Weekend Mirror 20-21 March, 2021

Election Report cites APNU+AFC for abuse of state media, funds 20-21 March, 2021 / Vol. 11 No. 64 / Price: $100

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

‒ EU EOM formally hands over report to Foreign Affairs Minister

PPP/C gov’t responding to rapid developments in oil and gas sector ‒ new structure for GEA ‒ efforts being made to boost human capacity ‒ legislative amendments coming PAGE 14

Guyana concerned about economic and social impact of COVID-19 – PM tells PROSUR PAGE 17

Coalition’s latest legal challenge dubbed ‘waste of court’s time’ PAGE 12

PAGE 22

SEE INSIDE Role for private PAGE 3 sector in climate change fight – Jagdeo

GuySuCo matters addressed at high-level meeting PAGE 11 Op-Ed: We will PAGE 21 vaccinate every Guyanese, as long as they are willing to be vaccinated

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WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 MARCH, 2021

Scientists warn of rebound after record 7% fall in global emissions (Reuters) - Coronavirus restrictions led to a record 7% fall in global carbon emissions last year, but the drop will be short-lived unless efforts to phase out fossil fuel are intensified, a study by scientists in the journal Nature Climate Change said.

The study by scientists from institutions in Australia, Britain, France, Norway and the United States, confirmed preliminary estimates from May last year that global CO2 emissions from fossil fuels fell by 7%, or 2.6 billion tonnes, to 34 billion tonnes.

On March 2, 2020, the International Energy Agency said global CO2 emissions dropped by 5.8% in 2020.

The study in Nature Climate Change analysed daily

CO2 emissions across 71 countries and six economic sectors, using data from daily electricity use and mobility tracking services.

To keep the global temperature rise to 1.5-2 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) this century, emissions must decrease by 1-2 billion tonnes a year, the United Nations says.

“When fossil fuel infrastructure is put into use again, there is a risk of a big rebound in emissions in 2021 as was seen in the wake of the global financial crisis in 2009,” said Glen Peters, research director at Norwegian climate research institution CICERO, which took part in the study.

Although a full rebound is unlikely this year as the pandemic continues, future emissions will largely

depend on the alignment of countries’ economic recovery plans with climate targets and green growth, the research said.

To meet climate targets under the 2015 Paris climate accord, post-COVID-19 actions must deliver a ten-fold increase in emissions cuts compared with the period 2016-2019, together with divestment from fossil fuel infrastructure worldwide.

Commenting on the paper, Robin Lamboll, research associate in climate science and policy at London’s Grantham Institute said: “A drop in emissions for one or two years doesn’t really have a long-term effect on climate change.”

“The question for the future is to what extent the emissions reduction indicates a change of cul-

ture, and to what extent government assistance is

going towards growing a greener economy rather

than rebooting fossil fuels,” he added.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 MARCH, 2021

Role for private sector in climate change fight – Jagdeo T

here is a role for the private sector to contribute to the climate change fight, according to Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo.

His comments came in response to queries about opportunities for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Programmes being aligned with national priorities at a recent engagement with members of the private sector.

Jagdeo said, “We have to build a framework that allows for growth of initiatives…when I say expand, we will, at the Office of Environment and Climate Change, not build a huge implementing capacity there, but will work on the framework and policy and put those in place. “…once the framework and policies are in place and the goals are outlined, the only way we will achieve those is through a series of programmes and projects and that is where the (Corporate Social Responsibility) programmes come in…. all those programmes can find a place within the umbrella of the policy making.”

Notably, CSR programmes can be an effective tool for mitigating climate change.

The Vice President stressed that the goals that

will be set will be achievable and realistic. “APNU pledged to do 100 per cent renewables by 2025 and never had a single project to achieve it…it is really stupid…it was just all a slogan….we (in the PPP/C) would have never that ambitious to make such a pledge to the Paris Agreement, although we had a plan to decarbonize 93 per cent of the energy supply through hydro-power and we had a project that was ready to go,” he said.

Further, he stressed the importance of fully informed engagement, since lack of understanding has informed actions that resulted in loss of opportunities in the past. “Because of the anecdotal understanding of the project (Amaila Falls Hydropower Project) by members of Parliament and the media, it got killed… it was utter nonsense that killed a project, which by now would have been supplying this country...we missed these opportunities and missed opportunities means money lost – the private sector looses, the people of this country has lost billions of dollars…countries loose opportunities when policy makers make decisions without regard to facts and numbers, but based

on their own feeling as to what will get them elected only,” Jagdeo said.

The LCDS is being resuscitated and expanded, will allow Guyana to earn substantial revenue that can be utilized to diversify the economy and create employment opportunities The expanded LCDS is expected to guide our developmental trajectory along an inclusive, low carbon, sustainable, clean, resilient path with increased economic opportunities and investments linked to greater social and infrastructural development for the benefit of all.

Among other plans for the resuscitated and expanded LCDS are the strengthening of the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) Act, as well as improved measures for the National Protected Areas System (NPAS).

The visionary strategy, championed by Jagdeo, during his tenure as President of Guyana, was able to earn over US$200 million for the preservation of its forests. It was discontinued by the former APNU+AFC Coalition government. Launched in 2009, the LCDS was intended to place Guyana’s economy on a low-carbon, sustainable development trajec-

$13.9B in contracts signed for housing developments T

he Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) has awarded some $13.9 billion in contracts to start infrastructure works and construction of housing units in Regions Three, Four, Five and Six. Some 199 contracts were awarded today at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre in keeping with the Government’s plan to deliver 10,000 house lots every year for the next five years.

In his feature address, Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh said the move demonstrates the Government’s commitment to ensuring the dream of homeownership is realised for Guyanese.

He called the event a significant step in transforming the lives of Guyanese and urged contractors to ensure

the projects are completed in a timely manner.

“There are 10,000 people, 10,000 families who are out here who are waiting for you to complete these projects so that they can go to their plot of land, put down a fence, put down a foundation, start paying a mortgage, instead of paying the rent that they are paying today. There are 10,000 families waiting for these areas to become reality and they’re waiting on you.

You are building, you are participating, you are contributing to the building of that dream,” he said.

Minister Singh said it was under the PPP/C Government that the housing initiative started, with the development of the Diamond, Grove and Parfaite Harmonie housing schemes. He said it is in keeping with this same vision that new housing schemes are

being developed.

Meanwhile, Minister of Housing and Water, Hon. Collin Croal, in his address, said housing remains a priority for the Government.

“We understand that shelter is a basic human need, and we know that it is essential for a healthy, happy life. It is why we have wasted little time in doing all we can to put the housing drive right back on the track after the mess that was left us by the last APNU+AFC regime.”

Fifty-one contractors received their contracts to start the projects and the construction of 290 homes.

One hundred and ninety elevated two-bedroom homes are to be built in Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara while another 100 flat, two-bedroom homes will be constructed at Prospect, East Bank Demerara.

tory, while simultaneously combatting climate change.

The integrated strategy examined how Guyana could deploy its forests in mitigating climate change, while also gaining financial and other support for doing so. To that effect, Guyana, in the said 2009, signed a multi-year Forest Protection Agreement with Norway, which saw the Norwegian government committing to providing Guyana with up to US$250M by 2015 for avoiding deforestation, once certain performance indicators were met.

In signing a Memo randum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Guyana on November 9, 2009, the Government of Norway had committed to providing financial support of up to US$250 million for results achieved by Guyana in limiting emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. As part

of the agreement, the two countries had agreed to establish the Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund (GRIF) as the financial intermediary mechanism for the performance-based payments from contributors to Guyana. The GRIF represented an effort to create an innovative climate finance mechanism which balances national sovereignty over investment priorities, while ensuring

that REDD+ funds adhere to the Partner Entities financial, environmental and social safeguards. Norway had announced the release of $393.4 million Norwegian Kroner or G$9.1 billion, its final disbursement to the Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund. The fund, administered by the World Bank, is used to finance developmental projects here in Guyana.

AFC handed another resignation ‒ latest in slew of resignations

T

he slew of resignations continue to pour in, with another Another Alliance For Change (AFC) member, Michael Leonard, having resigned from the party.

Leonard served as Chairman of the AFC’s Georgetown Chapter and Councillor at the Georgetown Mayor and City Council.

His resignation letter

said, “Please accept this letter as my formal resignation as a member of the Alliance For Change.

As a consequence of my resignation as a member of the AFC, I will also submit my resignation to the Georgetown Mayor and City Council, so another member of the party can take the position as Councillor. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity

to work with you and the other members of the party to contribute to Guyana’s development. I wish the party continued success.”

This is the latest resignation to shake not only the AFC, but also the PNCR-led APNU+AFC Coalition. While the AFC has lost several long-serving members, two of the five parties in the APNU fraction – the Working People’s Alliance and the Justice For All Party – have also resigned.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 MARCH, 2021

EDITORIAL

Tangible support being made available to young entrepreneurs

T

he PPP/C Government has taken another step to support the entrepreneurial ideas of youths in Guyana, with the introduction of an Entrepreneurship and Innovation Fund.

This initiative is most welcomed given the statistics relative to unemployment and the consequent circumstances that the PPP/C government encountered when it took office in August 2020, as well as the fallout from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of note is that the 2018 Guyana Labour Force Survey (GLFS) underscored the fact that unemployment among youths worsened since 2015, when the APNU+AFC Coalition took office. This report revealed that the total number of youths unemployed increased to reach 17,058 during the fourth quarter of 2017. The GLFS 2018 also showed that 72.6 per cent or 12,380 of the unemployed youths came from rural areas.

The findings of the Guyana Labour Force Survey, followed similar disclosures by the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) in its 2019 Human Development Report, titled ‘Beyond income, beyond averages, beyond today: Inequalities in human development in the 21st century’, which was released in December 2019. According to the report, unemployment among youths, ages 15 to 24, stands at almost 23 per cent. The report added that youths not in school or employment, ages 15-24, stands at a massive 35.2 per cent.

