Weekend Mirror 1-2 April 2023

Defunct WPA attempting to resurrect itself by polarizing Guyanese society – Jagdeo

The defunct Working People’s Alliance (WPA) ramped up the racist rhetoric at a news conference on Tuesday (March 28, 2023).

And People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Sec -

retary, condemned the actions, as he underscored the silence by civil society on the dangerous rhetoric.

“Nobody is condemning this,” he said.

Jagdeo added, “They

believe that any Afro-Guyanese has been bribed or incentivized to come over to the PPP….this (kind of comment) goes to the ownership philosophy…their position is that is you’re Afro-Guy-

anese you must turn a blind eye to the rigging, etc. and stay in their camp….so if you get a job, a house lot, a grant, or a scholarship under the PPP, it is a bribe.”

Jagdeo was referring to

comments by the WPA’s Clive Thomas, who said, “Their politics is focusing on short term, bribing and trying to win membership through giving away goodies rather than a consistent focused development.”

According to him, the WPA’s Thomas, David Hinds, and Tacoma Ogunseye’s silence was “bought” during the five years under the APNU+AFC Coalition government, from 2015 to 2020.

He explained that the PPP/C has publicly said that it will “work for” more support among Afro-Guyanese.

“We, as a political party, have said we want more support in the Afro-Guyanese communities, but we are prepared to work for it…. responding to the needs of people…we are not ashamed to say it….we are working to ensure that the PPP is strengthen as Guyana’s only multi-ethnic party,” he said.

Jagdeo also made clear that the WPA is a “defunct party” that is clearly trying, now, to resurrect itself by attempting to “polarize Guyanese people” with use of the race card. “The PPP will not be sidetracked by a defunct WPA,” he said.

PPP Congress likely later this year or early 2024 – General Secretary

Arrangements are being made by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) to have its Congress held later this year, or early in 2024, according to PPP General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo.

“So, we discussed this at the Executive [Committee]. The timeline is towards the end of the year or early next year,” Jagdeo said during a recent news conference at Freedom House.

Jagdeo was elected General Secretary after the last Congress, which was held in 2016.

The next Delegates Congress was due in 2019. However, this was overtaken by political developments at the time, specifically, the refusal of the APNU+AFC Coalition to hold General and Regional Elections within the constitutionally stipulated three-month timeframe after the successful passage of the no-confidence motion. Once the March 2020 Elections were held, the COVID-19 pandemic had hit Guyana.

According to the Party’s Constitution, the Delegates Congress is due every three years. At the Delegates Congress, the PPP is expected to elect a new 32-member Central Committee, which would then elect the Party’s Executive Committee.

At the last Congress, Jagdeo received 718 votes, 98 more than Anthony (620), for the party's 35-member Central Committee (CC). This gave him the go-ahead to lead the party. Gail Teixeira (583) secured the third most votes.

From the Central Committee, those elected to the Executive Committee were: Anil Nandlall (28 votes), Rohee (26), Ali (25), Roger Luncheon (25), Gail Teixeira (25), Zulfikar Mustapha (24), Donald Ramotar (23), Frank Anthony (22), Neil Kumar (22), Shyam Nokta (22), Clinton Collymore (21), Collin Croal (21), Dharamkumar Seeraj (21), Pauline Sukhai (21), and Bheri Ramsaran (20).

PPP/C has had, maintains track record of delivering for all Guyanese – Jagdeo

The PPP/C has remained faithful to the promises, on which it campaigned, and this has been true under the current PPP/C administration, as well as past PPP/C governments, according to PPP General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo.

“We are very proud of our track record, and our dedication to the manifesto promises made to the people of the country, historically, and in the last elections… you can understand my sense of pride when I say we have remained faithful to the promises we cam -

paigned on,” he said during a recent news conference.

Jagdeo said, “We have a track record. When we are in office, all of the people benefit from the PPP/C stewardship. The whole country makes progress, and we work for all of our people. That’s the philosophy of this party.”

According to him, this track record is what the PPP/C will campaign on as it heads into future election cycles, including the upcoming 2023 Local Government Elections (LGE), at which the Party is tar -

geting increased support for the PPP/C in traditional strongholds of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR). “We have never won these areas. We are hoping politically that the people will give us an opportunity in these areas to prove that we can put together a stronger development plan and implement it,” Jagdeo said.

To date, he charged that the Party Manifesto on which the PPP/C was elected to office, has been delivered on. “There is demonstrated progress in

Commodity prices remain stable at major markets – GMC

Prevailing retail prices as projected by the New Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) for the period March 17 to 23, 2023 indicate that non-traditional agricultural commodities remain stable at all major markets across the country.

GMC carried out checks at several markets including Kumaka, Anna Regina, Supernaam, Parika, Vreeden-Hoop, Stabroek, Bourda, Mon Repos, Skeldon, and Rosignol.

When compared to the same period in January of this year, the average market price for Boulanger (medium) dropped by nearly 30 per cent, while other fresh produce such as cabbage dropped by 45 per cent, Ochro by 70 per cent, and tomatoes dropped by 106 per cent.

Staple produce such as

cassava, eddoes, plantains, potatoes, and yams remain almost unchanged or saw a reduction in prices at some of the markets.

STABLE SUPPLY GMC also confirmed that the prices for chicken, mutton, and pork remain unchanged, while beef and eggs dropped by nearlysix per cent and are readily available countrywide.

Notably, vegetables such as callaloo, lettuce, carrots, pumpkin, and squash have remained under $500 per pound respectively.

The Government of Guyana continues to accelerate its food security agenda and has allocated some $200 million in its 2023 budget for the expansion of the youth farming programme this year.

Guyanese can expect the stable trend to continue as

every single area,” Jagdeo said, adding that there were major challenges to overcome.

On assuming office in 2020, the PPP/C Government was met with a broken procurement system, featuring regular abuse of Guyana’s procurement laws, and no plan for development in sectors such as health and infrastructure. Moreover, the pressure was on with the subsequent cost of living increases, battling the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as having to right the wrongs of the previous government.

In spite of these challenges, the PPP/C Government has championed a gamut of initiatives to improve the lives of Guyanese, delivering on many of its

farmers face more favourable weather conditions in the coming months and as interventions by the Ministry of Agriculture continue across the country, incentivising increased production.

CLIMATE SMART AGRICULTURE

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

The innovations will increase the availability and shelf-life of local produce, while food production will continue to see further investments that will improve overall productivity. Moreover, food security continues to be a paramount policy initiative for the PPP/C Government.

manifesto promises in just three years in office.

“The People’s Progressive Party, and the government headed by Dr Irfaan Ali have remained faithful to what we promised the

electorate. We have worked very hard in the past two and a half years to reorient this country on a track to prosperity, away from the doom and gloom period,” Jagdeo stressed.

EDITORIAL

No room for complacency

Aclearcall to action was sounded by General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Bharrat Jagdeo, at the memorial for Party Founders Dr. Cheddi Jagan and Mrs. Janet Jagan, held at Babu Jaan, Port Mourant, Region 6. And the call was clear, there can be no complacency moving forward.

It cannot be assumed that democracy will stand without vigilance from elements that would prioritize partisan interests ahead of national development. During the last election cycle in Guyana, Guyanese saw the: Peddling of misinformation related to the circulation of fake national identification cards; Signatures of the PNCR Chairperson, Volda Lawrence, and Coalition activist, Carol Joseph, on manipulated declarations for Region 4, which increased votes for the APNU+AFC and decreased the votes for the PPP/C – declarations that were exposed during the national recount as manipulated; Multiple court actions, which, among other things, scuttled multiple GECOM meetings and prevented a finalizing of the election results; the former Chief Election Officer, Keith Lowenfield’s flouting of a court order; the Coalition-nominated GECOM Commissioners’ efforts to push through a report from the Chief Election Officer to declare a victory for the Coalition, despite the fact that the report included manipulated numbers; and more. Vigilance must be the order of the day.

It cannot be assumed that the work being done by the PPP/C government to advance the transformational development agenda will mean electoral victories. Nor can it be assumed that high voter turnout is unneeded; rather all Guyanese of voting age must head to the polls and vote on the basis of a party’s track record. Under the former APNU+AFC Coalition Government, Local Government Elections were held twice. Voter turnout during that period was low. At the 2016 Local Government Elections, 47.1% or 239,070 of the 507,584 persons eligible to vote cast their ballots turned up to cast their ballots. Further, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on November 16, 2018, confirmed that 36.3% or 208,534 of the 573,923 registered electors turned up to cast their ballots at the 2018 Local Government Elections. Nationally, results for the 2018 LGE showed the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) has almost doubled the margin of votes between the Party and APNU and AFC combined – moving from about 24,000 at the 2016 Local Government Elections to over 45,000 at this year’s Local Government Elections. The difference of votes between the PPP/C and the AFC was a whopping 113,000 votes. Between the PPP/C and the APNU, the difference of votes was over 50,000.

It cannot be assumed that the racist rhetoric will be rejected by right-thinking Guyanese; rather every effort must be made to call out the race-baiters. The past several months have seen incidents where persons have spewed unfounded claims of racism by the current Administration. Unsubstantiated and wildly irresponsible claims – all worded along lines to stir tensions among Guyanese continue to be peddled by leaders of the PNCR-led APNU+AFC Coalition. The issue of racist rhetoric by the PNCR-led APNU+AFC Coalition to stir tensions has been condemned repeatedly over the past several months by PPP/C leaders. Notably, PPP Executive, Gail Teixeira, who took aim at the APNU+AFC Coalition, recently. She said: “At a time when we are taking the trajectory of our country forward; when we are seeing transformation; when the government has given COVID relief; help in the hampers; flood relief; the removal of taxes; the purchase of vaccines for our people; the PPEs (Personal Protective Equipment)… drugs that were not there; the opening up of housing; and the fixing of roads and bridges. All of this is taking place and all you can do is drag it down to race. That is the only flag you have. The only flag you wave is race…you have stuck loyally to your history from 1954 and onwards - of divide and rule in Guyana. That is unfortunate. I don’t accept that the youth don’t know about these things. They are not obtuse…whether the PNC/ RIG/ APNU/ AFC comes to term with past and steps on the road to national unity, you will be found, if you don’t join, left alone….you have a choice.”

