Weekend Mirror 14-15 January 2023

Budget Day is Monday January 16th

Senior Finance Minister

Dr. Ashni Singh, has announced that Budget Day is Monday, January 16, 2023.

Dr. Singh has been over the last several months meeting and consulting with various stakeholders including the Private Sector, Government Ministries, other agencies and Civil society. Only

last week, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government, led by President Irfaan Ali hosted another consultative meeting at State House with representatives from several private sector and other agencies to listen to their concerns and receive suggestions for Budget 2023. These all formed part of pos-

sible inclusions as the Budget 2023 planning process continues.

As with Budget 2022, this year’s Budget is expected to see critical development programmes for Government being fast-tracked and many more expanded to reflect Government’s continued transformational agenda

for the country which has been taking it forward at a rapid pace over the last two years and months since the PPP/C’s return to office in August 2020. It will be the third Budget presented since by the current administration and the second one for Dr. Singh who commenced his current tenure as Senior Fi-

nance Minister in November 2020. Prior to this, Government’s first Budget for their current term was presented in August 2020. In that first Budget Government reversed a large number of harsh taxes instituted on citizens by the former A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) Government.

The second Budget in 2021 was presented under the theme ‘A Path to Recovery, Economic Dynamism, and Resilience’ while the third was unveiled under the theme “Steadfast Against All Challenges, Resolute in Building Our One Guyana’. Budget 2021 comprised a number of developmental measures and also included funding for the construction of a number of housing schemes and expansion of existing ones along with investment in the revitalization of the country’s sugar industry. There were also programmes which the Government implemented in partnership with private sector bodies and other stakeholders especially with regard to the tourism, hospi-

tality and agriculture sectors. Several relief cash grant measures were also implemented and saw thousands of citizens across the country benefitting from the relief. A number of areas had been devastated by flooding and Government also provided relief for affected persons especially those who had suffered loss of crops and livestock. The Health, infrastructure and education sectors also saw major injections in Budget 2021 as the COVID-19 Pandemic was ongoing.

Budget 2022 also saw major injections in a number of sectors including more expansion of Government’s housing drive, the infrastructure sector catapulted with an increased number of roads and bridges constructed, energy expansion and diversification, provisions for persons with disabilities, several injections toward Amerindian and Hinterland development as Government proved its commitment to bettering the lives of the indigenous people. It also saw large injections in the health, education and security sectors.

Inclusivity, national security strategy priority on govt’s agenda –

Prime Minister

P rime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips says government will continue to build on its ardent policy of inclusion, which will see broad-based benefits and increased opportunities for all Guyanese.

The prime minister, who was speaking during a stakeholders’ engagement at State House recently underscored that, “Our policy does not embrace any form of discrimination in the Guyanese society. In fact, what we are doing is also knocking our heads together to determine ways in which we can evolve many of our people in Guyana.”

He noted that the prolonged allegation that the government is non-inclusive, by a certain section of the society is without merit, especially since the administration has a track record of meeting citizens regardless of their location, race, colour or religious beliefs.

For context, the Ministry of Labour has declared that persons living with disabilities should be provided with equal employment and training opportunities.

Notably too, the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security continues to push to eliminate all

economic, social and cultural practices that impede equality and equity.

Speaking specifically to government contracts, the prime minister made it clear that there is no discrimination in the process.

In fact, he said the government is looking to embark on a massive plan that will allow small contractors to enhance their knowledge on the correct bidding procedure. “We would like to come up with a strategy that will educate our people, not only to award small contracts, but to do it in such a way that it would be a training ground for a small contractor,” PM Phillips noted.

Meanwhile, the government is also moving apace with its national security strategy to improve the security network in Guyana, the prime minister disclosed.

He noted that key players including the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force are sternly addressing the nation’s security issues.

“Because as we grow it is important that we create a secured environment to attract investment and alleviate any fears in our society,” he contended.

Coalition persists with playing race card, skewing facts – Nandlall

The nature of the PNCRled APNU+AFC Coalition is increasingly undeniable, according to Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, who, on Tuesday (January 10, 2023), called attention to the party’s continued use of the race card.

Referencing the incident in Mocha/Caneville, East Bank Demerara, he noted that in the Coalition attempts to brand an issue as one of race, while ignoring that relocation to support Guyana’s development trajectory is taking place in several places.

Nandlall also reminded of the PNC’s treatment of squatters across the country in the 1970s during which dozens of homes were bulldozed without any notices or compensation offered. In contrast, the Attorney General noted that the PPP/C Government has adopted different approach, not only regularising major squatting settlements such as Sophia but also shifting persons to established housing schemes as well as offering compensation where necessary.

He explained that currently efforts are underway in several areas to offer compensation in exchange for titled lands held by citizens, to allow the lands to be used for developmental initiatives.

These include the Wales Gas-to-Energy project, the new Demerara River Bridge, and the Schoonord to Parika road.

Nandlall said, “Currently, where the gas-to-shore is going …dozens of miles of property have to be acquired and we are acquiring it. Most

of them are Indo-Guyanese and these are people who own the land, they’re not squatters and they’re not resisting. They don’t want to sell, they don’t necessarily want to sell, because some of them are earning their livelihood on those lands.

Several miles of those lands are farmlands, and these people own these lands by transport. We have a team of lawyers working, and we are negotiating a consensual arrangement with each of those persons, and they are cooperating.

“Where the new Demerara Harbor Bridge is going, again! Persons’ private properties are being affected, and again, we are negotiating with them to ensure that we acquire their properties in the public interest, but we are doing it consensually, and they are cooperating. And these are owners, these are people who have houses that value millions of dollars,” Nandlall contended.

“The road from Schoonord to Parika, that’s an entire highway, do you know how many private properties that road will now take up? Those persons have already been engaged, they own those properties, they’re not squatting, and they are negotiating peacefully.”

Relocation to support development, as well as supporting squatters to have legal rights to land, is not new, according to him, rather is done in developing countries. “Moving persons, acquiring property for national development has always been part of the repertoire of powers that a State must nec-

essarily possess and when the occasion arises, the State must be able to exercise it in the public’s interest,” Nandlall posited.

The past several months have seen incidents where persons have spewed unfounded claims of racism by the current Administration. Unsubstantiated and wildly irresponsible claims – all worded along lines to stir tensions among Guyanese continue to be peddled by leaders of the PNCR-led APNU+AFC Coalition. The issue of racist rhetoric by the PNCR-led APNU+AFC Coalition to stir tensions has been condemned repeatedly over the past several months by PPP/C leaders.

UNDERMINING DEVELOPMENT

The PPP/C Government’s effort to advance a development trajectory continues to be dragged down by the Coalition for partisan political purposes, according to Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Government, Gail Teixeira, who took aim at the APNU+AFC Coalition, recently.

She said, “At a time when we are taking the trajectory of our country forward; when we are seeing transformation; when the government has given COVID relief; help in the hampers; flood relief; the removal of taxes; the purchase of vaccines for our people; the PPEs (Personal Protective Equipment)…drugs that were not there; the opening up of housing; and the fixing of roads and bridges. All of this is taking place and all

you can do is drag it down to race. That is the only flag you have. The only flag you wave is race.

“…you have stuck loyally to your history from 1954 and onwards - of divide and rule in Guyana. That is unfortunate. I don’t accept that the youth don’t know about these things. They are not obtuse…whether the PNC/ RIG/ APNU/ AFC comes to term with past and steps on the road to national unity, you will be found, if you don’t join, left alone….you have a choice.”

Teixeira charged that the PPP/C will push forward with President Dr. Irfaan Ali’s announced One Guyana initiative, despite the naysayers in the Coalition camp. She said, “The attempt to weaken any embryonic efforts at building a One Guyana will not succeed…efforts at building a ‘One Guyana’a ‘One Guyana’ for all of us as a people where we will work towards equitable

distribution of goods and services; where we will work for the development of the regions of our country…that is our goal and if you don’t agree with it, I’m sorry. You’re lost.”

In February 2021, President Dr Irfaan Ali announced the establishment of a ‘One Guyana Commission’, which will be spearheaded by Prime Minister, (rtd) Brigadier, Mark Phillips.

Ali had said, “An essential part of my Government is inclusion. Stop being defined by race; stop being defined by politics. Start being defined by our one nationality and by our common love for our one country, let us lift it up together and by doing so, let us lift each other and ourselves, one people, one nation, one destiny…I propose to give meaning to my call for one Guyana by requesting the leader of Government business in the National Assembly, Prime Minister Brigadier, Hon.

Mark Phillips to introduce the adoption of an Act of Parliament establishing a One Guyana Commission which he will head….we must move our nation building from abstraction to action and lose not one more moment in doing it. Let us stand up for our one nation, our one Guyana, let us stand up for what we know in our hearts and in our minds to be right. Let us stand up for one identity, the Guyanese identity.”

President Ali said the work of the Commission will be undertaken countrywide to encapsulate the free expressions of all voices, respecting the diversity “from which our oneness springs.”

The Commission will also address education concerning Guyana’s history, religion, ensuring equal opportunity, employment and entrepreneurship and institutional strengthening of the Ethnic Relations Commission.

EDITORIAL

Inclusion for All

Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy 2030 sets out how our country’s Amerindian villages will lead their own development plans and can choose to engage with the benefit sharing mechanism.

During the consultations, details were discussed on the objectives are prioritised under proposed under LCDS 2030 and these were finalised following stakeholder feedback: • Transformative Investment in Renewable and Low Carbon Energy on and near the coast, so that Guyana’s national electricity grid will be modernised and decarbonised. Electricity demand can grow more than fivefold but greenhouse gas emissions will stay essentially flat while electricity prices are halved. Essequibo Coast and Linden will be connected to the main national grid for the first time.

• Transformative Investment in Renewable Energy Isolated Grids – Each isolated grid will receive most of its power from renewable energy by 2030: in Lethem, Mahaica, Bartica, Kwakwani, Matthews Ridge, Port Kaituma, Mabaruma.

• Transformative Investment in Renewable Energy for Amerindian and Hinterland Communities. For villages and communities in remote areas, existing programmes for solar power and mini-grids will be accelerated so that by 2030, all hinterland villages will be electrified using the best technology for their situation.

• Major Investments in Protection Against Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss, including Sea Defence enhancement, strengthening the network of canals and irrigation, building climate-resilient agriculture.

• Support for job creation in agriculture and fisheries, tourism, manufacturing and services, as well as improving the job creation and economic value of sustainable forestry and low income mining - including opening up new markets for certified, sustainable forest products.

• Investment in Health and Education through expansion of telemedicine, smart hospitals and expanded focus on hinterland healthcare, as well as improving climate and environmental literacy within the education system

• Creating a new International Centre for Biodiversity Research, with associated opportunities for increased research and development work by national and international institutions.

Amerindian and Titled Lands and Extensions represent 12.7% of forested area in Guyana. In line with the revenue sharing mechanism designed during the seven-month national consultation on LCDS 2030, the dedicated 15% of revenues will be available for community/village programmes for indigenous peoples and local communities as set out in Village Sustainability Plans or equivalent. The plans are created by villages themselves. In some cases, they will be new plans, whereas in others they may be updates of pre-existing plans.

Further, the dedicated 15% of revenues will be supplemental to investments received under national and multiple-community programmes. Village Plans must be produced in accordance with existing village-led decision making processes and principles of FPIC (free, prior and informed consent), as set out LCDS 2030. Because they will be led by villages, Village Plans will vary, but previous experience suggests that villages will likely prioritise areas such as community infrastructure and communications; livelihood opportunities; nature and environment; education and health.

The implementation of actions identified in the LCDS to bring programmatic implementation of the LCDS objectives. For IPLC this would see the rolling out over the next few months of forest carbon financing, implementation of Village Plans which would be developed and led by villages themselves. This, in our view, is empowerment from the ground up, to lead in every sphere of low carbon implementation to transform village livelihoods.

Over one decade of continuous work by Guyanese, building step by step to lead to this stage, a major milestone was finally reached when Guyana’s issuance was announced on 1st December, 2022. The reality that Guyana has forged is one where IPLC working with the Government have shaped and endorsed the future they want for themselves, and now have financing to make it happen. This, in our view, is climate justice being realized.

The National Toshaos’ Council, as the national body and main interlocutor for discussions on the LCDS, also endorsed the carbon credits approach and continue to be actively engaged as the programme is taken to the next stage.

It is clear that all Guyanese are included in the transformational development agenda of the PPP/C Government.

A clear demonstration of ‘deep, abiding’ commitment to human development

Dear Editor,

The critical historic juncture at which our country now stands with the governing mechanism in place led by President Ali, has several historical antecedents beginning from the early 1950’s.

Unlike its antecedents, this historic juncture is qualitatively different from those that preceded it in April-October 1953; 1957-1964; 1964-1967; 19671992; 1992-1997; March-December 1997; 1997-1999; 2001-2011; 20112015 and from 2015-2018. All hitherto critical junctures peculiar to Guyanese political history, emerged as a result of specific political conditions. For example, in the early 1950’s, the maturing of the political conditions, helped trigger fundamental policy divergences from the existing colonial order.

This was exemplified in the policies laid down by the newly elected Burnham/Jagan united PPP and Government at a time when the political economy, owned and controlled by foreign capital prevailed. The brief existence of the 155-day Government notwithstanding, it initiated the Education Bill, ending dual control of schools, awarded Government scholarships, introduced the Labour Relations Bill, lifted travel bans on West Indian Leaders, initiated reforms regarding local Government, social security and workmen’s compensation among others.

Speculative as it might seem, had those positive outcomes been allowed to grow and prosper uninterrupted, as they were by the suspension of the constitution in 1955, and the removal of the 1957-1964 PPP Government, they would have laid the basis for the long-term progressive development of our country. While the brief historic juncture in 1953 saw the introduction of progressive socio-economic reforms, the historic junctures of the 1964-‘67 period, compounded by that of the 1967-1992 period, saw the reversal of a number progressive policies and the emergence of a legacy and a heritage that has blemished our society to this

day

Seventy years after, history had repeated itself, ‘first as a tragedy’ in 1955, ‘second as a farce’ between 2015 and 2020. The wheels of history have since turned a full circle placing us at another critical juncture of our country’s history. In the circumstances, the juncture we are at today, should be viewed especially by this generation as ‘a once in a life time’ occurrence in which every Guyanese man, woman and young person should seek to carve out a niche for themselves consistent with their profession and/ or vocational training. And this should be facilitated by government who has declared time and again, its commitment to ensure that all Guyanese prosper. Essentially, the period ahead of us has the potential to last for years to come, setting in motion a transformative momentum that may prove unstoppable. In his analysis of the ‘Eighteenth Brumaire Louis Bonaparte’ the German Philosopher, Karl Marx, provided an explanation for such occurrences. His analysis has some relevance to the historic juncture at which Guyana now stands: “Mankind always sets itself such problems as it can solve, since looking at the matter more closely, it will always be found that the task itself arises only when the material conditions for its solutions already exists or at least in the process of its formation.”

In this regard, it appears that the ‘material conditions’ has emerged or in the process of emerging in Guyana for the solutions to socio-economic challenges facing the nation. But the singular and most important factor, that characterizes this current historical juncture is the emergence of the oil industry. Notwithstanding the enduring contributions of the agricultural and mining sectors, it is the oil and gas industry and the financial resources flowing there from, provided it is effectively, efficiently and transparently managed that will see us, as a country through a successful 2023 and beyond.

