Keeping you updated on current events... ONLINE DAILY NEWSPAPER
Tuesday June 29, 2021
MAYOR NARINE WELCOMES TWINNING INITIATIVE WITH MEXICAN CITY
MURDER-SUICIDE ROCKS LA PARFAITE HARMONIE
MAGISTRATE TO RULE ON FAKE HIV KITS ON FRIDAY
Tuesday June 29, 2021
MAYOR NARINE WELCOMES TWINNING INITIATIVE WITH MEXICAN CITY
His Worship Mayor Ubraj Narine, His Excellency Jose Omar Contreras Ambassador of Mexico to Guyana.
His Worship Mayor Ubraj Narine, today met His Excellency Jose Omar Contreras Ambassador of Mexico to Guyana. The Mayor and Ambassador Omar discussed areas of partnership with the City of Georgetown in the areas of improving health care and capitalizing on developments in the oil and gas sector for the city. Ambassador Omar indicated his interest
in twinning the city of Georgetown with a city in Mexico to advance the areas of cooperation and knowledge sharing. Mayor Narine welcomed the engagement as a positive sign, which will strengthen the relationship between the City of Georgetown and Mexico. Guyana and Mexico established diplomatic relations on March 1, 1973.
MURDER-SUICIDE ROCKS LA PARFAITE HARMONIE A family in La Parfaite Harmonie are is now mourning the loss of a 26-year-old woman, who was stabbed to death by her husband, Onkar Singh. The young dead woman was identified as Omela Singh, a mother of three. Acting on information police visited the Canal Number One conservancy area where the suspect’s motorcar was found abandoned. Onkar Singh’s body was reportedly discovered at the Conservancy aback
Canal Number One, a few hours later. Omela Singh and her 49-year-old husband, Onkar Singh, yesterday at 12:30 hours, had an argument during his regular visit. At that time, the two were at the end of their relationship. The ensuing discussion grew into an argument. During the argument, Onkar Singh dealt his wife several cuffs and stabs about her body resulting in the knife being
stuck in her abdomen. The suspect then made good his escape. Neighbors were alerted, rushed to the aid of the victim who was picked up in an unconscious state, and rushed to the West Demerara Regional Hospital. She was examined and transferred to the Georgetown Hospital in a critical condition. Ms.Singh later died while receiving medical treatment for her injuries at the said hospital.
Omela Singh and her 49-year-old husband, Onkar Singh
MAGISTRATE TO RULE ON FAKE HIV KITS ON FRIDAY
Magistrate, Zameena Ali-Seepaul, is expected to rule on Friday on the matter involving the pharmaceutical supplier and the supply of supposedly fake HIV kits. The defendant, Davendra Rampersaud, Technical Consultant to Caribbean Medical Supplies Inc., is facing the charge of supplying fake HIV testing kits to the Ministry
of Health (MoH). The matter is being heard in the Leonora Magistrate’s Court. The company, Caribbean Medical Supplies Inc., of Area ‘G’ Hydronie Railway, Parika, East Bank Essequibo, is one of the country’s largest pharmaceutical supply companies. The charge was brought against the company last
year by the Government Analyst Food and Drug Department (GA-FDD). Rampersaud denied the charge which alleges that on January 16, 2020, Caribbean Medical Supplies Inc., allegedly sold and supplied 400 units (20 packs) of UniGold HIV Test Kits, Batch #HIV7120026, with misleading representation, a violation of the Food and Drugs Act of 1971. He is accused of selling and supplying the devices with misleading representation, which is a violation of the Food and Drugs Act, to the Materials Management Unit located at 55-56 First Avenue, Diamond, East Bank Demerara.
According to reports, a quantity of the testing kits was seized by the GAFDD from the Materials Management Unit of the MoH at Diamond, East Bank Demerara, and from local hospitals and laboratories. The probe was launched into the fake HIV testing kits after an Irish manufacturer wrote to the former Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence, during January 2020, to state that his company was aware of counterfeit Uni-Gold HIV test kits in Guyana. The Irish company supplied photographic evidence, which indicated clearly that the kits expired in July 2019.
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In its complaint, the company, Trinity Biotech, named Caribbean Medical Supplies Inc., as the company that was allegedly supplying the expired testing kits. According to the company, the fake boxes were created with expiry dates extended by 17 months and the kits repacked in them.
Trinity Biotech said that the products were already six months out of date when they were brought to Guyana. The company further claimed that its Trinidad-based authorised distributor, Transcontinental Medical Products Limited, is the only authorised distributor for the Uni-Gold kits to Guyana.
