Weekend Mirror 15-16 October 2022

Facebook, Twitter asked to remove posts with illegal maps of Guyana

The Chief Executive Of ficers of Facebook and Twitter have been written to about the renewed and orchestrated disinforma tion campaign being waged against Guyana by a number of Spanish-language social

media accounts claiming Guyana’s territory via the publication of illegal maps.

In letters to Facebook and Twitter CEOs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs called out the social media operatives have been utilising Facebook

and Twitter platforms, to propagate a false narrative regarding the extant matter of the controversy between Guyana and Venezuela about the validity of the 1899 Ar bitral Award which settled the land boundary between

Guyana and Venezuela.

Further highlighted was the potential of the social me dia postings to permanently damage relations between States, incite violence against the territory and people of Guyana, and derail the cur

rent adjudication of the mat ter before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).’’

Given that the postings violate the basic tenet of in ternational relations between States, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Co operative Republic of Guy ana and incite a threat of use of force against Guyana, the Chief Executive Officers of Facebook and Twitter were asked to have them removed.

123 YEARS

Guyana commemorated the 123rd anniversary of the 1899 Arbitral Award, which settled a land boundary dispute which had existed between British Guiana (now Guyana) and Venezuela, on October 4, 2022.

A statement from the Government of Guyana said, “123 years ago today an Ar bitral Tribunal comprising some of the most eminent judges of their time, pre sided over by the venera ble Russian jurist Frédéric Frommhold de Martens, and appointed by Britain, Vene zuela and the United States -Venezuela’s patron, deliv ered an Award which defined the land boundary between Venezuela and the then Brit ish Guiana.

“The Tribunal was cre ated by the Treaty of Wash ington of 1897 under which the parties – both Britain and Venezuela – agreed to accept the Tribunal’s Award as ‘a full, perfect and final settle ment’ of the boundary issue. 123 years later, Guyana still accepts and celebrates the Award as such.

“Venezuela had applaud ed the Award. In the words of the law firm handling Venezuela’s case, written in the American Journal of International Law as late as 1949: “The Award secured to Venezuela the mouth of the Orinoco and control of the Orinoco basin, these being the most important questions at issue.”

“On 7th May 1905, an official boundary map was

drawn up by Commissioners of Britain and Venezuela delineating the boundary as awarded by the Tribunal.

For almost sixty years, Ven ezuela recognised, respected – and even protected – that boundary.

“In 1962 however, as Guyana’s independence drew closer and the neighbour would no longer be Britain but a fledgling State, Ven ezuela abandoned the path of propriety and with it the rule of law and cast eyes on Guiana’s Essequibo territory.

“As Guyana celebrates this anniversary date of the Arbitral Award of Paris of 3rd October 1899, we cele brate the rule of international law and the sanctity of Trea ties. We celebrate that our quest for justice has led us to the hallowed halls of the In ternational Court of Justice.”

MOVE TO COURT

Under the United Nations Charter and the Court’s own rules, final judgments from the ICJ both on jurisdiction and the merits will be legal ly binding on Guyana and Venezuela, whether or not Venezuela participates in the proceedings.

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

The move to the ICJ was advanced there was no suc cess with a further attempt, using the United Nations’ Good Offices process, to resolve the matter of Ven ezuela’s renewed claim to Guyana’s territory, the Esse quibo County. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, in 2015, charged that the signing of the 1966 Geneva Agreement rendered the 1899

Coalition’s own actions exposes Voters’ List claims as false – Nandlall

Attorney General and Le gal Affairs Minister, Anil Nandlall, SC, said the non-par ticipation of the APNU+AFC in the claims and objections exer cise shows that the allegations of a bloated list are false.

Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton, had revealed recently, that the APNU+AFC did not participate in the claims and objections exercise which was concluded on September 21.

Nandlall said, “He can’t do that because what he’s saying is not right. He can’t do because one, he’s lazy, that’s the first thing […] What he’s alleging is

not true, so he can’t go and re move nobody off the list legally through the claims and objection period.”

The AG reminded that in 2015, it was the same AP NU+AFC that attempted to take 1,500 names of persons from Moraikobai, Region Five, off the list, claiming that those persons were dead. “We had to bring the 1,500 people down with boat – 65 miles up the Mahaicony River… and bring them to Region Five, to show that they were alive, to reject their claim…”, the Attorney General said.

He also noted that this was the same list that earned the APNU+AFC a one-seat major ity during the 2011 General and Regional Elections. “It’s the very bloated list that won them the elections in 2015. It wasn’t bloated then? It’s the same list,” he reasoned.

Minister Nandlall said every argument of the Opposition Leader can be dissected and demolished as there is no intel ligent argument.

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) had ex tended the claims and objections exercise to seven days, conclud

ing on Sunday, September 21.

The Claims and Objections exercise within the continuous registration process is conducted at the registration offices and

sub-offices for a specified peri od. This exercise provides eligi ble electors, who did not regis ter, the opportunity to gain entry to the list of electors or to update

their particulars (transfers and changes) and it also provides the opportunity for objections to particulars in the Preliminary List of Electors (PLE).

Coalition’s Duncan called out for misinformation

The APNU+AFC Co

alition is under fire, yet again, for deliberately peddling misinformation.

This time, Coalition Parliamentarian, Sherod Duncan, was called out for claims that the Fort Wellington Hospital has been without power for

several days.

A statement released by the Department of Public Information said, “There has been no black out at the hospital for any moment, much less days as claimed by Opposition MP Sherod Duncan this evening on social media.

Furthermore, there is a standby generator in per fect working condition at the hospital.”

The Coalition’s use of social media to peddle misinformation has seen it being rapped repeatedly, particularly given the con sequences of such actions.

Political Hypocrisy and the PNCR-led Coalition

The political hypocrisy of the Parliamentary Opposition, the APNU+AFC Coalition, renders serious consideration of their ramblings, an almost impossible task.

Importantly, at each turn:

• One, there must be recognition that the PNCR-led Coali tion’s mask of political hypocrisy is used for sinister, self-in terested purposes;

• Two, every effort has to be made to expose and condemn these instances of hypocritical posturing; and

• Three, the associated, inherent, risk of misinformation must be underscored, given the societal disruptions this can poten tially cause, if left unchecked.

Relative to the Coalition’s mask of political hypocrisy, which is used for sinister and self-interested purposes, it has been well established that the PNCR-led grouping has demonstrated, repeatedly, that it is interested in power, not the Guyanese people. The Coalition secured its May 2015 electoral victory on a narrow margin of just over 4,000 votes. There was no talk of inclusion – as is now being touted by many Coalition-aligned elements who recognise that the March 2020 General and Regional Elections resulted in a loss for the APNU+AFC Coalition. This was the first signal that the Coalition was all about power, not the Guyanese people. What took place in those five years resulted in our economy being brought almost to its knees and thousands of Guyanese being left worst off than they were after five years of Coali tion rule. The APNU+AFC Coalition made grand promises in 2015 about the ‘good life’ for all, but instead introduced a backward and misdirected developmental agenda based solely on increasing taxation. This led to increased cost of living, a loss of about 30,000 jobs, an increase in poverty and in crime. The disparity between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ became sharper and wider. This was the second area where the Coalition’s focus was on power, not the Guyanese people, was evidenced. The discriminatory approach with regards to distribution of goods and services and state re sources became clear with the normalizing of corruption in government, issuance of contracts, procurement and the lack of transparency and accountability. The 2016 renegotiation of the ExxonMobil contract is just one example that comes to mind, but it is one that demonstrated not just corruption, but a level of incompetence and ineptitude – not to mention a clear anti-national position – that has not been seen before by any government since independence. This is a third area where the Coalition was all about power and not about the people. The reintroduction of the principle of party paramountcy in the state machinery is the fourth area we see power being the APNU+AFC Coalition’s focus. These, admittedly, are a mere few examples that expose the Coalition’s priorities.

Further, on the instances of hypocritical posturing, these have become more frequent since August 2020. For exam ple, having attempted, barefacedly, to undermine the will of the Guyanese people and failed, the PNCR-led cabal is now attempting to project itself as the purveyors of everything democratic. Additionally, only recently, on October 11, 2022, Leader of the PNCR and the APNU+AFC Coalition claimed that the PPP/C government is shirking its responsibilities to the development of Guyanese youth, when in fact: • Thousands have benefited from the GOAL scholarship pro gramme. A total of 6,280 scholarships were awarded in 2021 of which 2,026 were male, and 4,254 were female. A total of 7,410 scholarships were awarded in 2022 of which 2,026 were male, and 5,384 were female. GOAL is on track in fulfilling its mandate to provide equitable access to tertiary education and skills training to persons all across Guyana;

• 7,839, including 4,909 females and 2,930 males, have ben efited from vocational training under the Board of Industrial Training. The programmes range from auto body repairs and agro-processing to plumbing and interior design.

• In 2022, the Government of Guyana launched the GROW (Get Ready for Opportunities to Work) initiative which target ed students who would not have been able to matriculate from High school into a tertiary programme. GROW’s purpose is to provide an alternative pathway through two internation ally recognized bridge programmes, which after completion persons would be able to gain entry to a tertiary education.

A total of 3,139 scholars were awarded scholarships under the GROW. Of these, 1,848 were awarded a scholarship for

All the talk of a ‘bloated’ list is only old, debunked talk

Dear Editor,

Over the past few months, the Guy ana Elections Commission (GECOM) advanced several transparent and com mendable election preparation and re lated initiatives. These were targeted at obtaining an updated and credible list of electors, to ensure the satisfactory conduct of overdue Local Government Elections (LGEs). Aside from the inclusive and fully attended participation of scrutineers from key political parties, the PNC-led APNU/ AFC Coalition has reacted true to form, by continuing to cast shallow criticisms on the preliminary List of Electors.

A highly successful continuous reg istration exercise was conducted between March 7 and May 29, 2022, from all of GECOM’s permanent Registration Offic es in all of the ten administrative regions across the country. The very successful process realised over 70,000 transactions, thereby producing a very good Register of Registrants.

GECOM reported that 28,149 were new registrants between the ages of 14 and 17, while 21,130 were new registrants above the age of 18. Also, 4,629 per sons applied for transfers; 6,526 persons changed or corrected their information; 7,667 applied for replacement identification cards, and 1,940 registrants retook their ID photos.

The continuous registration exercise was followed by a period of claims and objections, which was further extended at the behest of the PNC-led APNU/AFC. During this period, a mere 18 objections were recorded. Transactions were slowpaced, and this is strongly linked to the thorough work that was done during the former cycle. It is factual that the PNC is historically known for throwing up a list with hundreds of false claims.

In this respect, however, the thorough

ness demanded that they support their usual fictitious claims with the necessary supporting documentation. Further, their participating scrutineers were able to con firm that the old system of just putting up unsubstantiated names is a waste of time.

GECOM is now fully prepared and ready to hold Local Government Elections. Hence, all the talk of a ‘bloated’ list is only old talk.

It is public knowledge that PNCR and Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton led the cries about the list being bloated based on the inclusion of dead persons, and the claims and objections exercise presented the opportunity for the Opposition to ensure the appropriate screening.

Many of their questions have been answered, and naysayers have had the opportunity to object to names on the List that should be removed. Based on the list put up by GECOM around the country, it is observed that the names of many persons who died are already removed, presumably due to the coordination between the Gener al Registrar’s Office and GECOM.

Aside from the foregoing, one naturally recalls the events and flagrant attempts at thievery that took place following the National and Regional Elections of 2nd March 2020. The events which were fa cilitated by some contaminated GECOM staff during those 5 unforgettable months must never be allowed to take place again. There is a dire need for confirming fuller transparency in staff selection approaches at these levels, and in defining responsibilities concerning GECOM functions. The brutal lessons of procedural abuse have taught this nation that all ambiguous and open-ended discretion of interpretations regarding the procedure must be made clear, and we must ensure that we have free and fair elections in Guyana.

Because PNC continued their demon stration of immunity by employing a

the SCQF (Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework) Diploma programme which is geared for those persons who never wrote their CSEC/GCE examinations. A further 1,291 were awarded a scholarship for the GED (General Education Diploma) programme which targets those students who did not obtain passes in five or more CSEC/GCE subjects partic ularly in Mathematics or English. Upon successful completion of these programmes, the more than 3,000 Guyanese would be able to obtain a High-School equivalent diploma and be granted access to a tertiary education.

• Scores have benefited from employment opportunities, in cluding within the public service. Relative to the latter, as of 2022 a total of 1,054 employees have been hired across the 10 Administrative regions with the highest number, 214, being drawn from Region 1.

