Elections 2020 COI, a tool used by the PPP/C to sell itself, and attack PNC

DEAREDITOR,

Having spent millions of dollarsonaPresidentialCOI into the 2020 elections, the big question is what exactly it achieved. The COI was clearly a PPP/C campaign script for future elections. All that was said and recommended is known for years and it was the PPPC thatneveractedonit.

W h o v o t e d f o r Lowenfield to become CEO at GECOM? It was the P P P / C G E C O M Commissioners themselves who supported and even extended Lowenfield employment. As such, they allshouldresigninshamefor choosing a candidate that eventuallywentrogue.What has the PPP/C done substantially to make GECOM apolitical? The answer is nothing. Now it’s worst since all three top candidates are PPP/C supported officers, namely ACEO, DCEO and CEO. What has the PPP/C done through its Commissioners for Election finance laws over the two decades it has beeninpower? Nothing. GECOM is a puppet to whichever party is in government. The following isanextractfromtheGuyana Chronicle news on 12th February 2023, under the headline,“Independentlegal adviser, management trainingneededforGECOM Chairperson”

“BASEDontheevidence submittedtothePresidential Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into events surrounding the 2020 General and Regional Elections, Senior Counsel, Sophia Chote, has signaled theneedfortheChairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to benefit from an independent legal adviser and to undergo managementtraining.

According to Chote, the Chairperson of GECOM, Justice (ret’d), Claudette Singh, based on what she said during her testimony, appearedtohavedroppedthe ball on serious issues in the aftermath of the elections. “Cansherelyon…allofthe commissioners as a resource?AndIwillsayNo! Becauseonpartisanmatters, they will be split The chairman perhaps needs to have an independent legal a d v i s e r , ” C h o t e saidSurprisingly, none of this was captured in final report What can ask reasonably ask why? This leadstolotsofspeculation.

The current DCEO and the issue of procedure relating the hard drive attractedmuchattention,yet nothingwasmentioned.This puts the impartiality of the Commissionunderquestion. Clearly,thisCOIfocusedon what the PPP/C wants. One islefttoseeifthisdocument willbepresentedinthecourt to bolster the current case, thereby playing well into PPP/Cgameplan.Itcontains the exact language PPP/C wants and incriminate the exactpersonsPPP/Cwants.

Thereisnodenialthatan attempt was made to rig the 2020 elections The procedures laid for justice wasfollowedandintheend, a new government was swornin.

The system worked. The PPP/C is no saint in this fiasco.Whoaretheoneswith fake signatures on the backers list for LGE 2023? Who squatted on AFC seat for Linden following the 2006 elections. It was the PPP/C? Whoproroguedthe

Parliament in 2015? It was thePPP/C.

Both sides are culpable of rigging and should halt this back and forth blaming. This country is in a serious governance crisis, abuse of state resources, harassment of media workers, lack of transparency, high nepotism and cronyism, Mae’s embarrassment, while oil revenue is squandered on baseless projects This matters to Guyanese now, how is the PPP/C fixing theseall?

It’sevidentthatGECOM needs fixing but who will, becauseanunfixedGECOM benefits the ruling government.

The COI is another pageant show for PPPC to ‘gootay’the past, something that everyone knows about. Moving forward, how different will the PPPC be anddofromAPNU?It’sleft to see what changes will be acted upon and changes to make GECOM better, c l e a r l y t h e C O I recommendations are insufficient to effect real change.

Regards,

H.John

Why hasn’t Guyana joined the list of 142 countries fighting tax evasion of multinational companies?

DEAREDITOR, T h e O E C D / G 2 0

Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit

Shifting (BEPS) is implementing a landmark reform to the international tax system, which will ensure multinational enterpriseswillbesubjectto a 15% effective minimum tax rate. The details can be found here, via this link https://www.oecd.org/tax/be ps/. Domestic tax avoidance b y B E P S d u e t o multinational enterprises exploiting gaps and mismatches between different countries’ tax systemsaffectsallcountries. Developing countries’ higher reliance on corporate incometaxmeanstheysuffer f r together in the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on BEPS, over 142 countries and jurisdictions are implementing 15 Actions to tackle tax avoidance, improve the coherence of international tax rules, ensureamoretransparenttax environmentandaddressthe tax challenges arising from the digitalisation of the economy Importantly, the minimum tax rate of 15% will apply to large multinational enterprises with annual revenue of at least USD 750 million, whereby the minimum tax ratemustbereachedineach jurisdiction Hence, if a jurisdiction fails to implement the 15% minimumtaxrateotherscan claim those taxes for themselves.

Where does Guyana stand on the issue of base erosionandprofitshiftingby multinationalcompanies?To date, Guyana has failed to join the list of countries of the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS).

Interestingly, the list includes most CARICOM members, includingAntigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Domenica, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, St.Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad andTobago.Furthermore,all associate CARICOM members including Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, and the Cayman Islands, many known as tax havens, are also on board. Most notably however

Guyana is absent. For unknown reasons, the topic of fighting tax evasion of multinationalcompanieshas failed to date to gain any attention of President Ali, Vice President Jagdeo or FinanceMinisterSingh. Which multinational enterprises operating in Guyana would be subject to theglobal15%minimumtax rate?

The most obvious companies fitting the multinational enterprises category are Exxon and its partners Hess and CNOOC, which are developing Guyana’s offshore oil resources in the Stabroek Block. They are operating under a Production Sharing Agreement (PSA), which guaranteeseffectivetax

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DEAREDITOR,

The APNU’s allegations totheeffectthatinthecourse of the submission of lists of candidates and nominators, a c t s o f f o r g e r y , impersonation, intimidation and threatening behavior were committed, is reminiscent of similar allegations made in the aftermath of the 2020 elections.

The APNU must know that such acts, once proven, arecriminaloffencesandthe right thing to do is to take those allegations to the appropriatelawenforcement body along with the evidence they may have, should they be desirous of having their allegations addressed.

GECOM is not criminal law enforcement body, it is not staffed with a crew of investigators to pry into alleged criminal behavior; and even if it were to do so, the fundamental question to be asked before any investigation is launched wouldbetowhatend?

The APNU’s call on GECOM to investigate its allegations is an attempt to push GECOM to act unlawfully, as though it is a courtoflawtoadjudicatethe spurious claims that party has been bellyaching about. Itispreciselyforthisreason that the chairman of GECOM has advised the APNU to either appeal to a magistrateorfileanelection petitionafterLGE2023.

GECOM’sconstitutional role is very clear and