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NEWS
www.caribbeantimesinternational.com | week ending January 16, 2014
Guyana inks anti-drug trafficking pact with UK
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t a time when the Guyana government is at odds with the United States over a multibillion-dollar governance programme, the Donald Ramotar Administration on Monday signed on to a major agreement with the United Kingdom to fight rampant drug trafficking in the Caribbean country. The agreement is seen as very significant, coming amid the standoff between Washington and Georgetown over the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) programme and given that the UK had withdrawn a £3 million security reform programme back in 2009.
Cooperation
According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) release, the agreement reached on Monday will enhance cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking between the two coun-
Guyana’s Head of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS), Dr Roger Luncheon and British High Commissioner Andrew Ayre signing the agreement at the Office of the President in Georgetown
tries. The agreement was signed by Head of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS), Dr Roger Luncheon and British High Commissioner Andrew Ayre. The agreement will also facilitate the deepening of ties between the law enforce-
ment agencies of both countries, and provide significant technical assistance and training for Guyanese law enforcement personnel by the administration of the UK. Back in 2009, Guyana virtually walked away from the security reform
programme, saying that aspects of the project threatened to encroach on Guyana’s sovereignty. However, the British contended that the Guyana government proposed a “fundamentally different” programme, focused on police modernisation rather than the holistic reform originally requested. The UK’s proposed project had aimed to build a sustainable foundation for improving na-
tional security and reducing serious crime in Guyana by 2011. To this end, it spoke to the need for implementation of a national security plan and the security sector reform and to increase public confidence in government’s response to security issues. It had also explained that developing a national security policy, as well as establishing management and oversight structures and building capacity within the police force are all crucial to responding to serious crime. The proposal had set out almost three dozen activities with detailed milestones and specific timelines until 2011. Towards the development of the security reform strategy, the targets include a series of public stakeholder consultations and training to strengthen parliamentary oversight, throughout the lifetime of the project. These were aimed at building government capacity for managing the reforms, developing a
national security policy and a reform strategy, establishing accountability and oversight of the security sector, strengthening the professional standards and service delivery of the police force and establishing an effective structure for managing the reform project.
Proposal
The proposal lists specific activities to be carried out in each area, ranging from the recruitment of staff, the design of legislative strategies, parliamentary programmes to public consultations and workshops. The proposal also had identified potential risks to these processes, including “weak” government and police force commitment to and ownership of holistic reform; the unwillingness of civil society to participate in consultations and/or consultations that are not inclusive and therefore compromised; and a lack of commitment by Members of Parliament (MPs) to their oversight role. (Guyana Times)
Guyana Consulate in Toronto hosts Annual Open House for Guyanese By Ravendra Madholall
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he Guyana Consulate Open House event in Toronto last Thursday attracted a large and supportive gathering, much to the admiration of the organisers and particularly the two special guests, who both at different periods, previously held the post of Consul General.
During the event at the Consulate’s head office, Victoria Park and 401 Highway, Geoffrey Da Silva and Danny Doobay congratulated the current Consul General Sattie Sawh for her achievements in the past year. Sawh also used the occasion to collect non-perishable food items for North York Daily Food Bank. Da Silva was appointed by the late Guyanese President Dr. Cheddi Jagan as the Honourary Consul General to Toronto in 1994, and four year later as an adviser in the Office of President under Janet Jagan. In 1999, he became Guyana’s Tourism, Industry and Trade Minister and in 2001, Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Office for Investment. Currently, he serves as Guyana’s Ambassador to Venezuela. “I [am] extremely happy to be here in Toronto to share the opening event with you guys. I really admire the unity in the Guyanese diaspora which reflects a great image for our country,” Da Silva told the gathering. He reflected, “when I was Consul General here I saw the same level of commitment and wiliness by the Guyanese to
support our country by investing back home.” Doobay also expressed similar sentiments. “I am indeed happy to be invited for this special occasion and as a new year has already begun, I know Sattie (Sawh) and her colleagues will work harder in 2014 to help their fellow Guyanese in various ways. They have continued to provide invaluable support as well,” Doobay stated. Sawh, in her remarks, thanked the special guests and congratulated her colleagues in Toronto for their hard work and dedication during 2013. She also made special mention of those who contributed to the Guyana Day event held last August at Centennial venue. Sawh observed that Guyana will be celebrating its 50th Anniversary of Independence in 2016 while noting that plans for those celebrations are on the agenda for this year. Meanwhile, Bas Balkissoon, the MPP for Scarborough-Rouge River, was also a special invitee at the event, where he expressed confidence that Guyanese living in Canada will continue to work in harmony and unity.