Caribbean Personality

Caribbean Personality Guyana ’s Iron Lady: Edith Bynoe

By Leon Suseran

Throughout her career, Edith Bynoe née Telford has been an ‘Iron Lady’ in the political arena, and has helped to shape that landscape. She says she loves to challenge men and champion the rights of women. And she always wins. She has dutifully represented the interests of a wide cross-section of Guyanese and can be duly considered a role model.

EARLY YEARS This proud Berbician has her roots in Canje—-New Forest to be specific. Edith was born to educator Susan Moriah and Moses Theophilus Telford, a boat captain of the S.S. Tarpon (which plied the GeorgetownMabaruma route). She attended St. John’s Anglican School after which she received her secondary education in New Amsterdam. After school, she taught briefly at St. John’s, assisting her mother, the Deputy Head Mistress. Her father died when she was only four, leaving her mother to care for two children. The couple was just about to get married.

Young Edith grew up close to an aunt, Marianne McKenzie, who ensured she had a very strict upbringing. She admits that this was priceless later in life. After studies at the Adult Education Association, she was successful at the Senior Cambridge Exam.

She then ventured into volunteerism for awhile. Her initial stint was as Secretary of the

Parent-Teacher Association of St. John’s Anglican. The Guyana Federation of Women Institute, an organization for rural women, funded by the Government, was formed under her stewardship. That group led the way for her, so to speak. She assumed the Presidency, following which she was elected at the Regional and Executive level in the late 1950s. She enjoyed working with the groups of women, learning skills such as icing cakes, home-making, conducting conferences, etc.

POLITICAL CAREER AND COMMUNITY WORK At the age of 21, Edith worked as a Poll Clerk during the very first elections in British Guiana for Universal Adult Suffrage, and embarked on what would be a very exciting and fulfilling political career.

Young lawyer Forbes Burnham was in New Amsterdam working on a case, Benfield vs Leelawattie, she recalled, and everyone was anxious to see him. She then became associated with both Cheddi Jagan and Burnham and joined the People’s National Congress (PNC) after the split in the People’s Progressive Party (PPP).

She recalled walking long distances campaigning in those days. Then her community work began as she was vociferous in acquiring things for the communities of Canje and other areas, such as drainage and infrastructure.

As if that workload was not enough, Edith joined the Guyana Prison Service in the 1960s.

She was also an active member of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) and Rice Farmers’ Association, visiting far-flung communities.

“When rice farmers complained—I made it my duty to make representation for them— tractors, etc and they used to get it—For example, I got drainage for them at a place called ‘Speculation’.”

“Many times when I came from the fields and from meetings, I had to rush in to the prisons to get to work…I was tired but yet I felt I was doing something for people,” she reflected.

Mrs. Bynoe was instrumental in the formation of a Prison Officers’ Credit Union (still in existence today), and became the first woman to hold the office of President of the Berbice branch of the entity. Additionally, she was a member of the Executive body and “I fought a lot of issues especially in them getting their uniforms on time.”

She, too, suffered in getting uniforms and challenged her superiors, including the then Director of Prisons. She “rebelled” and wore civilian wear with psychedelic colours one day to work. The Director and members of the Visiting Committee visited the prisons on

that day and after seeing and speaking with Bynoe, they all got their new uniforms soon after. They wanted shoes during another year, “so we decided to let the media to know about it”. She got into a bit of trouble with her superiors again, but got what she wanted.

Mrs. Bynoe was instrumental, through her community activism to then Minister of Education, Mrs. Winifred Gaskin, to get the Zorg Primary School at her home village of New Forest, built via self-help in 1966. She also made representation to the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) for a piece of land in Canje where cotton was being planted and not being utilized, so that farmers could plant “and every soul there had a piece of land to plant…Whatever I did was in the interest of everybody, because they were my people! I always liked challenges; I always used to look after the people in Canje…I was like a mother of the ‘bad boys’.” ‘“I like to fight battles—with men—at organizational levels!” “When it comes to organizations, I like to see things go right,” she asserted.