• In 2022, a special focus was placed on the community of Mocha Arcadia. An ICT training hub under the CEIT was established which saw 13 previously unemployed persons successfully completing the training programme. They were offered immediately employment by Qualfon.

• About 124 young professionals have benefited from the ongoing programme to build young professional homes; and

• A total of 11,096 to date have been allocated land for hous ing. Importantly, on the point of Afro-Guyanese benefiting from land allocations, the data shows that 50.9% (5,648) of the house lots distributed were to Afro-Guyanese, 41.4% (4,599) to Indo-Guyanese and the remaining 7.7% (849) to persons of the mixed race. This is how human development is measured, through opportunities for self-enhancement and asset creation.

less-than- transparent approach to rigging elections, their support base behaved as if it was a norm in the efforts to keep their knees on the necks of the Guyanese nation for five long months, in order to steal the Elections. The situation therefore justifies a genuine need for us to strengthen legislation by ensuring clarity and supporting stronger penalties to act as a deterrent to all “riggers” who are knowingly concerned in breaches.

Further, GECOM must be fully pre pared to conduct a robust regulation exer cise during and after the casting of votes’ process in order to realise the activation of transparent and free and fair mechanisms that would produce the earliest announce ment of the results. The recruitment and placement of Election Day staff must be transparent and carefully done. The elec toral process must be very clear in the Rep resentation of the People Act. Further, the regulations must be very clear and specific, to ensure that the processes are resistant to attempts at uncanny manipulation.

Opposition personnel were very ac tive during the continuous registration exercise, and they were more active during the claims and objections process. They even called for an extension of the C&O exercise. It is good to know that they did not have any negative comments about the process.

Now that GECOM has completed successful continuous registration and claims and objections exercises, it is clear that Local Government Elections are to be held very soon. Let us therefore respect and support the very positive approaches that GECOM has shown.

Local Government Elections must be held as scheduled by GECOM. It will strengthen our democracy at the grassroots level, and unite our people.

Sincerely, Neil Kumar

These are only a few examples, but what is clear is that facts like these are ignored by the Coalition and this point bring us to the associated, inherent, risk of misinformation. In the months since Aubrey Norton became leader of the PNCR, Chairman of the APNU and leader of the APNU+AFC Parlia mentary Opposition, what has been made clear is his obsession with misinformation and blatant disrespect for the intelligence of Guyanese. Fact checking Aubrey Norton does not seem to deter him, but it is done, not for him, but for the benefit of the people he seeks to mislead. However, the difference in the approach by the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) in recent years, compared to prior to 2015, is the effort being made to respond to misinformation – misinformation that al though wildly bizarre has to be rubbished least it be allowed to morph into a misguided perception.

Looking forward, it is a welcomed sign that majority of Guyanese are, undoubtedly, disillusioned with the PNCR-led APNU+AFC Coalition and this bodes well for our young nation’s development and prosperity. However, as the events of the March 2020 Elections proved, vigilance will always remain necessary.

In the words of Dr. Cheddi Jagan the PNCR-led Coali tion is engaged in the “seductive and politically rewarding adventure” of flirting with half-truths and “the intention is to perpetuate the status quo by confusion and to transfer blame for failure from the PNC government to others.”

The fight to protect our democratic and developmental gains will be one that continues. At the end of the day, we keep what we fight for.

PPP/C government’s laudable agri drive remains robust

Editor,

Am I surprised? The answer is an em phatic ‘No’.

Not waning in his drive, he still renewed his commitment, as he sourced his ‘ex tra-push’ from the fillip he got from the May 2020 Agri-Investment Forum and Expo. He explained that this served as a catalyst for investors from Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, Israel and other countries. The Minister added that the Israelis expressed their inter est in hydroponics, a non-traditional way of growing crops. This in particular, being fairly new to Guyana, “… will see the increase in the number of shade houses used in the pro duction of high-value crops, such as broccoli, carrots and cauliflower at Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara (ECD).”

So, I think we all can agree that we have been getting so far, ‘value for our money’ where agriculture is concerned. Let’s remem ber that our National Budget 2022 earmarked some $28.7 billion to ensure the rapid growth and development in Guyana’s agriculture sector. So far this is paying great dividends, as the agriculture sector has so far recorded significant growth in the first half of this year. The details show that at mid-year, “… growth in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sectors expanded by some 10.9 per cent and is expected to grow by 11.9 per cent”. The even bigger picture is that Guyana became the leader in the Caribbean in its food secu rity efforts to lower the high food import bill in the Region and to ensure food security.

What

a big boost it is to learn that “for eign investors (are beginning to) signal interest in (Guyana’s) agriculture sector. The dailies report that “Guyana’s agriculture sector has been receiving significant rec ognition across the Region, as the country forges ahead with major investments and strategic solutions to reduce the country’s, and by extension, the Region’s food import bill by 25 per cent by 2025.” According to Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, “… several investors, both foreign and from the Guyanese Diaspora, have signalled a renewed interest in the country’s agriculture sector.”

He detailed that “We have a number of in vestors; more and more people are coming to Guyana to invest … We have a number of persons from the Guyanese Diaspora who want to come and invest in various sectors in agriculture.”

Firstly, we need to realise that agricul ture is very important in Guyana. In fact, it makes sense to be pre-occupied herein, as Guyana’s vast tracts of productive land present enormous opportunities for growth.

And where agriculture is concerned, histor ically it has been one of the most important productive sectors of Guyana’s economy.

As a matter of fact, agriculture accounts for approximately one-third of Guyana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 30 per cent of the country’s employment. Yes, agriculture is for subsistence livelihood, but it must not stop there. We must go the next mile and promote agriculture as a wealth generator and entrepreneurial enterprise, thereby producing food and non-food commodities to meet lo cal and export demands. And this is exactly where the Agri boss is heading, and I ‘tip my hat’ to him.

AFC’s hypocritical utterings are repugnant

Dear Editor,

Editor, I have no reservation about ap plauding this kind of initiative. It makes me absorb ever deeper what Minister Zulfikar Mustapha said in August 2020, when he was made the head of this important sector. At that time, he alluded to the fact that he was ‘a man who knows agriculture, having been involved in it at the grassroots and practical level’. So confident is the Minister, that his plan is to have another hydroponics farm near the Soesdyke-Linden Highway; this is already underway, and when realised, “… is anticipated to be the largest hydroponics project in Latin America and the Caribbe an… (even accommodating) blueberries, strawberries and other exotic crops…”

I do remind all that “At the 33rd In ter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of Caricom (Carib bean Community) held back in May, the commitment was that measures will be put into place, towards achieving the ‘25 by 25’ agriculture target, which is to reduce the Region’s US$6 billion food import bill by 25 per cent by the year 2025.

My prognosis is that the goal will be achieved.

Yours truly, H Singh

I

t is sometimes invaluable for one to reflect on what ‘hypocrisy’ is. It can be defined as the state of pretending to have beliefs, opinions, virtues, feelings, qualities, or standards that one does not actually have.

On reading the AFC’s statement and that on the Leader of the Oppositions on salary increase for teachers, I felt compelled to vent my repug nance to these hypocritical utterings. It would seem that Mr Norton now realised that the men tal well-being of teachers should be a priority.

I must draw Messrs Ramjattan and Norton attention to some of what they promised the people of Guyana, such as ‘significant salary increases’ to the public servants, ‘20% increase across the board’ to sugar workers, no closure of any sugar estate, ‘$9,000 per bag of paddy’, etcetera.

In the Kaieteur News of October 6, 2022, the headline blasts “AFC proposes $100,000 pay hikes for teachers”. Sounds goods, but what has the AFC ever done for teachers when they were in government?

It was a then AFC Minister who in 2015 said the 50 per cent hike in salaries and benefits for minister was ‘fair’ and ‘necessary’ and the people of Guyana must ‘trust’ them but in the same breath refused to pay the teachers at the bottom of the scale in 2015 a cent over $50,000. Now these snake oil sales persons in the AFC are coming with their crocodile tears demanding $100,000 for the teachers when they refused to do anything good for those in the education and the other sectors when they were in power during the period 2015-2020.

What did they give the teachers in 2015, a measly five per cent? What did the Ramjattan cabal given themselves? Ten times that rate (50 per cent). To compound the deception and disingenuousness, in the same year 2015, it was none other than the man in charge – Mr. Joseph Harmon who said ‘he would make no apologies

for the 50 per cent salary increase to Cabinet Ministers’, arguing it was well deserved. Well the pertinent question is: Was $100,000 per month for the teachers not well deserved in 2015 too under these APNU/AFC chatterers?

The PPP/C Government is cognisant of the needs of all Guyanese and will give increases at the right time to ensure that the inflation rate is kept in check and we all know once the budget allows it, President Irfaan Ali and Vice-President Bharat Jagdeo, who both came from humble beginning, will do all in their power to give the best to all workers, especially the teachers. The government does not need the deceptive cries of the hypocrites to be a reminder of the needs of the working class Guyanese.

For those who do not know, His Excellency the President grew up in a home that is headed by a mother and a father who are dedicated teachers and thus he intimately knows of the challenges of the teaching profession. So, Mr. Ramjattan can stop clutching at the straws and deal first with the mutiny in the AFC against him and address his record of poor leadership while in government and seek to temper his wild talk that is full of hot air. The more he speaks, the more his political platform crumbles because the people continue to see him for who he really is. It is these people in the AFC and the APNU who eliminated some 7,000 jobs in the sugar industry and then refused to pay the people their severance pay. It took a court ruling to force them to settle with the workers.

Today, these people suddenly want to cham pion the cause of the teachers and by extension the very people they kicked out of jobs? Shame on them! The people know and the evidence will clearly demonstrate in 2025 that there is only one road for Mr. Ramjattan, his AFC acolytes and the APNU: that is the way out of government forever.

COMMENTARY

Misguided criticisms ignore big picture, national development trajectory

By Dr. Leslie Ramsammy

Asmall group of persons, including the owner of a

newspaper and a group called Article 13 have become oil and gas experts. They find fault with everything. They

want Guyana to leave the oil in the ground, essential ly claiming that “oil don’t spoil”.

When the deal was signed in 2016, these same persons were mostly either silent or timid in any criticism. It appears that their position was that we could live with the deal when the APNU/ AFC government was in place, when David Granger was President, when Raphael Trotman was in charge of the Natural Resources Ministry.

Or it could be that they were so intimidated by that previous government that they decided that their best option was to remain silent. It is good that they have redis covered their voice. It is good that they now agree with the majority of the people that we live in a free country where no voice is silenced.

To be clear, the oil PSA or the oil deal signed in 2016 between EXXON and the David Granger-led APNU/ AFC government was a bad deal. David Granger, Ra phael Trotman, Winston Jor

don, Volda Lawrence, Moses Nagamootoo, Khemraj Ram jattan, David Patterson and their colleagues are all to be blamed for a deal that gave an advantage to EXXON.

The PPP in opposition and now in Government has nev er been silent. The President, the Vice-President, the Min ister of Natural Resources have all when the PPP was in opposition and since the PPP came back to government have been vocal about the FACT that the previous gov ernment failed the country. The PPP since August 2020 has been trying and has been able to extract benefits. For example, the original PSA did not include any limitation on flaring, causing air pollu tion. Since coming to office, the PPP government has placed limitation on flaring, making flaring an offense and mandating EXXON to pay cost to the Guyana Govern ment for any flaring.

The small group of nay sayers have ignored how the PPP government has taken a real bad deal and ensure that increasingly Guyana is get ting more from the original deal. They have ignored that the PPP government has en sured that any new deal will include better benefits for Guyana. But the PPP govern ment is not being tempted to elicit the wrath of the world when it comes to the sanctity of a contract. The EXXON Oil deal is not the first bad deal Guyana has inherited from the PNC. APNU/AFC is the name of the government that made the bad deal, but that is just another name that the PNC has been hiding be hind. The truth is that APNU/ AFC is just the disguise for the PNC. This commentary has limitations in length and, therefore, does not permit a listing and discussion of the many bad deals past PNC

(Turn to page 22)

International Elections CoI set to commence hearings within weeks

In a matter of weeks, in early November 2022, the international Elections Com mission of Inquiry (CoI) will commence hearings, accord ing to Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall.

The hearings, he ex plained, will done at the building located at 92 Middle Street, Georgetown, which was rented and equipped to facilitate the CoI.

Attorney General said, “The oral hearing will begin in the first week of Novem ber and is expected to go into December until all the relevant witnesses have been committed to give their tes timony and be cross- exam ined……The time schedule fixed for the purpose of the completion by the Commis sion is approximately six months within which the report should be delivered to the President.

