Weekend Mirror 10-11 October, 2020

Those who threatened democracy will be held accountable – VP 10-11 October, 2020 / Vol. 11 No. 43 / Price: $100

Internet: http: //www.mirrornewsgy.com / e-mail: mirror2018.gy@gmail.com

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Gov’t liberalises the telecoms sector PAGE 3

Financing models for major infrastructural projects being explored PAGE 18

Harmon has no moral authority to lecture Government – Jagdeo PAGE 15

SEE INSIDE

Farmers benefit from engagement to address concerns PAGE 2

Operation COVIDCURB underway PAGE 14

SEE INSIDE

Lessons for Grades 1-3

Interactive Radio Instruction (IRI) Worksheets Follow the Radio and Keep Learning [PAGE 16-17]

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WEEKEND WEEKEND MIRROR MIRROR 10-11 3-4 OCTOBER, 2020

Farmers benefit from engagement to address concerns

Farmers from Mahaica Creek, Mahaicony Creek and Abary Creek, Region 5, benefited from an outreach led by Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, where they were able to voice issues of concern to them during a productive engagement.

‘Get the work done’ - Edghill to contractors

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everal site where sea defence works are being undertaken, along a seven-kilometre stretch in Region Five, Dantzig to Content Mahaicony Area, were visited by Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, who was no-holds barred in sending a clear message to the contractors.

The contractors Toolsie Persaud Quarries Incorporated, A & S General

Contracting Incorporated, M&B Construction, BK International Incorporated and Colin Talbot Contracting Services, who are all contracted to undertake works in various sections, were engaged in discussions and facilitated site inspections.

Notably, BK International Incorporated and A& S General Contracting Incorporated were engaged

to undertake emergency works since June 2020 under the previous administration.

At every site, the message from the Minister was the same: 1. Timely implementation 2. Ensuring that while the work is being undertaken, adequate measures are being put in place to prevent flooding and to safeguard livelihoods, especially in

light of the expected high tides in another two weeks’ time and then the anticipated higher tides closer to the Diwali festival 3. Significant sums are being expended on these works and the Government expects high quality and efficiency and nothing less will be accepted.

4. While recognising the difficult terrain and sometimes harsh weather con-

ditions, the contractors, all at the time of tendering, indicated that they possess the capacity and ability to do the work and excuses and explanations will not prevent enforcement of contractual obligations.

The Minister was accompanied by Vice Chairman of Region Five, Mr. Rion Peters; Regional Executive Officer, Ms. Genevieve Blackman; Mr. Kevin

Samad-Chief Sea and River Defense Officer; Mr. Stephen Nascimento-Project Engineer and Mr. Kenneth Hamer-District Engineer who have all been advised that monitoring of this project must take a high priority. Minister Edghill also took the opportunity to visit two sites where mud is being dug and supplied to contractors for works being undertaken.

WEEKEND MIRROR 10-11 3-4 OCTOBER, OCTOBER, 2020 2020

Gov’t liberalises the telecoms sector

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wo months into its term in office, the Irfaan Aliled government has taken steps to liberalise Guyana’s telecommunications sector as part of the march towards further national development.

Prime Minister Hon. Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips on Monday (October 5, 2020) announced that Commencement Orders had been issued, bringing into force the Telecommunications Act 2016 and the Public Utilities Commission Act 2016.

PM Phillips, who handles the telecommunications portfolio, said the historic initiative aligns the nation’s telecommunications regime to those in other countries, and will “end a thirty-yearold anti-competitive telecommunications monopoly, that has left Guyanese weary, frustrated and lagging behind in the telecommunications arena”.

Prime Minister Phillips was at the time addressing the nation via a live broadcast. “It is anticipated that Guyanese will feel an immediate positive impact from the implementation of these legislation, which create a modern and competitive environment for telecommunications, and which will immediately result in greater choices, better quality of service and lower prices for consumers, while at the same time ensuring that all operators continue to enjoy all benefits conferred under the old legislative regime.”

He said the legislation is consistent with Government’s vision of furthering national and regional social and economic development.

It addresses the expansion of telecommunications networks and services into unserved and underserved areas through the institution of a new universal access/universal services programme.

“The legislation creates a clear, harmonised framework and a level playing field for the sector that is currently lacking, and which are characterised by transparency

and non-discrimination in the issuance and monitoring of licences and authorisations to use the spectrum, seamless interconnection and access between and among telecommunications networks and services, and price regulation where required to ensure competition and at the same time guarantees equal treatment of stakeholders, to the ultimate benefit and protection of consumers,” Prime Minister Phillips posited.

Prime Minister Phillips assured that the PPP/C Government remains willing to work with all stakeholders to ensure that every Guyanese benefit from quality and modern services.

PROMISE Last week, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo promised that Guyanese can look forward to the liberalisation of the Telecommunications Sector.

“Liberalisation is a promise that we made a long time ago, both parties agreed to this, and we need to get it implemented; we are hoping by next week that could happen,” he had said.

He noted that the Telecommunication Amendment Bill was passed in the National Assembly since 2016.

However, it was not acted upon by the previous administration, who chose instead to enter into negotiations with a service provider. “The Minister was just supposed to sign an order bringing the law into effect, the Minister did not. They signed a secret agreement with GT&T that nobody knew of… which seems to be negotiating rather than bringing the law into effect, so we have spent the last couple of weeks going through this in great detail,” Jagdeo stated.

The liberalisation of the Telecommunications Sector sets the foundation for the technological development of Guyana and the creation of thousands of jobs.

The Vice President explained that when this is achieved, Guyanese can ex-

pect additional service providers, leading to increased competition, the improvement of cell phone services, lower rates and more fiber optic cables.

The Telecommunications Bill was first introduced in 2011 by the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic administration.

The Telecommunications Act 2016 was first laid by the PPP/C Government in the 9th Parliament in August 2011, and laid again in the 10th Parliament in 2012, after extensive consultations with both the public and operators. During the life of both Parliaments, the Act enjoyed commendable bipartisan support, the PM said. It spent considerable time before a select committee, chaired by former APNU/AFC Minister Carl Greenidge, and included Former Prime Minister Samuels Hinds, and then Minister Mohamed Irfaan Ali. The Act was finalised before the 2015 elections and was enacted by the Coalition Government in 2016 by Minister Catherine Hughes, again with bipartisan support. The PM noted that these legislation straddled administrations, and were the subject of extensive negotiations with stakeholders which lasted nearly a decade.

The Telecommunications (Amendment) Bill 2016 explanatory memorandum noted that “it provides for an open, liberalised and competitive telecommunications sector that will be attractive to investors, while preserving the activities of the current sector participants.

By creating a competitive environment for telecommunications, the Bill is expected to (provide) greater choice, better quality of service and lower prices for consumers.

The Bill also specifically addresses the (extension) of existing telecommunications networks and services into un-served and under-served areas through a new universal access/universal services programme.”

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WEEKEND WEEKEND MIRROR MIRROR 10-11 3-4 OCTOBER, 2020

EDITORIAL

Getting down to the task for rebuilding

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s the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government advances along the path of delivering to the Guyanese people, increasingly, the findings about the mismanagement and corruption that prevailed under the former APNU+AFC Coalition government continue to dumbfound our nation - primarily because of the massive scale on which this took place.

This week it was revealed that the current PPP/C government has been unable to effectively account for how the former Government spent $170 billion in capital funds. It must be noted that while Budget 2020 was approximately $329 billion – much of these funds were already spent by the Coalition. The $170 billion figure includes spending done in 2020. Since there was no Parliament to approve the funds, the money should not have been spent in the first place. He recalled that when the Government was preparing its 2020 Budget in August, it had to deal with prior expenditures.

In seven months – from January to July – spent $170 billion from the Treasury, Further, a whopping 90 per cent of this would have been spent illegally, because the Constitution says that until the next budget is passed, you can only spend one-twelfth of the previous budget, which is the 2019 national budget.

One-twelfth provision, catered for in Section 36 of the FMA, was only applicable for Government services, such as payment of wages and salaries for public servants, including nurses, doctors, and the Disciplined Services.

According to Section 36 (1) of the Act: “If an Appropriation Act has not come into effect at the beginning of a fiscal year, the Minister shall be authorised to issue drawing rights on the Consolidated Fund sufficient to fund the ongoing delivery of normal services of Government in accordance with Article 219 (1) of the Constitution.”

Subsection two goes on to say: “Drawing rights issued pursuant to subsection (1) shall, for each month in respect of each budget agency, be subject to a drawing limit of one-twelfth of the amount that was expended by that budget agency in the immediately preceding fiscal year; provided, however, that provision for a payment obligation under a multi-year contract referred to in subsection 55 (1) may be included in a drawing right.”

With no account for how most of the monies were spent by the APNU+AFC Coalition, it is likely that the Audit Office of Guyana will review the Coalition’s financial undertakings with a fine-tooth comb – and record any improprieties in its next report. Already, Guyanese have seen the failures of the Coalition, exposed in the Auditor General’s 2018 Report, which was leaked to the public earlier this year and laid in the National Assembly in August 2020.

It must be recalled too that in 2019 the Auditor General, Deodat Sharma, himself had called attention to the APNU+AFC Coalition’s blatant disregard to the laws of the land. He had disclosed that he has found an increase in financial transgressions, with no regards being given to the Procurement Act. “I believe it is more frequent now. There are a lot of sole-sourced contracts and every other day you have some issue with breaches of contractual or tender board procedures. Even the recommendations for corrective action, most of them are not being implemented,” Sharma had said.

Additionally, the Auditor General’s report showed that at the end of 2016, there were 82 breaches of the FMAA and 71 breaches of the Procurement Act. The reports after this one showed a similar trend.

