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Sunday December 31, 2017
Kaieteur News
Sod turned for Linden/Region Ten Passport Office By Enid Joaquin Minister of Citizenship, Winston Felix, yesterday turned the sod for the Linden/ Region Ten Passport Office at Retrieve, Linden. On hand to witness the event were several Regional officials, including Regional Chairman, Rennis Morian; Mayor, Carwyn Holland; and Mayor-elect Wanneka Arrendell. Felix said that after the Department was formed, President David Granger called him and Minister of State, Joseph Harmon. He said that the Head-of-State told them that throughout the campaign, persons had been approaching him about the hardships people suffered in obtaining passports. The Minister said that overseas-based Guyanese were complaining that it was taking too long to acquire a passport and the local people were also complaining, about the long hours they had to spend at the passport office. “So we decided we had to fix this thing.” Felix said that initially, immigration was dealing with 400 passports per day which soon swelled to 500, hence the long lines. Letters were written in the papers criticising the office. He said that it soon became obvious that one passport office could not adequately deal with this increase. It was then decided that more equipment would be brought in to alleviate the situation.
Equipment arrived in August 2016, Felix said, and from then to now, they have been producing passports. Right now, we can produce your passports in five working days.” Felix said that some weeks they get up to 100 passport applications from New York alone and they are finishing them…; one week, they got 300. He added that as the service has improved, more people are applying and the work is being done. He added that after that problem was solved, the next step was decentralisation…”to remove the service out of Georgetown, in keeping with the President’s wish that Government services must be delivered in Capital Towns. Felix said that this was done in New Amsterdam a couple of weeks ago, and now it has come to Linden. He posited that government will always ensure that the best comes to Region Ten. The Regional Passport Office is expected to be completed in another four months, according to Felix. The building will be 2000 square ft. Regional Chairman, Rennis Morian expressed satisfaction with the initiative. He said, “This is part of Government’s commitment to the people. He said that RDC office will be erected about 500 yards away. The facility will remove a lot of the hassle suffered by residents. Campaign or not, people need these
things…People need a passport office, he added. APNU Party Chairperson for Region Ten, Sandra Adams commended the Minister for the initiative. She said that upon acceding to the office of Minister of Citizenship, one of the first things that the Minister would have done was to establish a passport office in Linden. “From the time he would have taken office he has been pursuing the idea of the decentralisation of necessary facilities and ministry operations in all of the Regions. So the first thing he would have done was to open an office at the NIS building here in Linden.
Pensioner dies after being rescued from submerged car A pensioner lost his life on the Essequibo Coast Public Road last Friday night, when his car overturned in a trench near Danielstown. The deceased was identified as 70-year-old Royston Peterson, of Lot 12 Devonshire Castle, Essequibo Coast. At the time of the incident, Peterson and a known associate were heading home, proceeding west along the southern driveway of the road in his motorcar PVV 6996. Reports are that some time around 22:00hrs, Peterson was negotiating a southern turn, when his vehicle toppled into a trench. Kaieteur Mews understands that Peterson was still trapped inside the vehicle with his seatbelt strapped around him. The deceased reportedly consumed mud water, whilst trapped inside the vehicle which was partially submerged.