She also fought for the men at the Berbice Mining Enterprises and was instrumental, through Prime Minister Burnham, in letting the workers who had to walk long distances, have buses take them to work.

The Mayor & Town Council of New Amsterdam was next in line to benefit from the determined voice of Mrs. Bynoe calling for a car for that entity’s Mayor.

“Georgetown, Linden, Rose Hall, and Corriverton’s Mayors all had cars and the Mayor of N/A Anthony Johnson used to ride a bicycle. So I asked at a General Council meeting, how is it that N/A was the first town of Guyana and they hadn’t a car….And that’s how the town got a car.”

PARLIAMENT AND OTHER PURSUITS In 1974, she entered the National Assembly. Her village-folk, friends and families (of all political persuasions) in East Canje, threw her a big celebration. “The people in New Forest—all who were PPP, PNC or The United Force (TUF), all had a big function for me.”

“I worked so well, maybe, in the Ministry of National Development, that I was appointed Member of Parliament.”

In 1975, she was appointed Junior Minister within the Ministry of Trade, with specific

responsibility to consumer protection. She was later appointed to Junior Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister in 1979. She worked under the then Prime Minister, Dr. Ptolemy Reid.

Mrs. Bynoe was also a member of the Women’s Revolutionary Socialist Movement (Congress of Women). She represented women in different countries such as Cuba and Mexico. While in politics, she took courses in Effective Communication and Public Relations at the University of Guyana Extra Mural Arm at Ogle.

“I always try to set examples. You cannot tell people to do something and then you are not making an attempt to do it. That’s not nice. When you are a leader, you do not live your own life. Many times you will wonder what the community will say or what they will think about you, so you have to live a life that’s pleasing to the community.”

Mrs. Byone was also involved in Co-ops. She was instrumental in the operation of the Tucber Housing Co-op, and as Secretary, did a lot of work in overseeing houses that were built and that contractors gave home-owners their money’s worth.

She also visited Canada and represented the Co-op there. “It’s amazing that we (in Guyana) are far ahead!”

Today, she still voices concerns about her community, especially regarding the roads.

“Right now I am hawking for the roads to see how much can be done… I am hoping the Regional Administration will do a little bit every year… the bad parts of the road.”

Edith is married to Mr. Prince Bynoe, and they have five lovely children: Walsham aka Prince, Jr.; Penelope, Paulette, Lorraine and Byran, with eleven grandchildren and six great-grands.

“I have lived a good life,” she asserted. “I have helped people in many ways, even those whom I did not know.”

She is insistent that women need to continue to stand up for their rights. She has represented them at different forums. In fact, in Parliament, she even successfully advocated for the banning of one of the Mighty Sparrow’s songs which said about women, “Black up dey eye, bruise up dey knee, then dey love you eternally!”

“I banned it! I said, ‘no’, we cannot tolerate a song like that when we want to give women confidence in themselves…and then a man coming and sing a song like that.

What message is that sending? That song was banned since the seventies.”

“Women need to assert themselves…have confidence in themselves, and believe in who

they are.”

During her leisure time, Edith dances quite a bit. “I also enjoy writing…I love reading and I love to travel, as well as baking.”

It should be noted that among other significant achievements for this remarkable lady include being the first woman on the Berbice Bauxite Board and first woman, too, on the National Land Selection Committee in the then government. Having spent over 55 meaningful years in the political arena, Edith Bynoe can surely be deemed a ‘Special Person.’

Guyana’s Industrial Accident 46 Years Ago. It was indeed a sad day in Guyana 46 years ago. Thousands of Guyanese flocked to Rose Hall Estate in Canje, Berbice to determine what happened at the factory. They wanted to know what had happened to their loved ones who dedicated their lives to the sugar industry in Guyana. Their siblings left for work early on January 13, 1970. Seven of these workers did not return home alive. The sequence of events which led to the death of these men has been analyzed by several individuals for the specific purpose of avoiding similar industrial accidents.