In the circumstances, the Ali administration has set itself the task of addressing the problem of climate change

through the sale of carbon credits, its Low Carbon Development Strategy, and REDD plus Investment Fund (GRIF), its Local Content Law and number of related policy initiatives. At the same time, the government has resolved to tackle a host of developmental challenges including poverty; unemployment; the housing shortage; food security; and allocating more budgetary resources for improving social services. And though the matter continues to be widely debated in the public domain, the almost US$1.27bln. in oil money accumulated in 2022 will be critical for solving in the long term economic and social problems facing Guyana.

But whatever the case might be, the tasks undertaken by Government on several fronts, should be viewed as efforts to lay the foundation for the socio-economic transformation of Guyanese society as a whole. At this critical juncture of our country’s history, though there continues to be some turbulences along the way, it is evident that the Ali administration has recognized that there is a role and place for the human factor. Every opportunity should be given to allow this factor to grow and prosper in a sustained way. In the circumstances, the revenues flowing from profit oil and the concomitant vertical and horizontal growth in the public and private sectors as well as the push on the agricultural front, should help create the material conditions for arresting the socio-economic problems facing our country.

But the poor and powerless, in whatever region in Guyana they might be, must not be left behind. Thankfully, many oil producing developing nations have provided us with tragic lessons that must not be repeated here in Guyana. 2023 must be the year in which Guyana must reinforce, and demonstrate in an even greater manner, its deep and abiding commitment to lift the poor and powerless out of poverty.

Yours faithfully, Clement J. Rohee

Neither the PNC/R nor the AFC is good for Guyana

Dear Editor,

Ihad predicted the disintegration of the Coalition, and I predicted the demise of both the APNU and the AFC, and it is coming to pass. In the case of the AFC, it already came to pass, and with the PNC, it is happening with great speed.

It is not a difficult task to make these predictions, since these parties engineered their own destruction through the evil acts which they perpetrated on the Guyanese people whilst sanctimoniously preaching about delivering the ‘good life’. Over time, the PNC underestimated the intelligence of its own members and supporters, and felt it could continue

to do the wrongdoings which characterised its past and expect to be voted into office. The PNC, under the guise of the Coalition, was given a fortuitous opportunity in 2015 to make amends for its destructive and evil past, but deliberately squandered it because of greed. The Party believed that it could blame the leadership for its electoral loss, and change that leadership and this would result in its members and supporters accepting that as a progressive act. Even changing the party’s name has been tried. However, the party has to make amends for its wrongdoings by re-engineering its entire modus operandi, including its choice of leadership.

Cassius made a profound statement to Brutus (in Julius Caesar), ‘The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves….’

The PNC cannot expect to commit gross ethnic atrocities, corruption, bankrupting and impoverishing an entire nation, and expect to retain power. But its modus operandi was that it would rig the elections and retain power as it had done in the past. The times have changed, but the PNC did not, and its gullible partner, the AFC, whose leader had fought against PNC riggings in the past, hypocritically saw the 2020 rigging attempts as ‘justifiable’(a true Machiavellian), and will not

Ferguson would do well to base her comments on facts

Dear Editor,

The Ministry of Housing and Water takes note of a letter written by Coalition member Annette Ferguson, “Half of the PPP/C’s house lots’ allocations were inherited from the Coalition Government.”

These are the facts:

During its lethargic tenure in Government – from 2015 to 2020 – the Coalition developed three housing schemes: at Peter’s Hall, Prospect Track ‘E’, and Providence 125, where 279, 186 and 1258 house lots were developed. In its five years in Government, the Coalition allocated a total of 7,534

house lots and regularised no new areas. When we assumed Government, we inherited a backlog of 75,509 applications. There was a dire need for new housing areas, for infrastructural development of existing housing areas, and urgent need for house lots. Therefore, the PPP/C’s manifesto promise, and the subsequent mandate of the Ministry of Housing and Water, sought to bring immediate relief to this burden.

From August 2020 to end of December 2022, we have:

1. Allocated over 20,500 house lots. 2. Established 44 new housing areas. 3. Upgraded and installed infrastructure in 43 existing housing areas.

4. Built 827 houses (low and moderate-income and young professional), with a further 527 in progress. The investment cost for these houses is pegged at more than seven billion dollars.

Health Ministry rejects falsehood being peddled

Dear Editor,

In recognition of Guyana’s remarkable economic and social growth, evidenced by the more-than-56% GDP growth in 2022, and in recognition of the growing global stature of President Irfaan Ali, Al Jazeera conducted a sit-down interview with President Irfaan Ali recently.

In an article that appeared in The Village Voice, a publication linked to the PNC, Guyana’s former Ambassador to Kuwait tried to dispute some of the points raised by President Ali in the interview. He accused the President of presenting half-truths.

The whole article by Dr Shamir Ally is full of misrepresentations and falsehoods. The Ministry of Health highlights some of Dr Ally’s misrepresentations and falsehoods in this statement relating to health in Guyana.

The former Ambassador to Kuwait, taking his cue from the new PNC/R leader, claimed that the President misrepresented the support given to dialysis patients. Dr Ally bemoaned the fact that the Ministry of Health currently provides an annual grant of $600,000 (US$3,000) to every patient on dialysis. He questioned the usefulness of this grant because he claimed that a patient on dialysis needs about $1.8M annually.

Up front, let us set the record straight: The PPP/C Government is providing a dialysis grant to all patients on dialysis, and the former APNU/AFC Government, which Dr Ali supported, provided zero dialysis support. Our medical treatment records showed that, under the APNU/AFC, just 64 persons received a mere $360,000 one-off grant, while under the PPP/C-led administration, 327 persons benefitted from the $600,000 grant in 2022. This amounted to about $200M in 2022.

This $600,000 annual grant will be rolled out again this year, 2023, to benefit those in need of dialysis. Since the grant was introduced, more patients are now able to access dialysis in the country. Now patients in Region 10 can access treatment at the Linden Hospital Complex, while those in Regions 6 and 5 can access dialysis at the New Amsterdam Regional Hospital.

In November 2022, a Dialysis Centre was commissioned in Pomeroon-Supenaam, and, for the first time, patients in Region 2 can access dialysis at the Suddie Regional Hospital. While it is true that some patients require more than $600,000 annually, the grant is a life-changer for the families that have benefitted.

But APNU/AFC, Dr Shamir Ally’s political home, was the Government between 2015 and 2020. They did not provide $600,000 per dialysis patient. Very few patients were able to access any funding for medical services from the Government. It is shamelessness on the part of Dr Ally to criticise the dialysis grant of $600,000 when the Government that he was a

staunch supporter of provided none at all.

But even as Dr Ally criticised the dialysis grant, the MoH expects that, in 2023, there likely would be more than 400 beneficiaries, raising the annual grant to more than $300M.

In addition, Guyana’s health care is working to ensure that as many of the patients who must receive chronic treatment can also benefit from kidney transplants. Working with Guyana’s transplant team and with international partners, Guyana is hoping to triple the number of kidney transplants done this year.

It is true that Guyana received a field hospital to deal with COVID-19 patients. But former Ambassador Ally claimed that the coalition Government negotiated the deal with Qatar. This is totally false. Guyana received the hospital following discussions between President Ali and the Emir of Qatar, His Royal Highness Shiekh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, during his visit to Guyana in November 2020.

By then, while the field hospital was a useful addition to the COVID-19 response, the Government of Guyana under President Ali had also taken the debacle of the Ocean View Hotel building that the coalition spent more than $2B on repurposing and transformed it into an international-quality Infectious Disease Hospital, which at the height of the COVID-19 crisis housed more than 120 patients, with more than 50 on ventilator-supported ICU beds.

Dr Shamir Ally failed to state the facts. The Infectious Disease Hospital that the PPP took over was simply a shell, with no beds, no oxygen supply, with simply nothing in it. By August 2020, with COVID-19 transmitted without any kind of sensible response from the APNU/AFC Government, Guyana’s capacity for testing was virtually non-existent. On August 2, 2020, the day when President Ali became President, Guyana was only conducting about 5 tests per day, there was a total of 12 ICU beds with ventilator support in the public health sector, with only seven at the GPHC, there was no quarantine centre that was adequately developed with Infection Prevention Control (IPC) systems in place.

By October 2020, a mere two months after, Guyana’s capacity for testing was lifted to more than 2000 tests per day. Guyana’s ICU with ventilator-supported beds increased to more than 75, with the Infectious Disease Hospital providing more than 50 of those beds, and there were IPC-supported quarantine centres in all ten regions.

Dr Ally disgraced himself and insulted the intelligence of the Guyanese people when he referred to the shortages of medicines in the public sector. Pharmaceutical supply in the health sector was an unmitigated disaster between 2015 and 2020, not only because of the unconscionable shortages, but also the corruption which has been well documented. Even Ministers of the APNU/AFC Government were forced to admit this on several occasions

when confronted with the reality of medicine shortages between 2015 and 2020.

By August 2020, the MoH’s capacity to supply medicines had fallen to under 20%. Despite the difficulties that COVID-19 has caused in the global medicine supply since early 2020, the MoH has been able to raise supplies to almost 90%, with only sporadic shortages because of late deliveries from global suppliers.

Dr Ally must have been speaking of the situation before August 2020 when he alleged that hospitals today are plagued with bed shortages. In August 2020, bed utilization capacity in more than 30 of the 46 wards at GPHC was over 100%, meaning more than two persons in a bed. In addition, almost 90% of the beds in the hospitals prior to August 2020 were in an ugly dilapidated state.

Since August 2020, more beds have been added to hospitals in all public hospitals across Guyana. In addition, more than 40% of all the old beds have been replaced by new ones. The chronic problem of two pregnant women in a bed at GPHC has now been eliminated.

When the former ambassador spoke of avoidable deaths, he failed to speak of the fact that Guyana made no progress in reducing maternal and child mortalities between 2015 and 2020. While maternal and child death mortalities remain high in Guyana, significant progress was made in 2022. While fifteen pregnant women died in 2022, this was significantly less than the 26 that died in 2019. Further,

5. We have regularized six areas, and reduced squatter settlements from nineteen to thirteen.

6. We have processed and distributed 4256 certificates of title and transports. These are indisputable facts.

We also note with concern the allegation and accusation made by Ms. Ferguson regarding the illegal sale of house lots. We ask Ms. Ferguson to provide the Ministry of Housing with evidence that she has in her possession, so that we can launch an investigation into her claims.

In the interim, we wish to remind applicants that there is no intermediary needed or authorised by the Ministry of Housing, or the CHPA, to facilitate ownership of a house lot.

sincerely, Collin Croal Minister of Housing and Water

the former ambassador did not mention that of the 15 that died in 2022, at least nine died from non-pregnancy-related problems, such as COVID-19 and vehicular accidents. Even one is too many, but, under the PPP, we continue to make progress in reducing avoidable deaths. Clearly, Dr Shamir Ally is following in the footsteps of his leaders from the PNC and the AFC. Instead of doing their homework, they make up fake stories to oppose the PPP and President Irfaan Ali. The fact is that the PPP inherited a health sector that was in chaos and that had suffered serious regression, having lost much of the gains made before 2015. Since August 2020, major transformations have been taking place across the sector. By 2025, there will be about 15 new hospitals in Guyana, and each hospital would have been upgraded. CT would become common in all ten regions of Guyana. Every hospital would have digital x-rays. Telemedicine would be providing higher-level health care for people living in remote areas. Cardiac interventions would be available routinely at GPHC and in New Amsterdam. Oncology service would be in place. Health is being transformed, even as we try to address the challenges that every country must face.

The MoH, therefore, totally rejects Dr Shamir Ally’s falsehoods and misrepresentations as presented by The Village Voice. We commend President Irfaan Ali for highlighting the significant upgrading of the health sector in Guyana during his Al Jazeera interview.

Public Relations/Health Promotion Unit Ministry of Health

Neither the PNC/R nor the...

change. The AFC, having tasted the intoxication of power, was willing to hold on for dear life. Its leaders had become addicted to the good life. Now that the Valentine lovers have separated with a promise of a future reunion, the damage has been done, and Guyanese have witnessed for the second time that Coalition politics is destructive, since power grabbing is the paramount motive, the people never count.

The demise of the AFC began with resignations and withdrawal of support from its financial donors, and identical action now faces the PNC. I read in the press that the Florida Chapter of the PNC has filed a no-confidence motion against the PNC/R Leader Aubrey Norton. The motion stated that ‘The Party’s image has been severely tarnished and a large number of our members, supporters, and sympathizers have lost interest in this party. The business community from whom we got significant support has been withholding that support.’

In addition, Norton has failed to unify the Party. What is surprising though is that Norton is more concerned about his own survival, since he claimed that he is not worried, since he cannot be removed constitutionally. How can a leader not be concerned about the frag-

mentation of his party?

The members and supporters have realised that the only approach Norton has taken since assuming office as the PNC Leader is to revive the old destructive PNC strategies, which cannot transform the party and change its tarnished image. He has proven that he is incapable of reforming himself and the PNC/R. The same is true of the AFC, whose leaders have failed to deliver on the founding principles of the party. It may be true to assume that one of the founding leaders has jumped ship, so Ramjattan is all alone.

In conclusion, the massive socio-economic transformation which is once again taking place under the PPP/C Government will afford Guyanese to once and for all come to realisation that neither the PNC/R nor the AFC is good for Guyana, and this will put the final nails in the coffins of these parties, as their members and supporters continue to embrace the Irfaan Ali Administration.

The evil that Governments do surely lives after them, but this lesson is difficult for the PNC/R and the AFC leaders.

Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf

Yours

Sincerely,

Norton admits to blank cheque debacle, refuses to comment on audits of PNCR’s financials

Aweekafter PNCR national treasurer, Faaiz Mursaline, announced that he’ll be stepping down from the position, he has withdrawn his resignation citing ‘pressure’.

Mursaline, in a short post on his Facebook page, Mursaline had said, “Comrades all, after one year of serving on team Norton’s leadership, on the 23rd December 2022, I will discharge my last and final duties as National treasurer of the P.N.C.R.” He said a formal letter will be prepared and sent to the party leader’s office.

Further, Mursaline in a letter to the PNCR Central Executive Committee, charged that the party “is in a bad state when comes to leadership “ and accused Norton of running a “oneman” show.

The former PNCR national treasurer, said, “As a businessman, I couldn’t continue. I am willing to stay with the PNC but not with the current leader…Norton is like an aloof leader.”

Mursaline also raised concerns about the PNCR’s

financial practices. He said, “I am the treasurer and I was elected but all I was used for is to sign cheques and that was merely my duties there with Norton’s leadership… from the time I took office as the elected treasurer of this great party, I was signing blank cheques with no supporting documents. I am always called to sign cheques and whenever I share an opinion of dislike towards this, I am met with hostility. In the month of November it got worst…in that month I signed about 20 blank cheques…I do not know what are the amounts of money written on any of those cheques and I don’t know for what reasons the money, if any were spent on.

“…I requested of the Leader for us to do a financial audit of the finances of Congress Place for our own benefit and for us to ensure proper accountability and transparency. I even suggested that because Cde. Volda Lawrence has the skills in that area we use her to be our guidance. The intention was solely to do what is right for

our party and to build trust among our membership. The Leader told me that is a conflict of interest and that he will take care of it. To date nothing has been done.”

On the issues of discrimination and racial hostility, the former PNCR Executive said, “I am fed up of the discrimination and racial hostility.”

Norton, on Thursday (January 12, 2023), when pressed, particularly on the issue of financial transparency and whether or not financial audits were done of the PNCR’s records charged that those matters are internal party matters and will not be publicly addressed. The embattled PNCR leader has already admitted publicly that the national treasurer had been signing blank cheques.