Nonetheless, the PPP/C Administration is getting down to the task of rebuilding and has a track record of bringing our nation back from the brink on an abyss. Undoubtedly, under the leadership of President Dr. Irfaan Ali and his team, Guyanese will be able to successfully move forward – together.

Guyanese will be able to live a better life Dear Editor,

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lease permit me to highlight, commend and congratulate the excellent work of His Excellency President Irfaan Ali, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, and his Finance team, given their direct involvement in the crafting of the 2020 emergency budget recently approved by the National Assembly. With this first budget after the elections, removal of major parasitic hindrances has been targeted, together with a remedial approach to rebuilding a healthy progressive nation.

Amidst the global economic slowdown which is hinged to threats from the COVID-19 pandemic, the action-driven initiatives are indeed bold, creative, and necessary to fuel the restart of our floundered economy. Guyanese are well aware that our economy had become stultified at the hands of APNU/AFC’s fraudulent and negative policies.

It did not help that David Granger’s regime chose to further suffer the nation for more than five months leading up to the August 2 swearing-in of Dr Ali’s new Government. One should therefore not disregard the damaging effects of the elaborate (over 30 billion) spending undertaken by the Granger caretaker cabal during the post-election 5-month abeyance, and the need to hold them accountable for these skulduggeries.

Guyanese are now both heartened and relieved with the lowering of fees and reduction of taxes, together with the moves to establish a more predictable, trusted, and incentivised approach that encourages renewed investment vigour and partnerships. These have been made formal through the budget measures, made effective October 1, 2020.

President Ali’s Government has put immediate measures in place to reverse or reduce the many burdensome and draconian increases that were imposed by the heartless PNC/APNU Government. The swiftness of the PPP/C leaders in this regard demonstrates a purpose-driven commitment to keep the promises made to the electorate.

Related in this respect, the PPP/C Government recently tabled several bills in the National Assembly in a desperate effort to take the unbearable pressure off our people.

Editor, the PPP/C Government demonstrated an understanding of the need to improve the wellbeing of Guyanese livelihood, as well as a caring and compassionate considerations when they moved to address several bills in the National Assembly. These include the Auctioneers (Amendment) Bill No 2 of 2020; Corporation Tax (Amendment) Bill No 3 of 2020; Hucksters Licensing and Control (Amendment) Bill No 4 of 2020; Income Tax (Amendment) Bill No 5 of 2020; Miscellaneous Licenses (Amendment) Bill No 7 of 2020; Tax (Amendment) Bill No 8 of 2020; Value Added tax Bill No 9 of 2020; and the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill No 10 of 2020.

Notwithstanding, Guyanese must ponder the fact that as all these bills were put up for debate and approval, that the Opposition APNU/AFC representatives shamelessly absented themselves from the National Assembly. Seemingly, they appeared afraid to confront the insensitive actions that their party took against the nation, demonstrating an abstract position with humanity, loss of the common touch, and the decency to do the right things for our citizens.

Most Guyanese should not forget that almost the entire group of APNU/ AFC parliamentarians voted against support funding for our Amerindian brothers and sisters and this 2020 budget. The irrationality of this group does not auger well for constructivism and objectivity in our country’s development agenda. The fact is that the initiatives in the budget will certainly bring tremendous relief to our people and stimulate economic growth in our country. While space will not permit an expansive approach to all the amendments, please allow me to touch on a few areas.

It is easy to observe that the removal of VAT on electricity and water will not only allow financial resources to be otherwise utilised by citizens but effectively reduce the cost of production on locally manufactured or produced goods. Further, the reversal of the imposition of VAT on exports allows exporters to register and reclaim input/ purchase VAT expended as a cost of production thereby making our goods more competitive on the international

market and by extension, maintaining and creating jobs.

The Tax Amendment Bill reduces numerous Licensing Fees by fifty per cent of the previously increased amounts, while the favourable changes to the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic Act Cap 51:02 provides exemptions from the requirement to register and pay license fees for excavators, bulldozers, and other vehicles used in the mining industry. These will certainly reduce associated costs and provide a shot of adrenaline in the arms of struggling participants.

The Income Tax (Amendment) Bill 2020 amends Section 2 A of the Income Tax Act Cap 81:01, thereby providing further mortgage interest relief. In this respect, homeowners will be allowed a deduction of interests paid on their mortgage loans in cases where the loans do not exceed thirty million dollars.

This position reflects a 100 per cent increase in the value on which the relief was previously granted.

The Corporation Tax (Amendment) Bill, allows a tax reduction by 25 per cent chargeable on private corporate educational institutions and private corporate healthcare institutions. Through this approach, it is hoped that the institutions will make it a more profitable venture attracting quality educational investments which will result in greater access to learning opportunities across all fields of study.

In essence, it is anticipated that our students and the healthcare system will benefit from specialised and more affordable health and educational systems.

In brief, from the horse cart operator and hucksters to the manufacturing and construction industries, the budget supports and provides delivery of a real value approach through which more people will be able to own their homes and live a better life.

Editor, much more of these goodies can and will be discussed in future articles. Please, however, permit me to remind the Chairman of GECOM that firm actions need to be taken against those facing indictable charges who are still under the employ of the institution.

Sincerely, Neil Kumar

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WEEKEND MIRROR 3-4 OCTOBER, 2020

Grossly unpatriotic act in this time of increasing COVID-19 cases Dear Editor,

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he Guyanese populace has been painfully anticipating the ‘good life’ since the Coalition took office in 2015, but what they had been subjected to was an accelerated and deliberate erosion of that life which they had once experienced under the PPP/C government from 1992 to May 2015.

Now after five years of misery and suffering brought upon the Guyanese people by the failed Coalition it is the PPP/C which has once again rescued the nation as it did in 1992 from the depths of deprivation. It is the PPP/C which is once again bringing the ‘good life’ to the Guyanese people, but the Coalition is now playing the ‘saviour’ for what they miserably failed to deliver to Guyanese.

It is interesting to repeat here some of the empty Budget Themes of the Coalition. The 2015 Budget was presented under the theme, ‘A fresh start to the good life in a green economy.’ At the end of 2015 it became clear that the ‘fresh start to a good life’ belonged to Granger, his ministers, families and cronies and the only ‘green’ in sight was the painting on practically everything in sight with the PNC’s colour! Then in 2016 the budget said that the ‘good life beckons.’ But in 2016 the closure of four sugar estates ‘beckoned’ and

the ‘beckoning’ and reverberating cries of hunger and poverty from the multitudes of dismissed workers and their families. It was clear that the illusive ‘good life’ having been promised in 2015 became increasingly illusive in 2016 as poverty became a sad reality.

Then again ironically in 2017, the budget claimed to be ‘delivering the good life to all Guyanese,’ but this was amidst a rising cost of living, soaring unemployment and debilitating taxation measures which began wreaking havoc to the disposable incomes of the masses, significantly eroding their standards of living.

There was no light at the end of the tunnel as the budgets continued to get bigger and the people continued to get less and less from it.

The bribery and corruption reached unprecedented heights as the Auditor General’s report provided documentary evidence of the fraudulent and corrupt activities in every sphere of government. No sector was spared from the devouring Coalition as they rampaged and pillaged in their greed for quick wealth.

Against this background the government in presenting the 2018 budget was audacious enough to tell the Guyanese people that, ‘the journey to the good life continues.’ How can the ‘good life’ be continued when it has never even begun? In fact, ‘even that which they [the people] hath was taken away’ by

GPSU playing politics with nation’s health Dear Editor,

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he Public Service Union is being unfair to the new Government, encouraging its members to call in sick, engaging in daily protests, and contemplating strike action, at such a time as this.

To be fair, the Government, as soon as it got in, said it would give a hardship allowance to nurses and took its $150 million proposal to Parliament to be approved. This was a good start and a show of good faith.

But the Union couldn’t wait for Parliament to approve the budget and started to engage in protest action, without initiating discussions and negotiations.

To give Jack his jacket, the Government has already begun to enact several pro-people, pro-worker measures rolling back almost 200 taxes, restoring water to pensioners, making it easier for pensioners to receive their pensions, giving out COVID cash grants, student grants, asking squatters to apply for house lots, etc. I do not recall the TUC or PSU praising the Government for such goodwill in honouring election promises.

Much has been accomplished in a short time. The Government has committed to pro-worker measures in its labour policy, social services, and it is working on reopening the sugar estates so these productive enterprises can produce wealth to finance

raises and better benefits for nurses and all public service workers. The PSU, therefore, would be hard-pressed to explain why its strike actions at a time of great national health emergency in this COVID era, is not a political calculation to destabilise the new Government it does not support.

The records show that the PNC Government refused the PSU’s requests for hardship allowances but the PSU did not engage in any industrial action against the PNC. It waited for the PPP to come in and without initiating discussions and exhausting the grievance and collective bargaining process, is holding the country to ransom. To take such action with a COVID emergency is not only reckless, it is medical terrorism against the nation.

The PSU’s history is one where it has been aligned with the PNC and is willing to be the PNC’s lapdog over the years. It is a leading part of the labour faction that does not support the PPP. The PSU leadership should not use the nurses as pawns in its political games, and nurses should not be misled by those with a clearly political destabilisation agenda.

The Government must take whatever measures necessary to send a signal that Unions must follow the rules and put the national interest first. Shame on the PSU. Sincerely, Dr. J. Jailall

a greedy, selfish and utterly corrupt government! The Coalition destroyed every socio-economic gain the PPP/C had made, breaking the backs of workers and businesses with more than 200 taxes. It was Sir Winston Churchill who said that, ‘For a nation to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.’ He further reminded governments in the House of Commons on 12th February, 1906, that, ‘Taxes are an evil–a necessary evil– but still an evil, and the fewer we have of them the better.’ Whilst the workers were taxed to the hilt, the GPSU and Yarde remained mum.