And finally, it cannot be assumed that the attempt to distort the track record of the PPP/C will be dismissed; rather we have responsibility to defend the PPP/C’s track record against the naysayers. The PPP General Secretary made it clear that: “We have to defend our legacy…if a party cannot defend its legacy. If a party doesn’t speak up about what it stands for. Then that party will never have longevity in politics…somehow in the past, we let the narrative from the

Reject all forms of divisiveness

Dear Editor,

It has long since been my opinion of persons the likes of David Hinds that he would finally come to his right mind as the reality of his plight faces him. Yes, it is my firm opinion that amidst all of Hinds’s rants, there would finally evolve some modicum of civility within him as he comes to the place where those revolutionary fiery speeches he has been making would bring him into conflict with the law, and as such he would be called to atone for his utterances.

Having reviewed his position on those seditious remarks, he has now become apologetic and has since said that the PPP/C regime is out to lock him up. Well, sure enough, he would be, if those statements he made are deemed to have been an incitement to violence. Make no mistake, that is going to happen; Hinds would be brought before a court of law to answer to those remarks.

And it is my view that the authorities in Guyana are giving him some latitude on this; that is, until such time after the LGE, before closing in on

him.

The reason for this is that neither he nor his comrades can say that the PPP/C regime is quick to lock up political opponents, and that is the reason for them losing the next election. Far from it! I believe the PPP/C is a party that believes in a fair fight, so let him talk his talk as he sinks himself deeper and deeper into trouble.

But lest Hinds or others think they can get away with it, they need to think again, because freedom of speech has boundaries, and freedom of speech has responsibilities. Do not abuse those privileges. I say this on the basis of present circumstances in our society, where people are invading our schools and taking the law into their own hands. I am sure this is a spinoff from the incitement given by Hinds and company, calling on society to rise up.

But I would like Hinds to dig a little deeper into his educated conscience and realise that it was the PPP/C who granted him and the party the freedom to assemble as well as the freedom to speak. Prior to this time, dignity was denied them.

How did Burnham treat them? He

hounded them like animals. I remember a friend of mine, who was a WPA activist, had to run for his life overseas for fear of Burnham and his armed gang. Others had their homes raided in the dead of night, or had the ignominy of incarceration without a fair trial. So, to turn and bite the hand that cradled you into civilized political discussion is simply an ungrateful act on the part of Hinds.

I must also remind Hinds that in the country he now resides, he could not, for one moment, take Jesus out of his thoughts to stand on a street corner and preach racial hate, or ever speak of violence, although that society is inundated with racial disparities too numerous to mention. I shudder to think what would become of him should he ever pluck up enough courage to speak in such tones there.

We want to live and develop in an ambiance of peace and progress. Down with all forms of divisiveness! So, to David Hinds and company: stop your foolishness now!

Respectfully, Neil Adams

Dear Editor,

Whatever else can be said of former President Dr Cheddi Jagan he was essentially a democrat and a patriot.

This was quite unlike Forbes Burnham, who rigged his way to power for over two decades until democracy was finally restored on October 5, 1992.

I follow with interest attempts by the PNC, including some who were integrally involved in the rigging of national and regional elections, to create what can only be described as “a storm in a teacup” over a billboard depicting Dr Jagan as the “Father” of the Nation. Such attempts are both feeble and infantile and certainly will not gain traction.

Dr Jagan has become a national monument, someone who has transcended the boundaries of national politics. He was one of the main architects of the national independence struggle and the building of a modern Guyana.

His honesty, integrity and high political morality has now become legendary. Such attributes are widely acknowledged by Guyanese all across the political and ethnic spectrum of the Guyanese society.

It is unfortunate that the PNC has chosen to use his 105th birth anniversary to seek to denigrate Dr Jagan and his contributions to the politics of Guyana. It is not without significance that such attempts are being made on the eve of Local Government Elections which the PPP/C is expected to win by a landslide.

other side overpower us and it led to our demise in 2015. In 2015, they were controlling the narrative. They used social media to distort everything that this party stood for. They even denigrated and changed our track record of progress. They spoke about corruption as a massive campaign tool. We did not do enough in 2015 to fight back against that narrative and it led to our demise. So today when we fight the naysayers, many people think we are intolerant of criticisms, we are not intolerant of criticisms, we don’t hate NGOs… We are just fighting to defend our records….we are not political eunuchs. We will fight tooth and nail every single day to speak about the record and achievement of this party and if we don’t do

It is time for the PNC to come clean with the Guyanese people and admit to the injustices inflicted on Dr Jagan and the Guyanese people as a whole during its 28 years of dictatorial rule. During that period, Guyana was reduced to ‘pariah’ status.

It is more than ironic that some of those who were responsible for destruction of the democratic fabric of the country are now seeking to “lecture” us on the virtues of morality.

Dr Jagan’s multifaceted contributions to the growth and development of Guyana cannot be downplayed and will forever be etched in the consciousness of the Guyanese people.

Yours respectfully, Hydar Ally

it, if all of you who are here don’t set up a Facebook page or Instagram page or something else and join that fight, they will succeed again… they have some in the media who support this narrative.”

The PPP/C as a government recognized the role of inclusiveness as the Civic component in its Governance structure, which brought pride and prestige to a coordinated and advanced representative list of candidates – a commitment that continues to be evidenced today. Our people will not risk our collective property, the future our of nation, or the future of our children. This is the message that the detractors of progress and prosperity must come to terms with.

Ironic that those responsible for destruction of the democratic fabric of Guyana now seeking to “lecture” on the virtues of morality

Good gov't initiative –

empowering women the right way

Dear Editor,

My interest has been piqued by the news that the People’s Progressive Party Civic Government is looking to train some 500 women to operate heavy machines for the mining and energy sectors.

According to President Irfaan Ali, talks are ongoing with several big companies in the energy sector to train these women to operate heavy-duty machines used in these areas. Unprecedented, but very uplifting, and I am so elated with this kind of initiative.

Editor, ‘myth-busters’ are needed, and this is one right here, where we need to realise that

being male or female should not be a basis for discrimination, according to the crucial constitutional value of equality. The Constitution prohibits discrimination between men and women, although it still occurs worldwide, but Guyana seems committed to fighting it.

I add that working full-time gives women a bigger sense of purpose and personal fulfillment. Having a life of their own and enjoying it on their own terms is very important for every individual, and women must be a part of this. After all, working women have a life beyond their families and kids, which gives them a sense of self-accomplishment and fulfillment.

Defence Diplomacy augurs well for Guyana

Dear Editor,

OnFebruary 24, 2023, President Irfaan Ali declared; ‘’Defence Diplomacy will be paramount in Guyana’s foreign policy”. He added that it will be “a most critical link between foreign policy, the State’s defence mechanism and government’s development strategy and will be ‘a key feature of the country’s national architecture.’” He contextualized Defence Diplomacy to mean that ‘as the country progresses, new strategies will be pursued’. While this was an important announcement, indications are that, save for its publicity in state-owned media, media traction of the President’s announcement has been overtaken by recent developments on the political front. This was reflected in President Ali’s strong condemnation of statements made by a leading member of the WPA who, while speaking at a public meeting at Buxton, called on the Joint Forces to “aim their guns in the right direction”.

Chief-of-Staff of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and Chairman of the Joint Services Brigadier Godfrey Bess, in a statement ‘urged politicians and other commentators to ‘refrain from misleading and mischievous remarks that seek to incite racial tension and deviate from peace’. Bess made it clear that ‘the Joint Services is an apolitical institution and will continue to serve the people of Guyana.’ S/N in its editorial of 12.3.’23 headlined; ‘Hate Speech’ referred to the WPA’s representative speech; …’He described the situation in the country as a matter of “political urgency”. He said that the PPP/C had used the police and the GDF in the past to “execute” Africans, and that in the present circumstances, “We have to act and we have to act quickly.” The editorial reminded; ‘what is more frightening is the fact that ethnic rancour is often easy to foment and always hard to stop.’

Ralph Ramkarran in his column headlined ‘Politics and the Joint Services in the same edition of S/N reminded that ‘Guyana’s military has come a long way since the days of ‘party paramountcy’ when it was required to swear political loyalty to the ruling clique, sustained in power by rigged elections, in which the military was unfortunately forced to assist.’ The big question now is, in the light of the current uproar over attempts by extremist political elements to drag the military and

security forces into divisive political and ethnic matters, where does Defence Diplomacy figure in all this?