“…the premises has since been secured and rented and have been fully furnished and equipped to accommo date the Commissioners, the Secretariat of the Commis sion, a place appointed and furnished for the hearing of evidence as well as to ac commodate lawyers, persons who will be attending, mem bers of the public as well as witnesses and interested par ties and of course the press. All of that has been complet ed…of course you had to get computer, printers, furniture, an audio recording equip ment….to produce transcript of evidence and proceedings of the Commission.”

He explained that the hearings will be both in-per son and virtual. Nandlall said, “The Commissioners will be operating both in Guyana and out of Guyana using the Zoom and other similar platforms. They will be here when they consider it necessary to hold oral hearings.”

The Attorney General added, “After the taking

of statements and after the presentation of the evidence, then the Commission will take its time to assess the evidence and to write the report.”

Notably, several high-level officials of the Guyana Elections Commis sion (GECOM) and the AP NU+AFC are facing charges before the courts for issues relating to the elections. Fur ther, Elections Petition is currently before the Carib bean Court of Justice.

Ali announced an In ternational Commission of Inquiry into the debacle that was Guyana’s March 2020 General and Regional Elec tions on June 16, 2022. He had said, “We, and particu larly your President, prom ised an international CoI, so I say to all those who strug gled and sacrificed, all those who worked in protecting the democracy, that we have, in your honour, before dawn on next Tuesday, your President will name the members of that international CoI…those who subverted democracy, those who cannot present their SOPs, and those who struggled against the will of the people, the CoI will set the truth free from the untruth and the CoI will set those who dwell in the house of democracy and those who dwell in the fire of undem ocratic rule and norms…in honour of the these martyrs too and in honour of all the Guyanese who fought for freedom and democracy, who fought relentlessly in those five months to en sure our country never ever was allowed to go down as an undemocratic nation, in honour of your sacrifices, I committed that we will have an international CoI into the last elections.”

The members are Justice Stanley John, Retired Jus tice of Appeal in Turks and Caicos (Chairman); Justice Godfrey P. Smith, SC, for mer Attorney General, High

Court Judge and Acting Jus tice of Appeal, Eastern Ca ribbean Court; Justice Carl Singh, former Chancellor, Guyana; and Dr. S.Y. Qurai shi, former Chair and Chief Elections Commissioner of India. Dr. Afari Gyan and Dr. Nasim Zaidi will serve as resource personnel.

Ali stressed that the Elec tions CoI is a promise made by the PPP/C Administration and his Administration is pleased to be able to deliver.

“I promised a CoI. So that is why there is a lot of work going on now on how that Terms of Reference is devel oped,” he said.

In October 2020, Ali dis closed that the Government of Guyana was in talks with the international community regarding a Commission of Inquiry into the events of the March 2020 Elections, which saw a five-month delay in the declaration of final election results. He had said, “We’ve already started conversation with various international stakeholders on the subject matter and the international community is also very much interested…the international community was a key part in ensuring that democracy was protected…so the inter national community is going to play a key part in this and they are very keen and they are very interested…in rela tion to a timeframe in having the CoI, I would say that it is in the, not the medium-term, but the immediate-term plan for the Government as we proceed towards the end of the year.”

The first mention of an investigation into the elections was made by Ali, during his inauguration speech on August 8, 2020.

“All of us have an obligation to the nation and to ourselves to ensure that, never again, should any generation of our people be subjected to such unlawful behaviour. There fore, a review of events re lated to the electoral process

Alleged election fraudsters back in court on

The electoral fraud case involving former Dis trict Four (Demerara-Ma haica) Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo; former People’s National Congress/ Reform Chairperson, Volda Lawrence; PNC/R activist, Carol Smith-Joseph and four others, has been adjourned to November 17, 2022.

The matter was called before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan for reports on

October 7, 2022.

The trio, as well as Guy ana Elections Commission staffers – Sherfern Febru ary, Enrique Livan, Denise Bobb-Cummings and Mi chelle Miller – are before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court for allegedly defraud ing the electors of Guyana by declaring a false account of votes for the 2020 elections.

Mingo, Lawrence and Joseph are facing several

electoral fraud charges.

The signatures of Law rence and Joseph were on manipulated declarations for Region 4– issued on March 5, 2020 and March 13, 2020 – that were prepared by Min go. In both cases, the manip ulated declarations increased votes for the APNU+AFC and decreased the votes for the PPP/C. By the end of the recount for Region 4, the

over the last five months will begin shortly to determine forensically exactly what transpired and to hold ac

countable any person who sought to pervert and corrupt the system.” The Head of State had said too that all

necessary reforms will be pursued to make democracy stronger, and the electoral process more transparent.

GECOM waiting on APNU+AFC for information requested by the Guyana Police Force

At the request of the AP NU+AFC, the Chairper son of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Justice (ret’d) Claudette Singh, on September 28, 2022 forwarded to the Guy ana Police Force (GPF) and the General Register Office (GRO), the information sent by the APNU+AFC in rela tion to allegations of voters’ impersonation during the 2020 General and Regional Elections.

In this regard, the GPF has since requested that the

addresses of the alleged per sons to be provided.

Accordingly, the Com mission takes this oppor tunity to inform that its Chairperson, Justice Clau dette Singh has since writ ten to the Chief Scrutineer of APNU+AFC, Ms. Carol Smith-Joseph requesting that the APNU+AFC provide the necessary information so that the GPF can commence its investigation into the al legations of voters’ imper sonation.

A statement from the

Commission said, “Whereas the Commission is com mitted to ensure that the concerns raised by the AP NU+AFC are adequately addressed in a prioritized manner to ensure a reso lution within the shortest time possible, it is of cru cial importance to note that, notwithstanding GECOM is the custodian of the Na tional Register of Registrants Database (NRRDB) which contains personal informa tion of all registrants, the Commission cannot release

such information to the GPF owing to legal confidentiality issues that might arise.”

APNU+AFC

BACKTRACKS

Notably, having vocifer ously defended their position that hundreds of persons who migrated and were not in Guyana, as well as persons who are deceased, voted at the March 2020 General and Regional Elections, the AP NU+AFC Coalition is now backtracking.

The new position came days after an investigation into their claims have been launched.

The Coalition’s Roysdale Forde has said that some persons were “mistaken ly” included in their alleged evidence of voter imperson ation at the 2020 Elections. “We expect the PPP/C will soon crank up its propaganda machine and exhibit a few selected persons who were mistakenly included on the APNU+AFC submissions to GECOM,” Forde said.

Notably, Forde, admitting that the APNU+AFC Coali tion sent about 1,000 names to GECOM as so-called evi dence of voter impersonation, is now admitting that his Party seemingly did no veri fication work before making such claims. Forde said, “In relation to the APNU+AFC’s submission of documented evidence of voter imper sonation by the PPP/C, we can inform the public that GECOM wrote to the Chief Immigration Officer seeking to verify whether the per sons under question were in fact out of the country on March 2, 2020. The Chief Immigration officer, in one correspondence dated the 27th May, 2022, confirmed that over 100 votes on one of the lists submitted by the Co alition were cast for persons who were, in fact, out of the country on Election Day.

“More names remain to be checked and our list of dead persons who miracu lously managed to vote also awaits verification.”

Forde’s comments come as he sought to dismiss the need for an investigated, which was initiated by Attor ney General, Anil Nandlall.

INVESTIGATION

Anil Nandlall, last month, penned a letter to the Chair of the Guyana Elections Com mission (GECOM), retired Justice Claudette Singh, re questing copies of the AP NU+AFC Coalition’s socalled evidence.

In his letter, he said, “These allegations continue

to be peddled in the public domain by leaders and rep resentatives of the aforesaid political entity. At the time and until now, the impression conveyed is that these docu ments and/or data were gen erated by and obtained from the official lawful repository of the specific information, for example, the immigra tion department, the Guyana Police Force and the General Registrar’s Office

“…it is important that the relevant State agency enquires into the source of this information, upon whose directions they were sourced and, perhaps, most impor tantly, to officially reconfirm their inaccuracy, for public record. In the circumstances, I hereby request a copy of these documents to initiate this process.”

Singh, voted in support of the release of documents presented to her by the AP NU+AFC during the recount process for the March 2020 polls on September 6, 2022.

CLAIMS THAT PER SONS NOT IN GUYANA VOTED

During the March 2020 election debacle, the AP NU+AFC Coalition had writ ten to the Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Com mission (GECOM), retired Justice Claudette Singh and produced the false data to back up their unfounded claims.

The GECOM Chair had confirmed that the immi gration authorities had con firmed that 172 of the persons she enquired about were not in the country on elections day, March 02, 2020.

CLAIMS THAT DEAD PERSONS VOTED

Claims by the AP NU+AFC Coalition that it has evidence to support the contention that dead persons voted at the March 2, 2020 Elections remain unsubstan tiated.

The Coalition’s Amna Ally had said, “We have quite a lot more [death certifi cates] in our possession, [but] I can’t give you a count right now [of] how much.

At the time, in response, GECOM Commissioner, Sase Gunraj, made clear that no evidence has been present ed to the Commission. He said, “I sat through a meeting [with the APNU+AFC] that was almost two hours long. It started just after 2pm and it ended just before 4pm and absolutely no evidence was presented at that meeting… what the delegation sought to do was to raise the same

bare allegations about elec toral irregularities without proof. As I indicated to you, not a single allegation or document has been brought to the Commission level in support of any allegation; and I keep stressing on this word allegation because it is a Commission decision as well that any insertion into the Observation Report at the instance of a stakehold er must be out of necessity termed an allegation, because no proof is being provided from the person….I’ve been here every day. I walk around every day and nothing as far as I’m aware has been presented. Nothing has been presented to the Commission level, absolutely nothing.”

Also, several persons had come forward who were on the list, to state that they were alive and did vote at the March 2, 2020 elections. Persons were even upset that they were being used in the APNU+AFC alleged she nanigans.

OTHER CLAIMS

In May 2020, current leader of the PNCR and the Coalition, Aubrey Norton, had made wild claims that at a polling station in Bush Lot, Region 5, the People’s Pro gressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) secured 199 votes and the Coalition secured four votes – but there were only 199 registered voters for that polling station.

He had said: “I want to point out that in Box number 5083 at Bush Lot, Region Five, the official list of elec tors had 199 persons.”

The polling station in reference was at the Bush Lot Nursery School [Divi sion 52213C (ii)]and the number of registered voters whose ballots would have been placed in Ballot Box number 5083 is 257 – not the 199 that Norton claimed.

FISHING EXPEDITION

Notably, it had been pointed out that each politi cal party had polling agents would could have objected to any suspect voter, given that they had access to infor mation of every voter listed to vote at a particular polling station – in the form of voter folios.

Also, the almost fourweek long process of Claims and Objections, which pre ceded the March 2, 2022 General and Regional Elec tions, provided an opportu nity for the names of persons who died to be removed from the Official Voters List and the Coalition has not been

Co-operative Republic of Guyana MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND WATER

CANE VIEW/HERSTELLING (MOCHA) SQUATTERS MUST END ATTEMPT TO DISRUPT NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

FINAL NOTICE

The attempts by persons to disrupt government's development program is nothing but mischievous and an attempt to shift focus. In keeping with the government's mandate to ease traffic congestion by building new highways, the areas under illegal occupation will serve as an essential link for the continuation of the Second Phase of the Eccles to Great Diamond Four-Lane Highway

To date, 20 families have relocated from the Block 'X' Portion, Pln. Herstelling area and have since accepted compensation to the tune of Millions, while a remaining 7 continue to be defiant and make unreasonable demands Their actions have resulted in the stalling of a massive development project, which upon completion will benefit thousands of Guyanese.

Despite joint efforts by the Mocha Arcadia Neighbourhood Democratic Council and the Ministry of Housing and Water, calling on squatters to vacate the lands, they remain uncooperative.

BELOW IS THE SEQUENCE OF INTERVENTIONS MADE THUS FAR:

· May 2008 – Engagement with Mocha residents started and preliminary Inventory exercise carried out.

·

2009 – Block and Occupational Survey done by CH&PA.

The process was halted due to considerations at the Central Government level for the construction of a four-lane highway to provide alternative access to· and from the East Bank of Demerara.

· Held vide Transport No. 402 of 1892.

·

CH&PA could not proceed to request the transfer of the portion of land from the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).

Sept 2021 – Recommencement of engagement by Hon. Collin Croal, Minister of Housing & Water & CH&PA team with residents.