But sadly, the Coalition did think Sir Winston was correct and so for five years they ensured they had squandered every dime from the Treasury, running a humongous overdraft of over $90 billion and at the same time dangerously depleting all our reserves. But even this increased and unconscionable taxation was insufficient to satiate their avaricious nature, so they embarked on a series of corrupt practices: ‘gifting’ away our lands; selling our oil patrimony for peanuts; enriching their cronies and families; overriding our procurement laws, violating our Constitution and the rule of law, and attempting barefacedly to rig the 2020 elections in the most disgraceful manner in full view of the world, yet they have the audacity to label the PPP/C government illegal.

Whilst all of this was going on, where were the GPSU and Patrick Yarde?

But having failed to rig the elections, they have now embarked on a series of illegal acts to make the country ungovernable as they had promised. The violent protests on the West Coast of Berbice were as a direct result of Granger and Harmon who hailed these protests as the ‘correct response.’ But having failed again to reap their desired results, the PNC/R has now embarked on using the nurses to achieve its political agenda. Now is the time for the GPSU and Yarde to make the dramatically triumphant entry the ‘save’ them.

This current strike by the nurses should be deemed as extremely insensitive, since even though the budget is $329.5 billion, the Coalition had already illegally spent more than $160 billion by August 2nd this year.

What had they given to the nurses from this amount? Nothing! The GPSU needs to understand that this 2020 budget has brought many beneficial measures which will not only

benefit the nurses, but the entire country. It has started to bring back the good life to all Guyanese. The 2020 budget will see over $20 billion going back into the pockets of the citizens of this country. Over 100 taxes have been reduced and VAT removed from a number of items including water, electricity and education. Pensioners’ subsidies and the school grant have been re-introduced. A COVID-19 $25,000 grant for every household has been implemented and frontline heath workers have been allocated $150 million.

The health sector has been allocated $51.7 billion or 15.7% of the budget, including $2.6 billion to boost the health ministry’s COVID-19 response. This is just a minor fraction of the ‘good-life’ measures which the PPP/C has implemented. Mr Yarde must honestly assess these measures. Furthermore, Mr Yarde must be honest as to why he did not pursue the $100,000 risk allowance under the Coalition, when the Coalition was apparently flinging monies wildly in all directions to gain votes. But there are many questions which need to be answered honestly by the GPSU and Yarde with regard to the nurses’ issue.

The nurses have been getting salary increases on a regular basis and it is disappointing that workers in the health-delivery sector can be misled into such a callous strike action, having no regard for the health and safety of people. They should exercise some patience since the 2021 budget is not so far away and their demands will be met in some tangible manner by the government. Today, I was shocked to read that the Critical Care Unit nurses at the GPHC deliberately stayed away from work as a means of protest.

I am appealing to those people who are being misled to understand that if the Coalition had been there for another term, we would have been worse off than under Burnham and they must bear in mind that the Coalition promised the ‘good life,’ but it is the PPP/C which is delivering it once again.

Patrick Yarde’s call for a nationwide strike must be seen as not only unsympathetic, but grossly unpatriotic in this time of increasing COVID-19 infections and deaths, to say the least. Let good sense prevail, so that our nation can move forward once again.

Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf

28th anniversary since return of democracy Dear Editor,

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ctober 5, 2020 marks 28 years since the restoration of democratic rule to Guyana after nearly three decades of PNC authoritarian rule. Thanks to local and international pressure, Guyana was spared another episode of rigged elections which had characterised the greater part of our immediate post-independence period.

Guyana today remains a proud member of the community of democratic states. It is important that the democratic fabric of our society be preserved and consolidated. It is true that we have more work to be done in terms of inclusive and participatory democracy, especially in the context of our political and ethnic plurality. This, however, will require

time and political maturity from all sides of the political spectrum.

The opposition has an obligation to play by the democratic rules and concede that it lost the March 2, 2020 general and regional elections, which was declared free and fair by local and international observers.

Interestingly, our post-independence political landscape is almost evenly divided between democratic and undemocratic rule.

Guyanese are now in a better position to see what correlation exists between democracy and development.

The answer, in my view, is obvious for all to see.

Yours truly, Hydar Ally

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WEEKEND MIRROR 3-4 OCTOBER, 2020

(This is part of Dr. Cheddi Jagan’s speech when he was sworn in as President of Guyana on October 9, 1992. Its re-printing is commemoration of the 28th anniversary of the return of democracy in Guyana)

STRAIGH TALK

‘We the people have won’

By Dr. Cheddi Jagan

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fter I had been declared the winner of the Central Demerara Constituency at the 1947 General Elections, I said: "We, the People, have won!" Forty-Five years later I can now say once again: "The People have won."

In 1948, after the shooting of the Enmore Martyrs, I pledged to dedicate my life to fighting against exploitation and bondage. In 1953, after struggling for and attaining universal adult suffrage, we

won an overwhelming victory of 18 out of 24 seats. That was an expression of national, racial-ethnic and working people's unity.

After Guyana gained independence, I wrote in 1966 at the end of my book, The West on Trial: "The struggle will be long and hard, sacrifices there will be many, but time and history are on our side, and win we shall."

We have been vindicated, as the results of the October 5 Elections prove, that victory was inevitable.

We will once again build

national, racial-ethnic and working people's unity. The unity of our entire nation is our goal. We went to the elections with the slogan: "Time for Change: Time to Rebuild." We have attained the first objective of a change in government.

Now, all of us together, whatever our party, political affiliation, whatever our race or ethnicity, whatever our creed, must put our shoulders to the wheel.

It is time to embrace each other and work arm in arm to rebuild our beloved Guyana.

And we can do so now that confidence is being restored, as witnessed by the dramatic fall in the exchange rate just today.

We must move forward together and make into reality our motto: "One People One Nation, One Destiny".

In this exciting adventure, I expect the fullest co-operation not only of our many friendly countries and our overseas brothers and sisters, but also all progressive minded personalities and organizations: investors, experts and advisers.

We do so without rancour, without recrimination, without victimization, without in any way trying to cast blame.

In this regard I hope to develop a constructive relationship with Mr. Desmond Hoyte and the leadership of all parties in order to deepen our democratic process, and accelerate our economic development.

Allow me to congratulate the Commissioner of Police and the Chief of Staff and their forces for firmly maintaining law and order at

this challenging time. I want to assure them that they can always count on the full cooperation and support of my government in the exercise of their constitutional duties.

As true patriots and genuine internationalists, we hope to play a vibrant role not only in rebuilding Guyana but also in establishing a democratic and humane world order - an order based on the rule of law, the eradication of poverty and human development.

Long Live National Unity. Long Live Guyana.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 3-4 OCTOBER, 2020

Those who threatened democracy will be held accountable – Jagdeo

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he People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C0 Government intends to focus on its development agenda, which takes precedence over other considerations, including taking immediate action to hold the APNU/AFC Government accountable, according to Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo.

The Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali-led administration had taken a firm stance that once it came in to office, attention would be given to development and addressing the people’s concerns, the Vice President said.

“We thought that the development agenda was being sacrificed at the altar of expediency and political witch-huntinhg…we recognise that the people of this country want first of all, their Government to focus on their issues and that is what we have been doing,”

he said during a recent news conference.

Further, the Vice President said, the administration had avoided politics over the last two months to get the country back on track amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. “A lot of things that are critical to the wellbeing of the country and its economic and social wellbeing were neglected and we have set ourselves upon this task with a sense of urgency,” Dr. Jagdeo said.

ACCOUNTABILITY At the same time, the Vice President made it clear that the Government intends to hold persons accountable for illegal actions during the protracted post elections process. “We are getting back to those issues in some point in time. Do not believe we are just going to let them go, it is just a matter of time

… We will finish the development agenda; we want to see people working. We want to create more jobs. We want to get better healthcare and everything else for the country and then we will come back to those issues,” Dr. Jagdeo said.

President Ali recently shared this perspective during his interview with Jamaica’s CEEN TV – ‘The Conversation’. The President made it clear that while holding persons accountable for trying to undermine democracy was important, ensuring Guyanese have a better quality of life was his priority.

“We have to ensure that the Government delivers to every segment of the Guyanese population at every level, and allow the supporters of the Opposition to feel a part of and inclusive of the development framework, inclusive of a better standard

of living, better quality of life and better services,” President Ali said.

The Head of State had bemoaned the negative impact caused by persons who tried to hijack the elections, and

the embarrassment caused to the country. “We must have an international CoI into what took place during and after the elections because I believe that people have to be held accountable for their

actions,” he said.

The Organization of American States and the Commonwealth are among international groups which have signalled an interest in investigating the matter.

New Permanent Representative Accredited to UN G uyana’s Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett, was virtually accredited as Permanent Representative of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana to the United Nations (UN). Mrs. Birkett will also take up the Chair of The Group of 77 (G77) and China.

Ms. Birkett has served as Director of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Liaison Office in Geneva since 2017. Before that, she

was FAO’s Special Coordinator of Parliamentary Alliances, from 2015 to 2017.

Ms. Birkett served as Guyana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and International Cooperation from 2008 to 2015. She was Minister for Amerindian (Indigenous Peoples) Affairs from 2001 to 2008.

