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Kaieteur News
Kaieteur M@ilbox
Sunday November 09, 2014
Kaieteur M@ilbox
A better system needed to share ‘Because we care’ vouchers DEAR EDITOR, The sharing of the $10,000 school voucher is not a bad initiative by the government but there are some flaws which I observed that should be addressed by the Ministry of Education. The former school vouchers that were shared were just $1,500,and that was hassle free from all the long lines and sharing of numbers, and the voucherscould have been used to purchase school items at many stores. The sharing of this new $10,000 voucher is a very tedious process for families. My first observation is the sharing of numbers and these are numbers for various grades that have different long lines. For example, if a parent has three children at three different grades in the same school, that parent will have to uplift three different numbers for every
grade his/her child is in that now incorporates them to join three different lines. That’s virtually impossible to achieve in one day. Why is it that the school couldn’t tabulate the names of the children on one list and let the parent collect his/her voucher in one line? Some parents I know spent over eight hours in different lines and couldn’t get all their vouchers; and the sad part is they only have one day to get all their vouchers; it’s not given the next day. Then we have working parents who cannot leave their jobs to uplift their vouchers because of their job schedules. Why is it a more effective and efficient system was not in place to facilitate every family, just like the previous system they had when they were sharing the $1,500 vouchers? I haven’t seen
much big difference with the previous system; it’s only a couple more thousands is added to the voucher. Then we have many parents that can’t read, old parents, pregnant mothers etc. all have to stand waiting in the sun or on some school bench sitting as if they are begging for a hand out. I wonder if our ministers in government would like to wait over five hours in a line for a $10,000 voucher. How many of them stepping out of their air condition Prados can even stand one hour in the sun to make a long boring speech before this money is shared. Everything with our present administration is about the politics and how good we have done for our people. Any politics without a proper administration and modern effective policies is unhealthy for our people as a
From page 4 dastardly deeds, what can or will our police do? Well, the police have already given us a preview by their response to Glenn Lall’s complaint against Nandlall. Further contemplation of Nandlall’s statements has led me to some obvious questions and disturbing conclusions about Nandlall’s mindset and the intersection of crime and politics in our country. Nandlall wants his wife and family to be kept out of any exchanges between him and KN, but yet had no hesitation about being unbothered at the prospect of innocent people being killed or maimed at KN. Can he not see that those innocent people and their families care for their lives as much as he cares about the feelings of his wife and family? Is Nandlall really that degenerate? Or could it be that he has of necessity assumed the persona of the “powerful people” and their hired assas-
sins? With regard to hired assassins, would I be considered unreasonable if I concluded, based on inferences from Nandlall’s statements, that the ”powerful people” have access to a list of assassins whose confidence, silence, loyalty, and services have been bought in exchange for protection from prosecution for their past and future dastardly deeds? And what ”powerful people”, except politicians or the politically connected, can protect assassins from arrest or prosecution for an intended crime that is sure to be widely condemned and widely reported? I commend the owner and editor of KN for releasing TNT. For as Nandlall himself has hypocritically but so eloquently stated, no claim to privacy can protect the public release of private conversations that discuss the commission of crimes. And it is worth noting that KN released this tape even though it con-
tains embarrassing information about Glenn Lall’s brother. Anyway, despite the embarrassment, fear, and suspicions that the release of TNT has engendered, I understand that Kaieteur News had no choice but to go public in an effort to avert dire consequences. In fact, I caution Guyanese that unless we rise in fearless opposition to and condemn Nandlall’s orgasmic expectations, the release of TNT may turn out to have just delayed rather than prevented those dire consequences. In the meantime, as we wait with bated breath for the next move of the “powerful”, I without reservation condemn Nandlall and heap unconstrained condemnation upon President Ramotar for his senseless defence of the indefensible, and hold him ultimately responsible for the protection of Kaieteur News’ personnel and property. I also demand that Nandlall be investigated for possible crimes, because no reasonable person can listen to TNT and conclude that at worst we are dealing with mere indiscretion. I also encourage KN’s owner and editor to continue to allow the truth to flow from KN’s pages at the same rate and force with which the waters of Kaieteur Falls roll off the sandstone cliffs of the Potaro River during a rainy season. Lionel Lowe
nation. Editor, the long voucher lines doesn’t end at the school. This $10,000 voucher can only be cashed at Western Union offices and most Western Union branches only have about three cashiers working and many smaller ones only have one cashier. I saw lines at Western Union by the hundreds. Some folks line up as early as 5.00 a.m to cash their vouchers to be told at 9AM that Western Union doesn’t have money. It’s ridiculous that our people have become like a puppet on a long string just for $10,000 while many have fainted in the lines and even starved the whole day and can’t get their money. My questions are many which I may never get an answer for. Why is it that the
‘’because we care vouchers’’ can only be cashed at Western Union? Why can’t they be cashed at any bank? Banks have money, Western Union doesn’t have enough money to give out to hundreds of families? And why do these vouchers have an expiry date November 30th,2014? With proper security, why couldn’t they give out cash to parents? To govern a nation we need vision and proper management skills which we don’t seem to have. In all our ministries and prominent offices we are greeted by long unending lines but it doesn’t seem to bother our Ministers in Government and even our President. It doesn’t bother them because they are not the ones standing in the lines for hours and days.