The main areas of defence diplomacy, according to Lech Drab of the Faculty of National Security of the War Studies University, Warsaw, Poland, are: Bilateral and multilateral cooperation – established and maintained at a high level by both civilian and military representatives; Education and military training; Military exercises; Military missions and operations; Intelligence cooperation and exchange of information on the military-political situation and other events related to the issues of security and the state of the armed forces of other states; Cooperation within international security organisations and alliances; Activities related to arms control, disarmament and confidence-building measures; Legal and legislative cooperation; Cooperation in the field of defence industries; Military assistance and support for the armed forces of other countries; and, Historical military cooperation and patriotic education. Drab emphasizes that, ‘Different countries give Defence Diplomacy different content, strictly adapted to the needs of their own security policy.’ In this regard, the defence and security policy of the state of Guyana is defined in article 197A of the constitution: “(1) The State’s defence and security policy shall be to defend national independence, preserve the country’s sovereignty and integrity and guarantee the normal functioning of institutions and the security of citizens against any armed aggression.’ Against this backdrop the role of the GDF is; ‘to defend the territorial integrity of Guyana and to assist the civil power in the maintenance of law and order when required to do so as well as to contribute to the economic development of Guyana’.

In the circumstances, it appears that Drab’s, ‘main areas of Defence Diplomacy’ seem to be the most relevant at this point in time given the exigencies of the political situation in Guyana. Moreover, as regards content and adaptation of Defence Diplomacy, the President’s allusion that Defence Diplomacy will be a key feature of our foreign policy, our defence mechanism and our development strategy’ could not be clearer. But President Ali did not stop there. He went on highlight the human resource factor of Defence Diplo-macy stressing that “training

As we know, women’s empowerment means a sense of self-worth; the right to have and to determine choices; the right to have access to opportunities and resources; the right to have the power to control their own lives, both within and outside the home. Thus, they would have the ability to influence the direction of social changes. With high self-esteem, learnability and societal status, women will have a voice. This is because, with this opportunity to be trained to work, especially in an area where men seem to think they have a monopoly, women can start to level the playing field.

The details from the President himself are that there is the potential for successful participants to earn an average salary of $350,000 monthly. He noted that “The Government is going to invest in ensuring that (the women) are certified, and we are going to partner with the Private Sector, so (they) move smoothly from certification to employment.”

Another factor, and again we all know it, is that there are a number of huge advantages to women working. These include more income for their families, the opportunity to explore their talents, and the promotion of economic growth. When women work, they

make money that adds to their families’ financial well-being. This helps pay bills, buy food, and educate children. But it goes beyond all of these, as, when women earn, they are in a great position to ‘push back’ against any form of violence. Simple! Money talks. It gives options and recourses, and if it helps to ‘trim masculinity,’ then so be it.

I am mentioning this because, in making the announcement regarding the programme, President Ali sounded a stern stance and unwavering commitment towards eradicating violence against women, stressing a zero-tolerance policy approach. He acknowledged that the social issue continues to be a “devil” plaguing the nation, and proffered that the “…root cause is our silence; the root cause is our collective guilt…not to stand strong and definitively against violence against women. If we do that, we can get rid of this monster and devil from society.”

I contend that, with a career and money from it, women will not be silent, and this will go a far way to redress this ‘devil’ in the camp.

Sincerely, H Singh

Norton caught in another lie attempting to boost relevance

Aman, Keith Ferrier, with close ties to leader of the PNCR and APNU+AFC Coalition, Aubrey Norton, on Sunday (March 26, 2023), made clear his support for the People’s Progressive Party (PPP).

He was publicly recognized by PPP General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo, when he attended the memorial for Dr. Cheddi Jagan and Mrs. Janet Jagan, at Babu Jaan, Port Mourant. The PPP General Secretary said, “I am so pleased to see you here Mr. Ferrier, who is related to Mr.

Norton. He is here and he has seen the light with the People’s Progressive Party. He may be able to tell you a few more stories (about Norton).”

A clearly upset Norton, a statement, resorted to personal attacks against Jagdeo, claiming that Ferrier is not his brother. He said, “He told a PPP gathering at Babu John that I, Aubrey Norton have a brother that joined the PPP. This is totally untrue. The man he referred to is not my brother.”

Norton’s comment came,

despite the fact that the PPP General Secretary did not describe or make a claim of Mr Ferrier’s exact relationship to Norton.

In response, PPP General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo charged that Norton’s reaction to a “passing comment” says a lot about him as an individual. He said, “Mr. Norton did not have a single thing about any of the policy issues….what does this say about a leader. This is small mindedness….Norton is clearly not cut from leadership cloth….it demon-

strates the morose nature of Mr. Norton.”

Jagdeo added, “I never said the man was his brother…from a passing comment, when you have a whole set a policy issues to deal with, he opted to talk about this…Mr. Norton is clearly not ready to address serious matters….it demonstrates his vindictiveness, all he was focused on was a passing comment I made.”

The PPP General Secretary added that Norton’s comments about Ferrier being a ‘criminal’ shows

the lack of gratitude from the PNCR for people who “throw their belly out for them” at various levels, including campaigning for them.

This is not the first time that Norton has resorted to lies to frame his comments as a so-called strong response to the PPP/C. Earlier this month, Norton claimed that Jagdeo publicly said that the next General and Regional Elections are due in 2026 – a falsehood. However, despite the widespread publicity of the remarks

made by Jagdeo, Norton said, “What he (Jagdeo) is doing is seeking to make you complacent and believe that elections are going to be until 2026 and once you become complacent, he will call elections earlier. We must see through his strategy and prepare for elections… we must continue to work and be ready this year.”

Norton, elected as leader of the PNCR in December 2021, has been battling numerous failures as leader of his party and the APNU+AFC Coalition.

Winston Jordan to face trial come April 11th

Thetrial against former Finance Minister, Winston Jordan, in the case of misconduct in public office, is set to commence on April 11, 2023.

The Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU) brought the charge against Jordan in December 2021.

Jordan, on April 24, 2023, appeared before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly in Court

Two of the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.

At that time, the magistrate said she was “inclined to make a ruling in favour of the defence’s submissions which were previously made by Jordan’s lawyers that he was not a public officer. However, Magistrate Daly concluded that she would reserve her ruling and take evidence from the prosecution, then make a ruling at the end of the prosecution’s case.

The case to which the charge is related is the sale and vesting of the state’s largest wharf facilities located at Kingston, Georgetown. The charge stated that the property, Mudlots 1 & 2, F of Mudlot 3, A, B & D, situated at North Cummingsburg, Georgetown, was valued at billions, but was sold at an undervalued sum.

Jordan issued a vesting order, which passes Title to the purchaser, for prime waterfront properties in Kingston to BK Marine Inc. without full payment. The company is owned by Brian Tiwari. The property is re-

portedly worth a whopping $8B. The purchase price, however, was set at $400M. In a strange turn of events, Tiwari only paid $20M – not the full price for the land. The Transport was subsequently issued for this property. Notably, the agreement of sale stated that Title must only pass upon full payment of purchase price. The vesting order stated that the property is being sold free from encumbrance and liabilities and no further sum of money is owed by the purchaser.

This was among nine transfers of state lands were signed off by the APNU+AFC Coalition’s Jordan and exposed via the March 28, 2020 edition of the Official Gazette.

Jordan was arrested by ranks of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) on December 2, 2021 for alleged misconduct in public office.

INVESTIGATION

In October 2021, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall, announced that an investigation into the dealings of the former APNU+AFC government is actively being pursued. During a press briefing at the Office of the President on October 14, 2021, Nandlall said, “There were a number of transactions that were done under the previous government that will be subjected to investigations and charges may flow if those investigations yield

those charges based on the advice, of course, of the Director of Public Prosecutions. That is an ongoing process… many people believe that we may not have been pursuing this with the desired speed. That is not so. There are so many other things that have happened since that have diverted the attention of the Police Force in other directors. But we remain committed to that promise to investigate these transactions.”

According to the Attorney General, Jordan has been implicated in a number of nefarious transactions. “The former Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, has been implicated in a number of nefarious and questionable transactions, which we intend to send to the Police Force and to other authorities for investigations.”

These include:

• Hiding receipt of the US$18 million signing paid by ExxonMobil for over a year;

• The alleged sale of a number of prime pieces of land, many “far below market value” and “without the requisite public procurement process”, after the December 2018 No-Confidence Motion, as well as after the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections; and

• The alleged sale of several vehicles from the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) to close associates of the then administration with observing proper procedures.

Commenting on the investigations, Nandlall had said, “This is what we owe, as a government, to the people of this country. After all, we have a duty, a fiduciary duty, to the people of Guyana to protect public property and public funds – public funds that are owned by the people, public property that are owned by the people. We have a duty to protect them and to call in the State’s investigative apparatus, where the circumstances require investigations to take place. We have certainly identified certain areas.”

QUESTIONABLE DEALS

Further, while in Opposition, the PPP/C had identified several questionable deals

and promised to have these investigated – including the alleged sale of vehicles to Jordan’s children for under $300,000.

Jordan’s arrest followed the move to send the file into his conduct in office to authorities for a criminal investigation.

A statement by the Guyana Police Force said, “Officers of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), Guyana Police Force, made contact with Mr. Winston Jordan and invited him to attend the office of the unit at Camp Road, Georgetown for questioning in relation to a series of alleged fraudulent transactions in which he is implicated, involving public funds and state properties, estimated

to value billions of Guyana dollars. Today (December 2, 2021), at or about 10:30 hrs, Mr. Jordan, in the company of two Attorneys-at-Law, attended the SOCU office at Camp Road and was interviewed….this is only one of several investigations that implicate former Minister Jordan.”

The embattled former Coalition minister was released on his own recognizance. When charged, he was not required to plead to the charge, was released on $3M bail. Jordan’s lawyers are APNU+AFC Coalition Parliamentarian, Roysdale Forde and Khemraj Ramjattan, as well as Attorneys-at-law, Dawn Cush, Joseph Harmon, and Darren Wade.

Coalition-run City Council’s failures exposed yet again – Dharamlall

Arecent thorough inspection and engagement with vendors of Stabroek Market by Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall, exposed the failures of the APNU+AFC Coalition Georgetown City Council.