At the factory, everything was normal between 7am and 8am. Two men were assigned the task of cleaning the No 3 clarifier. They were supervised by process foreman Abdul Gafoor. However, shortly after 8am, shouts were heard, and several workers were seen running to and from the clarifier. Gafoor emerged from the No 3 clarifier and ran to the No 4 quad where a switchboard was located.

At the switchboard, he obtained a drop cord with a bulb at the end. He used this device to see what was going on in the clarifier. He saw the two workers unconscious.

He then descended into the clarifier for the express purpose of rendering assistance to the workers. He fell on the scroll of the clarifier while descending. Gafoor lost his life in a brave attempt to save the lives of both of his workers.

Another process foreman by the name of Peters was informed that Gafoor had fallen into the clarifier. Peters took the precautionary measure of having a rope placed inside the clarifier. The rope was tied to a 6″ pipe. Peters then entered the clarifier. After descending about four feet, Peters found his nostrils burning and breathing was difficult.

He then pulled the rope and was barely pulled out of the clarifier. He lost consciousness shortly after, but was able to survive.

Yassim Khan, a welder, was able to pull him to safety. He was only about forty feet from the clarifier.

Carron, a porter employed by the factory came on the scene. He tied a rope around himself with the intention of rescuing the workers. However, before he could enter, Dhanpaul Baijnauth pushed him aside and hurried through the manhole.

As Dhanpaul was going down, he shouted out that there were six or seven men at the bottom of the clarifier, including three other workers – Parboo, Seepersaud Sarjudas and Ranjeet Boodram. In fact, he became the seventh victim. These men died in an effort to save the lives of their fellow workers. Their actions represent bravery on the part of all of the workers. An extensive investigation was launched into the underlying causes of the accident.

As a result of the fatal accident, Edward Luckhoo, the acting Governor General of Guyana, ordered a Commission of Inquiry. Kenneth Stoby headed the commission which issued its report in May 1970. It concluded that the men died from the dangerous gases in the clarifier such as hydrogen sulphide. This gas was caused by fermentation that existed from the presence of mud and other matter in the clarifier.

The commissioners pointed out that there was no uniform system in place to clean the clarifiers and there was a failure to comply with the provisions of the Factories (Safety) Regulations of 1953. These regulations clearly stipulated that workers must be provided with breathing apparatus and/or safety belts and ropes when cleaning the clarifier. The report also faulted the company for other failures.

For instance, the process foreman and cleaners did not ensure that the mud valve was dismantled. This was a necessary step before the workers entered the clarifier, as required by established procedures The report called for, inter alia, adequate training for workers who are charged with the responsibility of cleaning clarifiers; written instructions to workers on proper procedures for the cleaning of equipment and a record kept of the individuals who have been issued these instructions; and more frequent factory inspections by qualified officers of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.

Commission of Inquiry into the Public Service Statement by Winston Felix

Enhancing Competition to Improve Efficiency of the Public Sector in Guyana.

One of the major factors contributing to efficiency in the public sector is competition. In the case of Guyana, the lack of competition has been a major impediment to the development of the sector.This general lack of competition is reflected in the awarding of contracts. In this paper, I will review some of the deficiencies that exists in the awarding of contacts and articulate some of the concrete steps that can be taken to remedy the situation.

Deficiencies in the Awarding of Contracts After several years of conducting a study of the system of awarding contracts, major deficiencies were found in the current system run by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NP&TAB). The lack of transparency in the awarding of contracts can be found in virtually all of the phases of the contracting process. The needs assessment phase lacks transparency. Feasibility studies have not been done to determine whether or not the project is suitable for the community or the environment as a whole.