Ms. Birkett holds a bachelor’s degree in social work, with distinction, from the University

of Guyana and a certificate in business administration from the University of Regina in Canada.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 3-4 OCTOBER, 2020

Contractors who do Prime Minister receives National Oil shoddy work will be blacklisted Spill Contingency Plan – Minister Persaud A

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n initial copy of the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan was handed over to Prime Minister Mark Phillips.

The document was handed over to the Prime Minister by the Director-General of the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig, during a simple handing over ceremony in the boardroom of the Office of the Prime Minister, Colgrain House, Camp Street, Georgetown.

The Prime Minister said that he was happy to receive the document and underscored the importance of planning for disaster management, noting that disaster planning is linked to development planning.

“We live in a world where nobody likes to talk about disasters, nobody wants a disaster to happen, but the reality is that we have to plan for disasters…

simply because disasters disrupt the developmental process of any country and therefore you have to plan for a disaster, so when you’re faced with a disaster you can quickly deal with the disaster, recover and continue the developmental process of the country,” the Prime Minister said.

Director-General of the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig, said that the plan is as a result of broad consultations with several stakeholder groups and an extensive over-

view of best practices. He said that the document will be made available publicly via the organisation’s website. “This plan is very comprehensive, and it has a component where we incorporate an onshore oil spill scenario because of the fact that we will have large trucks traversing the country with large quantities of fuel and petroleum products and because of mining and other activities which require the storage of large quantities of gasoline, diesel and other petroleum products,” the Director-General stated.

warning has been sounded to all contractors by Minister within the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Anand Persaud, to act in a professional manner when executing their jobs or face the possibility of being blacklisted.

His comments were made while addressing the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) of Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) last week. “With regards to these contractors, based on my information during the last RDC, a lot of shoddy work was done in this Region and so many other Regions. Contractors will be blacklisted. They will be blacklisted for a very long time. The people of this Region deserve better and they will have to get better,”

Persaud said.

More than $360 million has been budgeted to be spent in Region Five over the next three months. This sum comprises $3.5 million for regional administration and finance and agriculture including drainage and irrigation; $3.5 million for public works including farm-tomarket access roads; $148.2 million for education, $6.5 million and health services $198.2 million.

“It is because we have a pandemic on hand and a lot of the health centres and the hospitals will be fully equipped to deal with COVID-19 cases with regards to PPE [Personal Protective Equipment],” Persaud detailed.

He added, “We do not want a contractor let us say to come from Region Six

or Region Two or Region Three and bring workers into this Region. There are enough skill sets within this Region that contractors can employ to execute the works and do them properly.”

Those who are bent on producing work which is less than what they are contracted to do will be dealt with condignly.

“Because if they are being paid to do a project, be it a road or the rehabilitation of a school or in the health sector, it has to be done according to the specs,” Persaud noted.

He further instructed the Regional Executive Officer (REO) that the bills of quantities must be placed at places where citizens would be able to view them and ensure that the works were being executed properly.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 10-11 3-4 OCTOBER, OCTOBER, 2020 2020

Telecommunications companies promise…

5G services, reduced data prices expected with anticipated competition, investments ‒ Licences handed over H

ours after announcing the formal liberalisation of Guyana’s telecommunications sector, Prime Minister, Brigadier (Retired) Mark Phillips, on Monday (October 6, 2020) handed over official licences to key stakeholders in the industry.

The simple ceremony took place at his Camp Street office.

Licences were issued to the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company, Digicel, and E-Networks. The documents issued were also handed over to the Public Utilities Commission and the Telecommunications Agency.

In brief remarks, the Prime Minister declared “the telecommunications sector in Guyana is effectively liberalised and is open for investment.”

Representatives from GTT, Digicel and E-Networks welcomed the move by the government.

GTT Chief Executive Officer, Justin Nedd noted that the company has been in competition with Digicel and E-Networks, and stated that the liberalisation of the sector is a good move.

“We’re really going to accelerate the focus on our customers.

I think it’s a bright future for the people of Guyana,” he said.

Digicel, CEO Gregory Dean stated that the move will see increased competition within the sector. “Immediately I think you will see competition on international calling, increased competition on data service and mobile data service. I think all parties will be making improvements,” he said adding that the opening of the sector will possibly see more investors on the market.

Relatively new to the telecommunications market, local service provider, E-Networks is ready to bring quality service to the people. Vishok Persaud, the company’s Managing Director expressed that the move will see providers becoming innovative to meet the needs of the people.

“Now, the opportunity is here in a liberised environment.

It would add the ability to what we have. Our networks are what you call converged networks where they can do voice, video and data. Today

we focus on the internet mainly and video. So, I think one of the things we would have to evaluate is adding voice to our networks. That is what liberalisation is going to do, it’s going to create a competitive environment. It’s going to allow the consumer to ultimately be the benefactor.”

In an invited comment, Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission, Dela Britton, has assured that the agency will ensure the providers deliver quality services. “We, in addition to our other functions, which are regulatory, investigative and enforcement, we are really and truly the watch dogs for quality of service and we are the people who would be responsible for rate setting and because of this day, the whole pricing regime will undergo a drastic change,” she expressed adding that this is “revolutionary”.

INVESTMENTS With anticipated competition and investments due to the liberalisation of the telecommunications sector, which was bounded by a 30-year-old monopoly, key players in the industry have made ‘big’ promises to provide improved services at reduced costs.

Investors, both foreign and local, were restricted in the past because of the monopoly, but a liberalised sector creates an avenue for investments to grow and for services to be expanded.

The Government of Guyana issued Commencement Orders on Monday (October 5, 2020), fully bringing into force the Telecommunications Act 2016 and the Public Utilities Commission Act 2016.

The orders, which were issued within two months of the government assuming office, are historic, as they align Guyana’s telecommunications regime to those found in other countries the world over, including most Caribbean countries. It in effect has ended a 30-year anti-competitive telecommunications monopoly that has left Guyanese weary, frustrated and lagging behind in the telecommunications arena.

In 1990, the then PNC

government had signed an “exclusive agreement” with Atlantic Tele Network, leading to the creation of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GTT). It was reported that the first exclusive licence was for 20 years with an option of automatic renewal for an additional 15 years in 2010. For this reason, Guyana was “lagging behind” in the area of technological advancement, but government has essentially opened the “flood gates” for investments to flow.

Large companies and key industry players like Digicel, E-Networks and even GTT have made commitments to improving their service in light of the anticipated competition stemming from a liberalised sector.

“Digicel is today getting ready to bring a new era of connectivity and opportunity to the people of Guyana on the back of the news that the new Government has moved quickly to remove the 31-year GT&T telecoms monopoly which resulted in poor choice, poor quality, poor coverage and poor service,” said the management of Digicel in a statement on Tuesday. Digicel slashed data plans by 50 per cent on Tuesday (October 6, 2020).

A McKinsey study has shown that 10 per cent higher broadband penetration delivers a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) boost of up to 1.4 per cent, and Guyana is already poised to become the fastest growing economy in the world due to the country’s lucrative oil and sector.

Digicel believes that the potential advancement will need to be complemented by “world class” telecommunication services.

To this end, Digicel Chief Executive Officer (CEO) said, “To say that this day has been a long time coming is an understatement. For 16 long years, we have asked, requested, pushed, lobbied and pressured. Today, finally, that day is here. At Digicel, we firmly believe that access to broadband is a basic human right. Now, the people of Guyana can look forward to a brighter future with affordable access to world-class connectivity solutions that can catapult them to the forefront

of the knowledge and digital economy.”

Dean congratulated the new Government for delivering on their promise and ensuring that there is a level playing field. “We are stepping into our future with confidence and are getting ready to make the transformational benefits of high-speed connectivity a powerful reality for Guyanese. We look forward to a short administrative process to grant us the necessary permissions to make the desired expansions and upgrades of our services,” said the CEO. UPGRADING TO 5G Even GTT has renewed its commitment to advancing telecommunications in Guyana by upgrading its service to 5G. In telecommunications, 5G is the fifth generation technology standard for broadband cellular networks, which cellular phone companies began deploying worldwide in 2019. This is said to be the planned successor to the 4G networks which provide connectivity to most current cellphones.

“With a fibre Internet network investment that can go from Guyana to the USA and back, GTT is positioned to provide 5G and other next generation services to Guyana. We expect that with our planned service enhancements, our customers will not be able to discern a difference in service whether they are

in New York or Guyana,” said GTT’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

GTT, he added, has been serving Guyana and supporting the ‘evolution’ of the country for almost 30 years.

And, even though the sector has been liberalised, the company stands ready to provide “reliable connectivity, new services and technologies” that allow consumers and businesses to thrive and support the growing Guyanese economy.

Further, E-Networks Inc. which is ahead of the other companies in terms of 5G service, has welcomed the liberalisation of the sector and sees it as a catalyst for new services on the company’s current platforms, including voice services which were ‘stunted’ due to the monopoly.

Chairman of E-Networks Inc, Rakesh Puri said as a 100 per cent Guyanese-owned and managed company, E-Networks is proud to have invested in providing ICT and Internet-based services over the past 17 years. “E-Networks operates Guyana’s fastest internet network, with recently introduced 5G services.

The company’s fiber optic network also offers gigabit connectivity to businesses, which is 20 times faster than the competitors’ services, and was made possible by the launch of our new subsea international cable,” said Puri.

As mentioned, telecommunications liberalisation

delivers substantial socioeconomic benefits to a nation, including lower costs, increased GDP, and more widespread social inclusion and cohesion.

This long ‘overdue’ development will bring Guyana out of a primitive era of monopoly, plagued by narrow choice and predatory pricing, said Puri, adding, “This move will undoubtedly enable our country to unlock the transformational power of the digital economy, as we embark on our new journey as an oil producing nation.”