Following the two-hourlong exercise, Minister Dharamlall was forced to initiate a plan to bring immediate relief to vendors, most of whom publicly criticised the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) for neglecting the market and only showing up to collect revenues.

ly clogged with garbage, among other undertakings.

Heavy focus will also be placed on the improvement of the facilities at the fisheries, since raw fish is a highly perishable product. Similarly, the security of the market will also remain a paramount focus of the local government ministry as more solutions will be discussed.

Dharamlall also committed to seeking the redeployment of more constabulary officers to bolster the fiveman team that is currently placed at the market.

Opposition MPs ordered to pay monies owed in suspension case

The eight Opposition members of parliament (MPs), who were suspended for their disruptive behaviour in parliament and the removal of the parliamentary mace in 2021, are demanded to pay the monies owed to the State in the suspension case, within seven days from March 10, 2023.

This was highlighted in a letter penned by Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mohabir Anil Nandlall, SC, to Opposition member and attorney, Roysdale Forde on March 10, 2023, for the eight MPs to make the payment.

AG Nandlall emphasised that to date, no payment has

– Nandlall issues letter

been made by the MPs in breach of the order of the court in a ruling rendered by Justice Damone Younge.

Failure to complete the payment of costs awarded in the case, the letter stated, “would result in enforcement of the aforesaid Order of Court without further notice.”

The MPs were mandated to pay $350,000 in costs to the state by February 6, according to the decision rendered by Justice Younge in the High Court. The case concluded on January 16, 2023.

Annette Ferguson, Christopher Jones, Ganesh Mahipaul, Vinceroy Jordan,

Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, Sherod Duncan, Maureen Philadelphia, and Natasha Singh-Lewis are the opposition MPs who were suspended.

The court determined that Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir, had the authority to impose the suspension and that the Parliamentary Privileges Committee had every right to recommend it.

The MPs’ attempt on December 29, 2021, to block the passage of the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) Bill— which resulted in the violent removal of the parliamentary mace—led to their suspension from Parliament.

The major issues included: lack of adequate security, terrible sanitation, improper drainage, leaking roof, blocked up drainage hydrants, inefficient facilities management and a total lack of will by the Georgetown Mayor and City Council to enhance the situation of the Market.

Enhancement works in the pipeline include repairs to the roof of the fish bay area and to the restroom facilities, desilting of the drains in the market, and excavating outlets current -

Moreover, the minister is looking to re-establish the vendors’ committee to improve representation, as well as implement daily garbage removal, and policies to strengthen facility management. Further, a massive cleanup exercise was conducted on Sunday (March 26, 2023) at Stabroek Market, Georgetown, to kick start the government’s efforts in positioning the popular vending hub into an area conducive to conducting business.

Minister Dharamlall disclosed that immediate efforts will be made to address the

poor garbage disposal at the market. He said, “Very shortly, I will speak to the city engineer and the solid waste management team, to see how best we can remove the garbage that is blocking quite a few of the areas, especially the hydrant points in the market. We have to provide better conditions. As part of the grant the government gives to the city council, I am going to speak to the council to ensure that some of those resources are placed within Stabroek Market…so there are many things that we need to work on, and over the next few weeks I want to assure the vendors, as well as the shoppers in Stabroek Market that central government will do part of the heavy lifting, and also, we will have to impose some of our work ethic onto the city council, so that they can come and also be part of this enhancement that we have to do in Stabroek Market.”

Notably, after Dharamlall’s visit, reps from the APNU+AFC Coalition, including Mayor Narine, visited the Stabroek Market to engage vendors.

Gov’t must be judged by its actions – PM Phillips

‒ leads ministerial outreach to Victoria

The government must be judged on its “actions” as opposed to its “words” when it comes to bringing developmental services to the people of Guyana in a fair, equitable, and non-discriminatory manner.

This sentiment was expressed by Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, on Saturday (March 25,

2023), who led a ministerial outreach to Victoria to assess and find solutions to the most pressing issues affecting residents.

The outreach was hosted at the Victoria Community Centre Ground.

The Prime Minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to providing services

for residents across Guyana. “Actions speak louder than words. You have a government that cares for you”, the prime minister said to applause from the gathering.

He said the government will continue to bring development to the community, ensuring that everyone benefits. “You have a government that came into power on the 2nd

TURN TO PAGE 19 →

Positions from PPP General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo

ThePeople’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) was elected by the Guyanese people by a margin of over 15,000 votes at the March 2020 General and Regional Elections and remains accountable to the people, not to persons and groups with “partisan” interests.

The declaration from PPP General Secretary was made during a recent news conference, held at the Party Headquarters, Freedom House, where he made clear, “We are accountable to the people of this country. Not to people who have vested interests.”

Jagdeo was, at the time, rubbishing the criticisms from “the lunatic fringe” and embattled groups like the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA).

Guyanese have access to a wide range of fundamental rights, including as freedom of speech and the ability to gather and associate in peace. Furthermore, these rights were usually upheld by the government, according to a report on human rights by the United States (US) State Department. The PPP/C Government largely recognized the right to freedom of speech, especially for members of the press and other forms of media, according to the most recent report from the US State Department – the 2022 Human Rights Report. “An independent media, an effective judiciary, and a functioning democratic political system combined to promote freedom of expression, including for members of the media. Independent news media were active, and expressed a wide variety of

views without restriction,” the report stated.

The PPP/C Government has repeatedly stressed that it is open to constructive criticisms, but has appealed for a focus on facts and fairness.

Meanwhile, Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, on Friday (March 24, 2023), had cause to respond to the GHRA, and said, “Our Government welcomes and respects constructive criticisms but with equal force, we cherish our right of response and rejoinder to those criticisms. We will neither be timid nor will we abdicate our entitlement to exercise these facilities in the public interest, when necessary.

“While we encourage civil society organisations to be vigilant and oversight our Government, we resolutely maintain that those organisations must conduct themselves with a level of rectitude befitting those who wish to offer public criticisms in modern democracies. That they must be compliant with the laws of the land is central to their legitimacy if not their

very existence.

“…I wish to assure that the Government of Guyana, welcomes constructive scrutiny and oversight from every quarter, subject to the qualifying caveats adumbrated above.”

Further, President Dr Irfaan Ali, in February 2021, assured Government remains committed to engaging all stakeholders for the development of Guyana. He had said, “As President of Guyana I’m open to constructive criticism; I’m open to ideas and I’m open to sharing of responsibilities for the development and advancement of our country….I believe that in a free and open society, every view has a value and every view must be expressed freely. But in expressing those views there comes a responsibility also… the responsibility of ensuring there is balance, there is fairness, there is factual basis on which those views are expressed is important in maintaining, not only freedom, but the image that the press is unbiased.”

US report on Human Rights in Guyana featured key messages – Jagdeo

There were a number of factual errors in the 2022 State Department Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Guyana, according to People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo.

During a recent news conference, at Freedom House, he said, “There are many factual errors in the report. I have seen a lot of issues with the latest report the State Department recently released and I’ve seen the many spins on it.”

He explained that these will be responded to. Already, Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, issued a state-

ment, which pointed out that the claim that as of October 2022, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) did not investigate allegations of Sergeant Dion Bascom that the Police took bribes from a wealthy businessman to foil the investigation in the killing of Ricardo Fagundes, is palpably erroneous.

Jagdeo said, “We are not concerned about the complaints so much because we have answers to those but these are some of the key messages from the report.”

Among the “key messages” he referenced were the fact that: The government took steps to identify, pros-

With one of its two election petitions already dismissed and a ruling expected soon from the Appeal Court on the second, the PNCR-led APNU+AFC Coalition maintains that it won the March 2020 General and Regional Elections.

And General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Bharrat Jagdeo, charged that there has not been a “single period” in the nearly 33 years –1964 to 1992; and 2015 to 2020 – that it held office where General and Regional Elections were either rigged or attempts were made to rig.

He said, “That will not change. That has not changed. It is part of their DNA. They are the only ones who live the fiction that they didn’t try to steal the (March 2020) Elections….they hang on to this fiction.”

tion’s Election Petition 99 of 2020. Petition No.99, which challenged the final election results, was nullified by the Acting Chief Justice on the grounds of non-compliance of service on the second named respondent, former President Mr. David Granger. Petition 99, argued that fraud was committed in the March 2020 Elections and over 115,000 votes were affected, benefiting the PPP/C. In Guyana’s High Court, Acting Chief Justice dismissed Petition 99 on June 14, 2021.

RIGGING EFFORTS FROM 1964-1992

In 1992, Guyana has it first free and fair General and Regional Elections in over two decades.

to (Dr. Cheddi) Jagan in an honest election.

Rigged elections continued until Guyanese went to the polls on October 5, 1992.

ATTEMPTED RIGGING IN 2020

In his book, the West on Trial, Dr Cheddi Jagan, noted that the elections machinery was compromised, given that some elements were under the control of the PNC, in the 1960’s.

ecute, and punish officials who committed human rights abuses or engaged in corruption; There were no reports of disappearances by or on behalf of government authorities; Several domestic human rights groups generally operated without government restriction, investigating and publishing their findings on human rights cases; There were no reports of political prisoners or detainees; Independent news media were active and expressed a wide variety of views without restriction; and that Members of both ethnicities held senior leadership positions of the government.