Mursaline, who has been affiliated with the PNCR for close to a decade, was elected Treasurer of the party in December of 2021.

The PNCR has been rocked by resignations and allegations of senior long-standing members being side-lined.

PNCR leader losing support

The People’s National Congress Reform’s (PNCR) Florida chapter has compiled a no confidence motion against PNCR leader Aubrey Norton.

Signed by the Chapter’s Chairman, John C. Yates, and seconded by Lawrence ‘Larry’ London, the motion cites Norton’s failures as a leader.

The motion said, “The PNCR has moved in a speedy downward spiral in Guyana’s political space…

the Party’s image has been severely tarnished and a large number of our Members, supporters, and sympathizers have lost interest in this party. The business community from whom we got significant support has been withholding that support…the recent revelations by the former treasure has been quite damaging.”

The motion added that Norton must resign over his failures to unite the party, to mobilise for key political

events, etc.

Meanwhile, on Thursday (January 12, 2023), Norton tried to defend himself, insisting that the no-confidence motion is not valid because of technicalities. According to him, a leader can only be removed at a Congress, done every two years, or at a Special Congress, which has not been called.

Norton has been the party’s leader since December, 2021.

PNCR infighting escalates, member threatens to ‘expose’ Norton

Citing “weak and ineffective” leadership, United States Chapter PNCR member, Egland Gomes, has threatened that an investigation into allegations of financial impropriety must be done, or “recorded information” about PNCR leader, Aubrey Norton, might be put into play.

Gomes, in a broadcast on social media under the title ‘Voices of the Diaspora’, said, “An investigation should be done about these blank cheques, and I want Aubrey Norton to know I have recorded information that he would not want to go into the public domain.”

He charged that the revelations by Treasurer Faaiz Mursaline about being made to sign blank cheques must be looked into. “I expect him to be impartial and allow the Central Executive to do an investigation into the financial irregularities that he was involved in with the blank-cheque signing. It is unacceptable. It should not have happened and I would hope that he would take steps to immediately fix the situation, and try to work with his team rather than try to tear them down through malicious politics,” Gomes

said.

Mursaline had said, “I am the treasurer and I was elected but all I was used for is to sign cheques and that was merely my duties there with Norton’s leadership… from the time I took office as the elected treasurer of this great party, I was signing blank cheques with no supporting documents. I am always called to sign cheques and whenever I share an opinion of dislike towards this, I am met with hostility. In the month of November it got worst…in that month I signed about 20 blank cheques…I do not know what are the amounts of money written on any of those cheques and I don’t know for what reasons the money, if any were spent on…I requested of the Leader for us to do a financial audit of the finances of Congress Place for our own benefit and for us to ensure proper accountability and transparency. I even suggested that because Cde. Volda Lawrence has the skills in that area we use her to be our guidance. The intention was solely to do what is right for our party and to build trust among our membership. The Leader told me that is a conflict of interest and that he will take care of

it. To date nothing has been done.”

Further, the PNCR member also accused Norton of “prosecuting his own public policy”, creating a “perception of weak and ineffective leadership”, and having abandoned his constituency as soon as he became leader.

He said, “Aubrey Norton seems to be prosecuting his own public policy. Aubrey Norton is accountable to a party and the CEC of the party. And I hope that the CE now would stand up, do its job and hold the party leader accountable, because he is not above accountability.”

This is the latest of the PNCR infighting that has spilled into the public domain.

Suspended APNU+AFC MPs to know fate of case on Monday

High Court Judge, Damone Younge, is expected to hand down her ruling on whether or not she has the jurisdiction to hear the case filed by eight APNU+AFC Coalition Members of Parliament (MPs), who are challenging their suspension from the National Assembly, on Monday, January 16, 2023.

Initially, the ruling was set for December 8, 2022 but the judge later decided to push back the date to January 16, 2023, due to “recent events of the coronavirus pandemic.”

Justice Younge, had previously heard arguments from Attorney General Anil Nandlall, S.C., and APNU lawyer, Roysdale Forde, S.C., on the preliminary issue of jurisdiction.

In addition to the Attorney General, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir and the Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, were named as defendants in the case.

NO ORDER

The Coalition Parliamentarians facing sanctions are: Christopher Jones, the Opposition Chief Whip; Ganesh Mahipaul; Sherod Duncan; Natasha Singh- Lewis; Annette Ferguson; Vinceroy Jordan; Tabitha Saraboo-Halley; and Maureen Philadelphia.

Efforts by the eight Coalition MPs to have their suspension from the Nation-

al Assembly lifted, until a decision in their case, which is currently before the High Court, failed.

The Full Court on October 14, 2022 denied an application by the Coalition’s Roysdale Forde, which challenged the High Court’s refusal to grant an interim conservatory order to allow eight Opposition Members of Parliament who have been suspended, to attend sittings of the National Assembly, and to receive their salaries.

As per the decision, the suspension from the House, as well as the consequent non-payment of salaries, stand until the determination of the matter before Justice Damone Younge in the High Court.

REPORT

On July 21, 2022, during the 48th Sitting of the National Assembly, the House officially approved the report of the Committee of Privileges, which recommended that the eight parliamentarians be suspended for their involvement in desecrating the Speaker’s Mace on December 29, 2021.

The 78-page report of the Parliamentary Privileges Committee found that eight APNU+AFC Coalition’s Members of Parliament “were in violation of the Standing Orders, established Customs and Practices regarding acceptable behaviour” of Members in the

Assembly. “The Committee determined that an appropriate sanction available that the National Assembly can apply would be suspension from service in the House,” the report said page five.

The committee recommended the suspension of Ferguson and Jordan, Saraboo-Halley, Philadelphia for six consecutive sittings. It also recommended the suspension of Jones, Mahipaul, Duncan and Singh-Lewis for four consecutive sittings.

Notably, each Member, according to the report, was written to and asked to "show cause" why sanctions should not be meted out to them. Their responses were received and considered by the Committee. Each of the eight embattled officials claimed that they were “unaware” that their behaviour in the National Assembly was different from other MPs and therefore should not amount to grounds for disciplinary action.

The Committee's findings were based on video recordings, statements by staff of the Parliament Office and the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, eyewitness accounts by other Members of the House, media reporters and the public, both locally and internationally.

The Committee met five times, on: Friday, 18th February, 2022; Tuesday, 1st March, 2022; Tuesday, 8th

March, 2022; Friday, 3rd June, 2022; and Thursday, 9th June, 2022.

The Parliamentary Sessional Select Committee of Privileges is one of four Sessional Select Committees that the National Assembly establishes at the commencement of each Session of the National Assembly. Standing Order 88 expressly provides for the establishment of this Committee and all of the Sessional Select Committees. Standing Order 91 states ''There shall be referred to this Committee any matter which appears to affect the powers and privileges of the Assembly. It shall be the duty of the Committee to consider any matter so referred, and to report thereon to the Assembly." The Committee, in keeping with its mandate, met to consider the following: “(i) Whether the named Members committed to the Committee of Privileges, have violated any of the Standing Orders, Customs, Practices, and or Conventions of the National Assembly,· and (ii) To determine the sanctions available that the National Assembly of Guyana can apply and make recommendations on the application thereof.”

position hijacked the sitting – blowing whistles and chanting – while its MPs, Ferguson and Jordan, attempted to seize this ceremonial symbol. Other Opposition MPs attempted to do the same too, in the presence of the entire National Assembly.

Also, Opposition MPs ambushed the control room of the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) and wildly unplugged the connections in the electrical systems room, which led to an internet disconnection and audio failures.

Members of Parliament who had joined processions virtually were even disconnected from the feed as a consequence of this. The Coalition’s Saraboo-Halley was named as responsible for this.

was throw me over the rails because I know when I’m going over the rail, I am going with the mace,” he said. “They throw me on the ground, they kicked me, they dragged me outside and then Ms. Philidelphia, Member of Parliament start to abuse me with a series of words like ‘House Salve’, but the one that caught me and I don’t know how I become a ‘House Negro’. So, I prepared a letter and I dropped it upstairs and I showed my concern about how I was treated,” McPherson added. In addition to Philadelphia, the Coalition’s Singh-Lewis was also named as being responsible.

INCIDENT

ON DECEMBER 29, 2021

In an effort derail the debating and passing of the Natural Resources Fund Bill, the Parliamentary Op -

Further, a parliament staffer, Ean McPherson, was assaulted. He has since moved to the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) with a complaint. McPherson, in prior interview, explained that in his attempts to protect the mace, not only was he verbally abused by members of the Opposition, but he was also physically assaulted. “I held on to the mace and it was fling to the floor… and I overheard people screaming. “Kick he! Lash He! Drag He! Let’s Throw he over the rail. All I said,

The Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, on January 24, 2022, had moved the motion in the House, which also called for the Privileges Committee to act with “alacrity” on the matter and report to the House within one month. Minister Teixeira’s in her motion had made clear that the actions represented “gross disorderly conduct” and “contempt and breaches of privilege” by Opposition Parliamentarians, and such abhorrent actions cannot be condoned.

The APNU+AFC Coalition has consistently been cited for disruptions and behaviour that is not constructive.

GECOM records over 2,000 transactions recorded to date

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is moving ahead with its continuous registration exercise, which started earlier this month.

The registration, as at Tuesday (January 10, 2023), has seen:

• 937 first-time applicants (Category A) between the ages of 14-years-old to 17-years-old;

• 312 applicants (Category B) who are 18-years-old and older;

• 674 applicants sought changes and corrections;

• 146 requested transfers, and

• Others who sought replacements for identification cards, along with 94 photograph retakes.

During this registration exercise, any person who will be 14 years and older by the 30th June, 2023, and is a Guyanese citizen by birth, descent, naturalization, or is a citizen from a Commonwealth country living

in Guyana for one year or more, can apply for registration, providing he/she was never registered.

Existing registrants who are desirous of updating their records such as a request to correct or change their names, date of birth, occupation and update their addresses are advised that those transactions would also be facilitated during this exercise.

Persons desirous of conducting any registration transaction whether new registration or changes/ corrections to their particulars are required to visit the GECOM Registration Office responsible for their area of residence with the relevant source documents which are:

• Original Birth Certificate, valid Passport, Adoption Certificate, Naturalization Certificate or Certificate of Registration, and Deed Poll along with original Birth Certificate (if applicable) in the case of making applica-

tions for new registration.

• Original Marriage Certificate, Marriage Certificate with Decree Absolute for divorced women, Deed Poll with Birth Certificate, or a new original Birth Certificate reflecting the new name in the case of an application for change/correction of name and other particulars.

Registration transactions can be done during the official working hours outlined below:

• Mondays to Thursdays 08:00hrs – 12:00hrs and 13:00hrs – 16:30hrs

• Fridays 08:00hrs –12:00hrs and 13:00hrs –15:30hrs

For further information, persons are advised to visit GECOM’s website at www. gecom.org.gy follow us on Facebook at Guyana Elections Commission, or call 225-0277-9, 223-9653, or 223-1300.

The registration exercise will conclude on May 31, 2023.

Amendments to the National Registration Act paves way for registration transactions to be done continuously

– stiffer penalties for registration offences

The National Registration (Amendment) Act No. 26 of 2022, which was assented to on December 13, 2022 has paved the way for registration transactions to be facilitated on a continuous basis by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

Previously, eligible persons could have only applied for new registration and changes or corrections to their particulars during specific periods determined by GECOM such as during a Cycle of Continuous Registration or Claims and Objections respectively. However, with the amendments to National Registration Act, Chapter 19:08, GECOM is now mandated to facilitate registration transactions throughout the year with two breaks to facilitate the publication and finalization of a valid Official List of Electors (OLE).

As such, any eligible person can now conduct registration transactions between the periods January to May, provided that they will be 14 years and older by the 30th June, or during the period July to November, provided that they will be 14 years and older by the 31st December, of the given year. Persons are reminded that they must be Guyanese citizens by birth, descent, registration or naturaliza -

tion, or is a citizen from a Commonwealth country living in Guyana for one year or more, to apply for registration, providing that they was never registered.

Existing registrants who are desirous of updating their records, such as by an application to correct or change their names, date of birth, occupation or to update their addresses, are advised that those transactions would also be facilitated continuously during the periods outlined above.

In view of the foregoing and in compliance with the amendment to the National Registration Act, the Commission is currently facilitating registration transactions at all its Registration Offices countrywide with effect from 3rd January, 2023 – 31st May, 2023.

Further, it is of crucial importance to note that the amendments to the Act have also outlined stiffer penalties for registration offences, with provision for fines of up to five million dollars ($5,000,000) and imprisonment for as many as five (5) years. Registration offences addressed in the Act include where persons:

1) Deliberately provide false information;

2) Fraudulently obtain an identification card;

3) Fraudulently use an identification card;

4) Falsely allege the loss or destruction of their identification card and apply for a new card while in the possession of an identification card;

5) Present false information or documents containing false information for registration, or withholding information about an existing registration;

6) Knowingly applies to be registered more than once;

7) Permit or induce another person to use an identification card in order to impersonate a registered person;

8) Destroy or deface identification cards or documents;

9) Make false objections or statements in relation to any entry on a list;

10) Impersonate GECOM registration officials;

11) Forge or counterfeit identification cards, and lend or otherwise furnish any identification card for impersonation;

12) Sell or attempt to sell, or purchase or attempt to purchase an identification card.

In this regard, GECOM has urged persons to ensure that they conduct their transactions in a timely manner, abide by the legal registration provisions and to be cognizant of these amendments to the Act that could have serious consequences.

The amended Act can be accessed on GECOM’s website at www.gecom.org. gy for further information and perusal.

POSITIONS FROM THE PRESIDENT

President Ali conferred with Honorary Doctorate for leadership, development

P resident, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, was on honoured for his hard work, dedication, and responsible approach to leadership and development with an Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy and Management Studies.

The degree was conferred to him by his alma mater, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University in Delhi, India during a special ceremony. He was lauded as a role model for the partnerships he has created, his human resource management capability, and his commitment to continuous development.

In his address, President Ali thanked his lecturers,

who motivated him to remain committed to his pursuit of education, as well as colleagues and friends met during his tenure at the university, for playing major roles in his development into the person he is today.

He also expressed thanks for the values instilled in him through the university, by the people of India. “The Indian education system is not easy. It requires discipline and education. It is not a system in which you can operate in the way you think is best. It is a highly disciplined environment. But within that highly disciplined environment. It taught us to be better humans. The

education we received was not only academic, it was life-changing. It was preparing great minds to do great things in the humblest of ways,” the president explained.

His time spent at Guru Gobind Singh university also reinforced the need for, and meaning of humility, as well as respect for elders and each other, he added.

Dr Ali went on to praise India’s culture and nature of selflessness, noting that despite various challenges, the country continued to demonstrate its ability to be a positive change and light amidst the worldwide challenges. “We live in a

President Ali calls on Indian investors to explore bountiful investment opportunities in Guyana

W ith Guyana moving swiftly towards becoming a global leader in areas including technology and human resource transformation, an invitation has been extended to the Government of India to aggressively pursue local investment opportunities.

The two states are already collaborating to establish a clear and comprehensive strategy through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), that focuses on areas of cooperation to drive growth and promote business opportunities.

Addressing the inaugural session of the Global Investors in Madhya Pradesh,

India, on Wednesday (January 11, 2023), President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali said the aim is to encourage companies to form partnerships and consortiums to unlock untapped potential.

President Ali highlighted the potential of Guyana and how it can become a global leader like the UAE and Qatar, despite its small population.

Emphasising the importance of collaboration between the private and public sectors to unlock his country’s potential, President Ali said India is well positioned to provide leadership in establishing a framework to accomplish the mandate.