Land identified at Pln. Farm Phase II – (14 lots) and Plot 'B' Pln. Herstelling – (16 lots) for relocation - The cost per lot is valued at:· - Plot B, Pln. Herstelling: 1.2 million (size 46X100) - Pln. Farm, Phase II: $300,000 (size 48x84) - Cost waivered for all lots allocated to squatters who agreed to relocate.

·

Sept 2021 – Household inventory exercise and building numbering were completed.

Oct 2021 - Valuation of properties done by Valuation Office·

·

Oct 2021 - House lot application and interview process was facilitated.

·

Dec 2021 - Drafted relocation contracts between CH&PA and beneficiaries. Beneficiaries were given months to finish construction and relocate

·

Dec 2021- Allocation of house lot to beneficiaries

·

Dec 2021 – Cheques equivalent to current market value for properties and site improvement and displacement cost handed over to squatters.

Jan 2022 - Land identification exercise was done·

Jan 2022- Beneficiaries commenced construction of their homes

·

March 2022 – Beneficiaries commenced processing of titles·

· M $250,050,000

The sum total of disbursed to date as compensation.

- A total of M $5,103,009 was given as compensation for crops.

· June 2022 -Valuation of crops by NAREI was completed

·

July 2022-Compensation for crops as per valuated amount by NAREI

·

CH&PA facilitated the application process to Guyana Water Inc. and Guyana Power and Light for utility services.

·

Additional assistance (Labour and other materials) was given to beneficiaries to complete their structures and improve living environments (landfilling).

· M $ 7To date, in excess of was expended on additional works

·

20 persons relocated to Farm and Herstelling

15 persons are yet to be relocated.

·

Of the remaining 15, eight are at various stages of their relocation process, while 7 households remain non-compliant.

20 structures demolished thus far as those 20 families have since relocated.

· Final Notice to Vacate have been served, with two weeks grace period.

We call on residents to put personal and political agendas aside and see the development vision the Government is working towards. The Government of Guyana remains committed to working with the squatters, as we work towards the provision of housing solutions for all. The above outlined efforts were made and demonstrates every attempt to remain humane and calm. However, as has been the norm, persons continue to use this sensitive matter as a political football, much to the disadvantage of those involved in this illegal activity.

In Focus: Advances in the Agriculture Sector

PPP/C gov’t continues to support local farmers

Thousands turn up plant, seedling distribution

The Ministry of Agriculture on Tuesday (October 11, 2022) hosted a seed and seedling distri bution exercise at its head office on Regent Street as part of its Ag riculture Month 2022 observances. A similar event was hosted in May 2021 in observance of Guyana’s 55th Independence Anniversary.

Persons who visited the ministry benefitted from seedlings such as cherries, guava, passion fruit, sap odilla, pomegranate, and 18-month coconut; as well as lettuce, celery, bora, watermelon, ochro, poi, and pumpkin seeds.

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mu stapha while offering brief remarks said the government is keen on in creasing Guyana’s food production levels.

Minister Mustapha disclosed that similar exercises will be held in every region. He also said that offi cers from the National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute

(NAREI) will be contacting persons who benefitted from the exercise to monitor the growth and progress of the plants distributed and offer technical assistance where needed.

Persons who benefitted from the exercise praised the ministry for the initiative, most of whom expressed that they had a general interest in developing a kitchen garden and being able to grow basic fruits and vegetables on their own. While some said that they had established kitchen gardens, most persons who attended the exercise said they were thankful for the planting mate rials to get their gardens going.

With the hike in prices of many fruits and vegetables, many Guy anese are once again looking to establish kitchen gardens at their homes.

Agriculture Month is being ob served under the theme ‘Champi oning Food Security through Inno vation, Investment and Resilience’.

Den Amstel farmers’ group receives tillers to boost production

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mu stapha handed over two tillers to the Den Amstel Progressive Fel lowship Farmers’ Group. The dona tion came following a commitment made by Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo during a recent outreach in Region Three. During the outreach, the farmers requested assistance to increase and improve production in the village.

During the handing-over exer cise, Minister Mustapha said that the government remains committed to ensuring farmers from every vil lage benefit from the country’s re sources. He also said that the min istry will continue to work with the farmers to increase their production

as part of CARICOM’s overarching goal of lowering the regional food import bill by 25% by 2025. “During an outreach in Region Three, this group met with the Vice President and requested the government’s assistance because they are inter ested in agriculture and took note of what the government is doing for the sector in terms of support and investment. We had a follow-up meeting with the Vice President and he committed to having the requested works done as well as donating some equipment. These tools will help them to enhance their land preparation and improve and increase their production,” he said.

Over 100 Coverden farmers benefitting from improved drainage

O ver 100 small cash crop farm ers and 20 large scale farms in Coverden are benefitting from a drainage intervention by the Minis try of Agriculture.

This intervention and many others form part of the adminis tration’s efforts to ensure a food secure nation that can contribute to reducing the region’s food im

port bill.

Guyana is one of only three countries in the region that pro duces over 50 per cent of its food.

The intervention was made possible through the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) in the community of 650 residents situated on the East Bank of Demerara.

Black Belly Sheep Project making strides locally

The PPP/C Government’s thriv ing Black Belly Sheep Project has already begun to massively im pact the lives of many Guyanese.

The administration has invested approximately $600 million (US$3 million) to kickstart the programme, with an initial flock of 1,000 sheep expected to arrive here.

Subsequently, some $177.7 mil lion was allocated in the National Budget earlier this year to provide additional resources to support the promising project. Scientifically known as Barriga Nigra, the black belly sheep is a breed of domestic animal from the tropical island of Barbados. The breed is mainly reared for meat and by-products

that are in high demand. In past years, the import value of sheep meat and mutton skyrocketed, with Trinidad and Tobago alone import ing almost US$18 million in mutton, lamb, and chevon meat combined.

However, as Guyana strategi cally moves ahead with its mission to reduce CARICOM’s food import bill by 25 per cent come 2025.

POSITIONS FROM THE PRESIDENT

President Ali continues community outreach

Teachers to receive permanent certificates

‒ President Ali

Trained teachers are set to receive their permanent certificates by the end of this year.

President Dr Irfaan Ali, while addressing teachers on World Teacher’s Day, last week, noted that the backlog goes back to 2016 but this will now be fixed. “We have implemented a programme, a policy that would have seen one thousand teachers receiving their permanent training certificate. There was a backlog since 2016. I have instructed that by the end of this year, the entire backlog must be cleared,” President Ali said.

The Ministry of Educa tion, in a statement last De cember noted that it had been “increasingly difficult to use the normal procedure to issue permanent certificates due to

the COVID-19 pandemic, the rotation system employed by schools, the bureaucracy in volved in teachers applying, and then being issued with the certificates.”

These hindrances, the ministry stated, resulted in an “untold number of teachers not being issued with their permanent certificates.”

Education Minister, Pri ya Manickchand had also given directives to the Chief Education Officer to grant a waiver for the issuance of permanent certificates to all teachers who have completed five years of post-training. The ministry has also initi ated discussions to have the process to attain the trained teacher’s certificate simpli fied.

Teachers’ training op portunities are improving in

Guyana, now with more than 2,500 teachers across the sys tem being granted the chance to pursue higher education at the bachelor’s degree, mas ter’s degree or PhD levels.

The president stated that more than 5,000 teachers had been in training over the last two years, explaining that due to a large number of applications received, the use of technology had to be considered.

To this end, education courses which are offered by the University of Guyana were made available to teach ers online.

Additionally, the educa tion sector budget has ear marked over $500 million for the Cyril Potter College of Education to go fully online with its teachers’ training programme in 2022.

The importance of the protection of human dig nity, equity and respect in order to achieve peaceful co-existence, was stressed by President Dr. Irfaan Ali.

The president was speak ing at an event at the MetenMeer-Zorg Masjid in Region Three, in observance of Youman Nabi on Sunday (October 9, 2022).

Youman Nabi (Mawlid al-Nabi) is observed by Muslims each year to cel ebrate the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad. You man Nabi also represents the struggles for justice, peace and equality.

“Human dignity brings respect, it brings balance, it brings productivity,” Presi dent Ali said while acknowl edging the critical role the religious community plays in bringing that balance.

Similarly, he said that the government’s role is to guide the holistic de velopment of the country and formulate policies and programmes to enhance the

living standards of the peo ple. He said the administra tion or religious community must not assume the role of imposing on peoples’ personal lives. “So, when we work as a government to increase productivity to sup port the elderly, to support children going to school, to support the sugar industry, to support the fisherfolk, to support the rice farmers, to support those in Buxton. To build roads, to build health centres, to train nurses, to bring scholarships, that is part of bringing productivi ty, that is part of bringing a healthy human development, human achievement, creat ing dignity and this is how the government is integrated into ensuring human dignity is created,” he said.

In reflecting and cele brating the life of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, Pres ident Ali said that people must understand that human dignity is fundamentally the way of life of Islam and many other religious

structures. “If you throw away food and your neigh bour goes to bed hungry you are not doing justice to human dignity. We must collectively understand our responsibility. And let me say this, this is not a respon sibility for the government or the religious leaders or the diplomats alone. This is not the responsibility of the rich because sometimes we think only the rich will be answer able even if you don’t have anything you are responsible for achieving human digni ty,” the president reiterated.

President Ali also in teracted with persons who used the opportunity to high light some of the issues and challenges they are facing. Some of the issues raised include pensions, NIS ben efits and support for persons living with disabilities. He has committed to sending a team led by the Minister within the Ministry of Pub lic Works, Deodat Indar to meet with the residents and address their concerns.

PPP/C government’s role is to guide the holistic development of the country – Ali

Dr. Irfaan Ali, continued his programme of community outreaches, with a visit to Linden

FOCUS ON GUYANA’S FIRST PEOPLE

$4.3M coconut nursery commissioned at Hosororo – as Gov’t moves forward with coconut decentralisation programme

Agriculture Minister Zu lfikar Mustapha on Wednesday (October 12) commissioned a new coconut seedling nursery in Hosororo Village, Barima – Waini (Re gion One).

The nursery, which is locat ed in the National Agriculture Research and Extension In stitute’s (NAREI) compound, was constructed and stocked at a cost of $4.3M.

At full capacity, the nursery will be able to produce some 206,000 seedlings annually.

In addition to the nursery, Minister Mustapha also com missioned several new pieces of equipment for NAREI’s spice processing facility. These pieces of equipment, which include a ginger washer, ginger slicer, ginger grinder, and a vibro sifter, were procured at a cost of $9,747,756.

While offering remarks at the event, Minister Mustapha said the construction of the facility is part of the govern ment’s decentralization efforts for the agriculture sector. “To day is a great day for us. We are here to commission a new co conut nursery. We know many farmers in the region would usually travel to Georgetown

to purchase quality seedlings.

After consultation, we decided to have one constructed here so you can benefit from the same services the farmers in George town and other coastal areas receive. Having this facility here will not only reduce the cost of acquiring the planting materials you need but it will also help us to increase our national production figures. This is part of our coconut decentralization programme,”

Minister Mustapha said.

Minister Mustapha noted too that given the benefits of and the growing demand for coconuts and coconut bi-prod ucts, farmers in Guyana should get involved in coconut pro

duction. He said the govern ment is working to make the necessary resources available to expand the industry. “We all know the benefits of coconuts. The world is also cognizant of the benefits of coconuts and all of their many uses. Anyone who is involved in this indus try will benefit from several streams of income because of its many bi-products. You can use coconut fibers, you can make oils, soaps, lotions, beauty supplies, pharmaceuti cals, and cooking products just to name a few. The coconut water industry alone is esti mated at $2.2 billion. We have to take advantage of the global demand. We have the land and

Learning loss being addressed with EdYou FM launch in Region Eight

In its bid to address the learning loss caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Education’s Na tional Centre for Educational Resource Development (NC ERD), launched its EdYou FM (99.7 FM) in the North Pakaraimas, Region Eight.

The launch falls in line with the government’s ob jective ‘to provide where necessary equal and equitable distribution of education to Guyana’s children.’

Head of EdYou FM, Phil lip Williams, said the minis try is working to bridge the gap caused by the pandemic, which saw children being out of physical classrooms for more than 18 months. “Our intention is to bring this radio broadcast not just to a specif ic catchment area, but across the entire nation, leaving no community behind. EdYou FM is just one [of the many] vehicles [that] the ministry is using to drive distance education.”

He added that EdYou FM in its mandate, makes learning content available

to children on the coast land and hinterland. This includes far-flung riverine communities and children in the highland and forested regions. “EdYou FM is the first station to bring radio broadcast directly to the North Pakaraimas, specifi cally for educational purpos es, and our efforts to bring radio broadcast are not just limited to Kato in particular or the North Pakaraimas; in fact, EdYou FM began broadcasting in communi ties like Orealla, Siparuta, Annai, Ituni, Kwakwani, Port Kaituma, Anna Regina, … [now] the North Pakara imas providing content to children all across Guyana,” Williams said.