Notably, arguments on the APNU+AFC Coalition’s only remaining election petition, Petition 88 – the second one having been thrown out by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) – concluded in the Appeal Court on March 22, 2023. Chancellor (acting), Yonette Cummings-Edwards, announced that the Court will dispatch notices informing parties of the date on which it will be delivering its judgment. The petitioners, Ms. Claudette Throne and Mr. Heston Bostwick were asking the Court to declare the election results null and void. In further seeking to do so, the petitioners are challenging the national vote recount process, Section 22 of the Elections Laws Act and Order 60 of 2020, which governed the recount. Petition 88 was dismissed in the High Court by the Acting Chief Justice, Roxanne George-Wiltshire.

Delivering her almost twohour long virtual ruling, she underscored the fact that the petitioners had presented not a single piece of evidence to substantiate purported irregularities they sought to advance.

With regards to Petition 99, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), on October 19, 2022, ruled that the Court of Appeal (CoA) in Guyana did not have the jurisdiction to hear and determine the appeal filed to challenge the dismissal of the APNU+AFC Coali -

Documents from the United States of America’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), which were declassified on September 4, 2008, showed that the PNC, under Forbes Burnham, rigged elections with CIA assistance from 1964 to 1968 – from the first election that the PNC ever recorded a win.

The document, dated May 23, 1969, on page 4 said, “…CIA was instructed to support the UF and the PNC in the 1964 elections.” Page 5 of the same document said, “There was no exposure of the United States Government or CIA involvement in the 1964 and 1968 elections.”

The document referred to two reports produced by World in Action, including one documentary, ‘The Making of a Prime Minister’, which exposed the rigged elections of 1968. The declassified CIA report, on page 5, said, “The only significant adverse publicity arising from the 1968 elections was aired on two television programmes in Britain in December 1968 and January 1968.”

Notably, World in Action, produced another documentary, ‘Mr. Burnham does it again’, looked at how the 1973 elections were rigged, where it notes that Burnham was “helped to power by the CIA” in past elections. World in Action was a British investigative current affairs programme made by Britain’s Granada Television.

Importantly, the declassified CIA document, dated May 23, 1969, on page 4 said, “Burnham would lose

As early as the 1960’s the use of Returning Officers by the PNC – the majority partner in what is now the APNU+AFC Coalition – was a tactic employed to subvert the will of the people. Dr. Jagan recorded that Returning Officers refused to allow stakeholders in the electoral process to view the list of applications for proxy votes – the reason being that proxy voting was one method used by the PNC to rig elections.

In 2020, the Region 4 Returning Officer, before his controversial March 13th declaration, refused to allow stakeholders in the electoral process to see the Statements of Poll he was using to tabulate results – documents that had different numbers from the GECOM-issued Statements of Polls in the possession of PPP representatives and other electoral process stakeholders.

When the tabulation of results in Region 4 from the March 2020 Elections were derailed by fraudulent actions, the PPP/C released its GECOM-issued Statements of Poll (SOPS) to the public. And the certified recount of votes from Region 4, completed on June 9, 2020 validated the numbers presented by the PPP/C and confirmed that the Region 4 Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo, did manipulate the results to favour the APNU+AFC Coalition.

To date, the PPP/C government has demonstrated it commitment to ensuring that the events of March 2, 2020 are not repeated. To date, a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into what took place during the March 2020 electoral process, has completed public hearings. Those who committed electoral offences are being prosecuted. Also, Guyana’s electoral laws were strengthened.

PPP/C is ‘accountable to Guyanese’, not those with ‘partisan interests’ – General Secretary

PNCR-led Coalition ‘only ones’ hanging on to election victory ‘fiction’

Positions from PPP General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo

PPP/C will tackle Opposition’s race baiting ‘head on’ – PPP General Secretary

ThePPP/C is not unaware that racism is a major challenge in Guyana, according to Party’s General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo.

“We are not naive about it…the PPP has a history of confronting the most troublesome issues and we will do so head on…we are not whitewashing the historic racism, we will confront it,” he said during a news conference on Thursday (March 30, 2023).

According to him, the matter of racial division is significant enough, given the dangers it poses to the social fabric of Guyanese society, for it to attract the attention of not only the PPP leadership,

but President Dr. Irfaan Ali.

“We attach great importance to national unity and we believe we have to fight racism head on,” he said.

Taking issue with the duplicity by some on civil society, he criticized the silence of the actions of the PNCRled APNU+AFC Coalition that reflect practices that stoke racial divisions.

Acknowledging the danger that the Coalition’s play of the race card poses to the fabric of Guyanese society, Jagdeo made clear that as a society such actions must be called out. “We need to confront this matter frontally. We are prepared to defend

our track record of working for all people…under every successive PPP/C government, all our of our people have made progress,” he said.

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

over the past several months by PPP/C leaders.

The PNC-led APNU+AFC Coalition’s expressed intentions to “undermine” the Dr. Irfaan Ali-led PPP/C Administration, according to Jagdeo, in prior comments, has not gone unnoticed. Jagdeo, in prior comments, had said, “People like David Hinds, who for

decades misled people into thinking they represent Afro-Guyanese, had no interest in development for Guyana, much less development in the interest of Afro-Guyanese…they are parasitic… when they came into office, they had no intention of supporting Afro-Guyanese…he is smarting from the person loss of privileges that he

and his family enjoyed…the bitterness stems from there… it is a dead end if they don’t drop the racism…there is room for inclusion, providing that you work for the people…you can’t bully people and you can’t lie to people…. currently, we have an ineffective Opposition Leader… more often than not, he has a shallow understanding of crucial sectors,” he stressed.

Moving forward, Jagdeo noted that the APNU+AFC Coalition must drop racism as a tool and get on board with a national development agenda – all in the interest of all Guyanese across the entire country.

PPP/C welcomes constructive criticism, biased ramblings will not go unanswered – Jagdeo

The track record of the PPP/C government, backed by facts, proves clearly that there is no unwillingness to engage with non-governmental organisations (NGOs), according to PPP General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo.

During a news conference, held on Thursday (March 30, 2023) at Freedom

House, he said, “So when you say we don’t like NGOs, we have been working with constituency-based NGOs and those who need help,” he said.

Jagdeo pointed to Budget 2023 where millions were allocated for support to groups like Child Link Inc. and Blossom Inc., which work for the protection of Guyanese

children.

The challenge, he explained, is that the advocacy-based NGOs that do not have credibility – agencies like Transparency Institute Guyana Inc. (TIGI) and Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) – and this cannot go unchallenged. “A lot of these advocacy-based NGOs are not credible, and

we have to expose them,” he said.

Jagdeo added, “Guyanese have come to know their number…we are a Party that believes that we have to fight for what we want…we will fight for development… these guys they are part of a network and they want the confusion…if we don’t expose them here, at the global

PNCR using ‘old playbook’ – PPP General Secretary

The Aubrey Norton-led PNCR has not changed its modus operandi, according to General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Bharrat Jagdeo.

During a news conference on Thursday (March 30, 2023), he said, “We know their record…they are using a playbook that is old….they have not changed.”

Jagdeo was rubbishing the continued attempts by the PNCR-led APNU+AFC Coalition, as well as elements aligned to the Coalition, to play the race card.

This is not the first time Jagdeo has called out the PNCR-led Coalition for is use of racist rhetoric to divide Guyanese for the sole purpose of partisan political gains.

Moving forward, Jagdeo had said that the APNU+AFC Coalition must drop racism as a tool and get on board with a national

development agenda – all in the interest of all Guyanese across the entire country. At a prior news conference, he said, “It is a dead end if they don’t drop the racism… there is room for inclusion, providing that you work for the people…you can’t bully people and you can’t lie to people….currently, we have an ineffective Opposition Leader…more often than not, he has a shallow understanding of crucial sectors.”

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

over the past several months by PPP/C leaders.

Meanwhile, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Government, Gail Teixeira, who took aim at the APNU+AFC Coalition, recently. She said, “At a time when we are taking the trajectory of our country forward; when we are seeing transformation; when the government has given COVID relief; help in the hampers; flood relief; the removal of taxes; the purchase of vaccines for our people; the PPEs (Personal Protective Equipment)… drugs that were not there; the opening up of housing; and the fixing of roads and bridges. All of this is taking place and all you can do is drag it down to race. That is the only flag you have. The only flag you wave is race… you have stuck loyally to your history from 1954 and onwards - of divide and rule in Guyana. That is unfor -

tunate. I don’t accept that the youth don’t know about these things. They are not obtuse…whether the PNC/ RIG/ APNU/ AFC comes to term with past and steps on the road to national unity, you will be found, if you don’t join, left alone….you have a choice.” Teixeira charged that the PPP/C will push forward with President Dr. Irfaan Ali’s announced One Guyana initiative, despite the naysayers in the Coalition camp. She said, “The attempt to weaken any embryonic efforts at building a One Guyana will not succeed…efforts at building a ‘One Guyana’- a ‘One Guyana’ for all of us as a people where we will work towards equitable distribution of goods and services; where we will work for the development of the regions of our country…that is our goal and if you don’t agree with it, I’m sorry. You’re lost.”

level the perception remains skewed – for example, TIGI’s report gets fed into the international group’s report, the report by Transparency International, and all Guyanese know the report is false.”

The PPP General Secretary charged that working with partners for the national good will always be something that is embraced, but partisan groups will not be allowed to mouth unsubstantiated criticism without a response from the PPP/C.

Notably, on the issue of constructive criticisms, President Dr. Irfaan Ali, just after the PPP/C took office in

August 2020, said, “As President of Guyana I’m open to constructive criticism; I’m open to ideas and I’m open to sharing of responsibilities for the development and advancement of our country….I believe that in a free and open society, every view has a value and every view must be expressed freely. But in expressing those views there comes a responsibility also… the responsibility of ensuring there is balance, there is fairness, there is factual basis on which those views are expressed is important in maintaining, not only freedom, but the image that the press is unbiased.”

