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ONLINE DAILY NEWSPAPER

Wednesday February 16, 2022

“NO TURNING BACK” FROM GUYANA’S ENERGY AGENDA – PRESIDENT ALI

BARBADOS PRIME MINISTER URGES GUYANA TO USE ITS OIL WEALTH FOR ALL GUYANA

AFC ACCUSES SPEAKER OF LIMITING QUESTIONS ON BUDGET 2022

PRISON OFFICERS “ESSENTIAL BUT UNDERVALUED”, SAYS CAPT GOUVEIA

Wednesday February16, 2022

“No turning back” from Guyana’s energy agenda – President Ali

…says energy costs must be lowered for Guyana to be competitive …natural gas strategy, regional energy corridor being develope

Dr Irfaan Ali along with President of Suriname, Chandrikapersad Santokhi watches as Guyana’s First Lady along with Prime Minister Barbados, Mia Amor Mottley cut the ribbon to officially declare the 2022 International Energy Conference and Expo open at the Marriott Hotel on Tuesday

President Dr Irfaan Ali at the conference The Government has embarked on an agenda to transform Guyana into a renewable energy powerhouse that will slash the cost of energy, and according to President Dr Irfaan Ali, the Government will not be deterred from pursuing this agenda The President made this pronouncement while delivering the keynote address on the first day of the International Energy Conference and Expo being held at the Marriott Hotel. Attending the conference are President info@guyanapostonline.com

of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo; Surinamese President Chandrikapersad Santokhi and Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley.

The Amaila Falls Hydropower Project is one of the PPP’s larger renewable energy projects The conference has also attracted hundreds of investors from around the world. Using the platform provided as the keynote speaker, President Ali made it clear that the Government

is not backing down from its ambitious energy agenda.

The President emphasised that reducing the cost of energy is imperative if Guyana is to become globally competitive. He went on to give an overview of what is on the Government’s agenda to implement, when it comes to renewable energy.

“Exxon and Guyana, we’re working together on developing that natural gas strategy also.

So that with Suriname and Guyana, we can also effectively realise the importance of our strategic position in creating regional energy security. We’ve already commenced the process by investing in 13 new solar farms, three mini hydros, one large hydro at Amaila Falls and the Natural Gas Project.”

“All aimed at increasing our power generation to 500 MW by 2025. Let me be clear

on this. We will remain uncompetitive if we cannot address the cost of energy. We must address the cost of energy. Our Private Sector will not be able to grow if we cannot bring down the cost of energy. And we will bring down the cost of energy,” he said. In fact, President Ali said that the aim is to bring down the cost of energy in Guyana by 50 per cent by 2024. Reducing the cost of energy also involves partnering with Guyana’s neighbours, to establish an energy corridor.

“Our future framework of opportunities are built around solar, water, hydrocarbons, forests, hydrogen, hydropower and it is integrated into regional opportunities.

We are not only talking about national opportunities.

With Suriname and Brazil, we’re already exploring the development of a new energy corridor that we can fully support

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and participate,” the President said.

“Bringing down the cost for energy is about creating the space and opportunity for the development of a worldclass manufacturing, industrial and agroprocessing sector. That is how real benefits come to the people, that is how real benefits come to the country.

When we can invest and create the opportunity to improve competitiveness and expand business opportunity. There shall be no turning back from this energy agenda,” President Ali added.

The President further emphasised that the development of the country’s energy mix remains a priority for Government, alongside the other priorities of diversifying the economy and ensuring that Guyanese are afforded quality education, healthcare, social services and the ability to retire with

dignity.

For this year, the Government allocated a total of $29.4 billion to the energy sector in Budget 2022.

Construction on the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (AFHP) will start this year and is expected to conclude in 2027, even as the Government continues to ramp up spending on renewable energy projects as well as upgrades to the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) infrastructure.

The AFHP was the brainchild of the previous People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration, but was shelved soon after the former A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government had taken office in 2015.

In November of last year, it was announced that the Cabinet granted its “no objection” for the Office of the Prime Minister to engage China Railway Group Limited to construct the 165-megawatt Amaila Falls Hydropower Project.

The construction of the AFHP will be based on a Build-Own-OperateTransfer (BOOT) model where the company will supply electricity to GPL at a cost not exceeding US$0.07737 per kWh and where the company will provide the entire equity required by the project and undertake all the risks associated with the project.