Further, he disclose that the Potaro-Siparuni Region is by far the most challenging region to access because of the region’s mountainous geographical layout. In this case, “far more often than not, it requires aircraft to get to the villages within this region or ATV on miles of rugged terrain. [This is] not

ideal for daily transportation. Therefore, our children can not easily access the second ary schools available in Kato, Paramakatoi, and Mahdia as easily, nor can they traverse as often as they prefer,” he said.

EdYou FM offers radio broadcast lessons for children at the primary level. Content for nursery is also available. The station is currently creat ing content for the secondary level. Lessons include, but are notlimited to the four core subjects Maths,Language, Science, and Social Studies, as well as numeracy, litera cy, and religious education, among others.

In addition, EdYou FM will be launching its inter active website that will be accessible by both computers and mobile devices.

Learners will be able to stream the radio content live on their devices.

This is a promise being fulfilled by the PPP/C Gov ernment, whose manifesto’s promise is based on a ‘trans formational agenda’.

we are making the materials and inputs available. We can tap into those markets,” the minister said.

He also told farmers that following this year’s Agri In vestment Forum and Expo which was held back in May, many investors are now com ing to Guyana to invest, some of whom have expressed inter est in investing in the produc tion of spices.

While noting that access to markets continues to be an issue in the region, the minis ter said that the government

through the New Guyana Mar keting Corporation has been successful in finding markets for farmers in other remote parts of the country. While as suring farmers that issues with access to markets will now be a thing of the past, Minister Mu stapha told the farmers that the government is currently engag ing the CARICOM Member States to remove the non-tariff barriers to many of Guyana’s traditional products.

CARDI’s Representative in Guyana, Mr. Juman Kundun noted that the demand for co

conut is constantly increasing in the region and globally. Furthermore, the CARDI Head said that Guyana is among three of the major coconut-pro ducing countries in the region; producing some 20 per cent of the region’s demand while the Dominican Republic produces some 59 per cent, and Jamaica some 12 per cent. With that said, Mr. Kundun lauded the government’s efforts towards expanding the industry, adding that initiatives like this will enable Guyana to go beyond its current production levels.

Gov’t t to invest$700M in cement and steel initiative by year-end

– modalities worked out, housing ministry moves to tender project

Persons constructing homes costing up to $25 million will soon be able to benefit from cement and steel as part of the govern ment’s homebuilders sup port initiative.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Central Hous ing and Planning Authority (CHPA), Sherwyn Greaves, said the government is ex pected to invest approxi mately $700 million in the programme by the end of the year.

In July, President Dr Irfaan Ali announced that persons constructing homes costing $6 million or less, will be given the steel need ed and one sling of cement for the construction of the foundation. For home build ers spending $6 million to $25 million, the government will provide two slings of cement.

Greaves explained that the modalities of the pro gramme have been worked out and the ministry is now moving to the tendering stage, where it will be seek ing out suppliers to provide the materials to qualified persons. “We want to make this process as transparent as possible so we are moving to a process of tendering. But, most importantly, we want to ensure that everyone gets a fair chance and so, we will go all across the regions,” the CEO said.

He added, “And so, let’s say for example, as we are in Region seven here today, we want all the suppliers of cement and steel in Region seven to be given a chance to tender for this programme.”

Greaves pointed out that once a person owns land coupled with a housing plan, and approached the bank

for a loan to commence construction, they will be supplied with the materials.

Qualified persons will be issued with a voucher to purchase the materials at selected merchants. “Per sons must be aware that we will have officers following up to ensure they receive what they are supposed to receive and they utilise it to the fullest,” the CEO further explained.

He noted too that the programme is ongoing and so, those persons who are yet to approach the banks for loans or are still waiting to identify their lands will benefit from the programme.

The initiative adds to the host of measures already implemented by the PPP/C Government to ensure citi zens are allowed to achieve homeownership in keeping with its manifesto promise.

Hydromet Office to implement impact-based forecasting

Citizens will be better pre pared to respond to natu ral disasters such as flooding, as the Guyana Hydrometeo rological Office is exploring the possibility of moving to impact-based forecasting.

Impact-based forecasting is a structured approach for combining hazard, exposure and vulnerability data to identify risk and support decision-making, with the ul timate objective of encourag ing early action that reduces damages and loss of life from natural hazards.

Chief Hydrometeoro logical Officer, Dr Garvin Cummings, explained that significant investments have been made in this area which will allow the agency to

move towards this type of forecasting. “We’re moving away from saying how much rainfall or only how much rainfall, but what the rain will do, what it is likely to do, what it is likely to impact, how will it affect traffic, how it will affect aviation, how it will affect agriculture.”So that you’re not only seeing 50 millimetres of rainfall at a particular location but what is that rainfall likely to do, how is it likely to affect and what actions you must take to mit igate any potential impact,” Dr Cummings explained. This type of forecasting will play an integral role in agriculture and aviation in terms of planning.

In addition, Dr Cum

mings said a flood early warning system will be rolled out shortly which will prove fruitful during the rainy sea son. “We have in place now a framework that will allow us in the near future to have in place a flood early warning system, that will allow us not only to give rainfall forecast but also flooding forecast.”

The agency celebrat ed its 57th Anniversary on Wednesday and the Chief Hydromet Officer boasted the improvements made over the past years. He, however noted that there is still more room for improvement.

The Hydromet Office is an agency that falls under the purview of the Ministry of Agriculture.

20 to gain employment at resuscitated Essequibo cereal factory

cereal for Grade Six students countrywide

Employment will soon be made available for some 20 persons in Essequibo, Region Two, as the govern ment is moving to revive the Morning Glory Cereal Inc to provide breakfast for Grade Six students countrywide.

The Ministry of Edu cation will be sourcing the cereal to provide breakfast to schools under the National Breakfast Programme.

Education Minister, Priya Manickchand made this dis closure owhen she launched the programme at Taymouth Manor Primary School. “Because we’re going to be buying that cereal, all those persons will be employed for

the cereal factory, the cereal factory is going to be boosted and reinvigorated to provide not only cereal for you here on the Essequibo Coast but for the children across Guy ana where we are purchasing that. Of the 15 schools we have on the Essequibo Coast that are benefitting from this, 15 women […] We asked for persons where we felt we could boost them with employment. So, 15 of your local women are providing food for your children across the Essequibo coast,” the minister told the gathering.

She revealed that atten dance at schools has im proved since the initiative

was implemented.

“What we see is children coming to school early to get breakfast and then being able to benefit from being early in school. My friends, these are not accidental programmes, these programmes come from a will to serve you, to be your servants. To serve in a way that your life and your children’s life get changed.”

The $267 million Break fast Programme which was rolled out in September, pro vides daily meals to Grade Six students in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six and 10.

By the end of the 2022 to 2023 school year, approx imately 15 million meals will be provided to students across the country.

Legislation to be introduced to develop Early Warning Systems

Provisions will soon be made in Guyana’s legis lation to allow for the devel opment of Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems (MHEWS) in Guyana.

MHEWS can address sev eral hazards and/or impacts of a similar or different type in situations where hazard ous events may occur alone, simultaneously, cascading or cumulatively over time, tak ing into account the potential interrelated effects.

These developments will be made possible through targeted investments by the government, which will be allocated to improving Early Warning Systems in Guyana.

Speaking, on October 7, 2022, at the opening of the Improving Multi-Hazard Ear ly Warning Systems’ Gov ernance Consultation with National Disaster Risk Man agement Offices in the Carib bean workshop, Prime Min ister, Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips, said the consultation is an important one for the country. “The importance of Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems for national and local government cannot be under scored. It is important that we have this consultation on a regular basis so that a country like Guyana can update and improve on what we are doing in the areas of Early Warning, because as you heard before, early warning saves lives, and if we can forecast and we can warn people at an early time of any upcoming disaster, it

can also minimise the damage that people suffer during times of disaster,” he said at the event held at the Herdmanston Lodge.

The Prime Minister noted that Guyana’s vulnerability to multi-hazards, specifically floods and droughts, has been further exacerbated by climate change.

As such, the development of early warning systems that are end-to-end and peo ple-centred is critical at this time. “The government is committed to ensuring these provisions in our legislation to support the Early Warning Systems. Guyana’s efforts at improving Information and Communication Technology (ICT) will allow us to tran sition to a better system of what is termed impact-based forecasting. Our plans to en sure that Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems, however, will be based on sound scien tific and technical approaches that are centred around those in our society who are most at risk or most vulnerable,” he said.

He assured that plans for improving and digitising risk data across all sectors, while simultaneously considering the changing reality and po tential for the development of new multi-hazard risks will be addressed. Phillips said, “We are committed to ensuring that all our efforts are aligned with Guyana’s country work programme, our Low Carbon Development Strategy 2030,

CDEMA’s Comprehensive Disaster Management Strate gy, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.”

PM Phillips added that lessons learnt from previ ous disasters in Guyana and around the region will be incorporated into the govern ment’s approach to mitigating the negative effects caused by a disaster.

Guyana’s goal is to have a robust and comprehensive system of hazard monitoring that will enable individuals, communities, the govern ment, and the business sector in Guyana to take timely action to reduce disaster risk. As such, the Prime Minister reiterated, the consultation is considered a crucial initia tive, and the outcome of the workshops will be incorpo rated into the framework to improve governance as it per tains to disaster risk reduction in Guyana.

The two-day workshop aims to revise existing gov ernance mechanisms in the Caribbean region to identify good practices and recom mendations to monitor and manage multi-hazard early warning systems. Represen tatives from the World Bank, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the Guyana Civil Defence Commission (CDC), Caribbean Disaster Emer gency Management Agency (CDEMA) and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) are participating.

ON

Gov’t seeking contractors for reconstruction of Soesdyke-Linden Highway

The Government, through the Ministry of Public Works, is looking to pre-qualify contractors and/ or firms for the reconstruc tion of the Soesdyke-Lin den Highway.

In an advertisement on October 7, 2022, the ministry informed that the Government of Guyana has applied for financing from the Islamic Develop ment Bank (ISDB) toward the cost of the project and intends to apply part of the proceeds of this financing to payments under the con tract for the reconstruction of the Soesdyke-Linden Highway.

The ministry’s work services group (WSG) will be prequalifying contrac tors for the upgrading of the existing 72.43km twolane, single-carriageway, and rural arterial highway.

The scope of work en tails milling of existing as phalt surface course, appli cation of varying pavement structures above the milled sections of pavement in clusive of asphalt, sand asphalt, and sub-base; fulldepth pavement reconstruc tion in certain sections, construction of two round abouts along the align ment, sidewalks extension to nine multi-span bridges, drainage work and utility relocation, and installation of roadway lighting.

The tender document stated that prequalification will be conducted through prequalification procedures specified in the Islamic De velopment Bank’s guide lines for Procurement of Goods, Works and Related Services, and is open to all bidders from eligible source countries, as defined

in the guidelines.

Interested eligible ap plicants may obtain further information from and in spect the prequalification document at the ministry’s Kingston, Georgetown of fice. A complete set of the prequalification doc ument may be uplifted by interested applicants on the submission of a written application or email.

Applications for pre qualification should be submitted in sealed en velopes, and delivered to the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board, Ministry of Finance, by November 23, 2022.

Earlier this year, a team from the ISDB visited Guy ana on an appraisal mission for a US$120 million loan request, paving the way for the upgrading of the major thoroughfare.

Recreational space at Amelia’s Ward to be upgraded

Residents of Amelia’s Ward in Linden, Region 10, will soon have a volley ball court and other upgrades to the recreational space in the community.

President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, during a walk about in the community on Monday (October 10, 2022), requested that the area be cleaned and the fence be completed so that a volley ball court could be added to the existing basketball facility.

During his interaction with residents, the president heard monies that were al located to upgrade the fa cility were misused under the previous administration resulting in the works coming to a halt.

The President then in structed Regional Executive Officer (REO) Dwight John and Minister within the Min istry of Public Works, Deodat Indar to work out the cost of completing the fence. “What we should do now is just clean up the place, finish off the fencing and so, see if we could get the volleyball court, a hard court complete for the volleyball, and clean up the

rest of the area so children also can use the area, make it a children friendly kind of environment,” President Ali said.