Encouraging is that in the face of this this situation there is also efforts being made to have students participate in a ‘National State of Entrepreneurship Survey’, which is being conducted in schools countrywide. The PPP/C Government has said that it will use the survey as a guide to draft policies and plans for young entrepreneurs to flourish. Students of the Linden Foundation Secondary, Mackenzie High School, Harmony Secondary, Wisburg Secondary, and the New Silver City Secondary Schools in Region Ten have participated in the survey. The National State of Entrepreneurship Survey will also be extended to the adult population and entrepreneurs countrywide.

President Dr. Irfaan Ali has been leading by example.

His recent engagement with youths from Kwakwani, Upper Demerara-Berbice, is testimony of this. President Ali listened to their concerns and the issues surrounding the community and its development. During the meeting, the Head of State highlighted the objectives of establishing the One Guyana Commission and his plans of giving every citizen a fair chance of benefitting from Guyana’s wealth. He also highlighted his Youth Policy plans which promote youth empowerment while he committed to greater collaboration with the residents of the community.

This engagement builds on moves to: establish a Presidential Youth Advisory Council to mainstream the focus on youth; removal of taxes on cell phone and data; and several other critical interventions to support youths.

Clearly, tangible support is being made available to young entrepreneurs and youths in Guyana.

PPP/C outreaches are constant and meaningful Dear Editor,

I

t has now become the operational trademark of the PPP/C Government and its Ministers to do not only constant and regular outreaches, but meaningful ones which permeate each and every Region of our country. The Ministers not only listened to all Guyanese, with no discrimination to any political party’s support base, but provided prompt solutions to a number of issues which have been plaguing Guyanese over the most painful and excruciatingly difficult five years of Coalition rule. A period in which, not unlike the ignominious 28 years of PNC dictatorship, which Guyanese at home and in the Diaspora and in this generation and the future generations would never forget.

I must note here that the Coalition did venture to have a few outreaches, but this was only after the successful

passing of the No Confidence Motion in December 2018. These outreaches not only cost the taxpayers hundreds of millions but they produced nothing except more empty promises. In fact the Coalition had started their election campaign under the guise of outreaches and rode extravagantly on the backs of the already overburdened and impoverished taxpayers.

The outreach of the PPP/C Government at the Albion Sports Complex saw hundreds of issues being ventilated to the various subject Ministers and resolutions for most of these was almost instantaneous. The Minister of Agriculture, Mr Zulfikar Mustapha was at his usual best; walking with his A-Team he doggedly sifted through the various problems raised by people both from the length and breadth of Berbice.

He did this for over five hours non-stop.

What can be solved immediately he

did, leaving the remainder with definite instructions and timelines to bring about speedy resolutions. Everyone went away completely satisfied that this Government is working by their sides.

The outreach echoed the words of the President that his Government will work on behalf of all Guyanese to make their lives better.

Guyanese are now seeing what the ‘good life’ means not only with the Budget 2021 but by walking with the people and ensuring that the monies reach the intended beneficiaries. I know for a fact that the success of these outreaches can only multiply in the days ahead.

The President and his Ministers had hit the ground running from day one and they have now accelerated the pace.

Yours truly, Haseef Yusuf

Why is Lowenfield still on the job?

Dear Editor,

T

he question is raised: Why is Lowenfield still in the employ of the GECOM? Why is he still in the affairs of that body? It is a question that is repeatedly and persistently asked, with no sensible answer forthcoming. We are here talking about a man who stood up to the world as the Chief Elections Officer to deliver a fraudulent report showing the losers of the election as the winners.

Not to be undone, this man would later turn up to deliver three more tranches of fraudulent figures, this was

after the recount of the disputed ballot.

If those are not the most blatant acts of rigging, then what are?

That alone should have rendered him unfit for office, and far less for being a member of that Commission, but he is still there.

The Chair of GECOM should rightly have fired Lowenfield, and let him go his way with his rigging apparatus. Of course, Lowenfield should have known better, but he was so full of it he was certain that nothing would come out of that brazen rigging assault; and, like I said in a previous article, he never envisioned that karma would have caught

up with him, so he persisted.

What I think Claudette Singh should have done long before now is to have asked him to resign and save himself the ignominy, and she should have then proceeded to install another in his place.

In that way, she would have served the devil his due while ensuring the smooth transition into a free and fair process.

Because there is no way, shape or form that Lowenfield would be in a commission and this country go into another election. No! Never!

Respectfully, Neil Adams

Sugar workers are leading from front in restoring GuySuCo’s place in our economy Dear Editor,

T

he PPP under the leadership of Cheddi Jagan and through to the leadership under Bharat Jagdeo has remained faithful to the welfare and interest of sugar workers in Guyana. The PPP believed all along that SUGAR is critical to the future prosperity of Guyana. In contrast, the PNC, even in the form of APNU/AFC has never shown any sympathy for sugar workers. They have consistently betrayed sugar workers and actively worked towards closing SUGAR in Guyana. They have made it clear that SUGAR has no future in our country. The only government that has closed sugar estates in Guyana is the PNC. The only government that has frozen wages for sugar workers in the

PNC (1983 -1985) and again between 2015 and 2020 when the PNC paraded itself as APNU/AFC. Last week, as we readied ourselves to observe the 24th death anniversary of Cheddi Jagan, it was announced that GUYSUCO reached its weekly target and that sugar workers earned a weekly production bonus for the first time since early 2019. Albion and Blairmont exceeded their targets and Uitvlugt achieved almost 92% of its target. On Monday, it was announced that GUYSUCO had its best single-day production for five years. The three estates - Albion, Blairmont and Uitvlugt - collectively produced more than they have for the last five years in any single-day production. These are good news stories. While these

achievements are modest and do not, in any way, guarantee sustained success, they do give hope that GUYSUCO is alive and is getting well. The sugar workers deserve our collective support and we recognize their resilience and their commitment to see GUYSUCO returning to its glory days.

These are not the only good news stories out of GUYSUCO. There is news that GUYSUCO has made meaningful progress towards value-added sales, rather than just bulk-sugar, as its main revenue generation. Value-added products increase the profit potential and this is one of the key plans for the turn-around for GUYSUCO. Both packaging plants - Blairmont and Enmore - are now functioning again. This (Turn to page 13)

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WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 MARCH, 2021

INVITATION TO BID INVITATION TO BID REGIONAL DEMOCRATIC COUNCIL, REGION 4 TRIUMPH, ECD COOPERATIVE REPUBLIC OF GUYANA

REGIONAL DEMOCRATIC COUNCIL, REGION 4 TRIUMPH, ECD COOPERATIVE REPUBLIC OF GUYANA

TheThe Regional Democratic Council of Region No. 4 invites seal bids from eligible contractors to undertake the following projects: Regional Democratic Council of Region No. 4 invites seal bids from eligible contractors to undertake the following projects: CAPITAL 1. Rehabilitation of Building - Administration No Description Rehabilitation of Cane Grove SubDistrict Office, East Coast Demerara 1

Engineer's Estimate $10,002,000

2. Construction of Revetment & Heavy-Duty Timber Bridge - Agriculture Development No Description 1 Construction of Timber Revetment and Concrete Tubing at Belmont Mahaica, East Coast Demerara 2 Construction of Timber Revetment at Aqueduct, Grove/Diamond East Bank Demerara 3 Construction of Timber Heavy Duty Bridge at Belmonte Access Dam, East Coast Demerara

Engineer's Estimate $11,848,000 $9,503,000 $3,790,000

3. Construction of Bridges & Culverts – Public Works No Description 1 Construction of Concrete Culvert Leading to Back Entrance of RDC – 4 Main Building, Triumph, East Coast Demerara 2 Construction of Concrete Bridge at Saywah – Granny Field, Cane Grove East Coast Demerara 3 Construction of Concrete Bridge at Sugrim Singh Road Industry / Plaisance, East Coast Demerara 4 Construction of Timber Footpath Bridge Linking Graham Street and Better Hope (Phulwarie Street) East Coast Demerara 5

Construction of Vehicular Bridge Linking Marty’s Ville, and Block ‘8’ Mon Repos East Coast Demerara

4. Construction of Roads - Public Works No Description 1 Upgrading of Cross Street, Covent Garden, East Bank Demerara

Engineer's Estimate $5,457,000 $3,529,000 $5,704,000 $5,379,000 $9,497,000

Engineer's Estimate $8,164,000

2

Upgrading of North Agriculture Road to Sea Wall, Mon Repos East Coast Demerara

$13,895,000

3

Rehabilitation of 3rd Cross Street Mon Repos South, East Coast Demerara

$13,309,000

4

Upgrade of Beezy Dam, Behind Police Station, Enmore East Coast Demerara

5 6

Upgrading of Niles Street, Grove, East Bank Demerara Upgrading of 3rd Street Herstelling from Rum Shop Street to Kajim Street, East Bank Demerara

$7,454,000 $13,121,000 $11,892,000

5. Construction of Water Troughs - Education No Description 1 Construction of 4-Stall Water Troughs (Nursery, Primary, Secondary, PIC) of Lots of 3 Troughs at $1,200,000 Each 2

Construction of 24 Sanitary Blocks at Nursery Primary and Secondary @ $ 2,500,000 each

6. Rehabilitation of Buildings – Health No Description 1 Construction of Perimeter Fence at Supply Health Centre, East Bank Demerara 2

Rehabilitation of Better Hope Health Centre, East Coast Demerara

Current 1. Maintenance of Building - Agriculture Development No Description 1 Repairs to Storage Room Building, Cane Grove, East Coast Demerara 2. Maintenance of Other Infrastructure - Agriculture Development No Description 1 Repairs to Northern Gate & Fence at Triumph Pump Station, East Coast Demerara 2 Repairs to Walkway/Decking at Triumph and Golden Grove Pump Station, ECD 3

Repairs to Security Lights at Pump Stations on the East Coast Corridor. ECD

3. Maintenance of Buildings – Public Works No Description 1 Repairs to Officer’s Living Quarter, Triumph, East Coast Demerara

Engineer's Estimate $1,200,000 $2,500,000

Engineer's Estimate $7,108,000 $13,998,000

Engineer's Estimate $2,500,000

Engineer's Estimate $ 1,340,000 $1,200,000 $ 840,000 Engineer's Estimate $4,200,000

1

Repairs to Officer’s Living Quarter, Triumph, East Coast Demerara

6

$4,200,000 WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 MARCH, 2021

4. Maintenance of Roads – Public Works No Description 1 Repairs to Block 8, 1st Cross Street at Mon Repos Housing Scheme, East Coast Demerara.