Real leadership is putting our people first before ourselves. If this new voucher initiative is called ‘’Because We Care’’ then our present administration should care about the long lines our people have to make to uplift the voucher at the schools and Western Union. If we really care then it is my sincere hope that these issues I have raised here will be addressed by the Ministry of Education and our administration. Illiteracy among adults is another growing phenomenon in Guyana that really slowed up the sharing of the vouchers since hundreds of parents can’t sign their names. What we need is a more comprehensive plan to distribute these vouchers in the coming years if it’s still in place. Rev. Gideon Cecil
We must stand in opposition to... This nation is being held... From page 5 for a confidence motion to be placed in the Executive/ government,Article 184 (3) to (5) stipulates how the Leader of the Opposition can be removed from office and, Article 180 guides the procedure for the removal of the President if it is considered he has committed any violation of the Constitution or any gross misconduct. Contrary to the belief of some, elected officials are not above being held to account. In normal societies, where the people are vigilant, these recall powers entrusted to them under the constitution, would have been taken seriously by their elected leaders. The President is out of order when he sought to entrust himself into the dayto-day functioning of the Assembly, when he has no power or authority to. Article
168 (1) said, “Save as otherwise provided by this Constitution, all questions proposed for decision in the National Assembly shall be determined by a majority of the votes of the members present and voting.” The Standing Orders outlines how the Assembly sits. Article 50 is clear in making known the supremacy of the parliament over the president and cabinet. And while it would have been customary for the leader of the Government business to state the date when the Assembly reconvenes, in the absence of the Executive/government side having majority control of the Assembly, that responsibility should have been assumed by the Leader of the Opposition on whose side the expressed majority will of the people reside. The Speaker is the political head/chair of the
Assembly. The Clerk of the National Assembly is the executive/administrative head. What is clearly coming over is the absence of understanding of scope and responsibilities, laws and procedures guiding professional conduct, or the downright contempt for these established institutions. The efforts to ensure the financial independence of the Assembly/Parliament is laudable and must be pursued with due diligence. This nation continues to be held hostage to a group of elected leaders who haven’t got a clue what they are doing and seemingly making no effort to familiarise themselves. An end must be brought to the disregard/contempt for the people and their institutions. Lincoln Lewis.
Majority Against No Confidence... From page 5 interests. The poll randomly interviewed 610 voters to yield a demographically representative sample (44% Indians, 30% Africans, 16% Mixed, 9% Amerindians, and 1% other races) of the population. The poll was conducted in face-to-face interviews and was coordinated by Dr. Vishnu Bisram*, pollster, newspaper columnist, and educator in NY. The results of the poll were analyzed at a 95 per cent significance level and a statistical sampling error of plus or minus four percentage points was found. Sampling results based on subgroups
such as Indians or Africans or Amerindians have a larger sampling error. Asked if they approve of the opposition’s no confidence motion to bring down the government and hold new general elections, 57% said “no” with 26% approving of it and 17% not offering a response. Asked if they think the results of new election will be significantly different from the 2011 outcome, 52% said “no” with 37% saying “yes” and 11% saying “not sure”. Asked what they think will be the outcome of a snap election, 30% said the PPP will regain its majority with an additional 34% saying the
PPP will win but with a plurality. Some 21% feel the PNC will win a plurality and an additional 2% said PNC will win a majority) with less than 1% saying the AFC will win the election. The remaining 12% expressed no opinion or are uncertain about the outcome. The survey also polled voters to obtain the approval and favorability ratings of President Ramotar and Opposition Leader Granger, popular support for the parties in the event of a general election, as well as support for aspiring Presidential candidates of the AFC. Vishnu Bisram