The president told resi dents he was willing to work on other community projects, pointing out that there is a need for recreational facili tates “A heavy demand for recreational facilities, whilst we are completing the syn thetic track, whilst we will be working on the Mackenzie club ground, whilst we are going to fix the basketball court and so on, in these small communities, we are going to come in, we are go ing to see where we are going to partner with you and work on projects to support young people and support sports and support development,” he noted.

The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport will also be part of the interventions.

President Ali also vis ited other communities in the mining town where he restated his administration’s commitment to meeting peo ple at the grass roots. “One of the important pillars of the government now is that

we deliver what the people want, we understand what the people want,” he said.

The president noted that Linden is poised for develop ment with discussions now on the expansion of the Wismar bridge to a four-lane bridge and the Linden to Mabura Road, which will open a lot of opportunities for the town. “That will open up a lot of opportunities for Linden to become a major service hub for the mining sector, but we also have to ensure we train the young people, heavy-duty mechanics as operators and so on.”

He also noted the upgrade to the Soesdyke -Linden Highway and the one thou sand homes initiative.

There will also be oppor tunities for youth develop ment. “So very soon you will see that we will launch a tech nical programme in Linden aimed not at putting people in the technical institute but at identifying the young people, training them as heavy-duty operators, training them as mechanics, so we are training them to get into the workforce and get employability,” Presi dent Ali assured.

$94M asphaltic road completed at Lima Sands

F

armers and residents of Lima Sands, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supe naam) are now benefitting from an asphaltic road with concrete drains, as the sec ond phase of a road project is now fully completed.

The contract was awarded to United Con tracting Service to the tune of $94.3 million and works commenced on April 28, 2022.

The road measures 640 metres with a width of 6.1

metres. A concrete drain was also constructed on one side of the road. It was fully completed on September 19, 2022, and is now in use. Phase one of the project was completed earlier this year. Works were carried out to the tune of $136 million.

Vice Chairman of Re gion Two, Humace Oudit, said, “This road will help farmers, school children attending Lima sands pri mary and also children at

tending secondary school.”

The government contin ues to advance infrastruc ture development in com munities, as $15.2 billion was allocated for the con struction and rehabilitation of urban and community roads across the country.

Additionally, $4.439 billion was set aside in the supplementary budget which was passed earlier in August, for the rehabilita tion and upgrades of roads and drains countrywide.

Guyana strengthening capacity to prevent, respond to food-borne diseases

Guyana is focusing on food safety while strengthening its capability to prevent and respond to foodborne diseases.

The Ministry of Health and the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) on Monday (October 10, 2022) engaged environmen tal health and surveillance officers for a two-day training in Integrated Food Borne Disease Surveillance and Food Safety.

Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony said this is the right time for such train ing in Guyana. “We want to make food safer in Guyana, and one of the things that we have to look at, look at the development that we are trying to do here, over the next three to four years, there will be at least six or more hotels that will be built in and

around Georgetown… people who are coming here and utilising the services would want to ensure that what they are eating at these restaurants are safe,” Dr. Anthony said.

He stressed the impor tance of ensuring the food people eat is safe. “One of the things we have to look at, not just the result where somebody is getting it on the table, but we have to look at the continuum, from the farm, how are things being produced, what is that chain, how are we interven ing throughout that chain and then ultimately, when it comes to the table, I think that’s really important,” the Health Minister said.

Apart from bacteria, viruses, and parasites that cause diseases, there are oth er factors such as pesticides and other contaminants that

can affect the quality of food.

The health minister also noted the importance of sur veillance and an optimum response mechanism that addresses threats whenever they are detected in Guyana.

Anthony said, “We need to know the numbers because without those numbers we cannot plan properly, with numbers we can see hotspots, and with hotspots we can know how to intervene, with out that collecting of the data in a timely way we would not have any clue on what is go ing on and from time to time some of you would know that we do have outbreaks and sometimes when we detect those outbreaks it’s a little bit too late,”

The training is a ‘train the trainers’ type that will see adequate coverage of the country.

capacity coming on stream.

P

rime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d), the Honourable Mark Phillips, on Wednes day (October 12, 2022) reaffirmed Government’s commitment to bridging the energy gap and providing reliable and efficient elec tricity to all Guyanese.

He made the statement as he witnessed the signing of the contract for the construc tion of a GY$ 362,411,200, 0.686 Megawatt Solar Farm in Mahdia, Region Eight, which will benefit over 2,884 residents. The new 686kWp farm will be con structed on 1.7 acres of land.

According to the Prime Minister, “This is an import

ant project for us because we talk about bridging the digital divide. As a gov ernment, we are committed to also bridging the energy divide. We are committed to bringing development to the Hinterland of Guyana.”

The project, funded by the Inter-American Devel opment Bank through the Energy Matrix Diversifica tion and Strengthening of the Department of Energy (EMISDE) program, aligns with the LCDS 2030 agenda, which saw the installation of solar farms at Lethem and Bartica, 28 solar mini-grids, and 29 off-grid locations to talling 3.415MW of installed

Prime Minister Phillips highlighted that it is also notable that the implemen tation of the project will be done by a local contractor. He said, “Another import ant aspect of the project is that the contractor is a local contractor. So this is good for Guyana. The skill to be utilised on this project by a Guyanese firm augurs well for us in terms of develop ment in capacity.”

He also used the oppor tunity to deliver a charge to the contractor stating that the project must be delivered in a timely manner.

Singing the contract were Chief Executive Offi cer of the Guyana Energy

DELIVERING ON ‘PLAN FOR PROSPERITY’

Guyana moving to green, sustainable development in postal sector – Prime Minister

Hundreds sign on to the $600M Lethem Housing Programme

PPP/C Government is taking steps in the transition to a green and sus tainable postal sector.

The

This includes the devel opment of a roadmap to build a sustainable future and fos ter social advancement and human well-being.

This disclosure came from a statement issued by Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips on the occasion of World Postal Day 2022, as well as the official commissioning of the Providence Post Office, Friday last.

The occasion marked the 148th anniversary of the Uni versal Postal Union (UPU) and aimed to bring aware ness to the postal service’s role in the everyday lives of people and businesses, as well as its contribution to global economic growth and development. “We live in a digital world, where tech nology dominates our lives. These technologies no doubt created a greater preference for digital communication.

As such, much like many traditional media, the post is required to build on inno vative ideas to transform its operations,” the statement pointed out.

Moreso, it noted, as the world faces a climate crisis, these conditions call for a reflection on how operations are carried out in every area, including the postal sector.

“And so, with the theme ‘Post for Planet’, this year’s World Post Day observance calls for immediate consid eration of the adjustments that can be made. The post is uniquely positioned to assist in the fight against climate change. To achieve this, there must be meaningful partner ships between all stakehold ers committed to building a sustainable green economy.”

Globally, postal operators have committed to halv ing their collective carbon emissions by 2030, and cit izens are demanding green products that are sustainably developed.

Some key areas of focus

are green buildings, clean transportation, and reduced usage of water, fuel, and waste to achieve carbon neu trality.

The Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC) has demonstrated its commit ment to this initiative by investing in solar panels to be placed at the head of fice. This will be continued throughout the network of post offices across Guy ana to reduce their carbon footprint, and thereby mit igate the effects of climate change. “Such small mea sures implemented over time will result in the changes necessary for a sustainable green economy, and the government stands ready and willing to support the GPOC in its measures,” the statement said.

The Providence Post Of fice was officially commis sioned on October 7, on the occasion of World Postal Day. It will serve residents of Providence, as well as the surrounding communities.

Some 401 residents of Let hem, Region Nine signed on to the Central Housing and Planning Authority’s (CH&PA) Lethem Housing Support Programme, a gov ernment assistance initiative for the Lethem Housing Con struction Project.

This was disclosed by Housing and Water Minister, Collin Croal on October 6, 2022.

The Lethem Housing Project is an initiative an nounced by President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, during an outreach to the township in August this year.

The initiative, valued at $600 million, will see the government contributing $1 million each to 600 low-in come homeowners to miti gate the cost of their home construction.

President Ali had also

announced that the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) and the New Build ing Society (NBS) would finance the remaining $2 million for the prospective homeowners at a rate of 3.5 per cent.

The collateral-free ges ture from the two financial institutions would see the 600 allottees repaying just about $14,000 per month.

Republic Bank is the most recent bank to come on board with the project.

The Minister stated that the materials and labour for the home construction will be procured locally. “The beneficiaries from those pro grammes come from three cluster areas. That is for the Tabatinga area, Culvert City, as well as our new housing development in Lethem. And those are persons that would

have benefitted from an allo cation recently,” he said.

He explained that the housing development pro gramme caters to persons who are not financially equipped to construct their homes upon receiving a house lot to begin building their new homes. Croal said, “So here you have a programme that has never been implemented before in Guyana. And there is an opportunity for people to own their own homes, and start. But the key cri terion is that you must own your lot. So those are the persons who are the bene ficiaries.”

The collaboration be tween the government and commercial banks sees up to $1.8 billion being injected into the district to promote the housing drive.

Labour ministry inspects Region Eight mining camps

In a demonstration of its commitment to ensuring the health and safety of Guy ana’s workforce, the La bour Ministry’s Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) department, on Tuesday car ried out inspections at several mining camps in the Pota ro-Siparuta (Region Eight).

The visits sought to en sure workers and employers are adhering to the health and safety protocols. Further,

the inspections also created awareness among the work ers, as most camps in farflung areas are not subject to frequent inspections.

Officials from the min istry recently met with rep resentatives of the Guyana Mining School, where at least nine rangers are em ployed to facilitate regular monitoring of these areas.

The rangers will report to the mines officers any unsafe

mining practices and will provide some level of mon itoring.

The officials also met with the Regional Execu tive Officer (REO), Peter Ramotar, to discuss the fa cilitation of training sessions for staff later in the year. The meeting entailed establishing an Occupational Safety and Health committee under the OSH Act Chapter 99;10, Article 23.

Board of Inquiry to investigate latest incident at Demerara Harbour Bridge

ABoard of Inquiry has been established to investigate a fuel vessel crashing into the Demerara Harbour Bridge in the wee hours of Saturday morning causing a ‘National Emergency.’

Public Works Minister Bishop Juan Bishop Edghill noted that the seven-member board will be issued with their instruments of appointment and will commence work on Sunday. “We have heard pre liminarily some things that occurred but we have just completed a meeting with the board of directors along with other stakeholders and we have established a board of inquiry into this,” he said.

The Pilot of the Vessel, a Guyanese, was arrested and released. He tested negative for drugs and alcohol. The vessel will not be allowed to depart port Georgetown until the matter is resolved. He has also been “instantly suspend ed’’ from piloting any ship and most likely this ban will

be permanent.

The Maritime Administra tion and the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation have start ed the legal procedure to deal with the matter.

“Is this terrorism, is this madness, because what’s go ing on here because people are affected and that is why we have moved swiftly to put in place such a comprehensive board of inquiry,” Minister Edghill said.

Reports indicate that at around 2:00 hours on Satur day a Fuel Vessel, the MV Tradewinds Passion, which transports fuel for the Guyana Oil Company, while heading south, crashed into the Demer ara Harbour Bridge, despite desperate calls to ‘drop an chor’ from the Shift Supervisor Andy Duke.

Duke, who was in one of the lookout towers, tried des perately to communicate with the pilot without success. He eventually had to jump from the booth in an effort to save

his own life. He fractured his leg in the process and is cur rently hospitalised. The other men who were working at the bottom of the bridge includ ing Mechanical Maintenance engineer Ahmad Khan had to literally, run for their lives.

“We had to run for over lives because was a big ship and we done know the impact that this thing will cause, I tell every body to start moving off, come off the span move off because people was conducting weld ing on the bridge, repairing deck plates so everybody start coming off immediately… within a minute’s time,cause we already see it coming to wards us,” Khan said.

The vessel was the last of five vessels to transit the bridge during the retraction.

An early morning assess ment was done at 4:00 hours and works immediately started to get the bridge which was shifted at a 45-degree angle, realigned.

Minister Edghill voiced

the government’s appreciation to the stakeholders involved in lending assistance in getting the bridge back in operation.

“The Government of Guyana President Ali and his entire cabinet would like to record our deep appreciation for the private sector… and the other stakeholders of the state that responded in the wee hours of this morning to this situation in lending support to ensure that we respond in a manner that could ensure that the country is secure, people are able to move, goods and services are continuing to be provided and at the same time in the shortest possible time to finish this bridge and reopen it to traffic,” Minister Edghill said.

He noted that with help from the private sector some materials needed to repair the bridge are being manufactured and will be delivered shortly.