“None of this could have occurred without the right ecosystem, the right investment environment, the right policies and programmes to stimulate investment and growth, and that is where the role of good governance and good policymaking comes in. And we must applaud the Government of India and here in Madhya Pradesh, the chief minister and his cabinet for the type of policies and programmes they have instituted to ensure this growth and development that we’re seeing,” he noted.

Meanwhile, Dr Ali referenced the COVID-19 pan-

world of changes, a world that presents many challenges, food security, climate security, energy security, a world that is still filled with inequality and injustice… when the world isolated itself during COVID, and held on to whatever vaccine it had, with a large population, and the same challenges the rest of the world faced, what did you do? You turned to the spirit of humanity and you extended to the world whatever little you had,” President Ali said.

This, he said, demonstrates India’s developed mindset, mature society, leadership in humanity, and dedication to making a dif-

ference.

PARTNERSHIP IN EDUCATION

President Ali also announced plans for Guyanese students for a Memorandum of Understanding to be signed with the Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University for Guyanese to benefit from their online classes.

This, he said, will be done after the university completes its facility for conducting online classes.

It was also announced that 10 low-income Guyanese students will benefit from scholarships to study at the university, in keeping with President Ali’s com -

mitment to partner with the school for the education of more Guyanese.

Currently, multiple other universities in India offer education to Guyanese through the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL).

GOAL is an online university platform launched by the government in 2021 that connects Guyanese with universities across the world for equal access to tertiary education.

The government will also continue to collaborate with India in the fields of health, engineering, petroleum, nursing, medical technology, and pharmacy, among others.

Comprehensive water resource management plan in place

The PPP/C government has in place a comprehensive plan to deal with water resource management in Guyana, according to President Dr. Irfaan Ali.

President Ali was speaking at a stakeholders’ engagement at the State House, recently.

He said the water resource management committee will be re-established early this year to deal with stormwater and groundwater, as well as surface water management and development.

and agriculture on the coast.

President Ali revealed that the country is almost at 100 per cent utilisation of lands available for housing.

P resident Dr. Irfaan Ali, in his address at the Voice of Global South Summit on Thursday (January 12, 2023), proposed a new global food system that incorporates a tax and financial system to directly combat hunger.

President Ali emphasised India’s strengths in technology, research and development, agro-processing, and human and technical capacity, and called for the formation of a team of experts to assist in food production in low-light and small island developing states. “I suggest India because, in our honest re -

flection, it is clear that the multilateral organisations have not brought the required results in addressing hunger. Today , Latin America and the Caribbean have more top position as the most food insecure region in the world. We must arrest the situation now,” the president stated.

The Guyanese head of state highlighted that India has demonstrated that it hss the ability to respond to global challenges and global needs whenever the need arises.

Within this context, President Ali commended the South Asian State on

hosting the special virtual summit, noting that it is a demonstration of its noble intention of becoming a voice for the South. “India’s presidency of the G20 and its proclaimed commitment of being the advocate of the South offers hope that within the global governance architecture, the concerns of the South will enjoy greater traction,” he pointed out.

The President highlighted the threats of physical extinction facing small islands and low-lying coastal states due to climate change, energy and food

With over 80 per cent of Guyanese living along the coast and the massive industrial development underway in the capital city, President Ali said there is a need for a massive expansion of the drainage system along the coastline. “We have already surmised that we need a massive expansion of pumps and pumping stations across the coastline because we have to deal with things realistically,” he underscored.

“We’re at a critical point in terms of land that should be left for the wet zone, land that is available for agricultural development. So, what we have to use to utilise technology, utilise now the type of equipment that will enable us to take the water off of the land and that is the more dynamic pumping system in terms of getting the water off…that is going to be part of the integrated water resource management framework that we’re working on developing,” he explained.

The private sector raised concerns about there not being enough areas to store water during a prolonged rainy season and high tide.

by the PPP/C Administration to provide drainage from the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) into the Atlantic Ocean. The Vice President said when the government was constructing that canal, several individuals and organisations were against that project. Had that project not been in place, he explained that the entire East Coast Demerara and Region Five would have been under threat of flooding. “When we started building the Hope Canal because we recognise that if every rainy season, we had to release water into the Mahaica Creek it would flood the whole of Region Five million dollars of losses, US$$30 million one year. It costs us about $US16 million. So, in a single year loss from flooding could pay back for the Hope Canal,” the VP noted.

There is also a huge demand for land for housing

Meanwhile, Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo noted that the majority of the storage area has been utilised due to the pressure for housing. He referred to the Hope Canal which was built

Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, Senior Minister in the Office of the President, Dr Ashni Singh, and other government ministers were also in attendance.

Cash transfers to every household not feasible even at highest point of oil revenues – Head of State

President Dr Irfaan Ali has made it clear that even at the highest point of oil and gas revenues, Guyana cannot afford to give each citizen cash transfers.

President Ali was at the time speaking at a stakeholders’ engagement at State House, Georgetown,

where he added that, “I can say like many others, let’s give everybody $1 million each. First of all, it is nonsensical because we can’t afford it even at the highest point of oil revenues.”

(Turn to page 21) (Turn to page 21) (Turn to page 21)

The head of state explained that the government is looking at improving

the country’s competitiveness, productive capacity, strengthen the work force, enhance wages and build national prosperity that reaches the household level. “As a society, we have to debunk this type of fallacy otherwise, all of us will be

‒ Ali says management committee to be re-established early this year

President Ali proposes new global food system to combat hunger ‒ at Voice of Global South Summit

Seven alleged ‘election riggers’ back in court on March 13th

Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on Monday (January 9, 2023) granted an application made by the prosecutor in the electoral fraud case to amend the charge against seven persons who were charged for their alleged attempt to undermine the will of Guyanese at the March 2020 General and Regional Elections.

The seven facing court are:

1. Sacked Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo;

2. Chairperson for the People’s National Congress, Volda Lawrence;

3. APNU+AFC activist, Carol Smith-Joseph;

4. GECOM Registration Clerk, Shefern February;

5. GECOM Registration Clerk, Michelle Miller;

6. GECOM Registration Clerk, Denise Babb– Cum-

mings; and

7. GECOM Information Technology Officer, Enrique Livan.

Once the application was granted, the new charges were read.

The amended charge states that between March 2 and August 2, 2020, at Georgetown, six of the even defendants conspired with former GECOM Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield and Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) Returning Officer (RO), Clairmont Mingo to defraud the electors of Guyana by declaring a false account of votes cast.

The seventh defendant, Miller, was slapped with an individual conspiracy to defraud charge which alleges that between March 3 and 5, 2020, at High and Hadfield Streets, Georgetown, together and with others,

with intent to defraud the people of Guyana, she did not use the figures from the Statements of Poll (SoPs) for ascertaining the figures to make the declaration of the results for the said District Four, thereby resulting in a false declaration being made for the said District.

After the charges were read, all seven pleaded not guilty.

APPLICATION TO STAY CHARGES DENIED

Meanwhile, an application by those charged with electoral fraud to stay the criminal proceedings against them until they ask the High Court to determine whether there has been a breach of the fundamental rights provisions, has been rejected.

Late last year, lawyer for the defendants, Nigel Hughes had asked the

Chief Magistrate to stay the charges before her and send the matters to the High Court for there to be a determination on if the fundamental rights provisions have been breached. Hughes’ application was made pursuant to Article 153 (3) of the Constitution of Guyana which states: “If in any proceedings in any court subordinate to the High Court, any question arises as to the contravention of any of the provisions in Articles 138 to 151 (inclusive), the persons presiding in that court shall refer the question to the High Court unless, in his opinion, the raising of the question is merely frivolous or vexatious.”

King’s Counsel Darshan Ramdhani argued that there was no merit in Hughes’ submission, pointing out that

these cases are “highly complex” matters that involve volumes of evidence and several witnesses.

The Chief Magistrate addressed the application to the court for the matters to be tried before a Judge and a Jury in the Hugh Court as opposed to the Magistrate’s Court and made clear that the matter will continue at the Magistrates’ Court.

Already several boxes containing certified copies of Statements of Polls (SOPs) and Statements of Recount (SORs) from the March 2020 elections have been handed over to the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court. The documents will be used as evidence against those before the court. The SOPs and SORS were accompanied by statements and video evidence, which included copies of video-recorded interviews

the accused had with the Police. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) DPP and Acting Police Commissioner had initiated legal proceedings in the High Court, seeking orders to obtain certified copies of the SOPs and SORs from the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections, which are currently lodged with the Registrar of the High Court. The decision to move to the High Court came after the Police Commissioner wrote the Registrar of the High Court, Sueanna Lovell, to obtain the certified copies of the documents, but was informed, by way of a letter, this could not be done without an order from the Court.

The Director of Public Prosecutions has hired a team of lawyers to prosecute these cases on the State’s behalf.

The matter was then adjourned to March 13, 2023.

PPP/C gov’t continues engagement with Guyanese

Having stressed the importance of outreaches to maintain engagement with Guyanese across the country, the PPP/C government continues to engage Guyanese.

PPP/C GOVERNMENT

S ince assuming Office in August 2020, the PPP/C Government has been taking steps to restore confidence in the eyes of the business community, foreign investors, international community and most importantly, the people of Guyana in the economy and the systems of Government. The Government has been working tirelessly to improve the lives and livelihoods of citizens even as we confronted the challenges of the May June 2021 flood, the COVID-19 pandemic, associated supply chain disruptions and more recently the impacts of the war in Ukraine.

Since the PPP/C’s assumption to Office, the following has been achieved:

• Presentation of 3 successive National Budgets:

• The emergency Budget 2020, which provided immediate relief to the long-suffering people of Guyana and restarted the economy, as we combatted the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Budget 2021, the first full year Budget since resuming office, was presented under the theme A Path to Recovery, Economic Dynamism and Resilience. This budget laid the foundation for sustainable growth for the long term.

• Budget 2022, which launched what would be the most rapid period of transformation and modernisation ever witnessed in our country.

• We have embarked on a period of rapid transformation and our Government has laid out a master plan for the rapid development and transformation of Guyana. More importantly, we have demonstrated the capacity and commitment to working assiduously to make this vision reality so that benefits can redound to the citizens of our country in the shortest possible time.

• The Government’s judicious policies, coupled with substantial growth from the Oil and Gas and related sectors underpin the incredible economic expansion that is occurring and gaining momentum with every new investment. Building on the 19.9 percent growth recorded in 2021, Guyana is now the fastest growing economy in the world, with growth of over 50 percent forecasted for 2022 and medium-term average annual growth projected at 25 percent for the period 2023 to 2026.

• Recognizing the importance of a strong diversified economic base, the Government of Guyana, even in its earliest days of oil production, placed the highest level of importance on a strong non-oil economy and our policies focused on modernizing the traditional pillars of the economy and catalyzing a rapidly growing and highly competitive non-oil economy. This is evident with the Guyana’s non-oil growth projected at over 9 percent this year building on the 4.6 percent growth recorded last year, and over the medi-

um term is forecasted well above global levels

• The Government has implemented a range of tax and non-tax measures to improve household disposable income and reduce the cost of living, including the removal of burdensome taxes implemented by the APNU/AFC. These measures include:

INCREASING DISPOSABLE INCOME

► A special one-off grant of $25,000 being distributed to every single household in riverain and hinterland communities, placing $1.2 billion in the hands of these households

► Support to Uitvlugt sugar workers due to downtime of the Estate – Over $275 million provided to assist over 1,400 workers

► Almost 8,000 fisherfolk benefited from the provision of a $150,000 one-off payment totaling $1.2 billion

► Increasing the monthly income tax threshold from $65,000 to $75,000 in 2022, releasing a total of $1.3 billion into the hands of current tax payers

► Restoring and increasing the Because We Care Cash Grant to $25,000 per child, making an additional $2 billion available to parents of school children, coupled with increasing the uniform grant from $4,000 to $5,000 per child, placing an additional $200 million of disposable income in the homes of these children

IMPROVING THE LIVES AND LIVELIHOODS OF PUBLIC SERVANTS, TEACHERS AND MEMBERS OF THE DISCIPLINE SERVICES

► 8 percent salary increase across the board was paid to over 52,000 public servants, teachers, members of the Disciplined Services and Government Pensioners

► One-month Bonus paid to members of the Disciplined Services – placing $1.3 billion in the hands of over 11,000 members of the Disciplined Services

► the first phase of Public Service salary adjustments to resolve anomalies and disparities across comparable positions to take effect in January 2023 to the benefit of:

• over 5,000 healthcare workers – will add over $1.5 billion in disposable income; and

• an estimated 8,000 members of the Disciplined Services including the Guyana Police Force, the Guyana Fire Service and the Guyana Defence Force – add an additional $1 billion in disposable income

• Reducing the Cost of Living

► The application of the freight cost adjustment for the calculation of import taxes, rolling back freight cost to pre-pandemic levels from 1 August 2021 until 31 December 2022, estimated to save $10 billion for businesses and consumers

► Progressively lowered the Excise Tax on fuel from 50 percent in February 2021 to 0 percent in March 2022 – At a cost of $17 billion in 2022.

► Arranging monthly Farmers Markets to help our farmers find ready markets for their produce and help consumers to benefit from the price advantage of buying directly from the farmer

► $1 billion provided for the purchase of fertilisers for free distribution to farmers

► Creation of over 11,000 part-time jobs

SUPPORTING THE VULNERABLE

► Increase the monthly Old Age Pension from $25,000 to $28,000, making an additional $2.3 billion of disposable income available to our pensioners

► Increase the monthly Public Assistance payment from $12,000 to $14,000, providing an additional $430 million in disposable income to these individuals

► $180 million to support dialysis patients.

► Introduction of $100,000 cash grant for each child with a disability

► CT Scans to be offered free of cost at GPHC with effect from 1 November 2022

REDUCING THE COST OF CONSTRUCTION AND HOME OWNERSHIP

► Government has increased the Low-Income Mortgage Loan Ceiling from $12 million to $15 million

► Increase the New Building Society ceiling for loans from to $15 million and to $20 million

► Removal of VAT on building Materials including cement, sheetrock and concrete board

► Government will assist house-lot owners whether house-lots were allocated by Government or privately owned to secure financing, construction and delivery of houses at a cost of $7 million, $9 million and $12 million

► Interest Rate for houses and buildings up to $9 million reduced to 3.8 percent

► In support of the Housing drive, houses that cost $6 million or less will get the steel needed for construction and one sling of cement

► For every home that cost $6 million to $25 million, the Government will provide two sling of cement.

MEASURES TO INCENTIVISE THE EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES

► Reduction of the sliding scale Final tax rate on gold from 3.5 percent (over US$1,600) and 3 percent (over US$1,300 and under US$1,600) to 2.5 percent, returning $1.4 billion to the industry

► Removal of 10 percent tributors tax, benefiting 1000’s of workers in the mining industry, resulting in $300 million in income returned to workers

MEASURES TO PROMOTE AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT

► $900 million revolving fund for the Forestry Sector at an affordable interest rate of 4 percent to boost production and value added

► Tax concessions on investment in Agro-Processing facilities, Cold Storage

GOVERNMENT ACHIEVEMENTS

and Packaging and Special incentives to be made available for planting of Corn and Soya

MEASURES TO IMPROVING BUSINESS COMPETITIVENESS, PROMOTING LOCAL CONTENT AND JOB CREATION

Support the renewal of the Industrial and Commercial transport fleet:

• Remove the 10 percent Excise Tax and 14 percent VAT that currently applies to the importation of new motor trucks of any tonnage for transport of goods.