There has been little on no consultation in this area. Communities have had little input in determining the suitability of the projects for there area. Some projects have been approved even though the potential exists for adverse environmental consequences.

However, expediency and pragmatism have largely prevailed over the objections of local communities, as well as independent observers.

The preparation phase of contracts during which the bid documents are prepared has been subjected to corruption because it lacks transparency. In this phase, bidding documents or terms of reference were designed to favor a particular provider. As a result, competition was not possible. Goods or services have been overpriced or underestimated to favor a particular bidder.

During the contractor selection and award phase, NP&TAB has often been ignored or played a minimal role. However, it is still subject to selection criteria which were subjective in ways that could potentially permit biases. An advantage to a particular bidder could potentially be granted through the exchange of confidential information before bid submission or during the clarification period. Clarifications might not be shared with all the bidders and confidentiality have been abused. In addition, sometimes

the grounds for the selection of the winner were not made public, thus undermining the transparency principle.

The manifestation of deficiencies in Guyana The implementation of the provisions of contracts is when many of the problems are manifested, and corruption, if any, becomes apparent. If so, the end result is that some of the work is compromised and defective products are used. The specifications outlined in the contract are not accomplished. This situation leads to poor quality work which may require early repairs or other expensive measures to correct the deficiencies. The Guyanese public is the loser here.

A major deficiency is the final phase – the accounting phase of the project. This exercise is sometimes carried out by individuals who have been involved in some of the previous phases mentioned above. This situation may result in collusion or cover-up of previous wrongdoing during the final accounting phase. An important safeguard existing in most countries, is the final external audit of the project. But unlike the usual procedure, under which the audit simply reviews and checks whether the numbers add up, an external agency should conduct performance audits which will also review the original cost estimate and benefit projections, compare them with the actual final cost of the project and the actual benefits, and assess whether the original justification of the project proposal still holds. These professional standards should be in place for large scale projects.

A typical example of this professional standard can be found in Jamaica where the Office of the Contractor General has jurisdiction over large-scale investment projects. If major discrepancies are discovered in the process, the responsible officials could be investigated and held accountable. This important step has not been followed in Guyana.

A culture has prevailed which seeks to protect such individuals who are involved in corrupt practices. The result is little or no prosecution in these cases.

Whenever an audit demonstrates or suggest that a contractor, supplier or consultant has possibly committed any acts of corruption, the case could be fully prosecuted by the Director of Public Prosecution. In the Guyana context, seldom does this happen. A system which is more transparent with respect to the issuance of contracts, will result in better value for money. In spite of the above mentioned deficiencies, it would seem logical that Government would seek to replace NP&TAB with the Public Procurement Commission as required by law. These steps will enhance competition in Guyana and promote efficiency within the Public Sector. It will also clear the way for the diversification of some of the major industries in Guyana.

Diversification and Increasing Competition Attempts to diversify industries such as the sugar industry and add value to the raw sugar will increase the competitiveness of the industry. However, the diversification program may be inhibited by practices which are not conducive to business. For instance, an

investor who may be interested in adding value to sugar products may be discouraged.

The investor may be required to go to several locations to register a business and may take an average of 30 days, according to a recent study financed by the World Bank.

There are eight separate steps which must be followed in order for an investor to start a corporation. These procedures may take an average of 30 days to complete. Compared with Jamaica where only six related activities are required and it will take an average of eight days to complete. Guyana may emulate either Jamaica or New Zealand. In the case of the latter, it may take only one day. New Zealand has a one step process and lasts an average of one day.

An investor may find the Guyanese economy more competitive if an environment is created that is more conducive to business. Such an environment entails the development of on automated system for business registration. An online registration process which is computerized and the steps to registering a business are completed online. The taxes to Government are paid online; thereby increasing revenues to the public treasury. Such an environment would increase foreign investment and make the economy more competitive. A more competitive environment would increase the number of investors in Guyana and would ultimately increase the efficiency of the Public Sector in Guyana.