2 Repairs to Cross Street Linking Agriculture road to Triumph (Khadoo Street), East Coast Demerara 3 Repairs to Bladen Hall School Road, East Coast Demerara 4 Repairs to Northern Section of Clay Brick Street, Goedverwagting, East Coast Demerara 5 Repairs to Block 8, 4th Cross Street at Mon Repo Housing Scheme, East Coast Demerara.

6 Repairs to Second Cross Street South, Grassfield, East Coast Demerara 7 Repairs to Cross Street, South Annandale, East Coast Demerara 8 Repairs to Paradise Road (South & North), East Coast Demerara 9 Repairs to Cross Street at Cane Grove (Water Side Dam, Virginia), East Coast Demerara 10 Repairs to Ramos Street, Plaisance, East Coast Demerara 11 Repairs to Cross Street, Lancaster, Unity, East Coast Demerara 5. Maintenance of Bridges – Public Works No 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Description

Engineer's Estimate $6,750,000 $7,357,000 $7,519,000 $5,417,000 $6,750,000 $4,674,000 $5,153,000 $2,481,000 $6,500,000 $7,997,000 $4,402,000 Engineer's Estimate

Repairs to Concrete Culvert at Middle Street, Goedverwagting, East Coast Demerara

$1,557,000

Repairs to Concrete Culvert at Ramos Street, Plaisance, East Coast Demerara Repairs to Concrete Culvert in Grove Diamond

$1,557,000 $6,000,000

Repairs to Vehicular Timber Bridge Linking Enmore and Haslington, East Coast Demerara

$3,372,670

Repairs to Timber Vehicular Bridge (Jango), Yarrowkabra, Soesdyke Linden Highway

$4,800,000

Repairs to Timber Vehicular Bridge at Helena #1, East Coast Demerara

$3,517,630

Repairs to Timber Footpath Bridge at Grahams Street Between Embankment and Public Road, Plaisance, East Coast Demerara

$1,556,760

Repairs to Concrete Culvert, Friendship, Church Street, East Bank Demerara

$2,505,000

Repairs to Timber Vehicular Bridge at 1st cross Street, Strathspey, Bladen Hall, East Coast Demerara

$3,227,910

6. Maintenance of Other Infrastructure – Public Works No Description 1 Repairs to Drainage System at Golden Grove area Next to Officer Compound, Golden Grove, East Coast Demerara

Engineer's Estimate $ 800,000

7. Maintenance of Building - Education Delivery No Description 1 Repairs to Education Living Quarters at Bladen Hall, Strathspey Village East Coast Demerara 2 Repairs to LBI Nursery, East Coast Demerara 3 Repairs to Golden Grove Nursery School, East Coast Demerara 4 Repairs to Chateau Margot Nursery School, East Coast Demerara 5 Repairs to Soesdyke # 1 Nursery, East Bank Demerara 6 Repairs to Ogle Nursery School, East Coast Demerara 7 Repairs to Samatta Point Nursery School, East Bank Demerara 8 Repairs to Prospect Nursery School, East Bank Demerara 9 Repairs to Enmore Newtown Nursery School, East Bank Demerara 10 Repairs to Campbell’s Trust Nursey School, East Bank Demerara 11 Repairs to Mon Repos Nursery School, Mon Repos East Bank Demerara 12 Repairs to Eccles Nursery, Eccles East Bank Demerara 13 Repairs to Prince William Nursery School, East Coast Demerara 14 Repairs to Nabaclis Nursery, East Coast Demerara 15 Repairs to Enmore Primary, East Coast Demerara 16 Repairs to Mocha Primary, East Bank Demerara 17 Repairs to St. Mary’s Primary, East Bank Demerara 18 Repairs to Chateau Margot Primary School, East Coast Demerara 19 Repairs to Montrose Primary School, East Coast Demerara 20 Repairs to Silver Hill Primary, Linden Soesdyke Highway 21 Repairs to Long Creek Primary School, Linden Soesdyke Highway 22 Repairs to BV Quamina Primary School, East Coast Demerara 23 Repairs to Strathspey Primary School, East Coast Demerara 24 Repairs to Swami Purnanda Primary School, East Coast Demerara 25 Repairs to Clonbrook Primary School, East Coast Demerara 26 Repairs to Sir James Douglas Primary School, East Coast Demerara 27 Repairs to Helena Primary School, East Coast Demerara 28 Repairs to Ann’s Grove Primary School, East Coast Demerara 29 Repairs to Bladen Hall Secondary School, East Coast Demerara 30 Repairs to Lancaster Secondary School East Coast Demerara 31 Repairs to Covent Garden Secondary School, East Bank Demerara 32 Repairs to Buxton Secondary School, East Coast Demerara

Engineer's Estimate $6,304,800 $3,470,900 $4,701,200 $2,478,850 $2,838,235 $3,507,190 $4,585,680 $2,646,680 $3,047,545 $4,526,320 $1,064,550 $5,451,295 $3,038,915 $1,696,240 $6,250,210 $6,003,620 $6,967,235 $2,738,928 $$5,129,880 $2,943,312 $4,794,190 $3,074,990 $2,499,731 $2,066,100 $3,772,360 $1,696,960 3,890,952 $2,743,090 $4,432,058 $6,554,090 $6,645,890 $5,961,580

29 Repairs to Bladen Hall Secondary School, East Coast Demerara 30 Repairs to MARCH, Lancaster2021 Secondary School East Coast Demerara WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 31 Repairs to Covent Garden Secondary School, East Bank Demerara 32 Repairs to Buxton Secondary School, East Coast Demerara 33 Repairs to Hope Secondary School, East Coast Demerara 34 Repairs to Ann’s Grove Secondary School, East Coast Demerara 35 Repairs to Plaisance Secondary School, East Coast Demerara 36 Repairs to Annandale Secondary School, East Coast Demerara 37 Repairs to Beterverwagting PIC East Coast Demerara 38 Repairs to Buxton PIC, East Coast Demerara 8. Maintenance of Other Infrastructure - Education Delivery No Description 1.

Repairs to Section of Timber Frame Fence at Bladen Hall Living Quarters, Strathspey East Coast Demerara

$4,432,058 $6,554,090 $6,645,890 $5,961,580 $3,926,180 $6,112,270 $3,167,085 $6,653,460 $2,153,920 $5,569,640 Engineer's Estimate $3,389,600

2

Sand-filling of Compound at Friendship Sub-Office, East Bank Demerara

$1,950,000

3

Repairs to Fence at Kuru Kururu Nursery School, Linden Soesdyke Highway

$2,933,399

4

Capping of Walkway at Soesdyke # 1 Nursery, East Bank Demerara

$1,583,150

5

Repairs to Fence and Trestle at Soesdyke # 2 Nursery, East Bank Demerara

$3,139,004

6

Repairs to Concrete Drain, Capping of Walk way Oleander Nursery School, East Bank Demerara

$5,340,121

7

Repairs to Drainage, Walkway & Section of Fence at Campbell's Trust Nursery, East Bank Demerara

$3,186,665

8

Repairs to Sanitary Facilities and Section of Fence at Chateau Margot Nursery, East Coast Demerara

$3,248,805

9

Repairs to Tarmac and Fence at Kuru Kururu Primary (Main & Annex), Linden Soesdyke Highway

$6,493,900

10

Repairs to Walkway at Plaisance Primary, East Coast Demerara

$6,112,480

11

Repairs to Walkway & Sanitary Facility at Kuru Kuru Primary, Linden Soesdyke Highway

$1,852,451

12

Repairs to Drains, Walkway & Shed at Enmore Primary, East Coast Demerara

$1,774,724

13

Repairs to Fence, Sanitary Facilities & Landfilling at Covent Garden Secondary, East Bank Demerara

$4,926,720

14

Repairs to Drainage, Tarmac & Section of Fence at Bladen Hall Multilateral, East Coast Demerara

$6,629,580

15

Repairs to Sanitary Facilities, Drainage & Section of Fence at Annandale Secondary, East Coast Demerara

$6,191,157

16

Repairs to Sanitary Facilities, Walkway & Tarmac at Dora Secondary, Linden Soesdyke Highway

$3,880,955

17

Repairs to Sanitary Facilities, Drainage & Walkway at Land Caster Secondary, East Coast Demerara

$6,630,200

18

Repairs to Section of Fence and Walkway at Beterverwagting PIC, East Coast Demerara

$5,099,160

19

Repairs to Poultry Unit, Guard Hut & Section of Fence at Buxton PIC, East Coast Demerara

$3,421,050

9. Maintenance of Bridges - Education Delivery No Description 1 Repairs to Bridge at Vryheid's Lust Primary, East Coast Demerara 2 3

Repairs to Bridge at La Bonne Intention Secondary, East Coast Demerara Repairs to Bridge at Bladen Hall Living Quarters, East Coast Demerara

10. Maintenance of Buildings – Health No 1 Repairs to Melanie Health Centre 2 Repairs to Cane Grove Health Center 3 Repairs to Friendship Health Sub Office 4 Repairs to Soesdyke Health Center 5 Repairs to Mocha Health Centre 6 Repairs to Dr CC Nicholson Hospital 7 Repairs to Kuru Kururu Health Centre 8 Repairs to Beterverwagting Health Centre 9 Repairs to Lusignan Health Center 10 Repairs to Golden Grove Health Centre 11 Repairs to Enterprise Health Center 12 Repairs to St Cuthbert's Mission Health Centre 13 Repairs to Mahaica Health Center 14 Repairs to Long Creek Health Centre Repairs 15 Repairs to to Silver Hill Post Health Post 16 Repairs to Timehri Health Centre 17 Repairs to Unity Health Center 18 Repairs to Buxton Center 19 Repairs to Clonbrook Health Center 20 Repairs to Victoria Health Center 21 Repairs to Yarrowkabra Health Center