• Remove the VAT of 14 percent that currently applies to the importation of new haulers for pulling containers or similar vehicles

• Remove the 10 percent excise tax in relation to importation of new double cab pickups below 2000 cc and reducing the Excise Tax from 110 percent to 75 percent for new double cab pickups between 2000 and 3000 cc.

• Remove the 10 percent excise tax altogether in relation to importation of new single cab pickups below 3000 cc

• Remove the 14 percent VAT on cranes, safety equipment and oils spill response equipment

► Remove the 2 percent withholding tax on resident contractors to reverse the punitive measures of the previous Administration

BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE

TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE

► US$261 million Contract awarded to a Joint Venture of China Railway Construction Corporation (International) Limited for the construction of a new bridge across the Demerara River between Nandy Park and La Grange;

► US$190 million contract awarded to Constructura Queiroz Galvao (QG) for the upgrading of the road between Linden and Mabura Hills; this road will transform hinterland travels and open millions of acres of land for livestock and agricultural investments for export.

► US$106 million contract awarded to Ashoka Buildcon Limited for the construction of the East Bank – East Coast Road Linkage (Ogle to Eccles) Phase 1 further reducing travel time and vehicle operating costs for urban and sub-urban travels

► Construction of Corentyne River Bridge

• Contract awarded to WSP Caribbean Ltd for Feasibility Study and Designs for the construction of new bridge linking Guyana and Suriname. Project being done jointly between Guyana and Suriname

► The design and construction of two major highways easing traffic congestion on the East Bank of Demerara Corridor.

• Mocha to Diamond by pass road, completed

• Mandela Avenue to Eccles Four Lane Concrete highway, completed

• Construction of Eccles to Great Dia -

mond Four lane concrete in progress

► New four-lane highway will be built from Crane on the West Coast of Demerara to Schoonord on the West Bank of Demerara. The new highway is expected to be 3.5 miles long and will seek to alleviate the daily traffic congestion from Vreeden-Hoop to the Demerara Harbour Bridge at Meer Zorgen, WBD

► Over G$6 billion worth of contracts to be awarded for the rehabilitation of culverts and bridges for the widening of the Corentyne Highway from New Amsterdam to Moleson Creek;

► G$5.4 billion worth of contracts awarded for the construction of 45 bridges between Mabura to Lethem.

POWER SECTOR

► Plans are advancing for the installation of more than 500MW of new generation capacity comprising natural gas, hydropower and solar to ensure adequate energy security in support of our development agenda. These transformative investments will help to lower our energy costs and provide the people of Guyana with a reduction in electricity cost of at least 50% by 2025.

• US$759 million Contract signed for integrated Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) Plant and the 300MW Gas-to-Energy project at Wales

HOUSING AND WATER SECTOR

► Over 10,000 houselots distributed in 2022, taking the total number of allocations to over 20,000 in 2 years

► Provided over 5000 new service connections in 2022 to support the rapid expansion in the housing drive and home ownership programme

► The Hinterland access to water coverage has significantly increased from 46 percent in 2020 to 75 percent at the end of 2022. Government remains committed to achieving 100 percent access by 2025

HEALTH SECTOR

► In budget 2022 government had allocated $73.2 billion towards transforming the Health sector

► Government is in collaboration with the Mount Sinai Health System, an internationally recognised healthcare provider to improve the access to and the quality of healthcare for Guyanese. The initiative will see Mount Sinai team working with Government to assist and advise on the development of high quality primary care and specialized services

► Construction of 6 Regional Hospitals to commence in five regions:

• Region 2 - Lima,

• Region 3 - De Kindren,

• Region 4 - Diamond and Enmore,

• Region 5 – Bath,

• Region 6- No.75 Village

► Construction of Paediatrics and Maternity Hospital at Ogle

EDUCATION SECTOR

► In budget 2022 government had allocated $74.4 billion towards transforming the education sector with the aim of providing equitable access to quality education.

► 20,000 online scholarship programme has commenced with the first batch of 6000 Guyanese awarded in 2021 and an additional 4,500 scholarships targeted under the GOAL programme in 2022.

► Government remains committed to provide free tertiary education by 2025.

SECURITY SECTOR

► Completed construction of Police Stations at Anna Regina, Parika, Kamarang, Kurupung and Kato

► Procured an additional 40 pick-ups, 10 cars, 10 ATVs and 26 motorcycles to increase police presence and visibility within communities.

AMERINDIAN DEVELOPMENT

► $4.9 billion allocated under the Amerindian Development Fund to finance Amerindian Development priorities.

► The Community Support Programme was resuscitated in 2020 and as end 2022 over 2600 CSOs were employed.

► Advanced the Construction of the National Toshaos Council Secretariat - $ 127 Million

TOURISM SECTOR

► 7 new Hotels under construction

LCDS

► The LCDS 2030 takes forward Guyana’s world-leading mechanism for payment for forest climate services. Back in 2009, three phases were set out to create this mechanism, with the first phase designed to be a partnership with another government who shared Guyana’s vision. This turned out to be the Government of Norway and is why Phase I saw Guyana earn US$220 million.

► On 1 December 2022, The Architecture for REDD+ Transactions (ART) issued the world’s first TREES credits to Guyana. This also marks a milestone as the first time a country has been issued carbon credits specifically designed for the voluntary and compliance carbon markets for successfully preventing forest loss and degradation — a process known as jurisdictional REDD+. ART has issued 33.47 million TREES credits to Guyana for the five-year period from 2016 to 2020.

► On December 2, 2022, Guyana and Hess Corporation signed the first ever transaction globally, for the sale of jurisdictional ART TREES Credits. These credits come from the TREES standard that recognizes the value of maintaining forests. The transaction is for the sale of 37.5M ART TREES credits from Guyana for years 2016 to 2030, for which payment will be made over 2022 to 2032 (the next 10 years). TOTAL minimum payment for the contract for 37.5M ART TREES Forestry Credits to be paid over 2022 to 2032 is a minimum of US$750 million.

Engagements with NTC on issues of concern continue

With the National Toshaos Council (NTC) recognized as the primary interlocuter between the government and the 200-plus Amerindian communities in Guyana, meetings on issues of concerned continued on Wednesday (January 11, 2023).

Vice President, Hon. Bharrat Jagdeo, engaged the elected Council to advance discussion on the rollout of the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030 financing to Amerindian communities.

The LCDS 2030 was informed by robust consultations with over 200 Amerindian Villages over a seven month period. This extensive participatory and inclusive process allowed for the LCDS 2030 to benefit from in depth feedback and all aspects of the Strategy, including on Guyana’s jurisdictional approach and benefits sharing programme.

Following the President’s Address to the Nation in October 2021, the draft Strategy was released on the LCDS website (https:// lcds.gov.gy/ ). As national health restrictions were lifted in March 2021, faceto-face consultations began in focus group meetings and in community consultations across the ten administrative regions. Independent activities by members of the MSSC and civil society were undertaken, while the National Consultation consisted of (i) national level engagements; (ii) thematic engagements; (iii) community-based consultations; (iv) receipt of written feedback; (v) feedback via a website; and (vi) an active public engagement programme. Feedback received throughout the national consultation is summarized in a 315-page report that is publicly available on the LCDS website, showing each comment received and

how it has been used to inform the finalization of the LCDS 2030: https://lcds. gov.gy/summary-of-feedback/. The consultation was well attended and there were extensive discussions and valuable feedback about the LCDS as documented in the summary report on consultations. Information on benefits sharing, village planning, LCDS components, and all other chapters of the LCDS were presented and discussed, with recommendations received. In this session, as in every session held during the community consultations, the proposal for jurisdictional scale engagement in the forest carbon financing mechanism with ART TREES as the standard was presented and discussed with community feedback shared.

Further, also discussed was Budget 2023. Budget Day is Monday, January 16, 2023. Senior Finance Minister Dr. Ashni

Singh, over the last several months, has been meeting and consulting with various stakeholders. As with Budget 2022, this year’s Budget is expected to see critical development programmes for Government being fast-tracked and many

more expanded to reflect Government’s continued transformational agenda for the country which has been taking it forward at a rapid pace over the last two years and months since the PPP/C’s return to office in August 2020.

The Vice President was joined by the Finance Minister, Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, and Senior Director for Climate and REDD+ at the Ministry of Natural Resources, Pradeepa Bholanath, among other technical personnel.

FOCUS ON GUYANA’S FIRST PEOPLE

Major focus on hinterland communities in 2023 – Min Croal

The PPP/C Administration remains steadfast in its dedication to providing adequate access to resources to all communities across the country.

This was reiterated by Housing and Water Minister, Collin Croal during a recent community outreach to the Middle Mazaruni villages.

The minister engaged with residents of Tassarene, River’s View, Kartabo, Dagg Point and Westerbeck, to name a few.

He noted that the budget allocations this year will extend beyond fostering a reliance on one-off grants, honing in on the facilitation of more sustainable development for these communities. “As resources are being injected into our

budget every year, you will see measures targeted to ensure that we somehow look at initiatives that can help you to uplift yourself.

“We are working in every village and every community to ensure that when you elect a government, we will work for everyone’s improvement. When our president speaks towards a One Guyana, one aspect of it is to ensure that as we earn more as a country, similarly, you here in the Middle Mazaruni must also feel the development,” the minister pointed out.

Referencing the hinterland housing programme, Minister Croal noted that Kangaruma will be included in this year’s plan.

After months of con -

sultations, it was recently announced that the 2023 budget will be presented to the National Assembly by Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh on Monday, January 16, 2023.

The small community is currently benefitting from access to potable water through the $3 million water supply system.

During 2022, several projects were undertaken to facilitate access to potable water in various hinterland communities in the region, such as Kako, Waramadong, Tassarene, Isseneru, and Kaikan. The minister was accompanied by Prime Minister’s Representative, Erwin Ward, and GWI’s Hinterland Service Director, Ramchand Jailall.

GOAL’s certificate programme rolled out in Region Seven

The government continues to maintain its commitment to ensuring equal access to educational opportunities for all Guyanese.

This was highlighted with the rollout of the University of the West Indies (UWI) and Jain certificate programmes under the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) in Bartica, Region Seven recently.

The certificate programmes place emphasis on more technical areas of study, and will help to qualify more persons within the region for employment.

These include Banking, Financial Services and Insurance, Digital Marketing and E-Commerce, Joinery & Cabinet Making, Motorcycle Design, Garment Construction, Photography, Tourism and Hospitality Management, Event Planning, Healthcare, and Agricultural Technology, among a number of others.

In her address to attendees at the St John the Baptist Primary School in Bartica, Public Service Minister, Sonia Parag, reiterated that the rollout of the programmes in the region is in keeping with the government’s com-

mitment, and the president’s vision to narrow the gap of inequality in access to higher education. “As the country is transforming, from infrastructure to health care, we obviously have to develop our educational system. We also have to develop our people because you can’t have a country that is moving forward and the people are stuck,” she pointed out.

While the certificate programmes have been launched early, Minister Parag also encouraged applicants to keep abreast with news pertaining to the scholarships, so that persons desirous of pursuing more advanced and theoretical areas of study may do so.

She stressed the need for skilled persons from across Guyana to fill the gaps that exist in the labour force.

The minister also noted how important it was to come to Region Seven and other regions, to ensure persons have the same opportunities as those living on the coast.

“The reason why I decided to start with Region Seven in my outreach is because I did see low numbers in 2022 as it relates to the GOAL scholarship programme for Region

Seven, and I would like that to change in the upcoming years.”

While Region Seven saw an impressive number of applicants in 2021, 2022 saw a decreased number of applicants, with some 300 forms submitted, and around 276 persons benefitting from the programme.

This year, the application numbers are expected to increase again.

GOAL was launched in 2021, as part of the government’s transformative agenda to have an educated workforce.

Through partnerships with several international Universities, GOAL provides a range of pertinent academic and vocational programmes at the Certificate, Diploma, Bachelors, Postgraduate, Masters, and Doctorate levels.

The primary objective is to deliver 20,000 scholarships by 2025 through a collaboration of agencies including the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Public Service, and the Ministry of Labour.

Thus far, over 13,000 persons have benefitted.

$53M water supply system commissioned in Tassarene

Approximately 331 residents in the village of Tassarene, located in Middle Mazaruni, have received first time access to potable water with the installation of a new water supply system, valued $53.9 million.

The system was commissioned by Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal on Sunday morning. The minister was accompanied by Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) Executive Director of Hinterland Services, Ranchand Jailall, Toshao Alvin Joseph, GWI Senior Engineer, Khemraj Persaud and other village leaders.

The scope of the project includes the installation of 3000 metres of 50mm (2”) PVC pipes and 1000 metres of 19mm (3/4”) pipes with 60 services connection, and the construction of a 20 feet high elevated metal trestle. It also includes the installation of a photovoltaic pumping system with a submersible pump, controller and solar panel.

Minister Croal lauded the efforts of the Guyana Water Incorporated for putting systems in place to provide adequate water access to the community. He reminded that regardless of how small the community, government will continue to seek them out to foster development.

“It does not matter where you live, because this PPP/C government will find you. We will ensure that we reach out to you and provide you with the necessary support that is required to make your

lives better and uplift your communities.”

He reiterated the government’s continued efforts to equip and empower persons, especially in hinterland communities, with the necessary skill set to earn a living.

Minister Croal impressed that with the current trajectory of the country’s development, guided by the President Ali-led administration, Guyana’s future is bright and seeping with potential.

“Our children’s future is bright because as our country continues to grow, we expect them to make use of the opportunities that you, the parents, did not have,” he said.

Moreover, the minister emphasised the importance of having the residents work along with the government to encourage community development, adding that Region Seven will not be left out of government’s development agenda. “We don’t look at political persuasion when we are investing in our people. We don’t look at the voting pattern of a village and prioritise. We will continue to invest to ensure that right across the length and breadth of this region, we put systems in place so that you can have a better quality of life,” the housing and water minister assured.

Prime Minister’s Hinterland Representative, Erwin Ward noted that development is taking place throughout the Mazaruni villages. “It goes to show the courage and persistence of the government as well as the Guyana Water Incorpo-

rated. As a government we will continue to work very hard to ensure that the entire Middle Mazaruni can come to a point where we can all live happily,” Ward noted.

GWI’s Executive Director of Hinterland Services noted that the community through its Community Service Officers (CSOs) is equipped with the necessary training to utilise, monitor and maintain the system.

Toshao Joseph urged residents to utilise the system with care, as it supplies an invaluable resource to the community.

The new system is in keeping with Sustainable Development Goal Six, which aims to ensure that all communities have adequate access to water.

Since assuming office, the PPP/C government has encouraged continued improvements with regard to access to potable water in the region. The population with access to water in Region Seven in 2020 was 3,818 persons which is 34 per cent of the population within the region. With the interventions undertaken in 2021, the population with access to water increased to 5,384 persons which is 47 per cent at the end of 2021. These figures are set to further increase following completion of the new contracts awarded.

During his visit to the community, Minister Croal also distributed sporting gear to the children and engaged further with residents as they expressed developmental concerns.

Some 500 households in Bartica and surrounding communities in Region Seven will now benefit from an additional $40,000 in disposable income each month following the launch of the government’s part-time jobs initiative in the region on Saturday.

The initiative will see one person from a household working 10 days for

the ascribed amount, in areas like health, agriculture, education, and community development.

Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, who was accompanied by Minister of Public Service, Sonia Parag, and regional officials at the launch, urged residents to take advantage of the job opportunities. “The Vice

President has started this initiative to ensure that those who are particularly vulnerable are able to assist their families, to improve the quality of their lives,” she explained.