Threats against ‘US interests’ receiving ‘required seriousness’ – VP

The United States of America’s (USA) Embassy in Georgetown on Wednesday (March 29, 2023) issued a security alert, where it warned that: “Out of an abundance of caution, we want to inform U.S. citizens that the embassy has increased security protocols due to receiving threats against U.S. interests.”

And when asked, during his news conference on Thursday (March 30, 2023), Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, said the threats are

receiving the required seriousness that it warrants. He said, “It is a serious matter…we’re giving it all of our attention…it’s getting the required seriousness in response from the State apparatus as well as the US government.”

Additionally, the USA’s Embassy in Georgetown has also urged its citizens in Guyana to “stay alert” and “exercise heightened caution.”

No other details were provided on the matter.

“We are not naive about it…the PPP has a history of confronting the most troublesome issues and we will do so head on… we are not whitewashing the historic racism, we will confront it.”

– PPP General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo

ELECTION WATCH: LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS

PPP/C will fight ‘hard campaign’ for 2023 LGE – Jagdeo

ThePPP/C’s 2023 Local Government Elections campaign will kick into gear on April 17, 2023, according to PPP General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo.

April 17, 2023 is also Nomination Day – the day on which political parties, groups, etc. submit their Lists of Candidates to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

Section 48(1) of the Local Authorities (Elections) Act, Chapter 28:03, provides that those contesting the elections be required to submit a symbol for approval by the Elections Commission no later than 21 days before Nomination Day. Persons are asked to submit their applications via mail or email to the Chairman.

Those in outlying Local Authority Areas (LAAs) may submit their symbols to the GECOM Registration Office in their area. “Political Parties, Voluntary Groups and Individuals in outlying Local Authority Areas (LAAs) may submit their symbol to GECOM’s Registration Office in their area,” GECOM said.

Addressing the work on finalizing candidates, he said, “We in principle agreed over the constituency candidates, but that still has to receive the final approval at the party level…we are getting ready. We have already been assessing candidates across the country. We haven’t decided firmly, the executive of the party will meet… in the next couple of weeks to look at all the candidates… we are consulting with all the candidates in the areas across the country… settling on all the areas.”

He stressed that the Party had for decades maintained the PPP-Civic model and this approach will continue. “That has always been the

model. There are people who don’t have party cards but they want to contribute to the community. They want to make a difference.”

On the issue of the campaign and the goals, the PPP General Secretary explained that the Party will contest in all areas, with a focus on increasing support in areas that have traditionally been stronghold support bases of the PNCR-led APNU+AFC Coalition. He said, “We will fight a hard campaign in every single one of these areas. There are some areas where we have never won, and we are hoping, politically, that the people will give us an opportunity to prove we can.”

‘PPP WILL DO WELL’

“I don’t want to gloat about what the likely outcomes will be. No doubts the PPP will do well… extremely well in these elections,” the PPP General Secretary declared.

He added, “We have a track record. When we are in office, all of the people benefit from the PPP/C stewardship. The whole country makes progress, and we work for all of our people. That’s the philosophy of this party…The People’s Progressive Party, and the government headed by Dr Irfaan Ali have remained faithful to what we promised the electorate. We have worked very hard in the past two and a half years to reorient this country on a track to prosperity, away from the doom and gloom period.”

Nationally, results for the 2018 LGE showed the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) has almost doubled the margin of votes between the Party and APNU and AFC combined – moving from about 24,000 at the 2016 Local Government Elections to over 45,000 at

this year’s Local Government Elections. The difference of votes between the PPP/C and the AFC was a whopping 113,000 votes. Between the PPP/C and the APNU, the difference of votes was over 50,000.

The results showed that the PPP/C won in 52 of the 80 Local Authority Areas (LAAs) and tied five others at the 2018 Local Government Elections. The PPP/C increased its win from 48 LAAs in 2016 to 52 LAAs in 2018 Local Government Elections.

In the 10 towns the PPP/C, secured big wins in five of Guyana’s 10 towns: winning all the seats in Anna Regina, Rose Hall (12 of 16 seats), Corriverton (14 of the 16 seats), Lethem (6 of the 10 seats) and Mabaruma (eight of the 12 seats). The Party was successful in taking control of the Town Councils in Lethem and Mabaruma.

Meanwhile, in the 70 NDCs, the Party was successful in not only holding on to its support base, but also saw an increase in votes in areas that were seen as the traditional support bases of parties like the APNU. The PPP/C won the Buxton/ Foulis NDC, Region 4. Also, the Whim/Bloomfield NDC, Region 6, was another notable win. It was none other than AFC’s Moses Nagamootoo who declared that “there is a straight contest” between the PPP/C and the AFC in this NDC. The PPP/C secured almost 90 per cent of the votes and 13 out of 14 seats in the Whim/Bloomfield NDC. The AFC had less votes in the NDC than the number of candidates and individuals on the Nominators’ List (backers’ list) that they submitted to GECOM, proving our point that they had to compile fraudulent lists.

By Clement J. Rohee

GECOM Commission -

er, Mr Vincent Alexander seems bored, if not disillusioned with his tenure at the Commission. Apparently, things are not going his way. To overcome this apparent self-generated boredom and disillusionment, the Commissioner would ventilate his frustration from time to time, by making forays into mainstream and social media from where he would level unfounded criticisms at GECOM hoping to pressure the body to return to the post 2020 period.

In his latest foray, Mr Alexander bemoans what he describes as ‘the slothful process in filling the post of Deputy Chief Elections Officer (DCEO).’ He went on the complain that the Commission’s schedule for the holding of Local Government Elections (LGE) ‘have been affected by a number of snafus,missteps and is adventures.’ (SM&A’s)

Listed among Mr Alexander’s SM&A’s were the following asseverations; the ‘unlawful gazetting’ of boundaries of new and reconfigured constituencies; the Chair and CEO’s ‘illegal endorsement’ of that ‘illegality’; ‘the reclamation and execution to reverse’ its actions; ‘refusal to follow due process in the demarcation of boundaries;’ ‘failure to conduct the Claims and Objections process in the required manner’; and ‘wrong procedures in determining whether a person is ordinarily registered in a particular constituency or not entitled to vote in the particular constituency.’

A careful examination of the implications of every one of Mr Alexander’s SM&A’s, were they to be realized, would show a single and deliberately obtuse objective, to abort the holding of LGE and in so doing, disrupt the general but more particularly, the local democratic process in Guyana.

In responding to Commissioner Alexander’s missive that reeks with all the elements that would make Guyana stand still, one cannot help discerning his battle to overcome the moral hazards facing him. In the circumstances, Mr Alexander conveniently failed to mention the number of stumbling blocks that were placed along the way by his Party with a view to achieving their objective; these include:

1. Objection to the use of the provision of Section 5(6) of the Election Laws (Amendment) Act No. 15 of 2000 to extract the Registers of Voters from the existing Official List of Electors.

2. Approaching the court to block the use of the Registers of Voters that were extracted from the existing Official List of Electors.

3. Insistence that a Claims and Objections Exercise must be conducted to prepare Registers of Voters for Local Government Elections, notwithstanding the provisions of Section 5(6) of the Election Laws (Amendment) Act No. 15 of 2000.

4. Multiple Objections to the Guidance provided by the CEO to the Returning Officers for the reconfiguration of Constituencies.

5. Withholding of Scrutineers participation in the process of reconfiguration of Constituencies.

6. Objection to the CEO’s Report on the field exercise that was conducted by Registration Officers to reconfigure, where applicable, constituencies in accordance with the provisions of Order No, 39 of 2022.

7. Insistence that the Commission had approved criteria approved by the Commission whereas there is no record that such criteria had been used in the reconfiguration of constituencies in accordance with the provisions of Order No, 39 of 2022.

8. That Objections denied

during the recently concluded Claims and Objections exercise were not done in compliance with the statutory provisions.

Notwithstanding the vacuous nature of the above matters raised by the opposition at GECOM, the Chairman under all circumstances, exercised admirable patience. And when it became obvious that the exchange of views on anyone of Alexander’s contentious SM&A’s produced diminishing returns, the Chair, with the hope of achieving a consensual decision would instruct the CEO to investigate what Mr Alexander claimed to be either a snafu, a misadventure or a misstep.

An excellent example of the APNU’s prevarications at GECOM can be found in its efforts to ransack the CEO’s work plan for the holding of LGE which suffered over ten revisions before it was finally approved for implementation.

Consequently, following extensive, time-consuming research by the CEO, together with Secretariat staff at GECOM and at times, pointless and superfluous deliberations at the level of the Commission, it was transparent enough for all to recognize that the APNU’s objective was to push back further the date for LGE, which the political opposition do not seem to want at this time.

The APNU’s shenanigans at GECOM have all failed.

We are a mere two months away from June 12, 2023, the date set by the Minister of Local Government for the holding of LGE. GECOM is moving full speed ahead in fulfilment of its constitutional mandate and electors in their respective constituencies are now being sensitized by GECOM and stakeholders that it is imperative for them to go out to vote with their conscience as their guide.

Op-Ed: APNU+AFC’s shenanigans at GECOM have all failed

PPP is ‘best bet’ for

ThePeople’s Progressive Party (PPP) will remain faithful to the guiding principles of Dr. Cheddi Jagan, but will not “drift in the wind”; rather the Party will be stable, progressive and dynamic in order to respond to the challenges of the time, according to PPP General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo.

He was speaking at the PPP-organised massive rally at Babu John on Sunday (March 26, 2023) to celebrate the rich Legacy of the life, and works of the Party founder leaders Cheddi and Janet Jagan.