The authorities are hoping to get the bridge up and run ning by Monday night, with light traffic at first. “We want

to assure the public and the government of Guyana we are doing everything human ly possible. We are sparing no resources. We are taking no shortcuts but we want to deliver to you a service that so many thousands of people depend on daily and that is the usage of this bridge, and this would be a good time for all of us to remind ourselves that we were absolutely right…and correct when we went out for a tender for a new high span four-lane concrete bridge…so we don’t have a situation like what we have here today and what we had just some weeks ago,” Minister Edghill said.

Some immediate interven tions were made, and the water taxis that operate across the Demerara River have been al lowed to operate for 24 hours.

An additional point of en try was opened at the Boat House next to the Stabroek wharf.

Some additional points of access to water taxis will be

put in place at La Grange to the Demerara Harbour Bridge and another From the Wales area to the Diamond Grove area.

The Parking lot at the Guy ana National Stadium will be used to park vehicles that are stranded.

The Public Works Minis try has set up lighting at the Stabroek Wharf while a mem ber of the Private Sector has set up lights at Vreed-en- Hoop, while there will be 24- hour police presence in these areas.

This is the worst damage to the structure in its entire 47year history.

The public works minister was joined by Minister within the Public Works Ministry, Deodat Indar and Home Af fairs Minister Robseon Benn at the press conference.

The Demerara Harbour Bride was established in 1975, it is the longest floating bridge in the world. It is the main access for persons travelling from Regions Three, Seven, One and Two.

PPP/C has done more than the APNU+AFC to empower African communities

tion due to race.

The mantra of “Emerging Apartheid” is nothing but propaganda used in a desperate effort to gain political traction by a drowning set of people clutching at straws, which themselves are weak. There is absolutely no evidence, as peddled by those quixotic naysayers , who are trying to let the world believe that our society is deeply divided.

In its five years in government, the APNU+AFC created a Ministry of Social Cohesion with the purpose of uniting Guy anese of all walks of life. In the end nothing was achieved, manifested by victimisation and violence by one race against another, instigated by leading politicians, at West Coast Berbice in 2020, Mon Repos in 2022 and crime generally perpetrated by one race against another. None of these so-called leaders have beseeched their followers to keep the peace and these followers are itching to be egged on due to the spoils collected from plundering, and their own lack of a work ethic.

Having failed as a government, some opposition backers are now weeping and gnashing their teeth crying apartheid when all other efforts have failed. They lament about inequity in the awarding of contracts. People have to understand that to prequalify for contracts prospective contractors must have capital: tools, equipment and machin ery, cash and lines of credit, compliances from GRA and NIS among other prerequi sites. This precludes many, some of whom cry foul, from bidding for large contracts of hundreds of millions of dollars. The fact is that people of all races, not excluding Afro-Guyanese, secure contracts. Just fact-check who gets contracts in Buxton, Linden etc.

In the social sphere, there is absolutely no evidence of emerging apartheid any where in Guyana. Young people as well as adults of all races, for the most part, mix and mingle without qualms. Be it a wake house, funeral, wedding, party, concert, carnival or sporting event, all races in Guy ana co-exist without division. They support each other’s snackettes, diners, restaurants, shops and other businesses regardless of race and generally do not boycott others for any collective reason. Further, they employ others as builders, masons, plumbers, elec tricians, welders etc., regardless of race and can be found daily in bars and restaurants exchanging ideas, many times jovially, with each other.

In the political arena there is a blend of people from all races—from the central to the regional to the local government tiers –governing, working together for the ad vancement of Guyana. This is also evident in the Public Service, teaching, nursing and other professions where workers cooperate with each other without fear of victimisa

Editor, it was the Chairperson of the PNC, who was also a minister of govern ment, who boasted in November 2018 at Sophia that “…the only people a gon give wuk to is PNC …..”. Where were the elements who are now crying emerging apartheid then ? Conveniently hibernating as usual as what they did, rather omitted to do, between March 3 and the end of July 2020, when their accomplices were blatant ly trying to rig the elections.

Contrast that mentality with what the PPP is doing for Guyanese. The part-time job initiative initiated by Vice-President Jagdeo has provided thousands of jobs for young people from all races. The only qual ification for eligibility is to be Guyanese. Additionally, Guyanese in general are the beneficiaries of the Guyana Online Acad emy of Learning (GOAL) scholarships, through which they can study online and improve themselves. This sometimes is not accorded the appreciation it warrants. (I lived in Canada where students are work ing at nights, many as security guards, to finance their studies).

Where is the emerging apartheid being peddled by desperate wannabees who can not accept blame, cannot apologise, try to govern through the backdoor and dream of high offices which continue to elude them? They are no less than mischief makers who want to “undermine this government.”

It’s a figment of their imagination, like that of the Man of La Mancha—Don Quix otic—who had delusions of grandeur. Do they really know what apartheid means? More likely, they are trying to stir up trouble after the unsuccessful five-month attempt at rigging the 2020 elections.

Editor, their mantra will not have the effect they desire. Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s Minister of Propaganda, preached that if you tell a lie as often as possible people will start to believe it. That was 80 years ago when it was possible, not today. With social media and instant, ubiquitous knowl edge people cannot be fooled the same way. Come again, advocates with the mantra Emerging Apartheid with a new mantra; try something else.

The undisputed fact is that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic administration (PPP/C) has done more than the previous administration to empower African com munities through their deliberate policy that targets housing, land, jobs, health, and economic prosperity under the ‘One Guy ana’ platform. ”

The irrevocable dispensation is that the PPP/C, without practising apartheid in any shape or form, is uniting our country under the slogan ONE GUYANA and will contin ue to do so indefinitely.

PPP/C gov’t committed to inclusivity, values, traditions of all Guyanese

– PM tells Afro-Guyanese on African Holocaust Day

Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d), the Honourable Mark Phillips, assured Af ro-Guyanese that the Gov ernment is committed to inclusivity and values the traditions and customs of all Guyanese.

The Senior Government Official made this remark while paying tribute to Af rican ancestors, as he joined the African Cultural and Development Association (ACDA) at the Seawall Bandstand for the 29th An nual Observance of African Holocaust Day, also known as the MAAFA.

Along with calls for in clusivity, and denouncements of all forms of hate and preju dice, the Prime Minister was adamant that every Guya nese must benefit from the impending wealth of the country. He said, “There is no place for racism, mar ginalisation, and oppression in Guyana. It is all about development, inclusivity and improving all the lives and livelihoods of all Guyanese, inclusive of African Guya nese.”

A RICH CULTURAL TAPESTRY

The Prime Minister pointed to the importance of

promoting tradition and cul ture as he urged those present to not only remember their ancestors but to integrate African cultural identity by ensuring that Afro-Guya nese youths are educated and exposed to traditional customs. He said, “We must not be stuck in a mode of victimhood. We are descen dants of survivors. We are the descendants of the peo ple who were enslaved and who struggled and overcame slavery. It means that we as a people must now educate our children”.

He further added, “We have to ensure that the oppor tunities that are presented by the PPP/C Government, all the opportunities are grasped by the youths of Guyana. When we create employ ment, whether part-time or full-time employment, grasp those opportunities; when we provide affordable hous ing, grasp for those oppor tunities. We’ve expanded scholarships’ grasp for those opportunities.”

WITH THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE

The Senior Government Official also stated that the Government will continue to work hand-in-hand with

all the people of Guyana to advance economic and social development.

“All the people of Guy ana will benefit from all the revenues of Guyana, includ ing African Guyanese. That is the message of the Gov ernment of Guyana. There will be no discrimination. This Government is promot ing inclusive governance and development for all the people of Guyana. So join us to participate in improving the lives and livelihoods of all Guyanese as we pay hom age…during the MAAFA,” Prime Minister Phillips said.

The theme of this year’s commemorative programme is ‘Bringing into focus the brutal and destructive rape of the continent of Africa’s People and Resources’.

African Holocaust Day, also known as MAAFA in Kiswahili, is observed annu ally on October 12 and com memorates the mass murder and enslavement of Africans.

The Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sport, the Hon ourable Charles Ramson along with a number of rep resentatives from African cultural and development organisations and other groups, were also in atten dance.

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Arbitral Award null and void.

On 30 January 2018, United Nations Secre tary-General António Gu terres, acting under the authority bestowed upon him by the Geneva Agree ment, chose adjudication by the Court as the means for resolving the controversy with finality. Guyana com menced proceedings before the Court on 29 March 2018 in accordance with the Secre tary-General’s decision.

ICJ CASE

The Hague-based Inter national Court of Justice (ICJ) held public hearings on the question of the Court’s jurisdiction in the case con cerning the Arbitral Award of 3 October 1899 (Guyana v. Venezuela) on June 30, 2020. The ICJ had postponed the long-anticipated hearing of the Guyana/Venezuela bor der dispute case that was scheduled to begin on March 23, 2020, citing the coronavi rus pandemic.

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

Guyana took its case to the Court following the de cision by the Secretary-Gen eral of the United Nations, in January 2018, that the

controversy between Guyana and Venezuela should be decided by the International Court of Justice. In taking his decision, the Secretary-Gen eral was exercising the power vested in him in the 1966 Geneva Agreement between Guyana, Venezuela and the United Kingdom to decide how the controversy should be settled.

Venezuela has claimed, in a letter to the Court, that the Secretary-General ex ceeded his authority under the Geneva Agreement, and that the Court therefore lacks jurisdiction to adjudicate Guyana’s lawsuit. On this ba sis, Venezuela has indicated that it will not participate in the proceedings. On Novem ber 19, 2018, Guyana submit ted its Memorial to the Court refuting Venezuela’s argu ments and demonstrating that the Court has jurisdiction. However, under well-estab lished judicial precedent, the Court will proceed to decide if it has jurisdiction over Guyana’s claims, irre spective of whether or not Venezuela participates in the proceedings.

JURISDICTION

The ICJ on December 18, 2020 delivered its Judg ment in the case concerning the Arbitral Award of 3 October 1899 (Guyana v. Venezuela) – relative to the question of the Court’s jurisdiction. The court ruled that it has jurisdiction to hear Guyana’s case seeking the validation of the 1899

arbitral award establishing the boundary with Venezu ela. Venezuela did not take part in the proceedings.

The judgment found that both Guyana and Venezuela had conferred authority on the UN Secretary General under Article 4, paragraph two of the February 17th 1966 Geneva Agreement. That agreement allowed the Secretary General to choose a means of settlement under Article 33 of the Charter of the United Nations which included judicial settlement.

A press statement from the ICJ said, “In its Judg ment, which is final, with out appeal and binding on the Parties, the Court, by twelve votes to four, finds that it has jurisdiction to en tertain the Application filed by the Co-operative Repub lic of Guyana on 29 March 2018 in so far as it concerns the validity of the Arbitral Award of 3 October 1899 and the related question of the definitive settlement of the land boundary dispute between the Co-operative Republic of Guyana and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela…(the Court) unanimously, Finds that it does not have jurisdiction to entertain the claims of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana arising from events that occurred after the signature of the Geneva Agreement.”

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

Misguided criticisms ignore...

governments have made with international companies.

One that we can highlight is the bad deal the PNC made when our country divested the telephone company. We virtually gave away the tele phone company, one of the few nationalized companies that earned any revenues for our country, in 1990/1991. It is not only that they sold the telephone company to an international company, and that they sold it for a price that was a giveaway at the time, they also gave the new owners of the new telephone company a monopoly that lasted until 2021. The PPP was able to finally pass leg islation that ended the mo nopoly. The PPP knew and the country knew, the world knew that the divestment of the then telephone company in 1990/1991 was a bad deal for Guyana. When the PPP came into government on October 5th 1992, President Cheddi Jagan and the PPP in herited a bad deal, similar to the situation President Irfaan Ali and the PPP inherited in August 2020 with the OIL

and GAS deal. The irony is that one of the Article 13 persons who today is mouthing off on renegotiation of the EXX ON deal was once the CEO for the telephone compa ny that then insisted that Guyana would be breaching the contractual obligations if Guyana arbitrarily ends the monopoly and that the telephone company would approach the international courts to prevent Guyana from ending the monopoly. It is that monopoly that took advantage of one of Guyana natural resource and prevent ed the full development of the communication industry in Guyana. Digital which in vested in the communication industry was prevented from fully developing their ser vice because they depended on GTT to ensure they are able to provide digital ser vice in Guyana. Even when companies like E-Networks started, there was limitation.

Today, Guyana is seeing 5-G connectivity moving apace because the PPP government and Guyana is no longer

carrying the GTT monopoly which lasted more than 30 years because of a bad deal that the PNC signed and which Guyana carried as an albatross around our necks.