Attendees, who turned out in their numbers at the St John the Baptist Primary School in Bartica expressed their eagerness for programme.

500 households to benefit from part-time jobs in Region Seven

ON

First payment from Hess Corporation for Guyana-issued carbon credits

Guyana has received its first payment for carbon credits under the agreement with the Hess Corporation. US$75 million has been paid, and is the first payment in an agreement that will be worth a minimum of US$750 million up to 2030.

Two further payments of US$37.5 million each will be made during 2023 – one in January and one in July – bringing the total amount available for appropriation in this year’s National Budget to US$150 million.

The payment is a result of the Government of Guyana’s continued recognition of the important role that Guyana’s forests play in not only the development of the country, but in combatting climate change globally. Guided by the ground-breaking Low

Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030, Guyana has set out a vision for monetising the climate and ecosystem services provided by our standing forest, while accelerating the country’s economic development along a low carbon trajectory.

On December 1, 2022, the Architecture for REDD+ Transactions announced the issuance of 33.47 million TREES credit to Guyana for the five-year period from 2016 to 2020. The Architecture for REDD+ Transactions (ART) is a global initiative that seeks to incentivise the reducing of emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD), as well as restore forests and protect intact forests.

On December 2, 2022, the Government of Guyana

IDB greenlights funding for Diamond/Grove to Timehri road project

Public Works Minister, Bishop Juan Edghill announced that the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has approved some US$ 100 million to commence the Diamond/Grove to Timehri road project.

The minister made the announcement during a recent interview, where he added that, “The Diamond/Grove to Timehri road which is what people are very concerned about will see that upgrade. We have the approval of the money from the IDB and we are at finalising the procurement for the contractor to engage in the interim.”

The loan was requested through the IDB’s Programme to Support Climate Resilient Infrastructure Development.

Under this programme, the government will be looking to improve road safety, pedestrian infrastructure, and utility networks.

The aim is to mitigate congestion and delays faced by commuters traversing along the corridor.

Currently, the government is utilising local funds to desilt all the drains and widen roads along the Diamond/Grove corridor. The drainage works are expected to be completed by month end as works on the 16 lots are moving apace.

“I am sure commuters are satisfied in as much as we haven’t solved the prob-

lem totally. The ride through Grove has been significantly improved and it is moving much faster because of the interventions that we have made and we continue to do some maintenance work almost on a nightly basis,” Minister Edghill noted.

Meanwhile, the government is working on creating an alternate route to mitigate traffic congestion along the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) corridor.

Thus far, an alternate route has been rehabilitated for persons residing in the Diamond Housing Scheme to enter and exit through Avenues A and B instead of the usual route at the Diamond Junction.

Further, road rehabilitation is underway as two bridges are expected to be constructed from Avenue A to link Diamond to Grove. Another bridge will be constructed from Grove to allow persons to exit at Busbee Dam, Craig.

“Which means you will bypass the entire Diamond/ Grove and come out just after the temple which is to the waterside at Busbee Dam. So that will be an alternative route and these are projects that are ongoing,” the minister said.

Once completed, the alternate route will enable persons to travel all the way to Timehri from Diamond.

entered into an agreement with the Hess Corporation for the sale of carbon credits for a minimum of US$750 million between 2022 and 2032 (See theattached Payment Schedule).The first payment from the Hess Corporation to Guyana for the sale of carbon credits has been made, with the total deposit of US$75 million representing:

• US$37.5 million for 2.5 million ART-TREES credits from 2016 at a price of US$15/tonne of CO2e

• US$37.5 million for 2.5 million ART-TREES credits from 2017 at a price of US$15/tonne of CO2e

These payments have been deposited in a US dollar-denominated account held by the Bank of Guyana overseas, for onward transmission to the Consolidated Fund,

which will be credited with the Guyana dollar equivalent.

In keeping with the commitments made in the LCDS 2030 and Resolution No. 45, adopted by the National Assembly on August 8, 2022, the National Assembly, including through its Committees, will have oversight of the investment of all national revenues received from forest climate markets and managed via the Consolidated Fund through the budgetary process.

Every payment and payment source will be communicated publicly at the point of payment, and at the point of transfer into the Consolidated Fund, when the payment value in Guyana Dollars will also be communicated. Deposits will be allocated as follows:

The allocation of 15 percent to community/village-led programmes for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) as set out in Village Sustainability Plans or equivalent, put together by communities themselves, and the remaining 85 percent will be allocated to national priorities outlined in the LCDS 2030 (e.g. renewable energy as described in Chapter 3, land titling as described in Chapter 4, repairing canals, and protecting against climate change as outlined in chapter 5).

In keeping with established budgetary process enshrined in law, the Minister of Finance shall request the National Assembly to approve withdrawals from the Consolidated Fund, which

shall be included in the Annual Budget Proposal.

All these transactions will be appropriately tagged with a unique identifier on the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) within the Ministry of Finance to enable the execution of annual audits.

Guyana is a global leader in the effort to combat climate change, with the PPP/C Government’s commitment within the framework of the LCDS 2030 to tackle the climate crisis while simultaneously fostering and accelerating broad-based and sustainable growth. The PPP/C Government remains committed to managing Guyana’s resources in a clear and transparent manner, to the benefit of present and future generations.

First 100 low-income homes underway in Region Three

The government remains steadfast in its effort to provide affordable housing to Guyanese across the country.

As a demonstration of this, the first 100 low-income homes are already underway in Leonora, Region Three.

This is in keeping with the government’s manifesto promise to deliver 50,000 house lots to Guyanese within its first term in office.

Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal highlighted that the region is no exception to the ministry’s aggressive housing programme. “We have a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Republic Bank for the construction of 500

houses here in Region Three. Already the first 100 is ongoing within Leonora, Edinburg, and Cornelia Ida where we are about 40 per cent complete. “So, in another few months, one can see persons who are going through our system and that is to be able to pre-qualify with the bank being able to take up occupancy on those houses, here in Region Three,” the minister stated.

The Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) and Republic Bank Limited (RBL) signed the MOU for the financing of 500 low-income houses in Leonora in July 2022.

The 20 x 30 (625 square feet) two-bedroom flat units

will be constructed at a cost of $5.5 million each.

The projects involve building access roads, bridges, culverts, and drainage networks in addition to installing water and electrical supply networks.

As the region remains poised for massive developments, Minister Croal also cited other large-scale infrastructure projects, such as the $11 billion four-lane Schoonord to Crane fourlane highway, which will open up opportunities for residential and commercial development.

Minister Croal noted that this will help to generate income for the residents and create job opportunities.

“Right now, we have over 1,100 community roads that have been awarded for which almost all communities in Region Three, you will see concrete or asphaltic concrete works taking place…Very shortly, you will works commencing across the region like is happening on the entire coastland,” he highlighted.

For 2022, some 2,800 house lots were allocated in Region Three.

To date, over 4,660 new lots were allocated in the region.

The government’s national housing programme caters for all sections of society regardless of geographic location.

Ituni farmers engage Agri. Minister on land leases, hemp cultivation

F armers from Ituni, a village located in the interior part of Region Ten (Upper Demerara-Berbice), on Tuesday (January 10, 2022), sought the government’s assistance with expanding their cultivation.

While some own and operate small farms to sustain their families, many persons in the village are now engaged in the large-scale production of a variety of fruits and vegetables.

Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha visited the village to meet farmers to discuss how the government can assist with ramping up

production. This is in keeping with the government’s and CARICOM’s efforts to reduce the regional import bill by 25% by the end of 2025.

Minister Mustapha told farmers present that the time for subsistent farming has passed and that the government was serious about agriculture as it is the only sector that can guarantee food security.

Referencing the impact that the closure of the bauxite industry has had on the economic status of many persons in the region, the minister said building re -

silience in sectors like the agriculture sector remains a priority for the President Irfaan Ali-led government.

“We’ve seen what happened to the economy in these parts when the bauxite industry closed. This is why we have to develop the agriculture sector. Although we are now an oil and gas producer, we have to continue to develop the sector. We have to use the earnings from the oil and gas sector to develop the productive sectors like the agriculture sector,” he noted.

One of the farmers who engaged the minister about receiving a lease for agricul-

tural lands

Farmers present said they have taken note of the government’s efforts to transform the sector so far. While explaining that they too are passionate about agriculture, several farmers indicated that access to farmlands to expand cultivation continues to be a hindrance.

Another farmer present said he believes in the president’s vision for the sector but needed land so that he can expand. While expressing his optimism that under this government he will be issued a lease for agricultur-

ON ‘PLAN FOR

WIIN 2023 registration opens with new courses

The Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, through the Guyana Women’s Leadership Institute, has opened registration for the 2023 batch of Women’s Investment and Innovation Network (WIIN) training.

This year, interested persons will be trained in new areas such as food tourism, social media marketing, design, décor and events management, entrepreneurship, project management, leadership-advocacy.

Meanwhile, persons will also be trained in recurring courses such as child care, care for the elderly, graphics design, home management television and video production and garment construction.

Minister of Human Ser-

vices and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud stated, “WIIN continues to transform the lives of thousands of women across all the regions of Guyana through its flexible, inclusive and impactful hybrid training format. This free training initiative continues to yield entrepreneurs, and women owned businesses and empowered women who are knowledgeable in various technical vocational areas. This is a dynamic programme that adapts to fit our country’s needs and is continually reviewed to ensure that there is a high probability for employment. The WIIN training programme is one component of a holistic vision that seeks to equip women with all the tools and knowledge to become financially independent and confi-

dent to seek opportunities for self-development and upward mobility. the intention is to encourage more women to enter the labour market and to reduce the existent gender divide further. Guyana has made significant strides and programmes in this regard and WIIN is a tangible investment in this regard. I encourage women to sign on this year and commit to finishing their chosen area and to utilize the complementary programmes; WIIN in Business Clinics, the WIIN App, the WIIN business incubator and funding opportunities when they arise. These are also free and open to all. We are here to serve and I wish all the new applicants every success as we introduce new courses now and all year round and widen the scope of

Major bridges to be constructed from Kurupukari to Lethem

Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill said works on the 32 bridges from Kurupukari to Lethem will be completed this year along with some 13 bridges from Mabura Hill to Kurupukari.

The announcement was made in a recent interview where he added that, “So that’s major bridges across the Demerara River, across the Corentyne River, and of course 32 plus 13 which is a total of 45 bridges on the entire carriageway from Mabura Hill to Lethem, all these bridges being built according to international standards moving out the old timber and wooden bridges,” Minister Edghill said.

The contracts for the con-

struction of the bridges were signed in April 2022 between the ministry and six contractors to the tune of $3.19 billion. The works form part of the government’s strategy to advance hinterland development through enhanced interconnectivity.

To this end, the bridges will be built to international standards upgrading from wood to concrete. It also forms part of a bigger plan that will link with the construction of the Linden to Mabura road.

The areas where bridges will be rehabilitated include Iwokrama, Surama, Carmudi, Massara Junction, Annai, Yakarinta, Gunip Landing, Point Ranch, Hunt Oil, and Pirata.

Additionally, the government is discussing the construction of a bridge from the Kurupukari River (Essequibo River) with various interested parties, which will create 24-hour access between Linden to Lethem.

“Right now, at Kurupukari trucks and vehicles cross by the way of a pontoon, once we get a bridge across there, the road becomes a 24-hour road and that is what is required to keep traffic flowing continuously,” he said.

Meanwhile, Minister Edghill relayed the government’s plan to construct a high-span bridge across the Berbice River. The discussions, plans, and study will see some movement in 2023.

Commodity prices remain stable at major markets – GMC

P revailing retail prices as projected by the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) for the period January 11 to 23, 2023, indicate that non-traditional agricultural commodities remain stable at all major markets across the country.

GMC carried out checks at Kumaka, Anna Regina, Parika, Vreed-en-Hoop, Diamond, Stabroek, Bourda, Mon Repos, and Skeldon municipal markets.

Price checks on the average market price for a bundle of bora saw a drop of almost 32 per cent, while other fresh produce such as cucumber, pak choi, and

lettuce were noticeably reduced.

Staple produce such as cassava, eddoes, plantains, potatoes, and yams remain unchanged or have reduced significantly at the markets.

GMC also confirmed that the prices for chicken, beef and mutton were reduced by seven per cent and are readily available countrywide.

Notably, vegetables such as boulanger, cabbage, ochro, and pumpkin have remained under $500 per parcel and/or lb respectively.

Meanwhile, Guyanese can look forward to the continuation of this stable trend as farmers encounter more

favourable weather conditions in the coming months, which is expected to incentivise increased production.

In 2022, food production received some G$38 billion which saw an increase in climate-smart agriculture as well as an increase in agro-processing facilities and training.

These innovations will increase the availability and shelf-life of local produce, while food production in Guyana will continue to see further investments in 2023 that will improve overall productivity within the sector.

opportunities. We are looking forward to doubling the number of women trained and supported this year.”

Coordinator of the programme, Sanjay Pooran noted, “The WIIN programme has been nothing short of a phenomenal success. It has improved the lives of 6,000 women in all 10 Regions of Guyana in just two years. WIIN provides a combination of technical and vocational training, opportunities for entrepreneurial development, and access to financing opportunities. This programme emanates from a sincere desire on the part of the Honorable Minister, Dr. Vindhya Persaud and the Government of Guyana’s vision to see women empowered and excelling in all facets of

national life.”

Persons desirous of signing up for one of the listed courses can do so by filling a digital application using the link http://www.facebook. com/humanservicesgy.

No past academic qualification is needed but persons must provide a valid telephone number, a form of identification (passport or identification card). For those doing classes online, a computer is required with a camera and stable internet connection.

Registration closes on February 28, 2023. For more information, persons can call 229-2751 or 229-2842.

When the programme began in 2021 the number of courses offered has increase every year.

In the initial year, 2170

persons trained with Regions Four (588), Two (409), Five (345), Three (320) and Six (307) seeing the highest turnouts.

In 2022, the programme saw a 62% increase in participants with over 10,000 persons applying. Region Four had the highest number of persons trained at 937 while Regions Three and Five each had over 500 persons trained. In the hinterland, over 350 persons were trained.

Region Nine saw an increase by 532% while Region Seven (396%) and Region Ten (335%) also had hefty increases with regards to persons trained from 2021 and 2022. Last year, 758 persons were trained in child care while 563 persons were trained in graphic design and 523 in care for the elderly.

100 acres to be developed to house cattle in Kwakwani

During a series of meetings with farmers from Kwakwani last Tuesday, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha pledged the government’s support to restore agriculture in the communities.

Generally known for logging and agriculture, Kwakwani, a community located along the Berbice River in Region Ten, is also known for its agricultural potential and outputs.

During a meeting at the Kwakwani workers’ club, several farmers who engaged the minister indicated that they are passionate about agriculture and the government’s investments but need assistance to take their production to the next level.

One farmer said her farm is constantly under attack by Acoushi ants and cattle that are owned by other farmers in the community. “You can be asleep and by the time you get up in the morning the druggers (Acoushi ants) are gone with all your produce. It is not the druggers, is the cows. People loosing their cows and it coming into my garden and eating out my things and I am not the only farmer this is happening to,” the farmer indicated.

Another farmer told the minister that she would like to get into agro-processing. She explained that after selling her produce, the surplus often is dumped because she has no market for them and would like to

‒ Secondary Schools to benefit from shadehouse

learn how to produce soaps and other commodities.

Meanwhile, another farmer at the meeting told the minister that many farmers in the community need technical knowledge and financing to expand.