The chairman, while congratulating the Government, said the liberalisation will undoubtedly lead to the delivery of advanced ICT and communication services to all Guyanese.

Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Nicholas Boyer also anticipates increased competition and improved services, which, he believes, will not only benefit urban communities, but also reach those in the hinterland and other rural areas. The issue over the years has been related to reliability and cost, said Boyer, adding that the potential conditions created by new investors will encourage reliable services and reduced costs.

CEO of Go-Invest, Peter Ramsaroop said there are no outstanding investors, but with the industry now liberalised, companies will be eyeing the local market and its growing population.

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WEEKEND WEEKEND MIRROR MIRROR 10-11 3-4 OCTOBER, 2020

Eligibility for mortgage interest relief now limited to housing loans up to $30M T

he Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) wishes to advise the public that the eligibility criteria for Mortgage Interest Relief (MIR) has been revised and is now limited to housing loans/mortgages not exceeding thirty million dollars($30M).

Housing loans/mortgages at or below the $30M threshold that were approved by lending institutions on or after January 1, 2020, will therefore be

considered by the Authority upon application for the Relief. In this regard, persons who submitted applications during the course of the year 2020 and were denied because their mortgages had exceeded the then $15M threshold, can enquire with the MIR Unit for a review.

The amended Section 20 (A) (1) of the Income Tax Act now provides for “a deduction of the interest paid on housing mortgage

loans owed by the individual to licensed financial institutions or approved mortgage finance companies for – (a) the purchase of land for constructing a residential building; (b) the construction of a residential building; or (c) the acquisition of a residential building, to be occupied by the individual as a first time home owner, where the principal amounts of the housing mortgage loans do not and did not at any

time exceed the sum of thirty million dollars in the aggregate.”

Once approved for MIR, applicants will be granted a reduction/relief on the interest paid on a mortgage for residential housing purposes. The said relief will take the form of a tax refund credited to the mortgagor’s bank account.

Applicants for MIR can be the sole or joint borrower of the housing loan/ mortgage or the sole or

joint owner of the property.

They are required to submit the following documents to the GRA: • Completed Application (Form 1).

• Completed Form 2 – Letter by Lender and Schedule of Interest Form.

• A copy of Identification Card.

• A copy of bio data page of passport and the stamped pages.

• A copy of Transport/Ti-

tle Your Mortgage Agreement (s) with the Lending Institution Once all criteria are satisfied, an approval letter will be issued to the applicant (s). Thereafter, the applicant will be required to attach the original Form 4 received from their lending institution along with the emolument or 7B slip or Income and Expenditure statement wherever applicable when submitting their Income Tax Return.

US support for constitutional, legislative reforms and more discussed with Lynch

T

he United States of America (U.S.A), Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch, was engaged by Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall , and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira M.P, on Wednesday (October 7, 2020).

The Attorney General began the meeting by thanking the Ambassador for her, the United States of America (USA) Embassy and the USA Government’s critical role in ensuring that the 2nd March 2020 results were not derailed, in ensuring that democracy prevailed and that the will of the electorate was respected.

The US Ambassador congratulated Minister Nandlall and Minister Teixeira on their appointments and expressed her admiration for the legal team that defended the rule of law, constitutionality and democracy during

the multiplicity of proceedings that were filed before the declaration of the 2nd March 2020 elections and the swift and able manner in which the cases were prepared, filed and presented.

The Attorney General updated the US Ambassador on the Government of Guyana’s accomplishments in the less than 100 days that it has been in office, including but not limited to the allocation of a budget of approximately one hundred billion Guyana dollars being re-injected into the economy through various grants, human service outreaches to combat COVID-19 and the numerous tax alleviation measures that have been implemented to bring relief to the Guyanese people.

The US Ambassador commended the Government of Guyana for the signing of the Ship Rider’s Agreement during the historic visit of

the Secretary of State, Mr. Michael Pompeo, and emphasized that the agreement assured the collaboration between the U.S.A and Guyana in monitoring the security of Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone which now and in the future will be the location of a number of Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO’s) vessels and other large investments offshore in the oil and gas sector.

The Attorney General updated the US Ambassador on the Government of Guyana’s short term and long-term plans in the areas of constitutional reform, legislative reforms and electoral reforms. The US Ambassador committed to the US Government partnering to assist and collaborate with the Government of Guyana in a number of key areas, including but not limited to security, security training

and enhancement, human services, legislative reforms and strengthening Guyana’s institutional democracy to

avoid a reoccurrence of the 2nd March 2020 elections debacle.

The US Ambassador ex-

pressed her gratitude for the meeting and the hope that this will be a continuous and regular engagement.

Cost of energy to be reduced by at least 50 per cent in five years – Prime Minister ‒ Country to see substantial upgrades to energy sector P rime Minister Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips, this week, assured that the Government is committed to providing stable and reliable energy for both domestic and commercial purposes with the aim of reducing its cost by at least 50 percent over the next five years.

High on the agenda of the Government is to significantly upgrade the energy sector. “[We] will pursue a programme with an energy mix that includes hydropower, natural gas, solar and wind, which will lead to more than 400 megawatts of newly installed capacity for residential and commercial users over the

next five years, and a reduction in the cost of energy by at least fifty percent,” he said.

The Prime Minister also said that the Government will take urgent action to improve and upgrade the transmission and distribution of energy (the national grid).

He was at the time delivering remarks to the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Latin American Energy Organisation (OLADE) at a Ministerial Roundtable.

In keeping with the theme: “Leaving no one behind – how to build inclusiveness into sustainable recovery,” the PM noted that Guyana’s policy to develop a low carbon and

climate resilient economy is outlined in the country’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), which mandates maintaining low deforestation rates and the sustainable use of resources over generations.

Additionally, he said the Government is committed to exploring all possibilities for the use of natural gas for electricity production.

The completion of the Amaila Falls Hydroelectric project, the expansion of the Hinterland Electrification Programme to benefit 25,000 households and the development of mini-hydropower gridtied systems in towns such as Lethem and Bartica, are also

on the agenda.

“These actions will lead to a modernised energy sector with an increased mix of clean and renewable resources that provides affordable, reliable and clean energy services for all in the most sustainable manner,” the PM noted.

The Prime Minister added that Latin America and the Caribbean can ensure energy access and inclusiveness as an integral part of recovery measures, through improved data collection and knowledge sharing, support for investment promotion, access to grant funding and concessional financing, and the sharing of policies and programmes

among other initiatives.

Head of the Energy Division, International Development Bank, Ariel Yépez, in response to the Prime Minister, hailed Guyana’s energy agenda as ambitious.

He said, “We are glad to hear that you are working on a huge commitment to reduce the energy access gap … congratulations.”

The ILA-OLADE Ministerial Roundtable is a virtual high-level dialogue in collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), aimed at creating “insights for defining Latin America’s regional energy agenda for a post COVID-19 era.”

The event involved the participation of several ministers from Latin American countries, leaders of international organisations, and officials from the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Along with Guyana’s Prime Minister, Ministers and representatives with responsibility for Energy from Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, Argentina, Ecuador, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia were also in virtual attendance.

The outcome of the meeting is expected to form part of the discussions in next month’s OLADE’s 50th Meeting of Ministers.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 10-11 3-4 OCTOBER, OCTOBER, 2020 2020

Emergency Budget caters for safer roadways – Minister Edghil M

inister of Public Works Bishop Juan Edghill has said budgetary allocations have been made to create safer roadways, which the Government hopes will stem the alarming increase in fatal accidents.

The Minister made the statement this week at the launch of the Guyana National Road Safety Council’s (GNRSC) competition for the 2020 to 2021 road safety theme.

For the period January 1 to October 5, 2020, there were a total of 103 accidents with 112 deaths as opposed to 70 accidents with 74 deaths over the same period last year.

The Minister said provisions were made for roads under the Urban Improvement Programme, and in keeping with a Manifesto promise to make roads safer.

“In our 2020 Budget,

we have allocated funds and identified vulnerable locations that we intend to implement highway lighting, which is aimed at improving security and visibility for road users,” Minister Edghill said.

Funds will also be allocated in the 2021 Budget for other road infrastructure.

“In our 2021 Budget, we will allocate funds to install bicycle lanes where the space is available, highway lighting and improving the geometry to critical sections of our roads, additional traffic signs, traffic signals and, not forgetting, the construction of pedestrian overpasses and walkways,” Minister Edghill said.

According to statistics from the Guyana Police Force, the leading cause of road accidents in Guyana continues to be driving under the influence of alcohol.

With that, Minister Edghill made it clear that no effort will be spared as the Government seeks to identify measures that can be implemented to makes the country’s roadways safe. The government intends to work with all stakeholders, both locally and internationally to ensure road users have a safe environment.

“We will ensure that we improve road designs, implement speed reducing measures and equip our law enforcement officers with the right tools aimed at reducing accidents both fatal and non-fatal,” the Minister said.

Minster Edghill reminded stakeholders that his Ministry is mandated to implement sustainable measures to safeguard Guyana’s vulnerable category of road users by effecting engineering measures on all of the country’s roads.

Health ministry welcomes talks on workers’ issues

M

inister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony has welcomed the decision by the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) to abandon their threat to authorise strike action by nurses over risk allowances, noting that it is a mature step to resolving concerning issues.

The decision is particularly well received as the country continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Minister said.

“I am really happy that decision was made and that we will work to resolve whatever issues come up and we can do that in a very cordial way because all of us want the best for our healthcare workers and we have to work together to improve the system,” Minister Anthony said.

The nation remains grateful for the sacrifices and efforts of healthcare professionals to provide due care, particularly during the pandemic, the Minister said.

