmental impact of an oil pipeline in terms of greenhouse gas emissions.”

Federal Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole echoed Kenney’s concerns, describing the U.S. decision as counter to economic recovery efforts and urging Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to sit down at the earliest opportunity.

“I call on the prime minister to immediately reach out to the incoming U.S. administration to

stop this from happening and stand up for working Canadians across Canada,” O’Toole said.

“I also call upon the incoming U.S. administration to meet with our prime minister and affected workers prior to making this decision.”

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe echoed the call for a meeting between Biden and Trudeau, saying the project is “critical to North American energy security.”

“While I am urging the prime minister to leverage his relationship with Mr. Biden, Saskatchewan will continue exercising our contacts in Washington D.C. to advocate for the continuation of this project

that clearly benefits both of our nations,” he said.

Some 200 kilometres of pipe have already been installed for the expansion, including across the Canada-U. S. border, and construction has begun on pump stations in Alberta and several U.S. states.

Biden was vicepresident in 2015 when Obama initially rejected Keystone XL for fear it would worsen climate change. Trump approved it again in 2019.

The Biden campaign team appeared to slam the door on the expansion in May with an unequivocal statement committing the president-elect to “proudly” sign an order that would “stop it for

6

good.”

But observers and experts alike continued to hold out hope, even after Biden named John Kerry — the climate hawk who as secretary of state recommended that Obama reject the permit — as a special presidential envoy on climate change.

The news drew praise, however, from Biden’s former rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders.

“The Keystone pipeline is & always has been a disaster,” he said on Twitter. “With all of the major crises facing America, we must never lose sight of the most existential threat facing our planet: climate change.”

Environmental groups also cheered Biden’s decision and encouraged federal leaders in Canada to follow suit.

“It’s time for Canadian politicians to stop beating this dead horse and get on with building a clean energy future,” said Keith Stewart, Greenpeace Canada’s senior energy strategist.

“The Biden administration offers us a fresh start on addressing the climate crisis with a willing partner, so let’s not blow it by pushing pipelines.”

Tucville, Georgetown, Guyana, Tel: 592-623-9971

Guyana Post, Saturday January 16, 2021

Amna Ally admitted to GPHC ICU

Opposition Leader, Joseph Harmon, this evening confirmed that People’s National Congress Reform’s General Secretary - Amna Ally is in the hospital and that she is being treated

by Cardiologist, Dr Mahendra Carpen.

Ally has been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC). An inside source revealed

that the former Social Protection Minister under the APNU/AFC administration fell ill in Essequibo, Region Two. She was suffering from shortness of breath.

Ally was rushed to the Suddie Public Hospital and later transported by “medivac” to the city and has been hospitalized at GPHC

The Ministry of Heath recorded 60 new cases of COVID 19 on Friday January 15.

Three cases were recorded in Region One, six in Region Two, six in Region Three, 28 in Region Four, one in Region Five, nine in Region Six, six in Region Eight, and one in Region Ten.

The total number of recorded cases in Guyana is now 6,805.

The COVID-19 death toll is currently at 170.

As of January 14 there have been 43,143 persons tested for the virus. 6,083 persons have recovered leaving 552 active cases in the country.

Edghill promises promises completion

of Sheriff-Mandela project by August 2021 The Sheriff-Mandela expansion, a badlymanaged project under the former A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government, is on course for completion by August 2021.

This was indicated by Public Works Minister Juan Edghill, who, during a recent interview acknowledged that there is some inconvenience to commuters when it comes to using the road, but noted that the Government is on the ball with the contractor and everything is proceeding as planned.

“I can tell you, we’ve moved from zero as of August 2020 when I assumed office, to where we are now. Because when we came in, there was nothing taking place. And the concerns right now are because of the inconvenience because of the pace of the work,” Minister Edghill explained.

“So, I am satisfied to an extent that work is being done. There are a number of sub-contractors on-site, getting things done. Work is moving apace. And I would want to ensure that we meet the deadline of August and that’s what we’re working towards.”

The road upgrade project is being funded through a US$66 million loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). But the former Government has come in for some heavy criticism over its handling of the project.

It was revealed last year that $2.7 billion of the total funding has already been spent on the project. An additional $553 million had to be allocated in last year’s emergency

budget by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government to complete the project.

Back in September 2020, Edghill had informed the National Assembly that with all the money spent on the project, it should have already been completed.

However, he had noted that it was “badly mismanaged.”

The Public Works Minister had explained that when the PPP/C took office in August last year, there was no work being done, adding that this was not due to COVID-19 alone. He noted that the other reason was because of non-compliance with environmental standards which resulted in the IDB being forced to cease disbursements to the

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project.

Edghill had said that the contractor is back onboard and works have since commenced for the project to be completed and delivered.

He, however, noted that due to the deteriorating state of the road, remedial works had to be done before moving to asphalting.

The Minister had also expressed that if the issue is getting specialists from China in the country due to COVID-19 restrictions, he had already assured the contractor that the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) is prepared to facilitate special charter flights to come here so as to ensure the work is not ceased.

“We will not use COVID-19 as an excuse for non-delivery of

services to the people of Guyana, they deserve to have the road and we are working to have that,” the Minister had assured the National Assembly.

Work on the Sherriff Street-Mandela Avenue Project began since August 2018, with the contract for the project being awarded to Chinese company Sinohydro Corporation Limited since November 2017.

However, there was a period in 2019 when the IDB had halted funding for the project due to health and safety violations by the contractor. The matter was further compounded by the election impasse, but following the return to office of the PPP Government, the IDB was re-engaged.

The project, which will cover approximately seven kilometres of road between Sheriff Street and Mandela Avenue, involves the relocation of utilities; the installation of lane and shoulder improvements; placement of sidewalks and paved shoulders; traffic signals, traffic signs, streetlights, drainage; a pedestrian overhead walkway; culverts, bridges, and a roundabout.

Tucville, Georgetown, Guyana, Tel: 592-623-9971

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