Work is also advancing on smaller renewable energy sources, such as the construction of a 1.5 MW hydropower plant at Kumu, and the rehabilitation and upgrade to 700kW capacity of the defunct Moco Moco hydropower plant in Region Nine. (G3)

Wednesday February16, 2022

AFC STANDS BY STATEMENT ON DEMERARA BRIDGE PROJECT

Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley

Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, has insisted that with the coming wealth and Guyanese history as a nation of being highly indebted has charged President, Mohamed Irfaan Ali and his

government to ensure the oil wealth trickles down to the masses.

As the major speaker at the International Energy Conference and Expo, Prime Minister Mottley said that the Government must be reminded that

Guyana’s history reflects one of great economic trouble and as such, the wealth of the oil and gas must be for the people.

There must be no repeat of the attitude of those who came before.

“I believe that your

country, Guyana, our country, the Caribbean country, has endured much. We cannot move from a highly indebted poor country to where we are today, without being given the opportunity to bring along your people. “(You) have suffered the indignity of poverty for decades without being given the opportunity to participate globally in discussions that will affect the ability of your people to manage the development of our people” Guyana just recently, provided new local content legislation to ensure that Guyanese can benefit from the nascent oil and gas sector.

This new bill has provided a mechanism for Guyanese from all

business sector to benefit from a high percentage of services and goods from mostly Guyanese owned business and people.

Even with the legalization in place, Prime Minister Mottley also pointed out that the Government in order for such to work must also use the time used time to educate the people on the issues since they all have the ability to understand complex issues, even in the oil and gas sector in order to secure a sustainable future for Guyanese.

The Prime Minister also noted that this comes, also, with the ability to have local content and to stray away from the investment but also

they ensure that the people also benefit from the industry through training and business, etc.

This, the Prime insisted, that if Guyana does not do this, it will be creating the seed of destruction for the nation even with the newfound wealth.

“The day that we do not provide an opportunity for our people to participate in active citizenship of being able to benefit from the patrimony of our country is the day we so the seed of the destruction of our nation” She maintained that in all manner Guyanese must be put at the forefront of development.

PRISON OFFICERS “ESSENTIAL BUT UNDERVALUED”, says Capt Gouveia

Chairman of the Guyana Prison Service Sentence Management Board, Captain Gerald Gouveia

Prison Officers play a vital role in the existence of the Guyana prison system. They are the first line of defense within the Prison Estates. They are ultimately responsible for the safety, security, and supervision of inmates that are under their care, says Adviser to the Home Affairs Minister, Capt Gerry Gouveia.

Gouveia, who is also the National Security Advisor to President Dr. Irfaan Ali, addressed the attendees of the Conference on January 28, 2022, at the Guyana

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Police Force Training Center Auditorium.

They must enforce all the rules and policies that the prison officials institute in order to maintain good order and discipline within the prison walls.

Without prison officers, prisons would be run by the inmates and complete chaos would occur, he said.

Chairman of the Guyana Prison Service Sentence Management Board, Captain Gerald Gouveia, in his brief to the Senior Officers’ Conference said that “too

often we overlook the heroism and dignity of hundreds of the country’s prison officers.”

“As a key worker, you’ll work with a range of people and perform a variety of tasks – from keeping the prison safe and secure, to helping vulnerable people through a very difficult time in their lives. It’s hard work and its significance is undermined by negative outlooks”, he said.

Captain Gouveia, who is a veteran Airline transport-rated pilot with 40 years of service in the Aviation, Security, and Tourism sectors in Guyana further added, “The prisons system always seems to be the ugly cousins of the joint services and we need to fix that.

“We need to fix the way prison officers are seen and the way prison officers are compensated for the risks they face and good work they do”.

Gouveia, now a leading private sector proprietor, believes that prison officers are not given enough credit

and appreciation for the work they do in keeping Guyana safe.

“The prison system is a very important component of our joint services because it’s a place where we rehabilitate people who have gone down the wrong line and the task you (prison officers) are given is a very complex task.

“So, the work that you (prison officers) do is very important in ensuring that our society

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and communities are safe, especially after people have left the prisons.

So, rehabilitation in the prisons is vital, and that is where you play a pivotal role,” Gouveia stressed.

Gouveia recounted his experience on the GPS’s Sentence Management Board in the early 2000s when prisoners were referred to as the nation’s “scavengers” by some local folks.

He shared his experience and efforts

to begin the Board’s promotion of improved conditions for staff and reframing the image of prisoners so that policy makers can begin to embrace the true reason for incarceration.