Description

11. Maintenance of Other Infrastructure – Health No Description 1 Repairs to timber fence at Enterprise Health Center 2 Repairs to fence and security hut at Melanie Health Centre 3 Repairs to timber fence at Beterverwagting Health Centre

Engineer's Estimate $1,580,200 $1,710,240 $2,146,220 Engineer's Estimate $2,169,100 $2,863,100 $1,340,535 $2,585,660 $1,637,000 $2,263,400 $1,779,360 $4,264,200 $2,235,000 $1,687,500 $2,276,000 $2,376,293 $1,475,000 $3,375,790 $5,316,916 $5,316,916 $1,834,000 $1,330,000 $1,981,600 $1,500,700 $1,292,000 $2,306,700 Engineer's Estimate $ 846,300 $ 1,275,200 $2,515,000

7

11. Maintenance of Other Infrastructure – Health

8 No 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Description

Repairs to timber fence at Enterprise Health Center Repairs to fence and security hut at Melanie Health Centre Repairs to timber fence at Beterverwagting Health Centre Repairs to drainat Soesdyke Health Center Repairs to timber fence at St. Cuthberts Health Center Repairs to timber fence at Yarrowkabra Health Center Repairs to Apron and Walkway at Supply Health Center Repairs to timber fence at Kuru Kururu Health Center Repairs to Concrete and Timber Fence at Diamond Hospital

12. Maintenance of Buildings – Administration No Description 1 General Repairs to the Main Building, Triumph Village East Coast Demerara 2 Repairs to Cane Grove Craft Centre Cane Grove East Coast Demerara 3

General Repairs to the Storage Building (Stores), Triumph East Coast Demerara

Maintenance of other infrastructure – Administration No Description 1 Repairs to fence at Enmore Sub Office, Enmore East Coast Demerara 2 Sectional Repairs to RDC Main Office Fence, Triumph Village East Coast Demerara 3

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

General Weeding, Tree Trimming and Cleaning of Regional Stores Compound, Triumph Village East Coast Demerara

WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 MARCH, Engineer's Estimate2021 $ 846,300 $ 1,275,200 $2,515,000 $3,135,455 $1,111,000 $1,425,578 $3,042,037 $950,444 $4,332,800

Engineer's Estimate $1,500,000 $2,000,000 $4,022,000 Engineer's Estimate $1,000,000 $1,000,000 $1,500,000

Bidding will be conducted through the National Competitive Bidding (NCB), Procedures specified in the Procurement Act 2003 and Regulations.

Interested eligible bidders may inspect the Bidding Document and obtain further information from the Regional Office, Regional Democratic Council No.4, Triumph, East Coast Demerara during normal working hours Monday to Friday between the hours 9:00-15:15 hrs.

Bid Documents can be uplifted from the REO’s Secretariat, Triumph, East Coast Demerara upon payment of a non-refundable fee of three Thousand dollars ($3,000) for the Capital Projects and two thousand, five hundred dollars ($2,500) for the Current Project from Wednesday March 10, 2021. Method of payment shall be cash.

The bid shall be submitted in a plain envelope bearing no identification of the bidder and clearly marked on the top left-hand corner “Tender for” (Name of Project) Bids shall be addressed to the: Chairman, Regional Procurement & Tender Administration Board Regional Administrative Office, Region # 4 Triumph East Coast Demerara And submitted in the Identified Tender Box; • CAPITAL PROJECT • CURRENT PROJECT • GOODS AND SERVICES

6.

no later than 30th March, 2021 at 09:00 hrs. Electronic Bidding will not be permitted. Late Bids will be rejected.

Bids will be opened in the presence of bidders or their representatives who choose to attend at 09:00 hrs. on the following days in the Boardroom of the Regional Democratic Council.

• Bids for Capital Projects will be opened on the 30/03/2021 • Bids for Current Projects will be opened on the 31/03/2021 • Bids for Goods and Services will be opened on the 1/4/2021

ALL COVID 19 PROTOCOL MUST BE OBSEVRED 7. The Regional Procurement & Tender Administration Board reserves the right to reject any or all bids without assigning any reason whatsoever and not necessarily to award the lowest bidder.

Donald Gajraj Chairman Regional Procurement & Tender Administration Board Region #4

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WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 MARCH, 2021

Jagdeo addresses oil and gas webinar ‒ Forum geared to promote investment opportunities in Guyana

O

ver 60 U.S. companies interested in investing in Guyana attended a webinar themed ‘Oil and Gas Opportunities in Guyana’ on Tuesday (March 16, 2021).

The webinar, hosted by the US Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration and the U.S Embassy in Guyana, was addressed by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo. He was joined by Natural Resources Minister, Vickram Bharrat.

Meanwhile, in her opening remarks, Ambassador Lynch highlighted that Guyana has procedures and in-

stitutions in place to assist foreign businesses establish operations. The Ambassador emphasized Guyana’s immense commercial opportunities, the importance of connecting with the U.S. Commercial Service and the U.S. Embassy’s Commercial Section, and the role of Guyana’s business support organizations in facilitating foreign direct investment.

Also participating in the meeting was Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GOINVEST, Dr. Peter Ramsaroop; AmCham Guyana Chairman Zulfikar Ally; Shyam Nokta

of the Guyana Manufacturers and Services Association (GMSA); Natasha Gaskin-Peter for the Center for Local Business Development; and Sean Hill, General Manager of Guyana Shorebase Incorporated.

We Fry it, You Try it!

Government receives payment for the fifth oil lift I

n keeping the Government’s commitment to accountability and transparency in the Petroleum Sector, the Ministry of Natural Resources is pleased to announce that the payment for Guyana’s fifth oil lift was received into the Natural Resources Fund Account.

On February 05, 2021, 997,420 barrels of oil were lifted from Liza Destiny with a value of US$ 61,090,968.03 with a grand

total to date of 5,009,797 barrels of oil worth US$ 246,542,662.

Inclusive of Royalties the total in the Natural Resources Fund Account now stands at US$267,668, 709.12.

The Government of Guyana through the Ministry of Natural Resources has committed to providing updates on oil lifts and sales as may be necessary to ensure all stakeholders and members of the public are informed.

PICKUP AND DELIVERY ALSO AVAILABLE! Opening Hours: 7:00hrs - 21:00hrs

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226-3935 227-7070 223-5236 225-4387

NEW AMSTERDAM

333-3477

10

WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 MARCH, 2021

POSITIONS FROM THE PRESIDENT

Guyana is a sleeping giant in investment opportunities

‒ President says Guyana Basin Summit paves way for enhanced investment in economy

G

uyana is poised to become the most exciting investment destination in the Western Hemisphere, according to President Dr. Irfaan Ali. The Head of State made this pronouncement during his address at the opening of the Guyana Basin Summit 2021 (GBS) held virtually on Wednesday (March 17, 2021).

The event, which is aimed at creating investment and development opportunities in the Guyana-Suriname Basin, brings oil and gas leaders and the global energy community together during the virtual edition (17-19 March), before a physical conference is held in October in Georgetown.

Ali said, “We welcome investment in the Guyana Basin as well as the multiple opportunities it will spawn within our economy… I want to take just a few moments to say to all potential investors that you need to come, you need to explore, and you need to look holistically at the varied opportunities in Guyana.

Whether it is large-scale agriculture production, whether it is mining, whether it is forestry, whether it is in the healthcare system, the education system; you need

to understand the varied opportunities Guyana offers for different types of investors.

It is not only about oil and gas, oil and gas has really brought attention to Guyana, a sleeping giant in investment opportunities.”

The President noted that while the Summit is not necessarily confined to oil and gas, the sector will become a focal point during deliberations. He said, “In this context, the Guyana Basin is an important national resource.

In terms of endowment, we have estimated that total Basin potential is around twice our proven reserves.

Economically, this is important and further solidifies our position as a lucrative emerging petroleum state.”

He added that his Government intends to maximise on the many business opportunities that exist along the value chain of the country’s fledgling petroleum sector, while expanding drilling, exploration and production activities.

RESOURCE-DEVELOPMENT MODEL The President emphasised that while his Government is clear on the fundamental principles which will guide the development of Guyana’s natural resources

sector, it is important for prospective and potential investors to have similar clarity.

“Our natural resources are part of our people’s patrimony. As such, these resources must be used for, and rebound to, the benefit of the people of Guyana.

This is the fundamental starting point for the development of our natural resources. And it underpins our policy resource development model,” he said.

He acknowledged that the country’s resources however are useless if they remain unexploited, therefore foreign and local capital is necessary to convert our natural resources into wealth and to generate jobs.

Ali said, “As such, Guyana welcomes private investment ….Investment remains pivotal to shared prosperity. We simply lack the scale of financial, technological and human resources needed for our ambitious economic development plans. We need investment to drive our development.”

President Ali pointed out that it is necessary for the local private sector to become more involved in the planned economic transformation, and to grow and de-

velop through synergies and partnerships with foreign businesses. To enable this, he pointed to the importance of the draft local content policy and law, which is aimed at spurring a stronger and more robust local business environment.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT President Ali assured that Government remains committed to ensuring a model of development which provides benefits for present and future generations and “will not sacrifice long-term benefits for shortterm gains”. He said, “We are uncompromising when it comes to respecting our people, especially our workers. We insist that the rights of our workers be respected and that investors comply with our labour laws.”

He added that it is Government’s intention to work with local and international investors in every dimension of this economy so as to ensure thriving economic sectors over the next five years and beyond.

The President pointed to the strides made by his administration, since assuming office in the latter half of 2020, to rekindle investor and consumer confidence.

“This year, we will continue to fashion a stronger, more resilient and investor-friendly economy. In our National Assembly, we have just passed our annual Budget which manifests our commitment to human safety, dignity, attracting large-scale private investment in the traditional and newly-emerging sectors, investing in transformative infrastructure, developing world-class services, including social services, and laying the groundwork for structural transformation.

Indeed, what you will see in the next five years is an explosion of housing construction, and the foundation being laid for man-

ufacturing and industrial development…Our outlook for this year and beyond is extremely promising,” the President said.

CONDUCIVE AND ENABLING BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT He said that while Guyanese can anticipate continuous and progressive improvements in their living standards so too will investors enjoy progressively greater opportunities and rewards.