The GTT deal, like the EXXON deal, was a bad deal for Guyana. These are not the only ones. There were several others. The Demerara Woods deal has disappeared from discussion. But every now and then we must ensure that the history of bad deals is made known to the newer generations and that the old er generations are remind ed. We must remind people also that all these bad deals have one thing in common – the DNA and footprints of the PNC. The leaders might change, but the PNC DNA is starkly imprinted on these bad deals.

Contracts like the GTT and now EXXON deals, as bad as they are, however, cannot be arbitrarily aban doned. Guyana is part of a global community. We are not immune from our actions. No country has been able

Alleged election fraudsters back...

declarations were exposed as having been manipulated.

Mingo and Lawrence are facing a joint charge, which alleges that on March 5, 2020, in Georgetown, with intent to defraud the public, they uttered a certain forged document, that is to say, a report purporting to be a true declaration of all votes cast in District Four for the March 2, 2020 general and regional elections, knowing said report to be forged.

Mingo and Joseph are facing a charge alleges that on March 13, 2020, they uttered a forged document purporting to be a true report of all votes cast in the March 2, 2020 general and regional elections, while knowing that the report was forged.

Joseph faces two indi vidual charges, which state that on March 13, 2020, at High and Hadfield Streets, Georgetown, she conspired with Mingo and others to declare a fraudulent count of votes for District Four for both the general and regional elections.

Lawrence, Mingo, and Joseph have all pleaded not guilty to the charges. After being charged, Mingo was placed on $60,000 bail for the two charges he faced. Lawrence was placed on $30,000 bail for the joint charge. Joseph was placed on a total of $90,000 bail for the

three charges she faces.

There are also elector al fraud charges against GECOM clerks Bob-Cum mings, Miller, February and Livan. They, too, have been released on bail.

ALSO CHARGED

Also, facing court are sacked former Chief Elec tions Officer, Keith Lowen field; and sacked former Dep uty Chief Elections Officer, Roxanne Myers.

Lowenfield was slapped with six new charges relating to forgery and misconduct in public office.

The charges against Myers allege that between March 4 and March 14, 2020, in Georgetown, while being a public officer, she willfully misconducted herself togeth er with Mingo, and others, to declare a fraudulent account of votes for the March 2020 General and Regional Elec tions, which amounted to a breach of the public’s trust in the office of the DCEO of GECOM.

PROSECUTION

Already several boxes containing certified copies of Statements of Polls (SOPs) and Statements of Recount (SORs) from the March 2020 elections have been hand ed over to the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court. The documents will be used as

evidence against those be fore the court. The SOPs and SORS were accompanied by statements and video evi dence, which included copies of video-recorded interviews the accused had with the Po lice. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) DPP and Acting Police Commissioner had initiated legal proceed ings in the High Court, seek ing orders to obtain certified copies of the SOPs and SORs from the March 2, 2020 Gen eral 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 with out an order from the Court.

Attorneys-at-Law Nigel Hughes, Ronald Daniels, and Konyo Sandiford are representing Mingo, Joseph, and Lawrence; while Senior Counsel John Jeremie, and Attorneys-at-Law Eusi An derson and Latoya Roberts are appearing for the other four defendants. Hughes is also representing Lowenfield and Myers.

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

GECOM waiting on APNU+AFC for information...

able to say why it did not make objections during this period, as opposed to making them now, after the voting process.

Importantly, the report from the Caribbean Com munity (CARICOM) team on the national recount of votes cast on March 2, 2022 concluded that the Coalition had embarked on a “fishing expedition” with its claims.

The Caribbean Commu nity (CARICOM) three-per son observer team, which witnessed the national re count of votes from the March 2020 Elections, said

(From page

clearly that: “…nothing we witnessed warrants a chal lenge to the inescapable conclusion that the recount results are acceptable and should constitute the basis of the declaration of the re sults of the March 2, 2020 elections.

“….the team categorical ly rejects the concerted public efforts to discredit the polls up to the disastrous Region 4 tabulation…the numerous requests for information on several serial numbers were so bizarre that on one ob served occasion, an APNU/ AFC agent was prepared to

query serial numbers on the OLE (Official List of Elec tors) in a work station where no one had noted. These challenges were often made on the ground of death and migration…the team viewed much of the exercise as a fishing expedition designed to gather data for a possible election petition and which resulted in considerable time being wasted during the re count. Furthermore, the net was cast extremely wide in the hope of at least making a small catch and at times the anticipated harvest ended in slim pickings.”

Mahdia residents to benefit...

Agency (GEA), Dr Ma hender Sharma, General Manager of Standby Pow er Engineering Company (SPECOM) Mr Aundrea Cambridge, and Permanent Secretary of the Office of the Prime Minister, Mr Derrick Cummings.

RENEWABLE ENERGY AND MAHDIA

The Mahdia solar PV project was awarded to Standby Power Engineer

ing Company (SPECOM) following an open tender process and funded by a loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), with Guyana Energy Agency being responsible for project implantation.

The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2023 as the Government remains committed to re alising the objectives and targets of the Low Carbon Development Strategy, par

ticularly investing in clean energy to stimulate future growth and providing af fordable, stable, and reliable energy to benefit both house holds and businesses.

In addition to offsetting 30-65% or more of the an nual electricity supply to the Mahdia mini-grid, the Solar Farm would be able to supply electricity to the community for more than two hours per day without the use of diesel generators.

Gov’t working with UNICEF to secure Paxlovid for COVID-19 patients

Guyanese who test posi tive for COVID-19 for the first time will soon be able to take the Paxlovid pill to treat the disease.

Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony stated that that the government has been working with the Unit ed Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) to secure the medication. “We have been working with UNICEF to be able to procure Paxlovid. So that’s something that’s still on the cards…and with Pax lovid if people test positive for COVID-19, we will be able to treat them… this is an oral treatment…you drink the tablets for five days and you should be well after tak

ing the complete treatment,” the health minister said.

Paxlovid is an oral an tiviral medication produced by Pfizer. It starts combating the COVID-19 virus once it is taken.

The treatment was ap proved by the US Food and Drug Administration in De cember of 2021 and is rec ommended to be given to persons as soon as they are diagnosed with COVID-19 and within five days of them developing symptoms of the disease.

The average cost for a treatment course is US$530, however, Guyana will get a discount.

The Health Minister

said, “Paxlovid has been very difficult to source and it’s a very costly medication but through this initiative with UNICEF globally we are going to get it at a very discounted price and we have made an order for these medications. I’m hoping that we can get it maybe within a month so that per sons may be able to get the benefits of Paxlovid,” Dr Anthony said.

COVID-19 infections in Guyana remain low at the present time. However, the Ministry of Health is again urging persons to take their booster shots as this is proven to reduce their risk of severe disease.

Monkeypox virus mutation: Scientists concerned as genes start disappearing

(AP) A few months ago, when analysing samples of the monkeypox virus, sci entists at the Minnesota De partment of Health in St. Paul found that a significant portion of the virus's genome was missing in one sample taken from an infected per son. Another portion migrat ed to a completely different location in the sequence, they found.

The mutations are unlike those that are often found in the SARS-CoV-2 genome. In some instances, entire genes disappeared. A sample from an infected person in Florida had missing DNA that covered nearly 7% of the genome.

According to computa tional virologist Elliot Lef kowitz, it is still too early to

determine if the alterations are helpful, neutral or harm ful to the virus. Health ex perts may be able to tell that these alterations are aiding the virus's transmission if they notice an increase in the number of virus samples with these mutations.

Scientists are closely monitoring the issue, even if they aren't worried, to find out what changed and what it might mean for the cur rent worldwide monkeypox outbreak.

These mutations serve as a stark reminder that even poxviruses, which are DNA viruses that have a tendency to evolve more slowly than RNA viruses like the SARSCoV-2 coronavirus, will change over time, as per an expert. The monkeypox virus

will have more opportunity to mutate the more human contact it receives, Nature magazine quoted Lefkowitz as saying.

Three out of every 10 people who contracted small pox died from it prior to its eradication. Some scientists are concerned that a similar situation could develop with monkeypox. Monkeypox is currently more of a generalist disease that can infect nu merous mammals, including humans and various rodent species.

However, since many genes in the vast genome of the monkeypox virus have not yet had their functions fully characterised, forecast ing how the behaviour of the virus will alter as it mutates is challenging.

Norton’s tenure was abysmal failure, nothing delivered to youths – McKoy

Opposition Leader, Au brey Norton, was rapped, yet again, over his latest un founded statements.

The increasingly embat tled figure, on October 8, 2022, claimed that the incum bent government is feeding young people a “diet of law lessness” through the kinds of musical concerts it sponsors. He was, at the time, refer encing the concerts that were part of the recently concluded

Guyana Cricket Carnival. Rubbishing his statement, People’s Progressive Par ty (PPP) Central Commit tee Member and Minister, Kwame McKoy, made clear that Norton continues with his attempts to under the PPP/C Government ‘One Guyana’ initiative. He said, “During his tenure on youth empowerment there is no trace of any event or initia tive of his that demonstrated

concern about young peo ple’s well-being then and as youths across Guyana languished in the coalition’s wilderness of inaction. Now even while Norton himself is hypocritically condemning entertainment he could be seen entertained regularly gyrating to the same kinds of music at his favourite ‘Bam Bam’ spot on Orange Walk [Bourda].

“…youths and all Guy

anese alike must reject his shameless rhetoric and posi tion yourself to benefit from the numerous social and eco nomic programmes designed by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic administration to empower you and bring prosperity to your families and communities regardless of your ethnicity and political persuasion.

“…programmes such as the Guyana Online Academy

of Learning (GOAL) pro viding 1000s of world-class scholarships from certificate to PhD levels; the Board of Industrial Training TVET certification programme [aimed at] up-skilling and empowering hundreds of youths in every adminis trative region; the dozen of Women’s Entrepreneurial Initiatives introduced across the country by the Ministry of Human Services and Social

Security and the young pro fessionals and low-income turnkey housing drives in all of our regions among many others.”

McKoy called on all Guy anese to “reject” the calls from Norton and take ad vantage of the opportunities offered by the government.

Under the former govern ment, Norton served as the presidential advisor on youth empowerment.

Misguided criticisms ignore big picture...

to abandon a deal simply because one government is replaced by another without any consequence. We need not go too far to look at the consequences. We national ized bauxite and sugar. We did not get away with it. One day, hopefully, someone will itemize the plethora of ways Guyana was punished for these deals. In fact, both the industries, sugar and bauxite, suffered and continue to suf fer to this day because the de veloped countries punished us for breaching international contract laws.

How many of us want to enter another phase of be ing an international pariah? Those who are loudest these days calling for the re-negoti ation of the EXXON contract know the travails of arbitrari ly renegotiating the contract. They know fully well. Their interests have nothing to do with Guyana benefiting more. Their interest is more in keeping with their political disposition of wanting the PPP government to fail. They see the rapid pace of growth and development taking place in Guyana and see that President Ali will govern for ten years, they see the PPP government governing for decades to come. They know that the majority of people in Guyana are impressed with what is taking place. They have become desperate, hop ing to find some way to stop the pace of development.

Their answer, as they look out at the political horizon is that they need to ensure that the economic benefits from the oil and gas industry are derailed.

The health sector will be completely transformed by 2025. Not only will the total infrastructure be rebuilt, the total technology capacity will be something we could not dream of only five years ago. The human resource will be transformed. This is

a country that could not fund resources to graduate more than 200 nurses per year. By 2023 we will increase the number of graduates to more than 500 and by 2024 to more than 1,000 per year. The UG School of Medicine just a few years ago admitted only about 30 students. The freshman class of 2022 is 75 and by 2024, we expect it to be 100. For the first time forty biomed ical technicians are being trained, for the first time 25 hospital administrators are being trained. More than 100 doctors are entering special ist training this year. A large part of this is because of oil revenues. New bridges, new road, the connectivity by road, water, and the infor mation technology connec tivity in Guyana are rapidly changing because of OIL and GAS money. The local private sector has more than doubled their investment. The country has earned in ternational legitimacy and Guyana is ”punching above its weight class”. The re spect Guyana has today is amazing. This is all because of OIL and GAS.

Yes, the EXXON deal singed by the PNC-led APNU/AFC government was and is a bad deal. But President Irfaan Ali and the PPP government are ensuring that we transform a bad deal into something that Guyana benefit from. Unlike those who claim that “oil don’t spoil”, therefore, leave it in the ground until we get a better deal, the PP govern ment and the majority of Guyanese say let us take the benefits and transform our country so that we do not need oil and gas money in the future, but that Guyana and Guyanese will be a country with a standard of living that our challenge will not be emigration, but immigration into Guyana.