The Chairman noted the evident growth through massive strides that have been made in improving the conditions under which staff work and inmates are kept.

Wedneday February16, 2022

AFC accuses Speaker of limiting questions on Budget 2022

Speaker of the House, Hon. Manzoor Nadir

The AFC noted that the 2022 National Budget approval process was characterized by a desire on the part of both the government and the Speaker of the House, to prevent thorough scrutiny and interrogation.

In a statement, the party stated that there is no denying that

the preparation of a Budget is essentially an Executive function.

But its approval is exclusively a Legislative function.

“One of the first unacceptable hurdles confronted by members of the Opposition was the reduction by one day for the interrogation of the Estimates. Both

the Government and the Speaker knew well that this was the largest Budget ever, with $127 billion from the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) being inputted into the spending for 2022,” the AFC said.

This obviously needed the maximum days provided for by our Standing Orders, namely

five days, it added.

“In previous Budgets which were far less, the full five days were consented to by all parties. This alone proves that in 2022 the PPP Government is indisposed to maximum transparency and scrutiny.”

Lengthy and ludicrous answers were given by

Ministers, (and which were allowed by the Speaker), which further caused time to run out thereby preventing a number of Agencies within a number of Ministries from being interrogated, according to the AFC. The height of such unabashed crassness in this answers to very relevant questions put to him was Minister Nigel Dharamlall, the statement added.

The AFC contended that there was avoidance and evasion of answers by the entire Government team to facilitate the identification of what projects the NRF revenue stream went towards.

One of the purposes of the monies from the NRF is stated in Section 3 (2) (d) of the Act of 2021 and it is to…“finance national development priorities including any initiative aimed at realising a green economy.”

Though asked several times whether certain projects were so funded, various Ministers failed to say.

The AFC is of the opinion that the entire spirit and intent of the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) Act has been hollowed out by the PPP Government making the monies mixed up with and fungible with the other revenue streams, and using the same for budget support.

What the fund finances, Guyanese will never know. From the perspective of the PPP Government, it is simply anything and everything said the AFC. These shortcomings in the approval process compel the AFC to recommend that there be the establishment of a Budget Office, similar to the US Congressional Budget Office, to be a resource available to our Legislature in considering

PARLIAMENTARY CULTURE RANCID FOR WOMEN—says GHRA

Here is the statement released by the GHRA: Since 2015, public life in Guyana has been dominated by the discovery of oil. In particular, both sides of Guyana’s National Assembly have been enthralled by who controls oil wealth. The depth of the obsession with oil-fuelled Guyana’s most serious electoral crisis in decades,

resolved only following interventions by the Chair of Caricom, Prime Minister Mia Mottley, electoral officials from CARICOM and the Caribbean Court of Justice.

Resolving the legal crisis appears to have had no effect on the intensely adversarial relations between the two major parties.

Currently, the low-intensity

warfare that constitutes Guyanese party politics is intolerable in terms of knock-on effects in the wider society, particularly on young people.

The sexual insult directed by a Government Minister, Mr. Nigel Dharamlall, to a female opposition parliamentarian across the floor of the National Assembly, should be

seen as a watershed moment rather than treated as the routine ‘rough and tumble’ of Parliament.

The incident constitutes sexual harassment of both the MP in question and indirectly of all female MPs who have to sit and listen to exchanges that would not be tolerated even in a well-run public bar. Such behaviour also

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undermines the longerterm goal of a Parliament composed equally of males and females.

It speaks volumes about the status of women in Guyana that other MPs have not called for Mr. Dharamlall to be seriously disciplined, up to and including dismissal from Parliament.

While Mr. Dharamlall should be made accountable, the shame should be shared by those tolerating such behavior under the guise of parliamentary ‘rough and tumble’. This is not only an issue of an individual’s rancour, it is now a rancid parliamentary culture, aggravating already dangerously adversarial territory.

The Speaker of Parliament, Manzoor Nadir, couldn’t find

the courage to address this deteriorating situation.

While correctly disciplining the histrionics of another Member Sherod Duncan MP, whose behaviour only served to reinforce the nauseating Parliamentary culture, the Speaker has yet to find fault with Mr. Dharamlall.

No less than the Speaker of Parliament, the Ministry of Social Protection, the official Agency for the advancement of women, has still to find its voice on this matter.

Focusing its ‘Spotlight’ programme on advocacy matters such as these would do more to reassure women than a multiplicity of non-governmental-type projects which ruffle no feathers.