“Of course, the oil and gas sector is going to be instrumental in our national development framework.

But our development plans, as I have indicated, do not revolve exclusively around oil and gas but involve all sectors of the economy.

The Government, as I have said continuously, is committed to establishing both a conducive and enabling environment for business development,” he said.

With regards to their role in national development, President Ali said that his Government’s plans stretch from large-scale agricultural investments and related projects to mega infrastructure, which includes bridges, a road to Brazil, a deep-water harbour, housing communities and urban centres, port facilities, digital technology, industrial parks and energy development.

He said, “As a matter of fact, we have commenced discussions with Surina-

me, our neighbour, in the development of the Energy Corridor…where we are going to develop one of the most competitive energy corridors along the Guyana shield….Brazil and French Guiana too will play important roles in that development.”

The President said that the major catalyst for industrialisation will be the planned gas-to-shore energy project.

He said that this will afford our economy the opportunity to have an enhanced manufacturing sector and allow Guyana to become an industrial powerhouse, a model energy state, the breadbasket of the region, the Silicon Valley of the Caribbean, and a sustainable tourism paradise.

GBS 2021 is a uniquely global summit that will provide a platform for the industry to forge partnerships, showcase innovation and drive commerce forward.

Guyana’s representatives at the summit also included Minister within the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh; Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat; Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill; Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar, Governor of the Bank of Guyana, Dr Gobind Ganga; CEO of Go-Invest, Dr Peter Ramsaroop and Guyana Energy Agency CEO, Dr Mahender Sharma.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 MARCH, 2021

POSITIONS FROM THE PRESIDENT

GuySuCo matters addressed at high-level meeting P

resident Dr Irfaan Ali and two senior Ministers, met with the CEO of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), Sasenarine Singh, and several members of the board.

China’s President engaged in high-level talks

A

high-level team, led

by President Dr. Irfaan Ali, held fruitful discussions with the President of the People's Republic of China, His Excellency Xi Jinping

this week.

The high-level team included Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo; Minister within the Office of the President with responsibility for

Finance, Dr Ashni Singh; Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd; and the Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill.

Guyanese encouraged to be vaccinated against COVID-19 [Message from President Dr. Irfaan Ali]

F

ellow Guyanese I’m very pleased to inform you that I took the COVID-19 vaccine.

And I want to take this opportunity to encourage every Guyanese to take the vaccine.

While it is not mandatory, I want to urge you as far as possible, to consider taking the vaccine. And I'm sure that it will help us as we all work together in getting ahead of this pandemic.

I also want to assure every Guyanese that we're sparing no resources in having every single Guyanese vaccinated before the end of the year. Only today, I had engagement with the Organization of Islamic Conference. We continue to reach out directly to suppliers of the Russian vaccine Sinopharm, Moderna, Pfizer, AstraZeneca. We've also reached out to other suppliers in the UAE, because you know it is becoming a global shortage in

getting the vaccines itself.

It is important for us to ensure that we explore every avenue, having access to these vaccines in a speedy manner, and ensuring that it fits into our plan of having the entire country vaccinated before the end of the year, so you can rest assured that we will continue to work aggressively on this.

Shortly we're expecting some more vaccines to arrive that will add to the vaccines that are already being rolled out, and in a very phased manner, we will be moving to different categories of Guyanese.

Thank you very much, continue to stay safe, and God bless all of you and your families.

The meeting, which was held at State House, facilitated discussions on several issues.

The Ministers present were Minister within the Of-

fice of the President with Responsibility for Finance, the Honourable Dr Ashni Singh and Minister of Agriculture, the Honourable Zulfikar Mustapha.

12

WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 MARCH, 2021

Coalition’s latest legal challenge dubbed ‘waste of court’s time’

T

he Opposition APNU+AFC Coalitions’ challenge to the appointment of the two Parliamentary Secretaries is a waste of the court’s time, according to Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mohabir Anil Nandlall.

Opposition Chief Whip, Hon. Christopher Jones last December approached the High Court in an attempt to have Parliamentary Secretaries Hon. Sarah Browne and Hon. Vikash Ramkissoon removed from the National Assembly. The two are attached to the Ministries of Amerindian Affairs and Agriculture, respectively.

The AG said the Opposition is contending that

because the Parliamentary Secretaries are on the List of Candidates for the PPP/C for the elections, they cannot be appointed. However, he said the Parliamentary Secretaries were legally appointed

by President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali. He said, “When one examines closely the provisions in relation to parliamentary secretaries, they say very clearly that a person can be on the List or not be on the List and still be appointed. So, in my view, the case is a complete waste of the court’s time and I hope that the court dismisses it shortly.”

AG Nandlall, who is listed as a respondent, recently

filed submissions in response to the matter. In his submission, he pointed out that Article 186 of the Constitution makes the Opposition’s case baseless.

Subsection I of the Article states that “Parliamentary Secretaries may be appointed from among persons who are elected members of the National Assembly or are qualified to be elected as such members.”

Further, Subsection III of the same Article states that “a Parliamentary Secretary who was not an elected member of the Assembly at the time of his appointment shall (unless he becomes such a member) be a member of the Assembly by virtue of

holding the Office of Parliamentary Secretary but shall not vote in the Assembly.”

In his submission, AG Nandlall stated that “in light of the foregoing, it is respectfully submitted that the claim made by the Applicant is misconceived because the framers of our Constitution always contemplated that Parliamentary Secretaries could be appointed from among the elected Members of the National Assembly and non-elected Members of the National Assembly (that is persons qualified to be elected).”

The Attorney General said the Opposition intends to use the case where former Ministers Winston Felix

and Keith Scott were ousted from the National Assembly for being Technocrat Ministers. He said the two cases are not the same as they are governed by different articles of the Constitution.

Later Chief Justice Ian Chang who handed down the ruling in the case in 2016 had said the former ministers could not sit in the National Assembly as Technocrat Ministers since they were on the Coalition’s List of Candidates as Elected Members.

“They are using that as a precedent, but there is a marked difference in the Constitution between Technocrat Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries. They are not the same. The same

constitutional requirement does not apply, the same provisions of the Constitution do not apply. One is Government by one set of provisions in the Constitution and the other is governed by another set of provisions,” the Attorney General explained.

MP Jones is being represented by Attorneys-at-law and MPs Hon. Roysdale Forde, Hon. Geeta Chandan-Edmond, Hon. Amanza Walton-Desir, Hon. Raphael Trotman, Mr. Mayo Robertson, Ms. Olayne Joseph and Mr. Darren Wade.

AG Nandlall, Ms. Browne, Mr. Ramkissoon and Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir are all listed as respondents.

13

WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 MARCH, 2021

Sugar workers are leading from front in... week 30,000 bags of packaged sugar will leave Blairmont bounded for the CARICOM market. Trinidad and Tobago will receive 6,000 bags this week. Besides 5 kg bags, GUYSUCO will begin next week to produce 1 and 2 kg bags.

Blairmont itself has announced that its goal is to produce greater than 90% of its sugar as packaged sugar and reduce bulk-sugar to less than 10%. Guyana hopes that the majority of the sugar produced will be sold as value-added products.

The increased production in the estates and the increase in value-added products result from the energy the sugar workers have shown. It is important that the sugar workers get all the support they need. In this regards, significant capital investment to improve both field and factory operations greatly help in achieving our goals. In the last eight months, the Irfaan Ali-led PPP Government has invested $3B and has allocated $2B in BUDGET 2021. Finally, the sugar workers and the Guyanese people are seeing where the Guyana Government's funding is going. For five years, 2015-2020, government investment has been directed into a black hole, no one knows where the money went.

There was the $30B loan that the Government, via NICIL, took in the name of GUYSUCO. Not only was GUYSUCO burdened with this loan, but the responsibility for repaying it is that of the government of Guyana. We knew that by August 2020, about $17.5B of that money was disbursed. GUYSUCO seems ignorant as to where or whom that money was disbursed to. But very little improvement resulted in either field or factory operations. Government, NICIL and GUYSUCO are still trying to follow-the-money. What is clear is that while GUYSUCO was the bona fide for borrowing $30B, the money was more a slush fund for the APNU/AFC government. In fact, the $30B GUYSUCO loan, arranged by NICIL and placed in the accounts of the NICIL-SPU, now stands out

(From page 4)

as one of the corrupt transactions by the former government.

That $30B loan is a disgrace and those responsible must be held accountable. As a country, we owe the people a clear account of what the money was used for. What we do know is that most of the $30B was either not used for GUYSUCO directly or was inappropriately used and did not lead to any meaningful improvement in GUYSUCO. We need a forensic audit of the $30B loan that NICIL-SPU took for GUYSUCO and the relevant persons must be held accountable.

In the meanwhile, I noticed that Moses Nagamootoo emerged from hiding this week. He peeped out of his hiding place On March 6, on the 24th death anniversary of Cheddi Jagan, to make some asinine assertions on the March 2, 2020 elections. Even as he shamelessly try to worm his way back as one of Cheddi's disciple, he castigated the PPP for rigging the elections with the help of CARICOM, the ABCE countries, the UN etc. He accused the whole world of imposing the PPP on the people of Guyana, of deposing APNU/AFC. He ignored totally, the evidence that there was an attempt to thief the elections, that the whole world saw his colleagues trying to thief the elections. Nagamootoo ignored the blatant attempt of Mingo to change the numbers in the SOPs and Lowenfield's attempt to throw out tens of thousands of votes in order to find a way for APNU/AFC to win. Nagamootoo ignored that the courts themselves dismissed their efforts to delay and derail the election results and, in effect, stopped their thieving.

In his quick, fleeting peek out of his hiding place, testing the waters, he forgot to acknowledge that he betrayed Cheddi Jagan, that he betrayed the PPP, that he betrayed the sugar workers. This is the same Nagamootoo who once claimed he was the "Champion of the Sugar Workers". But he joined Granger and the PNC cabal in firing more than 7,000 sugar

workers, closing four sugar estates. he was prepared to close SUGAR totally. He was silent when the Granger-led APNU/ AFC froze the wages of workers. Between 2015 and 2020, sugar workers got a total of zero wage increase. Not only that, their API (Annual Production Incentive) was reduced and then eliminated. Nagamootoo was not just silent, he was one of the senior policy-makers that victimized the sugar workers.