Peterson was subsequently rescued by his associate, with the assistance of passersby. The men were then taken to the Suddie Public Hospital, both arriving conscious. Peterson was treated and admitted in a stable condition, but surprisingly passed away about 05:45h yesterday morning. Police believe that the two men may have been drinking some time before tragedy struck. This belief is based on the fact that investigators picked up a strong scent of alcohol from both victims. Peterson’s death came as a shock to his family, most of whom reside abroad. Peterson’s four kids and seven grandchildren, all reside in the Caribbean islands and the US. His only immediate relative currently in Guyana, is bel i e v e d t o b e h i s s i s t e r, Verne Peterson. Ms. Peterson told this publication yesterday, that
she resides abroad, but is only spending the holidays in Guyana with her brother. Ms. Peterson clearly did not anticipate her holidays ending in such a tragedy. The grieving woman said that she had only spoken to her brother a few hours before his debacle. Reflecting on the last time she saw her brother, Ms. Peterson said, “Friday night he came in around 7:30 pm, he put on the lights and then he told me that he was going back out. Then later in the night I got a call that he had an accident. I was made to understand that it was nothing serious. Then around 04:00hrs the shocking news came that he had passed away. “That was a real shocker because the last time they told me, he was ok.” Police investigators are awaiting a postmortem, which will be conducted next week, to ascertain Peterson’s cause of death. [Romario Blair]
“And now he is moving it one step further which is to set up a complete office where you can have your new applications done; citizenship applications done, and eventually your birth certificates.” Adams said that this means that the people of Linden and Region Ten would finally no longer have to travel to Georgetown to access
such services. These would be readily available and at less cost as the cost of travel and food would be eliminated, as well as the hassle. “That would be bringing the good life to the people. Some people might see this as a very small gesture but I see it as a big gesture. “I most anxiously await it, because when we get on our
campaign trail, I can say it was a promise made and a promise delivered.” Mayor Carwyn Holland said he was very pleased; the project would do so much for the people. “I’m very much thankful on behalf of the people of Linden. I’m very thankful to the Minister.” Holland said that what the Minister is doing is way beyond passports. Regional Chairman, Rennis Morian said that Linden and Region Ten had waited almost 30 years for such a development. He suggested the establishment of a sub-office in the Berbice River area. Morian said that the facility would go a long way toward easing the hassle residents endure to obtain their passports and other documents. A $30.6 million contract has already been awarded to R. Bassoo and Sons for the construction of the facility. This is part of an ongoing exercise to decentralise immigration services to all Capital Towns across Guyana. Linden’s Passport Office is currently temporarily housed in the NIS building on Republic Avenue.
It pays to steal from your employer … You can pay the fine and still make a profit The need to revamp local laws has been gathering steam in recent years. The reforms do not only include provisions in the Constitution for presidential term limits, but also for little offences, some of which carry fines that date back to the 80s. The punishment amounts to a mere slap on the wrist. At least one businessman who has suffered immensely is calling for some changes, and urgently at that. Frank Sanichara, who runs a distribution business at Eccles, East Bank Demerara, has been suffering at the hands on not only burglars but even from former employees. His losses from court time and the incidents are adding up and it is not painting a pretty picture. Sanichara’s story of losing because of outdated laws which leave the police hands tied is not unique to his business. Almost all of the companies in Guyana have been complaining. Many of them end up just firing the guilty employees and cutting their losses. They are not wasting time going to court. Early last year, Sanichara got the shock of his life when a magistrate fined a former employee, Kevin Waaldijk, $100,000. The former employee was accused of embezzling over
Anand Sewah $500,000 in cash. After a year of trial, and back and forth in court, the magistrate fined the man $100,000 after finding him guilty of the offence. An upset Sanichara visited the Director of Public Prosecutions to have the matter appealed. A few months ago, burglars cut holes in the building at Eccles, escaping with millions of dollars in cash and other items. About three weeks ago, another employee, Anand Sawah, a salesman for over three years with the company, allegedly collected over $1M from customers but fled Guyana to Trinidad before he could be arrested. “I am afraid that once again even if he is arrested, that the same thing will happen. In the last court case,
there were not even talks of him paying back. It is as if you are saying to employees, please steal…there is no jail. You will only be required to pay back part as a fine to the court.” Officials say that there is little the courts could do. With the recent moves to reduce prison overcrowding, first time offenders are getting away scot-free thanks to ancient laws and reforms at the prison system level. In other words, there is a preference to fines than jail for non-violent offences. Consecutive administrations have been making moves to have constitutional reforms but the process appears to have stalled. “Like I said last year, it appears workers and others can steal and make a profit. That is what the current system is allowing. This is frustrating and a clear disincentive to business persons. This has been happening to many business owners but they are too frustrated to make it public. “People guilty of embezzlement should be jailed at all levels. It leaves me to wonder why jail time is not in the sentencing guidelines of Guyana. It leaves a huge loophole from government officials to petty criminals to walk free.”