While responding to farmers, Minister Mustapha said that a programme has been implemented where farmers from hinterland communities are now able to benefit from free acoustic ant bait. “This programme has been in place since I became Minister of Agriculture and you will also benefit. I will also make ten bongo pumps and chemicals available to the community to assist with managing the Acoushi ants. You will also receive planting materials to assist with expanding your cultivation,” he said.

While addressing concerns raised by farmers about cattle in the community, Minister Mustapha said that the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) will work with the community to develop lands to house cattle. “We want to develop the cattle industry but this cannot be to the detriment of the other sectors. So, through the GLDA, we’ll identify and develop 100 acres for cattle in the community. We’ll fence it so that the cattle cannot go into your farms and destroy your crops. We’re also promoting agro-processing. One farmer said she wanted to get involved in the production of

soap and other commodities so, very soon, officers from the New GMC will come and do some training. They will also assist with finding markets for your crops and agro-processed products,” the minister said.

Minister Mustapha also said that assistance will be given to the agricultural science department at the Kwakwani Secondary School. “I’m happy to see so many students in attendance. This shows that young people are excited about agriculture. So, to help those writing CSEC exams, we’ll donate a shadehouse to the school’s agriculture science department. Officers from NAREI will set it up and provide the planting materials to get started. We’ll also donate six piglets to the school from the GLDA,” he added.

Farmers seeking financial assistance were encouraged to submit applications to the Small Business Bureau so that they can access grants to expand their farms. Minister Mustapha also promised to engage officials from the Demerara Bank to see how banking services can be extended to the community.

Farmers present at the meeting also received seeds, chemicals, gardening tools, and other agricultural inputs. Teams from the various agencies are expected to return to the ministry to deliver on commitments made by the minister in the coming weeks.

DELIVERING ON ‘PLAN FOR PROSPERITY’

Over 2,000 overseas registrations processed in 2022 – Registrar General

A s Guyana continues its rapid economic transformation, Guyanese who have migrated to countries around the world are returning to explore the array of opportunities.

The General Register Office (GRO) has reported an increase in overseas birth applications.

This was disclosed by the Registrar General of the GRO Raymon Cummings during a recent interview, where he added that, “Last year, we processed about 2, 132 overseas registrations, which to my mind if we look at it, is pretty high compared to previous years and it is obvious that the

successes that are being achieved in Guyana are resonating around the world,” Cummings relayed.

He said the majority of these applications are coming from persons residing in the United States, United Kingdom, and countries in the Caribbean.

Cummings believes that the local content legislation passed in 2021 is helping persons to understand the value of maintaining their Guyanese connections.

“These are children who are born to parents who were born in Guyana. So, if one of your parents is born in Guyana…you can get a Guyanese birth certificate,

a Guyanese by descent you call it,” he explained.

Persons who wish to apply for a birth certificate can utilise the online platform. Certificates will be available within five days following application. “You should not wait longer than five days. We aim to get everything out within a three-to-five-day period for the online applications,” the registrar general emphasised.

Meanwhile, GRO issued 91, 503 birth, 10,021 death, and 9,307 marriage certificates in 2022.

The GRO falls under the purview of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

132 roads to be constructed in Berbice

‒ 8 additional roads upgraded in Cane Field, Enterprise

The county of Berbice continues to feel the government’s presence as Public Works Minister, Bishop Juan Edghill conducted several inspections and community meetings in the area on Thursday.

The minister assured residents of the government’s dedication to fostering development during a community meeting with the Canefield-Enterprise Neighbourhood Democratic Council.

He reminded them of the supplementary amount granted during the previous sitting of the National Assembly, allocated for the construction and rehabilitation of community roads.

Minister Edghill stated that those funds will see 132 more roads being constructed in the county. Of this lot, the minister disclosed that some $150 million will be

expended to construct and rehabilitate eight additional roads in the Canefield, Enterprise area.

This is a joint project being undertaken and supervised by the Public Works Ministry, the Housing and Water Ministry, and the Local Government and Regional Development Ministry.

In December 2022, $18.2 billion was provided under the Public Works Ministry for the advancement of the Miscellaneous Roads/ Drainage Programme which will see communities in the ten administrative regions benefitting from improved roadways and drainage.

“Government is there to improve people’s lives, not to annoy them, and the PPP/C Administration has been very careful in that while we are implementing projects and bringing devel-

opment to communities that projects must bring satisfaction and joy to the people”, the minister said.

He highlighted that amid the major infrastructural projects being undertaken, of equal importance is the rehabilitation, maintenance, and construction of smaller community roads to enhance the lives of residents in every community.

He said too that, “When we talk about development and modernisation for Guyana, it must not only be about driving on a fancy highway. It must be about local roads as well. That is why there is this collaboration.”

The minister was accompanied by Region Six Chairman David Armogan, Vice-Chairman, Zamaal Hussein, engineers from the Housing and Water Ministry, and other officials from the NDC and Regional Democratic Council (RDC).

community roads to be rehabilitated countrywide in 2023

Guyanese countrywide can look forward to some 1,200 community roads being rehabilitated this year, through the Ministry of Public Works.

Minister, Bishop Juan Edghill, who made the recent disclosure, said the ministry will be joining forces with the ministries of housing and water and local government and regional development, to execute the transformative project. “Very early in the new year you will see works being executed in about 1200 roads across the country in every local authority area. I know somebody might be thinking ‘I hope my road will be in that list’ but just think about the thousands that were done in 2022 and the hundreds that were done in 2020 and 2021 when we came into office. And with this additional 1,200 that will be coming

out early in 2023, will see actual work being done.”

Minister Edghill highlighted that most of the works under the community roads programme are awarded and will be executed shortly.

Additionally, the ministry will be focusing heavily on advancing farm to market access roads, which will significantly support agricultural development.

The development and maintenance of hinterland roads are other focus areas of the government, with over 100 kilometres of hinterland road currently being rehabilitated in rigid pavement concrete.

Meanwhile, major projects that were launched in 2022 are well on the way to completion, including the Conversation tree to Durey Lane, which will see the completion of a four-lane

road. The Cemetery Road to Mandela Avenue four-lane road will also be completed along with the Independence Boulevard project.

“There will be major work in terms of our road network in 2023, we will see actual work on the East Coast Demerara upgrade which will be work undertaken from Sheriff Street all the way out on the East Coast, improving the whole corridor to four lanes. Our main access roads we are continuing to build out…we want to continue with the road Ogle to Eccles which is being funded by the Indian Exim Bank, these are all projects that you will see visibly before your eyes,” he added.

The minister relayed that 2023 will be a very robust and exciting year for the ministry, in terms of project execution.

1,200

Ituni farmers engage Agri. Minister...

al lands, the farmer said that he was fully into agriculture and would like to leave a legacy for generations to come from the sector. “I chose to vote for this government because I believe that the President is a man for the people. I’ve heard of instances where people applied for land and waited for years. I’m 48 years old and I don’t want to have to wait for another 25 years to have a license or a lease for this land. I am not doing this for myself, I am doing this for my children and grandchildren to come. So, I’d like to ask the Honourable Minister to please look into my application because it is there. I want to be able to say that through my choice and President Ali being elected I’ve been able to achieve what I wanted which is to put things in place for my future generation,” he noted.

Additionally, farmers expressed their interest in getting involved in the cultivation of hemp. Citing the industry’s profitability, several farmers sought clarity on how they can be given access to the necessary permits to cultivate industrial hemp.

Minister Mustapha told farmers that although the Ministry of Agriculture is not responsible for issuing farmlands, the ministry often engages the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission on issues relating to leases for farming. “Our President, His Excellency, Dr. President Irfaan Ali is very passionate about agriculture. Guyana is currently producing 60% of the food we consume but as a government, we are not satisfied with that. We want to produce all of the food we consume and also diversify and increase our exports.

We’ll speak with officials from the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission to set up a meeting soon in Ituni. Our officers will also come back with that team to have meetings so that all the farmers who applied for lands to do agriculture can receive those leases as soon as possible,” the minister said.

While answering questions about hemp cultivation, Minister Mustapha said the process to develop the regulatory body to guide the industry has commenced.

“We recently passed legislation to legalize the culti -

vation of industrial hemp in Guyana. The legislation stipulates that a regulatory body has to be in place and we’ve commenced the process of having that body developed. Two regions were identified for the initial cultivation of hemp; Regions Six and Ten. So, when the regulatory body is in place you will be able to apply for licenses to cultivate industrial hemp. I want to assure you that small-holding farmers will benefit. This project will target farmers who have small acreages, maybe one or two acres,” he explained.

Minister Mustapha, while encouraging persons to develop farmers’ groups, committed to assisting the Ituni Superfem Women’s Group with Black Giant chicks as they look to develop the poultry sector in the village. He also committed to supplying several bongo pumps and Acoushi ant bait to assist farmers who are constantly affected by the pests. Officers from the ministry are expected to return to the village soon to deliver on commitments made by the minister in the coming weeks.

President Ali calls on Indian...

demic to illustrate how the world is closely connected, and how a global crisis can have a sweeping effect on economies. To this end, he posited that with the right environmental policy framework, technology can also be used to affect the world positively. He, therefore, urged India to provide leadership in this area and called on the industry leaders to establish a new framework for creating a sustainable future. “Today there is need for a new global investment order…that seeks to create a win-win situation between states, that seeks to harmonise strategies and policymaking, that seeks to have greater market integration, that seeks to have

greater people integration, that seeks to create a more balanced compatible policy environment and one in which we can match our strategies of development.”

Dr Ali said there is a clear match strategy if one should look at the vision Guyana and India want to achieve.

The PPP/C Government is embarking on building the services sector in Guyana and the region. Though CARICOM may seem small, it is the most influential tourism market in the world, one that requires people, and financial and hospitality services. “India you are positioned in a way better than others to be the leader in the vision of these services

to support the ecosystem. And I invite you to look at the opportunities as they exist in positioning yourself as the strongest player in providing human resource, capacity, capability, and competence in servicing these industries in the region,” the Guyanese leader underscored.

He said Guyana is advancing to be an important player in technology, food production, energy security, human resource development, natural resources, climate change, and security.

President Ali said his government understands its global responsibility and is committed to ensuring the local economy expands drastically.

President Ali proposes new global...

crises, the global pandemic, and interstate conflicts.

He underscored the need for increased, improved, and fast access to concessional financing for climate adaptation to ensure greater resilience against the adverse effects of climate change.

President Ali stated that sustainable development is unachievable without food security, and therefore, the south must act collectively to guarantee its full security. “It can do so by dismantling artificial

and unwarranted barriers to trade in agricultural commodities, attracting great investments in food production, and promoting the wider dissemination of agricultural technologies, especially climate-smart technologies,” he said.

The President also expressed support for India’s proposal to the United Nations to designate 2023 as the Year of Millets, small, round whole grains grown in India, and congratulated India on the recognition. He also recommended that

(From page 9)

the Voice of Global South Summit convened by the Prime Minister of India be part of an ongoing conversation involving not only the countries of the south but also organisations such as the Commonwealth, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Organization of African Caribbean and Pacific States, Group of 77 and China. He reassured Guyana’s unwavering support in the areas of food security, energy security, climate security, human dignity and prosperity.

Cash transfers to every household...

part of building a future that is not sustainable,” he reiterated.

President Ali said the PPP/C Government is embarking on a massive development trajectory that will lay the foundation to build an economy that will perform in a world 2030 and beyond. “We want to build a country that is very deliberate in the architecture that we’re building for macroeconomic stability, for resilience, for sustainability, and to ensure continuous growth and development,“ he said.

In outlying the vision for 2030 and beyond, President Ali said the aim is to make Guyana a leader in food security and agro-processing, as well as ecological, biological, financial, technological, health and manufacturing services. “So, we have to understand what is required of us now to achieve this. And that is the type of discourse that I think is necessary. It is how

we ensure we build a system an architecture that is fit for purpose and gives us that ability to be flexible and build a competitive environment in which our country will operate globally,’ he underscored.

President Ali however, pointed out that the country’s services industry cannot be built with inadequate human resources. To this end, the government is investing heavily in skills training and scholarship opportunities to ensure the country is equipped with the right complement of human resources to support its development.

Already, the government is investing billions of dollars in massive infrastructure development countrywide. These include the new highway from Mandela to Diamond, the East Coast to East Bank Demerara Road, and the Schoonord to Crane Road. President Ali said technical works are in pro-

(From page 9)

cess to continue the Eccles to Diamond highway all the way to Buzz Bee Dam, Craig, and then to Land of Canaan. He also mentioned the commencement of the new highway along the Railway Embankment, as well as a new highway in New Amsterdam to Moleson Creek. Additionally, President Ali noted that all the bridges along the Linden to Lethem trail are being built to international standard, while the government is also looking at building a new four-lane river bridge at Wismar, Linden.

Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, Senior Minister in the Office of the President, Dr Ashni Singh and other Government Ministers were in attendance. Members of the private sector, the Guyana Bar Association and other stakeholders also participated.

Commodity prices remain stable...

Moreover, food security continues to be a paramount policy initiative for the Government of Guyana, which

holds lead responsibility for agriculture, agricultural diversification, and food security in CARICOM –

(From page 17)

spearheading the regional body’s quest to reduce its food import bill by 25 per cent by 2025.

Natural Resource Fund stands at

The Quarterly Report on the Natural Resources Fund, as at December 2022, was published this week by the Bank of Guyana.

And in the Tuesday (January 10, 2022) publication, noted that at the end of the year the balance in the NRF stood at US$1.27 billion.

The report said, “During the quarter, Guyana has lifted six 1-million-barrel (approximate) oil cargoes as its share of profit oil, with the payment for two lifts to be received on January 3 & 23, 2023 respectively. In 2022, Guyana accounted for the scheduled thirteen lifts as expected for the year. To date, Guyana obtained twenty-two lifts of profit oil since the inception of the Fund.”

The report added, “During the quarter, the Fund accounted for under the accrual basis inflows amounting to G$119,146.84 million (US$571.45 million) comprising of profit oil - G$105,188.37 million (US$504.50 million) and royalties - G$13,958.47 million (US$66.95 million). All of the Royalties were deposited into the Natural Resource Fund account held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, but profit oil payments for two lifts which occurred in November and December 2022 totalling G$32,224.15 million (US$154.55 million) are to be received in January 2023. As a result of an additional FPSO being in operation, more lifts were made and hence, more profit oil received compared to previous quarters. Since its inception, the Fund has accounted for G$374,518.14 million (US$1,796.25 million) from 22 lifts of profit oil and G$45,885.16 million (US$220.07 million) from royalties.”

According to section 16 of the Natural Resource Fund Act 2021, all withdrawals from the Fund shall be de-

posited into the Consolidated Fund. During the quarter, transfers to the Government of Guyana’s Consolidated Fund account amounted to G$43,294.31 million (US$207.65 million). This amount represents the remaining 34.17% of the total amount budgeted to be withdrawn in 2022 bringing total withdrawals for the year to G$126,694.31 million (US$607.65 million).

On the question on investments, the report made clear that there has been no investment mandate for the Fund and all petroleum revenues are held as cash deposits in the Natural Resource Fund account.

The Natural Resource Fund was formed by the enactment of the Natural Resource Fund Act 2019 which was passed in the National Assembly on January 3, 2019 and assented to by the President on January 23, 2019. This act was subsequently replaced with the Natural Resource Fund Act 2021 which was passed in the National Assembly on December 29, 2021 and assented to by the President on December 30, 2021.

The Act gives the Bank of Guyana the responsibility for the operational management of the Fund. The publication of the report is in fulfilment of the requirements set out in section 29 (2) of the Natural Resource Fund Act 2021 which requires the Bank of Guyana to report on the activities and financial performance of the Natural Resource Fund.