Tuesday June, 29 2021
Chief Justice supports Police Service Commission decision Supt Brutus loses challenge in court.
Senior Superintendent of Police, Calvin Brutus
Six months after Senior Superintendent of Police, Calvin Brutus, moved to the High Court to challenge the decision of the Police Service Commission (PSC) not to promote him and other ranks based on pending disciplinary matters his challenge was dismissed.
Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George this afternoon ruled that nothing that was done by the PSC is unlawful and as such, the blocking of the 2020 list of promotions will continue. Back in December 2020, Brutus through
his lawyer, C.V. Satram, moved to the High Court to challenge the Police 2020 promotions by the PSC. Brutus in his application contended that he was being bypassed for promotion to the rank of Assistant Commissioner
STABROEK MARKER KILLER APPEARS IN COURT
A fatal accident on the Fort Wellington Public Road, West Coast Berbice, this morning claimed the lives of three people and left several others critical. A taxi in which they were all traveling slammed into a pole after the driver reportedly lost control of the car in the pouring rain. Motorcar #HC 6077 driven by Carlos Edwards Jr, 23, of Lot 39 Stanleytown, New Amsterdam, Berbice, and his passengers Hookumchand Parmanand, 61, of # 36 Village Corentyne,
and one so far unidentifiable female have been counted among the dead. Those critical are also identified L a k e r a m Mangal, 57, of lot 696 Angoy’s Avenue New Amsterdam B e r b i c e ; Joyclyn Cole, 27, and Carolyn Edwards, six months old, both of Lot 39 Stanleytown New Amsterdam Berbice. The incident took place around 4:30 am today. Inquiries disclosed that motorcar #HC 6077 was proceeding west along the southern side of Fort Wellington Public Road at a fast rate. While negotiating a left bend in the road – during the rains– he suddenly lost control of the vehicle and collided into GECOM’s concrete and mesh fence before ploughing into a GTT lamp pole. Finally,
the vehicle turned turtle into a drain. As a result of the collision, the driver and passengers received injuries to their bodies. They were then conveyed to Fort Wellington Public Hospital, where they were examined by a doctor on duty who pronounced the driver Carlos Edwards Jr, Hookumchand Parmanand, and the unidentifiable female passenger; dead on arrival. The other passengers were treated and later transferred to N/A Public Hospital for further medical attention. Lakeram Mangal is being treated for lacerations to his head, and his condition is regarded as critical but stable. Joyclyn Cole’s condition is regarded as stable while Carolyn Edwards’s condition is regarded as critical but stable. Further investigations in progress.
even though he was recommended for promotion by the Top Cop. He said that due to frivolous allegations of indiscipline against him for which he has not been called upon to defend he is being denied promotion. Brutus argued that the practice and policy of the PSC utilizing disciplinary matters as the basis for denying promotion are unlawful. As such, Brutus was seeking an order of certiorari quashing, nullifying, and/or cancelling the decision of the PSC to promote Senior Superintendents of Police Edmond Cooper, Phillip Azore, and Kurleigh Simon, who like him, have
pending disciplinary matters, to the rank of Assistant Commissioner over him. The Chief Justice in her ruling said that it is the right of the commission to stick with its policies for promotion. Additionally, the Judge insisted during the hearing that the applicants did not prove through any evidence that they should be promoted simply because of their recommendation, as the commission is not bound to those who are listed to be promoted. A person could be recommended but not entitled to such promotion, she said. The Judge added that there appeared to be no such evidence that the matters against them are trivial or serious and they
should not be ignored. If matters arising are ignored then it could send a ripple effect for not only this service commission but all. Justice George said it cannot be a norm for persons to be heard when they are not promoted to know why as no such policy had been advanced. Justice Gorge said, however, the right to be heard should come out of judicial review, as a person not being promoted should hear why they were not promoted in a court. It was also noted that no evidence was put forward to show that there was clear favoritism in the choosing of ranks to be promoted.