PPP/C government.

STATE OF PARTY

Addressing the state of the Party, the General Secretary expressed his gratitude to the many who contributed to the struggle during the five years of the APNU+AFC Coalition in government and during the fivemonth fight to protect democracy and prevent the Coalition from undermining the will of Guyanese with the attempt to steal the March 2020 Elections. “Thank you for fighting,” he said.

and false narrative being peddled by the PNCR-led APNU+AFC Coalition.

Jagdeo said, “We have to defend our legacy… if a party cannot defend its legacy. If a party doesn’t speak up about what it stands for. Then that party will never have longev-

The annual event was not held since 2018, due to political developments, specifically the refusal of the former government to hold Elections in compliance with the constitutionally three-month timeline, in March 2019, after the passage of the no-confidence motion in December 2018, and the COVID-19 pandemic that hit Guyana in 2020.

Nothing that Dr. Jagan and Mrs. Jagan, “never gave up” on the struggle for a better Guyana, Jagdeo sand, the event offers the PPP an opportunity to report to supporters on the state of the PPP, the struggles that the Party faces and the policies and programmes being advanced by the

He added that heading into the 2023 Local Government Elections and the 2025 General and Regional Elections, the PPP is ready and will continue working. He referred to the 2018 Local Government Election wins and charged in Government the Party is expecting “bigger wins”. “Why do you think we won? We won in 2018 because we kept faith with the people…..we will continue to do so,” he declared.

STRUGGLE AGAINST FALSE NARRATIVE

He noted that there is also a role of all Guyanese moving forward –that is the response to the negative

ity in politics…somehow in the past, we let the narrative from the other side overpower us and it led to our demise in 2015. In 2015, they were controlling the narrative. They used social media to distort everything that this party stood for. They even denigrated and changed our track record of progress. They spoke about corruption as a massive campaign tool. We did not do enough in 2015 to fight back against that narrative and it led to our demise.

“So today when we fight the naysayers, many people think we are intolerant of criticisms, we are not intolerant of criticisms, we don’t hate NGOs… We are just fighting

to defend our records….we are not political eunuchs. We will fight tooth and nail every single day to speak about the record and achievement of this party and if we don’t do it, if all of you who are here don’t set up a Facebook page or Instagram page or something else and join that fight, they will succeed again… they have some in the media who support this narrative.”

The PPP General Secretary stressed that the denigration of the PPP/C’s track record of progress will not be allowed.

STRUGGLE AGAINST RACISM

The second struggle that the PPP is waging, according to him, is racism.

He said, “They say the PPP/C is a racist party, but our history, our practices or policies, or philosophy all speak differently. And today, we’re fighting this in every single community….the PPP/C is the only multi-ethnic party in this country.”

“…this truth resonates now because when they tried to distort the message in the Afro-Guyanese villages and other communities across the country, they were confronted with a narrative that is very different on the ground because they don’t know that many people in these villages almost every one of these villages, we now have a party group.”

According to Jagdeo, the racism of the PNCR will lead to their demise.

“That’s their only purpose in the party. Not to promote a multi-ethnic and to respect people of every race and every faith as this party does. They

(PNC/R) saw them as outsiders. That philosophy, the racism of the PNC will lead to their demise, and now they are rapidly dying as an organisation. At the next elections, not just the local government one. We will prove that definitively in the one in 2025,” the PPP General Secretary said. He added, “When I hear everyone talk about inclusivity, just recently they’ve been trying in the international community to go and bad mouth us. To say, oh this is a racist Government and they were told, well if you look at the Judiciary it’s balanced in this country. You have people of every race in the Judiciary. In the legislature, it reflects the nature of Guyana….and in the executive of our party, the Cabinet, it looks like Guyana too. So, what are you talking about? Recently, the State Department report pointed out that in spite of these complaints, this Government has people of all races in senior leadership positions. And that is the nature of our party.”

POLICY MAKING IN GOV’T

Before 2015, Jagdeo charged that the transformational development agenda will continue to be delivered on. He said, “Long before oil and gas we transformed this country…we brought a bankrupt country back to viability…the same fiscal discipline guides us….today we hear a lot of people talking about the framework. In two and a half short years we have put in place, and are putting in place, one of the most modern frameworks to manage the (oil and gas) industry anywhere in the world.”

for Guyanese – Jagdeo

The PPP General Secretary added that from “hospitals to highways” and from “building schools to creating employment opportunities,” the PPP/C has been working hard to deliver on its manifesto.

“We have been spending the time on delivering…right across this country people are seeing the change,” he declared.

DELIVERING ON THE LEGACY OF DR. JAGAN

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, also a PPP Executive and Central Committee member, stressed that all Guyanese are shareholders of the legacy of the PPP and the Party welcomes all.

In a no-holds barred speech, he noted that “Comrade Cheddi” lived for the “working class” and “lived to uplift” the working class out of poverty and to respond to the development needs of all Guyanese. “This is what the PPP of today continues to do,” he said.

Ali stressed that the “race card” that is being played by those with partisan interests is a card that will be “buried” by the PPP/C Government, as it moves the country forward on a transformational development trajectory.

He detailed the economic and social advances of Guyana, “before oil” revenues, and charged that the commitment to delivering for Guyanese in areas like improving the debt to GDP ratio, minimum wage, infant mortality, increasing the number of trained nurses and doctors and more was clearly evident. “The gains we are making is not against accident. It was by careful planning and meaningful policies…the policies we pursue must reflect the core values of the Party and it is reflected in our manifesto….this is how we live the legacy of Dr. Cheddi Jagan,” he said, adding that the PPP/C government is guided by the same philosophy going forward.

Ali railed against the “audacity” of the PNCR-led APNU+AFC Coalition for disingenuous and duplicitous posturing. He said, “We are delivering on the legacy of Dr. Cheddi Jagan….we are living the teachings and principles of Dr. Jagan….no

organisation can remain static and survive…successful organisations that reinvest themselves, where leadership is applicable to the challenges of the time and remain committed to its founding principles and values.”

A LEGACY OF DIVERSITY

Prime Minister, Mark Phillips, leader of the Civic component of the PPP/C, in comments on Sunday (March 26, 2023) charged that the diversity that was reflected in 1950, on the formation of the PPP, is the diversity that is reflected in the Party’s membership and support based 73 years later.

“We had a father of the nation who was committed to building a Guyana based on equality,” he stressed.

According to him, the PPP/C remains committed to the goals of Dr. Cheddi Jagan, development for all Guyanese – the upliftment of all in the country on a political, social and economic level.

“We are a government of more action and less talk, that is the legacy of Dr. Cheddi Jagan…development in every village of Guyana….ensuring that all our people benefit from the resources we have in an equitable manner,” he said.

Phillips added that Dr. Cheddi Jagan and Mrs. Janet Jagan are the “father and mother of the nation” and naysayers cannot diminish the contributions, which warrant such an acknowledgement.

Also paying tribute to Dr. Cheddi Jagan and Mrs. Janet Jagan – founders of the PPP and both former presidents – were representatives from the Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO), the Women’s Progressive Organisation (WPO), the Rice Producers Association (RPA) and the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU).

BACKGROUND

The Annual Memorial Committee, which was established in 1998, has direct responsibilities to organize annual memorial activities to celebrate the Life and teachings of the great leader.

Dr. Jagan was born on March 22, 1918 at Plantation Port Mourant and died on March 6, 1997. Janet Rosenberg Jagan was born on October 20, 1920 and passed away on March 28, 2009.

Jagan, a former Queens College student excelled at his academics and sports while at Queens College, and subsequently strengthened his developmental Academia platform as he

went on to study at the distinguished Howard’s University in the United States of America. He graduated in 1942 with his degree in dental surgery (DDS) and a Bachelor of Sciences degree (BSC). Dr. Jagan married Janet Rosenberg on Augustb5, 1953.

Mrs. Janet Jagan, born in Chicago, Illinois, USA, was educated at University of Detroit; Wayne University; Michigan State College; Cook County School of Nursing. Janet Jagan came to British Guiana in December 1943, and worked for 10 years as a Dental Nurse in Dr Cheddi Jagan's clinic. Mrs. Janet Jagan almost immediately became involved in the labour struggle and was a member of the colony's first-ever union, the British Guiana Labour Union. She worked with labour hero, Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow, to organise domestics. With other women, founded the Women's Political and Economic Organisation (later called W.P.O.) She was also one of the founders of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) in 1946. In 1947 she contested the general elections under limited franchise in Central Georgetown, but lost. The following year, in 1948, she took part in fund raising for the East Coast Demerara sugar strike which was put down by colonial police.

She was acquainted with the men who were to become the Enmore Martyrs. Their struggle was to become hers. Mrs. Jagan in 1970, as the Editor of the ‘Weekend Mirror’ founded the Union of Guyanese Journalists (UGJ) and she became its first President.

In 1947, Dr. Jagan was elected to the National Assembly, as he formally entered and established the basis for the rest of his life in the political arena. In 1946 he co-founded the Political Affairs Committee(PAC), which was the foundation for the formation of the People’s Progressive Party. In 1950 he formed the PPP. Quickly after in 1953 his Party PPP won the first Elections in Guiana under universal suffrage. Unfortunately, the British suspended the Constitution after a mere one hundred and thirty-three days. Dr. Jagan and his close Ministers were put in prison. As the world was experiencing the serious effects of the second world war. The world was divided into a socalled Socialist and Capitalist bloc. Dr. Jagan PPP was split in 1955. However, he again won the Elections that were held in 1957 and 1961. In 1964 the imperial grippers and opportunists formed a Coalition and the PNC/UF formed the Government. What followed thereafter established Guyana as the country with the greatest Riggers of Elections. The PNC rigged itself into government office time after time during the following 28 years. However, in 1992 with the country fully united to fight ‘rigged’ elections, the PPP/C won the Government as the dawn of a new era came into action. Subsequently, another, coalition the PNCR-led APNU+AFC Coalition came to power in 2015. However, due to the pervasiveness of serious corruption, crime, and blatant discrimination at all levels, the people of Guyana voted out the established riggers and PPP/C is back in Government.