Two weeks ago, one of his colleagues in the PNC, in Parliament, called sugar workers blood suckers. In this column, we demanded an apology from him and from APNU/ AFC. We called on Nagamootoo to join us in demanding an apology, to seek redemption by standing with sugar workers.

His colleague, Ramjattan, who deposed him as APNU/AFC's Prime Ministerial candidate, did not use those same words to assault sugar workers in Parliament during the budget debate, but in his presentation tried desperately, unsuccessfully, to justify the ugly assault on sugar workers during BUDGET 2021 debates and in the last five years. We had called on Ramjattan to join in defending the sugar workers as his way of seeking some redemption. But he opted to turn the knife a little deeper in the backs of the sugar workers. Nagamootoo by his continued silence has endorsed the disgraceful assault on sugar workers.

While defending the shameless, criminal attempt to thief the elections, he tried to retake a place as a disciple of Cheddi. He betrayed Cheddi and everything Cheddi believed in and worked for, that Cheddi gave his life for, example free and fair elections and sugar workers. Nagamootoo is a disgrace and a shameless charlatan.

Regards, L. Ramsammy

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WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 MARCH, 2021

PPP/C gov’t responding to rapid developments in oil and gas sector ‒ new structure for GEA ‒ efforts being made to boost human capacity ‒ legislative amendments coming

T

he Government is working on a new structure for the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) to ensure that it is better equipped to handle the rapid developments in the oil and gas sector, according to Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo.

During his guest appearance on GlobeSpan 24x 7’s ‘Oil & Gas Contracts and Opportunities for All Guyanese’ programme Wednesday (March 17, 2021), Dr. Jagdeo said the Coalition Government failed to implement policies to deal with the rapid changes occurring in the sector.

As such, the Government is working to safeguard the country’s resources. The administration

is working to amend the 1986 Petroleum Exploration Production Act and to implement policy framework, while simultaneously ensuring investments in the sector are not delayed. “Every day there are mundane issues, real-time issues that you have to address, which takes a lot of the technical staff’s time because if they don’t fix the permit now, we lose investments, et cetera, people lose money, et cetera. So, it’s a big struggle between the two and the only way we resolve that is by building the capacity,” he said.

The Vice President said advertisements to build the human capacity can be expected as early as next

week. “So, even now, we’re working on the new structure for the Energy Agency that will manage the sector.

We will have to recruit people in aggressively from next week, hopefully you’ll start seeing maybe six ads in the newspapers so we can start managing the sector better,” he said.

Dr. Jagdeo explained that the new policies will empower the Government by ensuring that it can hold oil companies accountable for the sums spent here, to avoid Guyana paying exorbitant cost recovery fees.

Touching on the issue of renewable energy and the environmental impact of oil production, Dr. Jagdeo (Turn to page 15)

15

WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 MARCH, 2021

PPP/C gov’t responding to rapid developments... noted that the Government is cognisant that the window for the production and utilisation of fossil fuels is “rapidly closing.” As such, “this resource has to be utilised in a careful way, but swiftly.”

The Vice President also

said with the right policies in place, Guyana can maintain its “green” status while it produces oil.

“I believe we can still keep our green credentials.

We can expand the Low Carbon Development Strat-

egy, which we plan to do into the ‘blue’ economy, into biodiversity issues, water management, sale of ecosystem services. We can keep our green credentials intact and still produce oil and gas,” he said.

The World Bank defines the ‘blue’ economy as one in which the ocean’s resources are exploited sustainably for economic growth and improved livelihoods.

Dr. Jagdeo noted that

the United States Administration’s commitment to the Paris Agreement to incentivise production of renewable resources will see private sector investment for non-polluting forms of energy coming in on

(From page 14) an accelerated scale. The Vice President emphasised that the resources garnered from the petroleum sector must be used to uplift the standard of living for all Guyanese by reinvesting in other sectors.

16

WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 MARCH, 2021

Slain Rose Hall sugar workers remembered with wreath-laying ceremony A

griculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, over the weekend, last paid homage to the 15 sugar workers referred to as the Rose Hall Martyrs, who were slain by their colonial masters on March 13, 1913, at Rose Hall Estate.

The horrific incident is said to be one of the most unpleasant reminders of British colonialism and another manifestation of the brutal conditions our forefathers had to contend with in colonial times.

While offering remarks at a simple wreath-laying exercise, Minister Mustapha said, “These workers stood up to the plantocracy at that time. Four holidays were given to them and the plantocracy wanted to take those

days back. We saw what took place after they stood their ground. Today as we mark 108 years since the sacrifice of these fallen heroes, I want to encourage you to rededicate your energies to ensure that the sacrifices of those who perished in 1913 and the additional 41 workers who were injured that day were not in vain. Last year, after the General and Regional Elections, we witnessed persons trying to steal our democracy.

There was fear and serious conflict in our land, but like any other peace-loving people we fought to ensure that the party that won the election was there to take up its position in government, and Dr. Irfaan Ali was sworn in as

President,” Minister Mustapha said.

The ordeal, which resulted in the death of the 15 people – including a woman, Gobindei, and a Police Corporal – brought an end to the hated system of indentureship.

Two remaining granddaughters of one of the sugar workers also attended the ceremony. They both expressed thanks to the Minister and those in attendance for acknowledging the sacrifices made by their relatives all those years ago.

Other attendees included officials from the Regional Executive Office in Region Six, the Guyana Sugar Corporation and the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union.

17

WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 MARCH, 2021

Guyana concerned about economic and social impact of COVID-19 – PM tells PROSUR

P

rime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, has said that Guyana remains deeply concerned about the economic

and social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the way in which it has reversed economic gains achieved in developing

countries.

“Guyana’s experience in sourcing financing to fight this pandemic has reinforced the fact that the internation-

al financing system has not yet adequately adapted to the current circumstances and demands for adequate and rapid financial support

even in the face of lives and livelihoods at stake”.

The PM made these remarks during his virtual presentation to the sixth

extraordinary meeting of the Forum for the Progress and Development of South America (PROSUR).

(Turn to page 18)

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WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 MARCH, 2021

Guyana concerned about economic and...

He had highlighted similar concerns to the forum on February 25, when he called for debt write-offs and better refinancing conditions for developing countries.

According to him, one of the many lessons from the pandemic, is the inability of financing systems to sufficiently respond to the needs and demands of unprepared, underdeveloped

and overwhelmed health care systems.

As he registered his concerns, he reiterated the call for better access to financing for developing countries, to assist with COVID-19 related challenges. He said, “The international financial institutions must establish innovative strategies to mitigate the financial burdens exacerbated by the pandem-

ic. These can include – debt write-offs, debt service suspensions, increased access to concessionary international financial credit, and the elimination of classifications based on gross national income per capita which mischaracterizes and undermines efforts at resilience building and sustainable development”.

The PM added that Guy-

ana supports the call for the use of vulnerability indices to help international financial institutions assess the needs of countries and deploy assistance.

He said too, that developing countries must now bounce back better with stronger and more resilient systems, such as improved public services and social safety nets. “Strong and

(From page 17)

resilient systems, governments, private sector and civil society will be the foundation on which we will be better prepared to counter future downturns and global emergencies such as the one we are facing now. It is clear to all of us that this cannot be achieved without a more robust international environment, especially as it relates to responsive financ-

ing,” Phillips said.

PROSUR is currently chaired by the President of Colombia, His Excellency, Ivan Duque. It includes formal member states, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Guyana. The first summit, called the “Meeting of Presidents of South America”, took place on March 22, 2019 in Santiago, Chile.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 MARCH, 2021

Guyana given one year to file submissions with ICJ on border case G

uyana has been granted one year by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), until 8 March, 2022, to file written pleadings in its case against Venezuela. This is according to an Order issued by the Court on March 8, 2021.

Venezuela then has until March 8, 2023 to file a Counter-Memorial of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

The ICJ has reserved the subsequent procedure for further decision.

The ICJ on December 18, 2020 delivered its Judgment in the case concerning the Arbitral Award of 3 October 1899 (Guyana v. Venezuela) – relative to the question of the Court’s jurisdiction.

The court ruled that it has jurisdiction to hear Guyana’s case seeking the validation of the 1899 arbitral award establishing the boundary with Venezuela. Venezuela did not take part in the proceedings. The judgment found that both Guyana and Venezuela had conferred authority on the UN Secretary General under Article 4, paragraph two of the February 17th 1966 Geneva Agreement.

That agreement allowed the Secretary General to choose a means of settlement under Article 33 of the Charter of the United Nations which included judicial settlement.

A press statement from the ICJ said, “In its Judgment, which is final, without appeal and binding on the Parties, the Court, by twelve votes to four, finds that it has jurisdiction to entertain the Application filed by the Co-operative Republic of Guyana on 29 March 2018 in so far as it concerns the validity of the Arbitral Award of 3 October 1899 and the related question of the definitive settlement of the land boundary dispute between the Co-operative Republic of Guyana and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela… (the Court) unanimously, Finds that it does not have jurisdiction to entertain the claims of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana arising from events that occurred after the signature of the Geneva Agreement.”

PRIORITY In September 2020, President Dr. Irfaan Ali made clear that a resolution of the Guyana-Venezuela border controversy case, which is currently before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), is a priority of the PPP/C government

He reminded that it was the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government in 2014 that had put an end to the interminable ‘good offices’ dialogue with Venezuela, after “it had become, for them, a strategy of prolonging contention rather than of seeking solution.”

The Guyanese Head of State contended that there is no policy more sacred than those relating to the country’s border for his Administration. “As Guyanese, all of us stood with the previous Administration in defence of Guyana’s patrimony. For us, Guyana’s territorial integrity is never a matter for domestic division; it is always a matter for national cohesion,” he said.

Ali added that Guyana must be loyal to the enduring vision of the country being truly “One Nation” and indivisible. “Therefore, the PPP/C gave full support to the former Administration when, as initiated by us, they submitted the Venezuela contention to the International Court of Justice. We shall not descend. The sovereignty of our State, the integrity of our territory – both land and sea – is a sacred trust. We must defend, and we will do so in collaboration with our partners and allies,” he noted.