TWO WOMEN NABBED ON GANJA POSTAGE CHARGE
Two women are now facing trafficking charges after they were both allegedly caught trying to smuggle narcotics through the Guyana Post Officer in a package destined for the Mazaruni Prison and were both granted bail. In a statement by the Custom Anti-Narcotic Unit, the agency noted that a CANU Officer conducted a search of a box at the Guyana Post Office, containing head ties, a jersey, soaps and two bottles of lotion. He discovered cannabis and suspected crystal methamphetamine concealed within false walls of the lotion bottles on the 23rd June. During the search, 6.3 grams of Cannabis, and 5.4
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grams of suspected Crystal Methamphetamine were found. The alleged shipper 37-year-old, Andrea De Florimonte, a housewife of Victoria Street, Plaisance, East Coast Demerara, was arrested with the box. The suspect was told of the offence, arrested, cautioned and escorted to
CANU Headquarters. The woman was later grilled with questions and it was further revealed that De Florimonte allegedly collected the lotion with the narcotics from a 46-year-old, Patrinea Bristol, a vendor of 752 Avocado Drive, North Ruimveldt, Georgetown. Ms Bristol was later arrested and brought to CANU HQ . Bristol and De Florimote were then charged and placed before Magistrate Leron Daily on Friday. They pleaded not guilty to the charge, and were placed on $60,000 bail each, The matter was adjourned to 27th August 2021.
Tuesday June 29, 2021
Joint endeavour or collective surrender: resisting global tax
By Sir Ronald Sanders
(The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United States and the Organization of American States. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London and Massey College in the University of Toronto. The views expressed are his own) The proposal by the U.S. government to establish a global minimum corporate tax is not a remote matter from the lives of people in the Caribbean. It is a real issue with deep implications for Caribbean economies, and, indeed, for the capacity of Caribbean countries to continue to participate meaningfully in the global trading and financial system. Neither Caribbean governments nor Caribbean people should ignore it. Their info@guyanapostonline.com
livelihoods depend on it. Further, the countries of the region should already have launched an initiative to respond to the U.S. government’s proposal, collectively. When the idea was mooted by Treasury Secretary, Janet Yellen, on April 5, every experience I had as a representative of Antigua and Barbuda, dating back to 1998 when the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) launched its assault on low-tax jurisdictions, told me that developing countries would be steamrollered into acquiescing to it. Consequently, I organized a meeting between officials of the U.S. Treasury Department and a few Caribbean Ambassadorial colleagues on May 7, to better understand the scope of the initiative
and the pace at which it would move. It was clear from that meeting, at which the Caribbean Ambassadors present made their concerns and fears clear, that a minimum global corporation tax would be a juggernaut that would not easily be stopped. It would have been foolhardy to believe that, even in its transition period, the Biden finance team had not canvassed the minimum tax with officials of the OECD and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It was no coincidence that, shortly after Secretary Yellen made the announcement of a minimum global corporation tax of 21 per cent, IMF officials were endorsing the idea. It took no more than two months for the G7 countries – the U.S, the UK, France, Germany, Canada, Italy and Japan, plus the
European Union (EU) – to adopt a minimum tax for corporations of 15 percent. They did so on June 7, proclaiming it “a landmark deal”. The G7 agreed figure is six percent less than the U.S. had proposed, but no one should believe that the matter has ended. It is only the beginning of a new phase in the onslaught that the OECD officially started in 1998 to end what its members called ‘harmful tax competition’. There is no guarantee that the minimum global corporation tax will remain at 15 percent, or, that intrusion into setting tax rates will not extend into other areas. The OECD members then – and now – regard low tax jurisdictions as competitors in attracting corporations and, therefore, their ability to tax them. Having heavily taxed their populations from the cradle to the grave and beyond (no hyperbole) and faced with little possibility of taxing them further without voters heaving governments out of office, these governments focused on low-tax jurisdictions, demonized them in the media and elsewhere. The OECD governments claimed they were operating on a playing field which was not level for them. Blacklists and threats of sanctions quickly followed, causing a procession of governments of developing countries to concede their sovereignty over tax matters. This ‘level playing field’ effort is now an attempt to force corporations to stay in rich nations by securing a minimum global rate of tax that would give them no great advantage in shifting to lower tax jurisdictions. The
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next step is to get the agreement of the G20 countries when they meet in October. These countries are the G7 and the European Union with 12 others, including China, India, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. If Caribbean countries, and other small developing states, are to try to put a brake on the steamroller, getting their case before the large, developed countries in the G20 is crucial. For, if the G20 endorses the plan, smaller countries will again be cast aside – the hapless victims of the world’s powerful states, as they are with Climate Change and getting vaccines to fight COVID-19. That is why vital alliances need to be struck now, starting within the Caribbean, extending to embrace countries in Asia and the Pacific, and then with other nations that are far from happy about being coerced into losing revenues and business to satisfy the tax hunger of a few. For instance, Switzerland is reported to be planning to give subsidies to companies, headquartered there, to offset the 15 per cent tax. Ireland – an EU nation – has an advantageous corporate rate of 12.5 per cent that has helped to grow its economy and improve its people’s lives. It wants no increase. These two countries and others could be important allies. The fact that Caribbean countries – and other developing countries – oppose the imposition of a global corporate tax rate, should not be mistaken as hostility toward the U.S. or any other country that favours higher taxes. But setting tax rates is a
right of nations not an international prerogative of the powerful. All nations understand that in the U.S., President Biden has an ambitious plan to build-out needed infrastructure to keep the U.S. globally competitive, to create jobs and to rebuild after the COVID-19 pandemic. Other countries, especially, small developing ones have the same problems, but without the resources or the clout to establish a global rule that would suit them. They have to continue to compete on unlevel playing fields in almost every area of economic and commercial activity. Low taxes help Caribbean countries and others to attract investment they desperately need, because their exploitation and under development, for centuries, have made it difficult for domestic investment alone to drive their needed economic growth and social improvement. No time should be wasted by Caribbean governments to assemble a strong team to advance their joint cause. There is not much time until the G20 meets in October, and much work needs to be done to give its developing member countries a convincing case to champion. Giving-in again should not be an option, but no one country can stand up alone. This is a joint endeavour, or it is surrender – one by one.