FOURTH NOTIFICATION MADE TO PARLIAMENT

Meanwhile, Senior Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh on January 6, 2022 submitted Notification of Receipts to Parliament of all petroleum revenues paid into the Natural Resource Fund

(NRF) during the period 1st October 2022 to 31st December 2022, pursuant to Section 33 (2) of the NRF Act 2021.

This notification was published in the Official Gazette on the 5th January 2023 and demonstrates the People Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government’s continued commitment to the principles of transparency and accountability in the management of Guyana’s oil resources.

It would be recalled that the NRF Act 2021, came into operation on January 1, 2022, replacing the illegitimate NRF Act 2019 passed by the APNU/AFC caretaker administration. The NRF Act 2021 allows for substantial improvement in the management of the natural resource wealth of Guyana including the establishment of a Board of Directors which is responsible for reviewing and approving the policies of the Fund and monitoring its performance, thereby separating the management of the Fund from the Minister responsible for Finance. Another key amendment in the new legislation is that the Minister of Finance could face up to ten years imprisonment if he fails to disclose the receipt of any petroleum revenue received by Government in the Official Gazette within three months of receipt of such monies.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF), in its 2022 Article IV mission to Guyana in May-June of 2022, commended the PPP/C Government on the amendments made to the NRF Act and highlighted that: “The NRF Act was strengthened recently. After a thorough review, and while restraining the spending of the oil receipts, the authorities amended the NRF Act December 2021.

The recent amendments set clear ceilings on withdrawals from the Fund for budgetary

spending.”

The PPP/C Government intends to continue to manage Guyana’s oil resources in a clear and transparent manner, to the benefit of present and future generations.

OIL FINDS

Since 2015, 40 discoveries have been made offshore Guyana:

• Thirty-four (35) of those discoveries were made at the Stabroek block;

• 2 at the Orinduik block –Jethro-1 (August 28, 2019) and Joe-1 (September 23, 2019);

• 1 at the Kanuku block – Carapa-1 (January 1, 2020);

• 1 at the Corentyne blockKawa-1 (March 16, 2022); and

• 1 at the Kaieteur Block –Tanager-1 (November 16, 2020).

The discoveries to date include at the Stabroek Block by Exxon Mobil, include:

1. Liza-1 (May 9, 2015)

2. Liza Deep (January 9, 2017)

3. Payara-1 (January 9, 2017)

4. Snoek-1 (March 30, 2017)

5. Turbot-1 (October 11, 2017)

6. Ranger-1 (January 5, 2018)

7. Pacora (March 5, 2018)

8. Longtail-1 (June 20, 2018)

9. Hammerhead-1 (August 30, 2018)

10. Pluma -1 (December 3, 2018)

11. Tilapia-1 (February 4, 2019)

12. Haimara-1 (February 4, 2019)

13. Yellowtail-1 (April 16, 2019)

14. Tripletail-1 (September 16, 2019)

15. Mako-1 (December 20, 2019)

16. Uaru-1 (January 23, 2020)

17. Yellowtail-2 (July 29, 2020)

18. Redtail-1 (September 7, 2020)

19. Hassa-1 (March 23, 2021)

20. Uaru-2 (April 28, 2021)

21. Longtail-3 (June 8, 2021)

22. Whiptail-1 (July 26, 2021) 23. Whiptail-2 (July 26, 2021)

24. Turbot-2 (September 9, 2021)

25. Pinktail-1 (September 9, 2021)

26. Cataback-1 (October 6, 2021)

27. Fangtooth-1 (January 5, 2022)

28. Lau Lau-1 (January 5, 2022)

29. Barreleye-1 (April 25, 2022)

30. Lukanani-1 (April 25, 2022)

31. Patwa-1 (April 25, 2022) 32. Seabob-1 (July 26, 2022) 33. Kiru Kiru-1 (July 26, 2022) 34. Sailfin-1 (October 26, 2022) 35. Yarrow-1 (October 26,

2022)

In the Stabroek block, the Liza Phase 1 Development began production in late 2019 and reached its peak capacity of 120,000 barrels per day (bpd) in December 2020. Production from Liza Phase 2 began in February 2022 and is expected to reach its capacity of 220,000 bpd by the end of the year. On 30th September, 2020, the government of Guyana announced their approval of the Payara Offshore Development Project. With an estimated resource base of approximately 600 million oil-equivalent barrels, production of up to 220,000 bpd is expected to begin in 2023. Plans are in order for ExxonMobil’s 4th project –the Yellowtail Development project - which is expected to start production of 250,000 bpd in 2025 taking Guyana to a production level of 810,000 bpd. It is projected that by 2027, 6 to 7 projects will be in operation and by the end of the decade, Guyana’s oil production will increase to more than 1 million bpd. The Stabroek Block is estimated to contain resources of approximately 11 billion oilequivalent barrels and is operated by ExxonMobil affiliate Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited. They hold a 45% interest in the block, Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd. holds 30% interest while CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited holds the remaining 25%.

A full breakdown of receipts of profit oil and royalties to the Natural Resource Fund since its inception

COMMENTARY

Budget 2023 unlikely to disappoint Guyanese as our country moves forward

By Dr. Leslie Ramsammy

Commentary this week begins with extending our congratulations to President Irfaan Ali. This past week, President Ali was conferred with the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award by the Government of India. As Guyanese we are proud of our President. He joins Dr. Cheddi Jagan, Dr. Bharat Jagdeo and Donald Ramotar, former Presidents of Guyana, who were also conferred with this prestigious award. This is an award made every year to recognize the stellar contributions of a person in the Indian Diaspora. President Droupadi Murmu of India conferred President Ali with the award on Tuesday, January 10. President Ali was recognized for outstanding contributions in politics and community welfare. PPP presidents continue to make our country proud, with every one of them receiving various international prestigious awards.

Even as our President pitches in India for more international investment in Guyana, Guyana’s Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, is preparing to read Budget 2023 in Parliament on Monday, January 16, 2023. There is no reason to think that his presentation in parliament on Monday will be any shorter than his presentation for Budget 2022 which lasted more than five hours. It is not that Minister Singh has a love for long speeches. It is just that Minister Singh and President Irfaan Ali’s PPP Government have a lot to talk about. He has much to talk about the many development projects that have taken place in Guyana in recent times, in

particular in 2022. He has much to talk about for those projects that will materialize in 2023. While Minister Singh is likely to talk extensively of the many physical infrastructure projects that will permanently change the landscape of Guyana, that will change the way we live, importantly, Minister Singh’s Budget 2023 presentation is likely to focus on the social welfare needs of our people. This has always been a PPP budget focus and priority area. Budget 2023 follows the January 1st 73rd founding anniversary of the PPP. From the inception, people have been at the center of the development focus for the party.

Budget 2023 will be presented with the World Bank most recent global economic projections for 2023 and 2024 as a backdrop. According to the WB, the Latin America and Caribbean Region will face a tough 2023 and 2024. In fact, the World Bank is projecting that there will be a severe economic downturn for the Region of Latin America and the Caribbean, slowing down to an average GDP growth of 1.3% for 2023.

But for Guyana, the projection is that our country will be among only a handful of countries that will show significant growth in 2023.

The World Bank projects Guyana will experience a GDP growth rate of more than 25% in 2023 and continue the trajectory in 2024 with a growth rate of more than 21%. The 2023 economic growth projection for Guyana is almost 20 times what the Regional average is. The second ranking country projected for 2023 for the region is St. Vincent and the Grenadines which is projected at 6% for 2023. The continued growth rate

for Guyana in 2023 will build on the phenomenal growth that took place in 2022 when Guyana performed at a greater than 58% GDP growth.

We, therefore, can Minister Ashni to speak extensively of the 58% GDP growth that took place in 2022. The opposition, their surrogates, sycophants and the naysayers will beat their chest and scream that the GDP growth in Guyana has nothing to do with President Irfaan Ali’s and the PPP Government’s policies and programs. They will claim that the GDP growth in Guyana is only because of OIL and GAS. Incidentally, it is some of these naysayers who also insist we must leave the oil and gas under the sea until we can renegotiate the bad PNC-deal with EXXON. But the truth is that even if we leave out OIL and GAS, the non-OIL GDP growth in Guyana is still the highest in the region and globally. No one in President Ali’s cabinet will deny the importance of OIL and GAS. None of us is denying that our growth is driven by OIL and GAS. But President Ali’s and the PPP Government’s astute planning and pro-growth, pro-people policies have ensured that the traditional and other new economic platforms continue to grow.

It is the big difference between the PPP and their political opponents and also the difference between Guyana and other countries. While the PNC-led APNU/ AFC Government pursued an oil economy, abandoning our traditional economy, preferring that people develop small-time enterprises like selling “cook-up, dog food and plantain chips”, the PPP is building a diversified economy, using the resources of OIL and GAS

to strengthen and expand the traditional economy and opening up new platforms for economic development. Budget 2023 will deal extensively with how the economy will continue to experience massive diversification. Minister Singh will have much to talk about on these issues. It is for this reason that I believe that Minister Ashni will create a slight shock if his Budget 2023 presentation does not exceed the length of his Budget 2022 presentation.

While we are yet to hear any announcement from Government as to the contents of Budget 2023, there are some things we can take for granted. One of the things, we can be confident of is that there will be no new taxes to burden our people or our businesses. Since 1992, the PPP has presented more than twenty budgets. None of these budgets introduced new taxes and none increased taxation. The PPP’s history is that it has either reduced taxes or removed taxes. We will recall that between 2015 and 2020, the PNC-led APNU/AFC Government introduced or increased more than 200 taxes. These taxes burdened people and suffocated the economy. The PPP in 2020/2021 removed all the new tases that APNU/ AFC introduced and reverted all the increased taxes to pre-2015 levels. There is no reason for Mirror Commentary to expect that this record will be altered during the presentation of Budget 2023.

One area for sure that Minister Ashni will spend time on is Housing and Water. No matter who is the messenger, a supporter of the PPP or a supporter of the PNC or any other political party, even among the naysayers, people rec -

ognize that among the indisputable successes for the PPP government since 1992 is that more homes for 1,000 population have been constructed than in any other country in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our Housing Program is one of the global success stories. One of the burdens and ugly realities that the PPP inherited in 1992 was that Guyana became known as a “squatter” country. There were 216 squatter communities, including some of the largest in CARICOM, such as Sophia in Georgetown and Angoy’s Avenue in New Amsterdam.

The PPP in its terms of government has succeeded in regularizing 175 of these “squatter” communities. The rest cannot be regularized because they are in areas that cannot safely accommodate housing. Still, the government is not acting with a “big stick” as the PNC-led APNU/AFC Government did in 2017 when they dismantled homes of people who had squatted in government reserves in Sophia. Insisting that the squatters must remove for “aesthetic” reasons, the government dismantled the houses without notice and without compensation. For those who have squatted in areas that cannot be regularized, the PPP government is treating them with dignity, offering them compensation and moving them to areas where they can settle legally. People can expect Minister Ashni to speak extensively of investments the Government will make to expand housing by creating new housing schemes around the country. For sure, if one bets on it, it is surety that you would win that bet.

Community roads are a living standard issue. In 2022, more community

roads were rebuilt or built for the first time than in any other single year. This is another of the sure bet for Budget 2022. Expect Minister Ashni to speak a lot about community roads in Budget 2023. Already Minister Juan Edghill has announced that a minimum of 1,200 community roads will be constructed in 2023.

But Roads, Bridges and Highways will represent an exciting part of the Budget 2023 presentation. Citizens can expect Minister Ashni to light up as he speaks about Roads, Bridges and Highways. Already, we know that $US100M has been secured to expand the roadway from Grove (East Bank) to Timehri. Expect more pronouncements like this in Budget 2023. For example, we can expect further announcement about the roads from Timehri to Linden, Linden to Mabura and to Lethem, the road from Wales to Parika, from #59 to the Berbice River and announcements about the new Demerara River Bridge, the new Corentyne River Bridge, and a new Berbice River Bridge.

Budget 2023 will not disappoint people. There will be “goodies” for people, for school children, pensioners, students seeking higher education, for the health sector. One thing about Budget Day during the time the PPP is in Government is that people look forward to Budget Day, people are excited by Budget Day. Whether it was the old PNC Days or the time when the PNC disguised itself as APNU/AFC, people used to be fearful.

Guyanese, undoubtedly, can be confident that Budget 2023 will be a historic budget and one that will accelerate Guyana’s transformation.

PPP/C gov’t is committed to equitable roll out of programmes – Teixeira

The PPP/C Administration is continuing the equitable roll out of programmes geared towards the development of all Guyanese.

This was reaffirmed by Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Minister, Gail

Teixeira during a recent interview on the Global Indian Series podcast. Since assuming office on August 2, 2o20, the government has been working assiduously to introduce programmes aimed at improving the lives of all

Guyanese. “What are our policies? Are they ethnically biased? Is there a state policy that says Indo-Guyanese first, Afro-Guyanese second? There is no such thing that is happening,“ she said, noting that what is being portrayed by the

opposition is false.

Minister Teixeira explained that the COVID-19 relief and the ‘Because We Care’ cash grants were all aimed at reaching every single Guyanese. “We have the increases in salaries for the Guyana Defence Force and

the police, … majority are Afro-Guyanese. The public servants are just getting the eight per cent, another eight per cent increase, again majority are Afro-Guyanese,” the minister noted.

She explained that it was during the APNU+AFC tenure that 30,000 persons were left jobless. Also, hundreds of taxes were implemented making life difficult for poor people. “We’ve had to try to create and find jobs for people in terms of the number of social and economic programmes,”

Minister Teixeira relayed.

In addition, under the previous government, large companies were given government contracts, sidelining small contractors who were also bidding for projects. “The procurement system was clogged up with the largest companies that supported and financed them,” she revealed.

Now, there are around 1,000 small contractors who have been given the opportunity to earn via contracts for government projects at the community level.

The Government of Guyana has been commended for the implementation of several policy responses to the challenges the country faced.

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in its December 2022 report, ‘Headwinds Facing the Post-Pandemic Recovery’ highlighted the government’s efforts at the micro level, to support productive sectors and vulnerable populations.

Notably, the excise tax on petroleum was reduced from 20 to 10 per cent in January, then reduced further to zero in March 2022.

The IDB also pointed to the fact that tariffs on services such as water and electricity remained fixed, with the government absorbing higher operating costs. In relation to its support to vulnerable groups, US$ 3.8 million was distributed in the form of one -off cash grants for households in the interior and riverain communities.

Public assistance was increased to $14,000 per person per month, benefitting approximately 18,000 people, with payments extended to persons living with permanent disabilities.

Old age pension was increased from $25,000 to $28,000 monthly, which will see 65,000 senior citizens benefitting nationwide.

In addition, US$4.8 million was allocated for the purchase and distribution of fertiliser for farmers to reduce operating costs.

The report also noted that the fiscal sector has benefitted from higher payments to the Natural Resource Fund.

According to the NRF quarterly reports published by the Ministry of Finance, the fund benefitted from a total of US$1.45 billion through September 2022 since its creation in 2020, including almost US$840 million in 2022.

As part of its efforts to strengthen food security, government continues to promote the Vision 2025 by 25 policy, which seeks to reduce the high CARICOM food import bill by 25 per cent by 2025, government strengthen food

The report stated that Guyana is among the governments in the region that have been organising investment forums to promote technological improvements in agriculture and foreign direct investment.

IDB commends gov’t for -support for working class, vulnerable groups, productive sectors, more