ICJ CASE The Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ) held public hearings on the question of the Court’s jurisdiction in the case concerning the Arbitral Award of 3 October 1899 (Guyana v.

Venezuela) on June 30, 2020.

The ICJ had postponed the long-anticipated hearing of the Guyana/Venezuela border dispute case that was scheduled to begin on March 23, 2020, citing the coronavirus pandemic.

Guyana is seeking to obtain from the Court a final and binding judgment that the 1899 Arbitral Award, which established the location of the land boundary between then-British Guiana and Venezuela, remains valid and binding, and that Guyana’s Essequibo region belongs to Guyana, and not Venezuela.

Guyana took its case to the Court following the decision by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, in January 2018, that the controversy between Guyana and Venezuela should be decided by the International Court of Justice. In taking his decision, the Secretary-General was exercising the power

vested in him in the 1966 Geneva Agreement between Guyana, Venezuela and the United Kingdom to decide how the controversy should be settled.

Venezuela has claimed,

in a letter to the Court, that the Secretary-General exceeded his authority under the Geneva Agreement, and that the Court therefore lacks jurisdiction to adjudicate Guyana’s lawsuit. On this

basis, Venezuela has indicated that it will not participate in the proceedings. On November 19, 2018, Guyana submitted its Memorial to the Court refuting Venezuela’s arguments and demonstrating

that the Court has jurisdiction. However, under well-established judicial precedent, the Court will proceed to decide if it has jurisdiction over Guyana’s claims, irre(Turn to page 20)

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Funds budgeted for public education on Guyana/ Venezuela border matter – Minister Todd

M

inister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hon. Hugh Todd says the Government of Guyana will spare no expense to ensure the Guyanese population is educated and informed about the Guyana/ Venezuela border issue.

According to him, a massive public relations campaign would be launched as part of a concerted effort to safeguard Guyana’s territorial integrity.

“Monies will also be allocated to a national public relations committee, a com-

mittee that will drive a national PR campaign because it is felt that we need to be very proactive over the next several years by educating our people and this was also raised in the Foreign Relations sub-committee and we all agreed that [there] should

be a massive public relations campaign which includes our grade school children right through to adulthood,” he said.

Minister Todd has disclosed too that the intention is to foster solidarity among the people to speak “one

message” on the matter and to ensure every citizen understands the value of maintaining and protecting the country’s territorial integrity.

Further, the Ministry would continue to host regular stakeholders’ engagements to ensure they are updated on the process. The first engagement was held in early January.

The Ministry has also started engaging journalists, publishers and editors, to ensure media personnel understand the context, history and process that is being embarked upon.

Guyana is challenging the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela over its disagreement on the “legal validity and binding effect of the October

3, 1899 Award.”

Venezuela continues to lay claim to a significant portion of Guyana’s territory in the Essequibo, even though for more than 60 years, it consistently recognised and respected the validity and binding nature of the 1899 Award and the 1905 Map agreed by both Venezuela and Great Britain, in furtherance of the Award.

Guyana filed its case with the ICJ in March 2018, after United Nations Secretary-General Mr. António Guterres referred it to the ICJ for final resolution. On December 18, 2020, the ICJ, by a 12-4 majority ruling, found that it has jurisdiction to entertain the matter after a Venezuelan challenge.

Guyana given one year to file...

(From page 19)

spective of whether or not Venezuela participates in the proceedings.

MOVE TO COURT Under the United Nations Charter and the Court’s own rules, its final judgments both on jurisdiction and the merits will be legally binding on Guyana and Venezuela, whether or not Venezuela participates in the proceedings.

Efforts over more than half-a-century, including a four-year Mixed Commission (1966-1970), a twelve-year moratorium (1970-1982), a seven-year process of consultations on a means of settlement (1983-1990), and a twenty-seven-year Good Offices Process under the UN Secretary-General’s authority (1990-2017), all failed to end the border controversy.

The move to the ICJ was advanced there was no success with a further attempt,

using the United Nations’ Good Offices process, to resolve the matter of Venezuela’s renewed claim to Guyana’s territory, the Essequibo County. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, in 2015, charged that the signing of the 1966 Geneva Agreement rendered the 1899 Arbitral Award null and void.

On 30 January 2018, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, acting under the authority bestowed upon him by the Geneva Agreement, chose adjudication by the Court as the means for resolving the controversy with finality. Guyana commenced proceedings before the Court on 29 March 2018 in accordance with the Secretary-General’s decision.

Guyana’s legal representatives before the Court includes the efforts of Sir Shridath Ramphal.

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Op-Ed: We will vaccinate every Guyanese, as long as they are willing to be vaccinated

By Dr. Leslie Ramsammy (Advisor to the Minister of Health)

I

n the letter columns of the papers, some concerns surrounding the vaccination campaign have been raised.

The Ministry of Health would like to thank Ms. Ryhaan Shah for raising these concerns. The Ministry of Health would like to clear up some of these general concerns.

The Ministry of Health has started the vaccination campaign with more than 30 fixed-sites providing vaccines from 8.00am to 3.00pm. From next week, these fixed-sites will be supported by roving teams that will visit specific communities, utilizing our health centers or other appropriate sites for varying time periods. In addition, we

have teams that are visiting homes of persons who are not ambulatory.

We admit that we have not been very aggressive in promoting the vaccine campaign. While we have received 100,000 doses of vaccines, we do not yet have in our possession all the vaccines we need to vaccinate between 600,000 and 700,000 persons with two doses each. We do expect 100,000 doses of Astra Zeneca vaccines from COVAX, but no confirmatory date has been given. We expect another 150,000 doses from an arrangement between CARICOM and the African Union, but confirmatory dates are not available at this time. Thus, we need to ensure that our campaign is not rolling ahead of availability. What we can assure everyone is that every

Guyanese and everyone residing in Guyana will be vaccinated, as long as they want to be.

We are presently utilizing two different vaccines – Sinopharm and Astra Zeneca. But every person vaccinated will receive the same vaccine for both of their doses. The Ministry’s vaccination program is very clear – there will no mixing of vaccines.

For this reason the Ministry has introduced a vaccination card (certificate) that records the type of vaccine used and the date it was given. There are a number of details, including type of vaccine, date of first doses, date of second doses (if already provided), date to return for second doses, that are included with the vaccine cards provided.

The details are also record-

ed within the records the Ministry of Health retain in our possession. We do not deny that in the one instance that was described in the letter to the media that the public health nurse erred in not fully completing the vaccination card. We are grateful that it was pointed out to her and that she was able to complete the card.

We have, since reading of this instance, highlighted this example to the many hard-working public health nurses so that we have 100% compliance with the procedure, which includes the total completion of all the cards.

Each person that is vaccinated is also provided with a brochure that describes the vaccine that was used for that particular person.

We are urging persons to examine their cards before

they leave to ensure that both the type of vaccines used and the date for their next dose are recorded. In addition, we have a number of auditors working at each site that ask persons when they are leaving to look at their cards. Although I am not one of those persons, I have personally requested permission to examine cards of persons already vaccinated. For the more than 100 cards I have looked at only in one instance I found that the date for the second dose was not provided. Still, we must be diligent and ensure that, at all times, the cards are completely filled.

We have registered for emergency use in Guyana a number of vaccines. We have for decades utilized a registration system for vaccines and medicines that is also being used for the

COVID-19 Vaccines. As part of our registration process, we have utilized the WHO pre-approval process.

The WHO has not completed their evaluation of all vaccines submitted to them for pre-approval. Thus far, Sinopharm, Novavax, Johnson and Johnson, and Sputnik V are vaccines awaiting to complete the WHO pre-approval process.

Should we proceed with the WHO pre-approval system, we will not be able to vaccinate our people in any meaningful way. The WHO has so far only registered Pfizer, Moderna and the Astra Zeneca from India, UK and South Korea. Pfizer vaccines are not available now and we have no way to determine how early we could access Pfizer vaccines. Astra Zeneca from In(Turn to page 25)

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Election Report directly cites APNU+AFC for abuse of state media, funds ‒ EU EOM formally hands over report to Foreign Affairs Minister

T

he European Union Election Observation Mission (EOM) formally submitted its final report of the General and Regional elections of March 2, 2020 to Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd on Wednesday (March 17, 2021).

The report was originally released to the public in June 2020.

The Minister thanked the delegation for the work done during the electoral process and for the report. Additionally, the Minister iterated the commitment of President Ali’s government to free, fair, and regular elections and respect for the will of the people.

FINDINGS Page four of the report

noted that a successful vote of no confidence in the government in December 2018 resulted in a series of legal challenges and appeals which significantly delayed the elections. “In June 2019, the Caribbean Court of Justice upheld the vote of no confidence. The Court characterised the president and government as caretaker and invoked in its judgement the constitutional timeline of three months, implying that elections were to be held by September 2019 at the latest.

However, this new deadline was not respected and the president announced on 1 October 2019 that the general and regional elections would be held on 2 March 2020, 15 months after the no confidence motion,” the report said.

Once Election Day arrived, the EU Mission’s report on page seven said, “Voting on 2 March was well managed and largely peaceful. Polling procedures were properly followed, despite the inconsistent application of some procedural safeguards. The secrecy of the vote was ensured in all polling stations observed, allowing voters to exercise their franchise freely. “ It added that counting was conducted in a transparent manner, “Well prepared agents of the two main contenders in almost all polling stations contributed to transparency,” the report said on page seven.

Addressing the debacle with the finalization of election results for Region Four, the EU report on page seven

said, “After a transparent, largely uncontested tabulation was completed in most regions, the process abruptly derailed into chaos and confusion amidst obstruction tactics by election officials in decisive Region 4.

“On 5 March, the Returning Officer (RO) declared results without having tabulated them in the presence of party agents and observers as required by law. After these results were annulled by the Chief Justice as unlawful, GECOM still allowed the same RO to rush through the rest of the tabulation without any transparency in blatant violation of the law and explicit court orders, and to make a second declaration of unverified results on 13 March.