“I have really met some wonderful people during this short time who really go beyond the call of duty trying to make sure that patients are cared for. That’s what nurses and doctors and other healthcare professionals do,” he said.

Moving forward, Dr. Anthony said he expects cordial deliberations to take place as the Government continues to augment measures to ensure that healthcare professionals, and other frontline workers, are given the requisite gear to deliver the best service.

More than 250 health workers employed at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, who work directly with COVID-19 patients have been receiving risk allowances.

The GPSU had expressed concerns that all healthcare workers were not benefiting from that allowance. However, in a joint interview on Friday with Minister Antho-

ny, GPHC Chief Executive Officer Brigadier (Ret’d) George Lewis had said allowances were given to those who worked in the infectious diseases’ wards and psychiatric ward, in keeping with a circular issued by the Public Service Ministry in 2019.

Frontline healthcare workers also benefit from a raft of other provisions, including $150 million allocation for risk allowances and a $25,000 per household cash transfer grant in the Emergency Budget 2020.

Provisions have also been made, through the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, to provide care for the children of frontline workers while on duty. These workers can also access the $15,000 per school child and $4,000 per school child uniform allowances catered for in the Budget, along with other provisions. [SEE RELATED COVID-19 REPORTING ON PAGE 23]

No more slave camps under my watch - Minister Hamilton

T

here will no more ‘slave camps’, declared Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton. He made the remark while addressing Councillors of the Lethem Township on a recent trip to Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo (Region Nine).

“Under my watch, the rights of workers will be protected. Nobody will set up slave camps anymore in this country,” Minister Hamilton said.

He added trained staff must be stationed at outlying regions to ensure workers’ rights are protected.

“My intention is to en-

sure that [in] every region outside of Region Four we have at least two Labour Officers, two Occupation, Safety and Health Officers, a Board of Industrial Training Officer, a Co-op Officer and an Officer for the Central Recruitment and Manpower Agency,” the Minister said.

This is necessary, he said, to address a litany of concerns, including poor working conditions and salaries for employees.

“How you deal with it is you have Officers policing it. Not from Georgetown, but from the region, and my intention is to ensure

people are trained from this region and sent back to the region to work. I would not implant no coastlander on any hinterland region. The people who will work for the Ministry of Labour in these positions will be persons who are resident of the regions,” Minister Hamilton said.

Officers may be in the various regions by latest June 2021 after the passage of the 2021 Budget.

Additionally, the Minister said that officers will have to learn a foreign language, including Spanish, to effectively carry out their duties.

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WEEKEND WEEKEND MIRROR MIRROR 10-11 3-4 OCTOBER, 2020

Hinterland communities benefit from

Hundreds of families in hinterland communities have been the first to benefit from the $25,000 per household COVID-19 relief cash grant announced by President Dr. Irfaan Ali earlier last month.

WEEKEND MIRROR 10-11 3-4 OCTOBER, OCTOBER, 2020 2020

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$25,000 COVID-19 relief programme

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WEEKEND WEEKEND MIRROR MIRROR 10-11 3-4 OCTOBER, 2020

Operation COVIDCURB underway R

anks from the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force distributed masks and educated the public about the importance of observing the COVID-19 safety measures as ‘Operation CoviCurb’ was taken across the country on Saturday.

Football at the Georgetown Football Club and cricket at Durban Park over the weekend had a good mix of fun, competition, and education as personnel from the Guyana Defence Force chatted with youths at both venues about the Joint Services ‘Operation CoviCurb’. Officers and ranks interacted with spectators, footballers and members of the Eccles All Star Cricket team at Durban Park, and

spoke about the importance of following the COVID-19 measures. They also distributed masks to everyone who needed. On completion of the exercise, Vice-Captain of Eccles All Stars, Mr. Irfaan Alli commended the initiative and gave a thumbs-up to the ranks and the Government.

After wrapping up at Durban Park, the army personnel visited Tiger Bay where they distributed hampers of sanitisers and cleaning agents and masks to families and vendors plying their trade. Coast Guard Lieutenant, Shennel Europe explained that the exercise was part of the Government’s softer strategy to educate and interact with persons about the disease and reinforce the importance of taking person-

al responsibility to help stem its transmission.

Several similar exercises undertaken in communities across the country since the launch of ‘Operation CoviCurb’ last week.

HOTLINE Further, a hotline has been set up for persons to call and report breaches of the COVID-19 emergency measures. This is part of ‘Operation CoviCurb’ launched this weekend to promote and enforce adherence to the safety protocols aimed at stemming the spread of the disease.

Individuals can call 180, 181 (Digicel) or 624-6674, 624-3067, 624-2819 or 2657090 (GTT) to make a report.

“We will set up a hotline

so if you see somebody who is not adhering to the measures, you will call us and the enforcement agency will quickly rush down and start by using suasion to ensure these measures,” Prime Minister, Brigadier Mark Phillips said at a media briefing recently. He added, “If there is a breach of the regulations by business places, they would be given a warning in the first instance. A second breach will result in closure of their businesses. That is what we want to communicate clearly across Guyana.”

Stressing the need for compliance, PM Phillips said the disease was a threat to the survival of Guyanese and “a threat therefore to our national security.” The PM reiterated that COVID-19

was everyone’s business and the people need to play their part to slow the spread of the virus. “It transcends politics so whether you are in Opposition or Government, what is important, all of us must now play a role in curbing the spread of COVID-19.”

NEW MEASURES The Government has adjusted the curfew hours to 9pm – 4am, under the new COVID-19 Emergency Measures for October. Essential services are allowed to operate without any time constraints.

However, several key services have had their operation hours extended between the 4am – 8pm time frame. These include markets, supermarkets, beau-

ty salons and barbershops, maintenance services, gas stations, and clothing stores.

Food and restaurant services are also permitted to operate daily within that period. Those services can continue with accompanied delivery, drive-through, curb-side and takeaway services.

Individuals are encouraged to do their part by wearing masks, washing their hands, and social distancing.

CoviCurb is part of the Government strategy to combat the dreaded disease.

The Government has been working assiduously to ensure the public is properly educated on the dangers of COVID-19 and how to protect themselves.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 3-4 OCTOBER, 2020

Production Licence for Payara signed, not Production Sharing Agreement – Jagdeo V

ice President, Bharrat Jagdeo, criticised Leader of the Opposition, Joseph Harmon for peddling misinformation about the recent oil signing.

Harmon had said the Petroleum Production Licence (PPL) approved by the PPP/C Government was similar to the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) issued under the APNU+AFC administration.

However, Jagdeo noted that a PSA differs from a production licence. He highlighted that the PSA was already signed and the Government has to operate within the confines of that agreement once it issues licences for the Stabroek Block. “This is the height of trickery. Every school child knows that we were not negotiating the production agreement, the Stabroek Block Agreement that was signed by Raphael Trotman overnight …,” he said, explaining that the PSA governs all the licences which will be issued in the Block.

He added, “The agreement deals with all the fiscal terms that will govern every

development which has to be licensed separately in the Stabroek Block area.”

The Vice-President also outlined that the review of the Payara licence was never intended to be a renegotiation of the PSA but rather an effort to get more out of the poor deal signed on to by the APNU+AFC. He dismissed calls for the renegotiation of the Stabroek Block PSA as “wishful thinking,” but noted that the PSAs for future development of the Canje and Kaieteur Blocks “will be very dissimilar” to the Stabroek Block PSA. “The conditions of those agreements will be established when we work out what a model production agreement for the future will be,” he said.

IMPROVEMENT Further, the new licence issued to Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) for the development of its Payara well features significant new clauses missing from the Liza 1 well licence issued by the APNU+AFC. The Vice President ex-

plained that the newly signed Payara licence agreement with ExxonMobil has been significantly improved when compared to Liza phase 1 and 2 licence agreements, which were signed by the previous administration. The Vice President made these remarks during a press conference, today, at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.

He pointed out that the new Payara agreement has significantly superior on areas such as environmental protection, occupational safety and local content.

"In the last license [Liza Phase 1 and 2] flaring was actually permitted, because there was no prohibition, in this license, flaring is prohibited and there is a fine thereafter because you cannot enforce a prohibition unless you have a fine," The Vice President elaborated.

The Vice President said too that the fine for flaring will have two components, one that will be done by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), based on carbon pricing and pollution, and the other, a monetary fine that ensures that the country

Harmon has no moral authority to lecture Government – Jagdeo C

laims made by the Leader of the Opposition, Joseph Harmon, that the Government illegally awarded monies to agencies that were not gazette were rubbished

by Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo.

“The agencies were gazetted and I can show him the Gazette …we produced a statement of expenditure, just not in the format that he likes because it showed all the illegalities in relation to the contingency fund and the consolidated fund, ” Dr. Jagdeo said.

He also questioned the moral authority of the Leader of the Opposition to pronounce on the operations of the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB), after acts of mis-

management by the previous administration. “They had no tendering system but he wants to have a say in tender boards now…they stopped putting up the awards on the website, which was a requirement of the law, they raised the limits for Ministerial Tender Boards, they gave out billions of dollars’ worth of contracts and you just heard the debate… the Cabinet even illegally awarded contracts because under the law that we passed the Cabinet cannot award contracts, they can only give a no objection rule," he said.

The Vice President pointed to the fact that he Leader of the Opposition himself was party to several acts of mismanagement. “Mr. Harmon was a member of

NICIL board when that agency transferred hundreds of acres to people through a vesting order and the state did not receive a cent and these lands were worth billions of dollars…they just destroyed the entire system of procurement, ” Dr. Jagdeo explained.

Additionally, the Vice President reiterated the Government’s position on consulting with the Opposition.