Tuesday June 29, 2021
WHEN THE NEWS IS FABRICATED
ADAM’s Notebook I have been a media practitioner for nearly five decades. By media practitioner I mean someone working in the news media as a person gathering and disseminating news and information. In all my years, from the time I stepped from the teaching profession to the time I became a reporter, it was drilled into me that one thing reporters do is give the public fair and accurate information. A man named Richard Linton (R.L.) Younge who was the first person to teach me the basics said that when you get caught out in a falsehood people begin to look at you differently. Many people have been caught napping either because of laziness and quoting the first person they met or copying something produced elsewhere and rewriting it to make the story look original. I have often told the story about the reporter
info@guyanapostonline.com info@guyanapostonline.com
from the Guyana Graphic who was assigned the job of covering an internationallyacclaimed soprano who was due to appear at City Hall. At the time City Hall was a city landmark to be proud of. It was a far cry from the collapsing building that stands along Avenue of the Republic begging to be either demolished or totally rehabilitated. It was a Sunday and the reporter because of the rain chose to join some friends at the Public Service Union hall for a drink. The liquor must have been bewitching because the reporter decided to ignore the assignment. He averaged when the City Hall concert would be over then raced back to the Graphic. He had no story but he had great imagination. He wrote how the soprano trilled and thrilled. It was a wonderful story. There were no photographs. The Argosy printed its story the same night so
that readers had a choice of stories the next day. There was the Argosy with a notice that due to the inclement weather the concert at City Hall was canceled. I never believed that such an incident would ever happen again in this day of multiple media outlets, not least among them social media. So there it was that when I checked the newspapers I saw Guyana Times story about Joseph Harmon recanting his challenge to the Sputnik V vaccine. I was shocked. Unless it was an exclusive interview, Harmon would issue a statement through his public relations team. He would then host a press conference if the statement does make the impact he wants it to. So there was Joseph Harmon, the opposition leader who was criticized for trying to cause people to resist the vaccine for the COVID-19 despite the government’s efforts to have as many people be vaccinated, saying
that he now supported the actions of the government to secure Sputnik V vaccines. The story had Harmon praising the Ministry of Health and basically apologizing for his attack on the Sputnik procurement just last Friday. There were the phone calls to me who as an old reporter should know everything according to those who called. I did not know whether Harmon made such a comment to Guyana Times. I eventually called him after I saw a poster on social media talking about fake news. That could have been something orchestrated but then Harmon issued a statement which not only accused the newspaper of mischief but also announced legal action
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against the publication. I know that the ruling People’s Progressive Party has an active dirty tricks group. I have seen letters fashioned out of Office of the President and taken on flash drives to the various newspapers. So someone must have written the interesting article on Harmon and forwarded it to Guyana Times, the control of which lies within the ambit of Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo. Had I been the editor of that paper I would have been embarrassed to publish a palpable untruth. I would have been more embarrassed to see the reaction to my article. Needless to say, until Harmon came out, people began to speculate that by year-end Harmon
would be a Minister in the PPP Government. Some contended that he had been bought. But Guyana Times is not the only one to rush to the press with untruths. A social media post by a young man who worked in the news media very briefly, reported that Chief Elections Officer of Guyana Elections Commission, Keith Lowenfield; Deputy Chief Roxanne Myers; and Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo had been sacked by the Guyana Elections Commission. GECOM rushed to get the truth out. It reported that Lowenfield, Myers and Mingo had been sent on annual leave, one of them for 135 days.
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