“The results declared by the RO on 13 March are not credible. These results gave APNU+AFC and PPP/C 136,057 and 77,231 votes respectively for the general

elections in Region 4, enough for the ruling coalition to overcome the opposition’s advantage in the other regions and take the lead nationally. Supported by the online publication of almost all Region 4 polling station results proto-cols, PPP/C’s parallel tabulation suggested the opposite outcome. It gave the ruling coalition and the opposition 114,416 and 80,150 votes respectively in the region, thus placing PPP/C ahead nationally.”

USE OF STATE RESOURCES The European Union Election Observation Mission observed the misuse of state resources by the ruling coalition. “APNU+AFC used the advantages of incumbency to appeal to voters through development programmes,” said page four of the report.

On page 20 of the report, the Mission said, “In an open letter to the members of the disciplined services

dated 15 February, President Granger asked for their vote and promised increases in salaries and allowances. “…the EU observers saw governmental donations provided in the context of APNU+AFC campaign events in particular in Region 9 where the majority of voters are from the indigenous population. For example, President Granger was observed delivering governmental donations during the APNU+AFC rally in Sand Creek on 15 February. “…several APNU+AFC ministers actively campaigned using state resources in their capacity as ministers.”

Addressing the APNU+AFC Coalition’s use of state media resources, the report on page 24 said, “The state-owned broadcast media showed an overt bias in favour of the government and ruling coalition. Namely, the state-owned TV Channel 11 devoted a total of 60 per (Turn to page 24)

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Election Report directly...

(From page 22)

cent of its news coverage to the government and the president, and 25 per cent to APNU+AFC. “In addition, clearly misusing state resources, the Department of Public Information (DPI), a governmental agency, was extensively used to promote the ruling coalition’s campaign activities. “…the state-owned newspaper, Guyana Chronicle, devoted 83 per cent of its news coverage to the incumbent president, government and ruling coalition and at the same time offered considerable space to letters from readers critical towards PPP/C.” The report noted that all contestants could campaign freely, although some PPP/C events were disrupted by APNU+AFC supporters.

Page 19 of the report said, “On 19 January, the PNC/R Chairperson and APNU+AFC Minister of Public Health called on their supporters to remain around polling stations during the counting of votes to “protect the ballots” on election day.

This caused concerns among other parties, as there had been orchestrated post-electoral violence around polling stations in the past.”

GECOM On the issue of GECOM and the administration elections, the EU Mission’s report noted that the inability to reach common ground and take timely decisions gave its secretariat disproportionate discretion over the administration of the elections.

On page four, the report said, “By failing to take de-

cisive action as the electoral process derailed into chaos and illegality, GECOM abdicated its constitutional duty to take all actions necessary to ensure compliance with the law by any of its officials, despite unequivocal powers to remove and exercise disciplinary control over them.”

Page 12 of the report added, “GECOM’s lack of official communication and engagement with the media resulted in its messaging being essentially left to individual commissioners providing their own, often conflicting accounts of internal deliberations and decisions.

“Key regulatory instruments were often not accessible, and instructions on some critical aspects of the electoral process were only issued verbally. There was no regular, structured engagement with key stakeholders at national and regional level.”

Notably, Head of Delegation and Chief Observer of the EOM, Paet Urmas, has emphasized the importance of the recommendations detailed in the report. In total, 26 recommendations were made – eight of which were cited as priority recommendations.

The European Union deployed the first-ever fully fledged EU EOM to Guyana between 25 January and 20 March 2020. In total, the mission comprised 55 observers from 25 EU member states and Norway. The mission’s mandate was to assess the electoral process against international obligations and commitments for democratic elections as well as the laws of Guyana.

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Families reduced portions...

(From back page)

have available classes online and 32 per cent did not have access to internet, while 14.1 per cent did not have stable access (internet quality) needed. Another 22.9 per cent reported a lack of access to equipment.

The report said substantial reductions in the average number of children per household attending public school during the pandemic occurred in each region, with the largest differences occur-

ring in the hinterland regions.

The Consultancy Group Inc. was engaged to design and execute the survey and to analyse the data. Data was collected using a combination of telephone (mobile) and face-to-face interviews between September 8th and 25th 2020. The survey instrument and procedures received ethical approval from the Internal Review Board of the Ministry of Public Health.

Op-Ed: We will vaccinate...

(From page 21)

dia has been made available to developing countries in a limited way.

We also utilize the Stringent Regulatory Authority of the USA, Canada, the EU and the UK. Thus far, using this system, we could register Astra Zeneca, Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson and Johnson vaccines. Only Astra Zeneca in a limited amount, is available from among these.

A third criteria utilized is any two or more of the Stringent Regulatory Authorities recognized by the WHO. Based on this, the following vaccines are available for registration in Guyana – Astra Zeneca from India, South Korea, the UK, Pfizer. Moderna, Johnson and Johnson, Novavax, Sinopharm and Sputnik V. All of these have been registered in Guyana. But of these, the only vaccines available for procurement at this time for countries like Guyana are Astra Zeneca, Sinopharm and Sputnik V and all of these are available

only in limited quantities.

Guyana has utilized Sinopharm and Astra Zeneca.

Our policy is that we will, access any one of the vaccines already registered in Guyana that becomes available for procurement. We have engaged India, China, Russia, Astra Zeneca, Pfizer, Moderna and will continue to engage all of them.

We will utilize any of the vaccines from among these since we believe that time is of the essence. Clearly some of these vaccines will not be available to Guyana and developing countries anytime soon. We will wait for them.

Vaccinating our people now is more important than making a choice as to which we prefer if that preference means we must wait.

While we recommend that every Guyanese and persons residing in Guyana accept the vaccines offered, and while we are promoting 100% vaccination of persons 18 years and older, Guyana does not practice mandatory vaccination.

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Minister commends elderly citizens for taking COVID vaccine ‒ vaccination exercise taken to four elderly homes

S

enior citizens were commended by Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony, for taking the opportunity provided by the Government to get vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19.

Minister Anthony said he was pleased with their responses to date, since the Government invited persons ages 60 and above to get vaccinated.

“I’ve seen a lot of older persons coming out to get their vaccines and I think that’s quite commendable that they want to get their vaccines. As we know, these vaccines are very protective, and once you get your shot, you come back for your second dose, and you’ll be protected so that you wouldn’t get a more severe form of

infection, that’s extremely important,” Minister Anthony said.

In Region Four, Minister Anthony confirmed that vaccination exercises were also carried out at homes for senior citizens. “Yesterday we [did] four of the homes for the elderly in Georgetown, and those remaining ones we will be doing over the next couple of days.

So, again, the response was really good, everyone that we approached to take the vaccines, they did and so, we are very happy with that response,” he said.

Minister Anthony also noted that both frontline workers and the elderly are being inoculated. He said this protocol has not changed and when changes are made, they would be announced.

The Minister again encouraged frontline workers who have not yet taken the vaccine, to do so as they are listed among the group most at risk of contracting the disease.

The Ministry’s Brickdam compound is now listed as a COVID-19 vaccination site with three different areas; the main secretariat, the clinic inside the compound and the parking lot at the entrance opposite the 1763 Monument (Cuffy).

Other COVID-19 vaccination sites in Region Four include the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, using the Lamaha Street entrance, the Enmore Polyclinic on the East Coast Demerara and the Diamond Diagnostic Centre on the East Bank Demerara.

UNDP reports details impact of COVID-19 on Guyanese households...

Families reduced portions of meals, women-headed households battling ‘significantly’ lower income ‒ PM says report will help guide future projects

T

he Government of Guyana will use the socio-economic impact assessment report, completed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), as a guide in future projects, according to Prime Minister, Mark Phillips.

In collaboration with the

Civil Defence Commission (CDC), UNDP conducted this Socio-Economic Assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on households across the 10 Regions of Guyana.

Phillips, who received the document in his office during a simple handing over cere-

mony, said that the Government recognises the importance of sound, scientific data for informed decision-making and acknowledged that the data in the report reinforces the importance of its COVID-19 relief measures.

He said, “We now have data which demonstrates the ex-

tent of income reduction at the household level and reinforces the importance of our Government’s COVID-19 relief programmes, such as the $25,000 cash grant and the distribution of food and sanitation hampers.”

He added that as the Government continues to work with partners, such as the UNDP, to restore the country’s economy and social

systems, “this socio-economic impact assessment will inform project and programme design, planning and implementation across all sectors, so that resources will reach to the people most in need” across the country.

The report stated that the top three problems faced during the pandemic were: • Loss of income to cover housing costs (54.5 per cent); • Loss of income to pay for food (~51.7 per cent); and • Lack of good internet connection (~34.8 per cent).

LOSS OF INCOME According to the report, one in five adults reporting earning less because of COVID-19 – some 70 per cent citing the reason as their employer closing business temporarily, while another 17 per cent said they were unwilling to do to work due to the risk of infection.

Of note is that the report found that household income was, and remains, “significantly lower” among households exclusively by females.

The findings revealed that 1 in 10 respondents was unable to access medical services or treatments when needed – with 23 per cent citing lack of money or resources as the reason.

Given the impact of COVID on employment, other sources of household income apart from paid employment were examined.

However, a large majority of respondents –69 per cent – indicated that they had no other source of income.

Some 19 per cent received a pension.

Also, approximately 20.4 per cent of the households have at least one member who owns a business that was operational prior to COVID-19.

KEY DECISIONS In terms of how COVID-19 affected financial decisions: • 51.7 per cent mainly spent savings • 15.2 per cent of people also borrowed money • 11.6 per cent purchased food on credit • 32.3% made no particular decisions; and • 7.1 per cent households reduced spending on health and education Relative to non-financial decisions it was found that 15 per cent of people reduced the number of meals per day; 23.7 per cent reduced the portions of their meals; 37.1 per cent relied on cheaper and less preferred brands; and 24.8 per cent of people grew their own food.

The report stated that a whopping 58 per cent of households were worried about food security. The proportions of households that worried about not having enough food are somewhat larger in the hinterland regions and Regions 2 and 10 with the largest percentage (78%) observed for Region 9; while the hinterland regions have led the way as it relates to growing more food.

ACCESS TO EDUCATION The findings on students in public schools revealed that 55.2 per cent did not (Turn to page 25)

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