He said that the Government cannot consult with an Opposition that does not recognise its authority and that “the President will discharge his responsibilities when the constitution requires consultations."

He noted too that the Leader of the Opposition has no power to summons the President to a meeting.

is compensated for the gas that is burnt. "We were entitled to that gas, and if you're burning it and it's your fault you should pay us for the gas that you burnt," Dr. Jagdeo stated.

Moreover, the new Payara agreement requires that ExxonMobil provide cost estimates to the Government.

Within 90 days of signing the licence, the company is required to provide the Government with all costs related to the development and operation of the project. In addition, the oil company is now also obligated to furnish the Government with daily production reports, which were previously done on a monthly basis.

Jagdeo added that the company also agreed to proper waste management protocols and independent safety and compliance audit.

ExxonMobil will foot the cost of the audit and will remit to Guyana a total of US$400,000 over five years to do so.

With regards to the discharge of water, which comes out of the well during the production of crude oil, the

Vice President said, “The last agreement had issues that mentioned produced water, but this one has a standard established, with the EPA monitoring it to see compliance … the EPA can now, at any time, go and test the water to see that the standards established are met and that the water is safe to release in the ocean."

As it relates to local content, Dr. Jagdeo said the new Payara agreement mandates that Exxon comply with Guyana's local content policy, which he says the Government is aggressively pursuing to ensure that all Guyanese benefit from this new resource. "We put the commitment in the licence, that they have to commit to the policy, and we are developing a local content policy that will see all oil companies spend more on Guyanese business, Guyanese people being employed and fair pay, so that hundreds of millions of dollars of business that are now funneled out of the country, remain here,'' he said.

The Vice President said too, that the Government has

also set up a team to start negotiations on a "gas to energy project". He noted that after a feasibility study has been conducted, if the Government is unable to fund the project, it will have to be tendered.

However, he is adamant that the price for gas will not be the market price. "We will not pay market price for the gas and that means more benefits for Guyana and our people… the way we see this going as the President has pointed out, it could cut the cost of electricity by more than half and we're hoping that by 2023 that this will happen,” Jagdeo said.

The Government last week signed a Petroleum Production Licence with Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (an ExxonMobil subsidiary), CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited, and Hess Guyana Exploration Limited for prospecting and production operations in the Payara oil field. The investors were also issued an environmental permit by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Production is set to start in 2024.

Vice President engages squatters, listens to concerns

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WEEKEND MIRROR 3-4 OCTOBER, 2020

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WEEKEND MIRROR 3-4 OCTOBER, 2020

POSITIONS FROM THE PRESIDENT

PPP/C gov’t remains Democracy is sacrosanct steadfast in mission to improve access to education, O livelihoods of teachers

[STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT DR. MOHAMED IRFAAN ALI ON THE OCCASION OF THE 28TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE RESTORATION OF DEMOCRACY IN GUYANA]

(STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT DR. MOHAMED IRFAAN ALI ON THE OCCASION OF WORLD TEACHER’S DAY 2020)

T

oday (Monday, October 5, 2020) we join the rest of the world to celebrate World Teachers’ Day. This year’s theme, “Teachers: Leading in crisis, reimagining the future” is especially significant as we face head on, the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and the immense strain it has placed on education systems around the world.

As we join together to celebrate the teaching profession worldwide, we must take stock of our national achievements, and recognize the crucial role our teachers play in shaping our nation, even in these challenging times. Our educators have had cause to adapt to new norms of education delivery, and in so doing, are faced with the ever-present challenge: to ensure that no child is left behind.

As a government, we are doing our part to ensure that all the support mechanisms are in place to guarantee that our teachers are equipped

to succeed. We commit to strengthening our education system and working with our educators to guide them through this uncharted landscape, shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This will be achieved through several robust measures which include; the delivery of education safely and effectively using innovative methods, capacity building for teachers through the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT), improved access to education in hinterland communities and vulnerable areas and access to online training among other methods.

These interventions are of course possible through the recent budgetary allocation of $52B towards the education sector. In our manifesto commitments, while we assured of improved access to and quality of education at every level, we also assured of improved remuneration and conditions

of service for teachers inclusive of opportunities for training and skills development.

I take this opportunity to express profound gratitude to all teachers and educators, past and present, across the length and breadth of this country. I would also like to use this occasion to assure you that your Government remains steadfast in our mission to , not only access to education, but to also improve the livelihoods of our educators.

ctober 5th is a significant date in our country’s political calendar. On the 5th October 1992, democracy was restored to our beloved motherland after an absence of 28 years.

On this the 28th anniversary milestone, Guyana recalls the epic struggle waged for the restoration of the right of our people to freely elect a government of their choice. Today, we pay tribute to all those, inside and outside of Guyana, who contributed to the eventual triumph of democracy. We remember especially those brave individuals who lost their lives in this struggle, including Jagan Ramesar, Bhola Nauth Parmanand, Father Bernard Darke and Dr. Walter Rodney.

The restoration of democracy on October 5th 1992 ushered in the dawn of a new era. No longer were we a pariah state, and no longer would dictatorship oppress our people and stifle economic development. It unlocked the latent potential of our people and propelled economic growth and development. Guyana’s

economic, political and social progress over the past twenty-eight years would not have been possible without democracy.

Sovereignty, according to our Constitution, belongs to the people and they exercise this sovereignty through their elected representatives.

The right of the people to freely and fairly choose who would govern them must remain sacrosanct.

This right, we saw earlier this year, is fragile. It must be guarded and safeguarded zealously.

My government remains committed to upholding and protecting democracy. We intend to fashion a more inclusive system of governance and, especially, to fortify our democratic institutions so that never again will our people’s freedom be subject to the threat of being hijacked.

This glorious day reminds us that rights carry accompanying duties and that, consequentially, every citizen has a duty to defend democracy. Today, as we observe the 28th anniversary of the restoration of democracy, it is as a good a time as

any to re-commit to ensuring our democracy is never again threatened.

I also take this opportunity to recognise and thank all those Guyanese, among them, many young people who stood up and allowed themselves to be counted in the history books of our country, when their country needed them, in defense of democracy in 2020.

Today, as we reflect on the legacy and life and contribution of Dr. Jagan, Janet Jagan and other leaders in our society; for the People’s Progressive Party we can say that their legacy, we can say that their commitment was again celebrated when Guyanese in 2020, continued in a vein that ensured democracy lived on.

The Political Affairs Committee when it was formed, all the great leaders of our country, Ashton Chase among them, all subscribed to the tenets of democracy. Our great Trade Union leaders all subscribed to the tenets of democracy. As a nation moving forward, the values of democracy must never, and will never be understated. I thank you.

Financing models for major infrastructural projects being explored

T

he People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government is exploring various financing options to undertake massive infrastructural development projects within the next five years, according to President Dr. Irfaan Ali. “Most of the development that we are talking about now, it has a lot to do with mobilising private capital; it has nothing to do with going into the oil funds or anything…it is about mobilising private capital, whether it is international, regional or whether it is

local,” the President said during an interview with representatives from the local media corps.

The Head of State cited the Government’s housing drive, which he said would require an investment of about US$500 million to be completed within the timeframe of five years.

He explained that this sum would be needed in order to put the necessary infrastructure in place so as to open up new lands and to build new houses.

“I have been looking at many of the developing

countries’ models and one of it is to explore the open market to see what type of resources are out there and at what rate, because the cost of capital is very important,” President Ali highlighted.

The President posited that currently there were many concessional rates “because there is some amount of liquidity in the international market”.

He also hinted at tapping into the huge Guyanese Diaspora to raise capital. “We have a very big Diaspora, if you look at the Indian mod-

el…the developing Diaspora Investment Fund (DIF), it might be able to raise some amount of substantial capital”.

Noting that an assessment of that market has not been done as yet, he expressed that the Government was looking at every available option at the moment and would make a decision based on what was best for the country and its people.

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government has said it was working to provide at least

50,000 house lots to Guyanese during its present term in office.

The $3 billion allocated in this year’s budget to the housing sector will be utilised for various activities, including infrastructural development in existing housing schemes, land preparation for new housing schemes, and land acquisition.

According to the Government, young professionals, individuals with an immediate need, and persons with adequate disposable income will be facilitated

to commence construction.

Private developers are also included as part of the comprehensive housing strategy.

The Government has also commenced preparation for a four-lane highspan bridge across the Demerara River which it said was badly needed to replace the present structure, which has been “limping along”.

Further, the Administration is actively working towards expanding the country’s road network system, especially along the East Bank, West Coast and East Coast corridors.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 3-4 OCTOBER, 2020

POSITIONS FROM THE PRESIDENT

Military’s involvement essential to development ‒ President Ali

M

embers of the Guyana Defence Force Engineering Corps were engaged

by President Dr. Irfaan Ali at State House, on Wednesday (October 7, 2020) to further discuss their role in national development through the implementation of infrastructural projects within communities across the country.

The Head of State was joined by several Government Ministers including the Minister of Local Government, Nigel Dharamlall; Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill; Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar; Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr., and Advisor on National Security to the President, Captain Gerry Gouveia.

During the engagement, President Ali pointed to the critical role that the GDF will play in the country’s infra-

structural transformation.

He also reiterated that the engagement was a very important step in examining how the Armed Forces can become more integrally involved and how their services can be utilised at the community level.

“Your involvement in community projects will help the communities to see the army in a different light. It will also have a meaningful, multifaceted impact on every

segment of society,” President Ali said.

Chief of Staff, Brigadier Godfrey Bess and Brigadier Gary Beaton used the opportunity to express the Force’s commitment to implementing the identified projects which are central to the development of the country. Among them were the construction of community roads, the building of bridges and the construction and enhancement of community grounds.

During the Badging ceremony for newly promoted GDF officers in August, President Ali announced that Government would like to make the military more community-oriented, engaged and aligned with national development goals, particularly

as Guyana emerges as an oil economy.

“Guyanese must not only see these distinguished men and women in uniform as just members of the Army. They must see you as a key and integral part of development ….

Our military is blessed with

great men and women, with tremendous skill sets and experience and the know-how.

The time has come for us to harness this great potential in our military to uplift and build communities all across the country,” the President had said.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 3-4 OCTOBER, 2020

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WEEKEND MIRROR 3-4 OCTOBER, 2020

First ever online training launched for public servants

‒ six programmes developed

T

he Ministry of Public Service launched its first ever virtual training programme for public servants today as the country continues to deal with the new measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Minister, Sonia Parag, in her address, said training and retraining is an essential aspect of every organisation, and one of the priorities of the public service is to support administrative reform and modernisation to maximise efficiency.

“This initiative to facilitate training virtually, to public servants concretises the Ministry’s commitment to developing Guyana’s public sector in ensuring a high standard of performance,” the Minister said.

“Coupled with that is the fact that as [a] developing country, we are looking to meet the needs of changing and emerging sectors,” she added.

Minister Parag reminded the participants that while it is the lecturer who has to deliver the lesson, the onus is on them to learn.

Meanwhile, Permanent Secretary Ms. Soyinka Grogan said despite the pandemic, public servants will still be offered opportunities to enhance their expertise. “Public servants can be [assured] that while they have been displaced

by COVID-19, they can still be in our training programmes,” she said, adding that “the year 2020 has allowed us to have a paradigm shift and embrace technology as the new normal for effective public service delivery.”

Ms. Grogan further stated that the training will also contribute greatly in the long-term to the Ministry’s success and by extension, to the country’s development. She urged all public servants to capitalise on the opportunity to learn.

Six programmes have been developed to date by

the Development and Operations Unit of the Ministry’s Training Division.

Manager, Ms. Cornelly Walcott Ramdeen, said that online training though not formally introduced to the Guyana populace has always been available in Guyana. Ms. Ramdeen said her team has worked tirelessly to design and redesign training programmes over the past few months.

The programmes developed by the unit so far are: 1. Customer care (October 5-9, 2020) 2. Building virtual teams (October 12-16, 2020) 3. Communications in the office (October 19-13, 2020) 4. Train the trainers (October 26-30, 2020) 5. Supervisory management (November 9-13, 2020) 6. Change management (November 16-20, 2020) Notably, more programmes are being developed.

Further, they will be offered on Zoom, Edmodo, Google, Google Jam Board, and Kahoot!

Agencies can secure training for their employees by making a formal request to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry.

The Ministry will also be putting systems in place to design agency-specific programmes.

All programmes are certified. Exams are not required for completion; however, active participation, at least 80 per cent attendance, and the completion of an evaluation form/action plan are necessary to receive the certificate.

Over 20 stakeholders participated in the virtual launch, including the Guyana Power and Light Company, Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission, GoInvest, and the Guyana Energy Agency.

Persons can call 2250710 or visit http://virtual. training@dps.gov.gov.gy/ for additional information.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 3-4 10-11 OCTOBER, OCTOBER, 2020 2020

Guyana’s COVID-19 cases at 3,329 ‒ deaths up to 98

T

he Ministry of Public Health disclosed that Guyana now has 3,329 confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19), of which 1,770 are men and 1,559 are women.

The country’s record of deaths stands at 98. The first COVID-19 death was recoded on March 11, 2020.

To date, a total of 15,450 tests have been administered. Additionally, there have been 2,165 recoveries

to date. Guyana’s cases have shown that persons between the ages of 20 to 29 are mostly affected, unlike the trend in other countries.

Cases have been reported in all of Guyana’s 10 Administrative Regions, with the following cases recorded: • Region 1 – 521 • Region 2 – 46 • Region 3 – 248 • Region 4 – 1,551 • Region 5 – 19 • Region 6 – 50 • Region 7 – 314 • Region 8 – 97

• Region 9 – 364 • Region 10 - 119 Persons with symptoms of COVID-19 are asked to call the COVID-19 hotline numbers 231 1166, 226 7480 or 180/181 for assistance.

Further, a study done released on April 1, 2020, by the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) and the Ministry of Public Health indicated that Guyana could see over 20,000 cases of the coronavirus.

To date, the virus has hit

over 210 countries globally and over 34 million people having been confirmed as victims of COVID-19, while there have been over one million deaths.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus.

Most people infected with the COVID-19 virus will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without requiring special treatment. Older people and those with underlying medical problems

like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer are more likely to develop serious illness.

The incubation period for COVID-19, which is the time between exposure to the virus and symptom onset, is on average 5-6 days, but can be as long as 14 days. The best way to prevent and slow down transmission is be well informed about the COVID-19 virus, the disease it causes and how it spreads. Protect yourself and others from

infection by washing your hands or using an alcohol based rub frequently and not touching your face. The COVID-19 virus spreads primarily through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes, so it’s important that you also practice respiratory etiquette (for example, by coughing into a flexed elbow).

At this time, there are no specific vaccines or treatments for COVID-19, although trials are being conducted.

10,000 COVID-19 relief items handed out countrywide - CDC head T he Civil Defence Commission (CDC) has distributed 10,000 relief items and has provided other forms of humanitarian support countrywide to persons affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

CDC Director-General, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig made these disclosures at the COVID-19 Task

Force during a recent press briefing held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.

“The Commission works with international organisations, non-governmental organisations, and the private sector to ensure we have the necessary relief supply to distribute to residents across Guyana,” he said.

The CDC has also pro-

vided support to the Health Emergency Operations Centre and regional emergency operation centres across the country to ensure that adequate amounts of essential items are available to care for persons in isolation and quarantine.

“Through support from the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency,

we have received gloves, masks, personal protective equipment and those equipment were handed over to the Ministry of Health and also to the Regional Response Mechanism to continue to fight COVID-19. That is the posture we will continue to operate on going ahead and we will continue to support all agencies in executing their

work,” Lt. Col. Craig said.

The CDC is also working closely with international organisations such as the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHCR) to set up a total of 52 housing units across the country to house persons in isolation and quarantine.

“So, we would like to continue to have the sup-

port from those international agencies, their support is valuable to the response.

Fighting COVID-19 is not a one-person responsibility, it’s not only the Government, but the responsibility of every individual,” DG added.

The CDC will continue to collaborate with stakeholders to ensure that much needed support reaches the people.

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Public confidence in electoral machine must be restored – President

A

s part of efforts to protect democracy and the will of the people in Guyana, work of a new is a consideration; however, public confidence in the electoral machine must be restored, according to President Dr. Irfaan Ali. He explained that public trust in the Guyana Elections

Commission (GECOM) Secretariat has been eroded significantly and the electoral machinery must, first of all, be fixed before there is any talk about commencing the process to have a new voters’ list.

“Before we get a voters’ list, you have to have a system that the population has

trust in, you can’t have a system where there is very little trust in that system. And the trust in the Secretariat at GECOM has been eroded significantly,” the President he said.

He asserted that as a country, Guyana will need to put the necessary safeguards in place at the Secretariat,

since, “that is the system that would give you the end product, which is the system that will be in charge of giving you a voters’ list.”

The Head of State reminded that it was on this basis that the Government announced that it would take steps to have an international Commission of Inquiry (CoI)

into the events during and after the March 2 General and Regional Elections. “That is why we said we have to get an international CoI; to go in there and independently bring to us and highlight to us what occurred, where the weaknesses are and where the holes were.”

In response to a question about the Government being viewed as overreaching its powers, President Ali said: “It would never be overreaching when you want to protect democracy and the people. We want the system to be fixed because the system tried to take away the will of the people… the system tried to derail democracy…(and) tried to destroy Guyana’s credibility internationally.”

Over the weekend, President Ali hinted that the panel for the CoI could be drawn from the Caribbean

Community (Caricom), the Organisation of American States (OAS) and Commonwealth. He said, “Definitely I think the region would have to play a part, but we have also gotten requests from many of the international organisations – OAS, Commonwealth and so on…these are all organisations that played a key role (in fighting for Guyana’s democracy).

“So between the OAS, Commonwealth and Caricom, I think we will have a great opportunity to determine a good panel to look at the CoI.” The President had also pointed to the need for electoral and constitutional reforms to avoid “brinkmanship” and a recurrence of the high level of political crisis that gripped the country from March to August this year.

However, he noted that such a process will have to be driven through consultation with citizens getting an opportunity to have a say in the changes they would like to see implemented.

He had highlighted that while the composition of the GECOM Commission is one issue that would have to be addressed, what occurred post-March 2 polls goes beyond the Commission as the electoral machinery itself was compromised.

Roxanne Myers arrested for conspiracy to commit fraud

D

eputy Chief Elections Officer, Roxanne Myers, has been officially arrested for conspiracy to commit fraud.

Myers, on Tuesday (October 6, 2020), voluntarily turned up at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters in the company of her attorneys Nigel Hughes and Ronald Daniels after reports surfaced that she is wanted by the police for questioning in relation to the investigation into electoral fraud at the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections.

But after her arrival at the CID Headquarters, she was kept in police custody.

This was confirmed by Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum.

Several GECOM officials, including CEO Keith

Lowenfield and embattled Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo, have already been questioned. Mingo is currently facing private criminal charges as well as charges brought by the State.

Lowenfield is facing private criminal charges and it is expected that at the end of the police investigation, additional charges will be laid.

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