The PPP/C as a government recognized the role of inclusiveness as the Civic component in its Governance structure, which brought pride and prestige to a coordinated and advanced representative list of candidates – a commitment that continues to be evidenced today.

POSITIONS FROM THE PRESIDENT

Gov’t to wipe out all weapons of racism in Guyana – President Ali

‒ says all Guyanese are stakeholders in development

President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali has stressed that his government will continue to wipe out all weapons of racism in Guyana. And the Head of State said all Guyanese are shareholders in the country’s development and the PPP/C Administration remains steadfast in meeting their needs.

President Ali was at the time addressing a mammoth crowd Sunday, at Babu Jaan, Corentyne, Berbice, at a ceremony hosted in observance of former late President, Dr Cheddi Jagan’s 26th death anniversary. “Today I say that no weapon formed in the clothing of racism will succeed once this People’s Progressive Party is alive and we don’t intend to die. We would stay alive,” Dr Ali emphasised.

He pointed out that one

of Guyana’s greatest assets is the diversity of its Citizens. However, there are some persons who are bent on weaponising this important feature, using tactics to separate the nation. Those who are handling the weapon must understand that their days are numbered and will soon come to an end, the Guyanese leader stressed.

He reminded that Dr Jagan faithfully fought for the working-class Guyanese, and noted that the political transformation and justice came as a result of the formation of the PPP/C.

Making the case, President Ali emphasised that his government will ensure that the astute legacy of Dr Jagan lives on. “We are not going to be branded by the same whip… that inflicted

Gas-to-Energy project progressing smoothly, to provide major economic benefits for Region Three – President Ali

President,

the seamlessly deep wound on the society we live in, but we have chartered a course in which we are offering our branches of love to heal those wounds… and to create a fresh platform through which growth and development and progress and unity have come to us,” the head of state asserted.

He remembered former President Jagan for his remarkable contributions to the development of Guyana and the betterment of its people.

The late Dr. Cheddi Jagan served as President of Guyana from 1992 to 1997 and is widely regarded as the ‘father of the nation.’ He dedicated his entire life to ensure that freedom and democracy of the people prevailed in Guyana until he died on March 6, 1997.

Dr Mohamed

Irfaan Ali on Saturday (March 24, 2023), inspected the ongoing preparatory works for the Wales Gas-to-Energy project in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara).

The President, accompanied by Deodat Indar, Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, visited the wharf facility which is being developed at a cost of US$15 million.

The Wales Gas-to-Energy project, with an estimated cost of over US$1 billion, is the largest investment made in Guyana’s electricity sector. Upon completion, it is expected to cut energy costs in half. President Ali said that the work on the project is progressing smoothly. He emphasised the importance of keeping the citizens informed about the progress being made on the project, which includes the pipeline and the development surrounding the power plant.

While emphasising the complexities of the project, the president highlighted that the construction of the wharf facility is being done in conjunction with the construction of the 2.5 km-long

roads. “There are some specific engineering specifications that have to be met in the development of this road and wharf facility,” he said. The head of state added, “This is a very complex project, maybe one of the most complex projects we have undertaken in the history of our country that requires specific skills.”

The head of state said it is important to note that the development began in challenging swamp conditions, and a service road had to be developed to access the site. The road, he said, will be upgraded and maintained to serve the surrounding community and for emergency purposes. “This new planning area will be transformed drastically. In another two to three years, it will become unrecognisable in the context of the industrial development and the entire development that will take place here,” the president noted.

President Ali also highlighted that the project will help to stimulate economic growth within the region. “Imagine what it will do for the people around here, the real value for people’s property will go up,” he said.

He also spoke of the economic impact of the project, which will stimulate economic growth by providing a reliable source of energy for industrial and commercial activities.

Minister Indar explained that the project also involves the evacuation of power. This, he said requires the installation of a 230 KV transmission line, which will transfer power from the plant to Garden of Eden and then to Vreed-en-Hoop. The power will also need to connect to the control centre being constructed in Eccles. “So, all the different parts of this project are out to tender. Some of them are very close to submitting their bids as well. So, all those things are running parallel, at the same time”, the minister said. Minister Indar stated that while the major project is underway, efforts are also being made to ensure that the necessary infrastructure is in place to allow residents to have access to their lands within the area.

President Ali also visited other development projects in Region Three including the Schoonord to Crane highway.

Schoonord to Crane four-lane highway to create major service hub

As significant construction continues on the new Schoonord to Crane four-lane highway, Guyanese are already preparing for the substantial service hub that will be created in the area.

The thoroughfare will feature an emergency lane, medians, roundabouts, reinforced concrete culverts, and pre-stressed bridges to alleviate traffic congestion along the West Bank and West Coast of Demerara.

There is no doubt that when the project is completed, small vendors could begin offering services to premium hotels, apartment buildings, or possibly, engineering and welding shops along the stretch.

President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali believes these components will contribute to the overall ecosystem being developed around the area in the future. “We do not want to have too many connections. There

must be main connections to the highway because this is going to be a main express highway… the work is moving apace,” Dr Ali noted.

He added that the roadway will reduce the cost of production, and improve the type of economic activities and the value chain of lands within the area. “So, the first phase is to reduce the traffic load… the time and man hours that we lose spending in traffic and that is what the first phase is aimed at doing.

When you hit on this highway, you will be saving a lot of time now. Between the Vreed-en-Hoop junction to the stelling, people sometimes lose close to two hours in a day, going and coming” he explained.

While the works are ongoing the ministries of Public Works and Housing and Water are working on the interconnections along the highway.

The president explained that the project faced some challenges, but alternative measures were implemented to ensure the work continues, which now sees a 24hour operation. “There are many difficulties with this project… the movement of sand and the availability of material. A lot of the sand had to be barged in and then trucked to the site. And then all these were mud dams that had to be created to a hard surface to get the material in, so it’s a lot of technical work and then they have the problem with the traffic and the constraints on the bridge,” he explained.

The project is divided into eight lots and is being executed by VR Construction Inc, Avinash Contracting & Scrap Metal Inc, L-Heureuse Construction and Services Inc, Guyamerica Construction Inc, AJM Enterprise, Vals Construction, Puran Bros Disposal Inc, and JS Guyana Inc.

FOCUS ON GUYANA’S FIRST PEOPLE

Gov’t injecting $7.5B to upgrade hinterland infrastructure – Bharrat

Several hinterland regions are set to benefit from some $7.5 billion in infrastructure upgrades this year, which will significantly improve the quality of life for Guyanese living in the logging and mining communities.

The infrastructural investment has seen $5 billion being allocated under the Ministry of Public Works, and $2.5 billion under the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC).

Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat made the disclosure recently during a televised programme, ‘The Guyana Dialogue,’ where he stressed the importance of the Forestry Revolving Fund, launched last week.

The $900 million revolving fund, which sees government investment of $300 million, and private sector investment of $600 million, was created to address ma-

jor issues affecting forestry stakeholders and loggers.

These include the lack of access to financial capital and the lack of access to concessions. The issues were mainly a result of the previous government’s move to neglect the forestry sector.

“We are seeking to address the main issues, one being hinterland infrastructure, the second being access to concession—state forest and the third one being access to finance at a concessional rate,” Minister Bharrat explained.

Under the public works ministry, Regions One, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine and Ten will benefit from the completion and rehabilitation of a number of priority roads.

The projects will provide residents with increased access to essential services like markets, healthcare and education, as well as increased economic activity through better connectivity.

Hinterland residents to benefit from maternal, child health project

Meanwhile, the hinterland regions are slated to benefit from a number of other government investments worth billions of dollars.

Through the Office of the Prime Minister’s $375 million Hinterland Electrification Project, communities will benefit from improved generation and distribution of electricity and operational efficiency, through the upgrading of electricity distribution networks.

Similarly, several households in the hinterland and riverain communities will receive solar systems to aid in improved electricity generation, through the $1.75 billion Solar System Project, which also falls under the Office of the Prime Minister. The Ministry of Finance is also piloting a $3 billion Low Carbon Development Programme to push information and communications technology access.

40 new wells to be constructed in hinterland regions this year

– As gov’t moves to increase access to potable water

The Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) is looking to establish 40 new wells and 30 water supply systems in hinterland regions this year, as part of the government’s agenda to ensure every household is provided with potable water.

Once completed, these facilities will serve approximately 12,000 residents. Some 7,000 residents are already receiving first time access to potable water in their homes.

The government achieved 75 per cent coverage of potable water in Amerindian and riverine communities at the end of 2022.

With the commissioning of 20 water purification systems at Aranaputa, Rupertee, Wowetta, Rupununi, Jawalla, Shulinab and An -

nai, among other villages, residents of the hinterland also gained access for the first time.

The administration is working assiduously to achieve its target of 89 per cent coverage in the hinterland regions this year.

It continues to make numerous interventions across the country, as part of its five-year strategic plan, aimed at providing 100 per cent access to potable water across those regions.

The government is investing in the development of 13 new treatment facilities countrywide, which will ensure citizens have access to purified water, while upgrades are also being made to the current water treatment facilities.

This is in keeping with the United Nation’s Sustain-

Guyana has received assistance from the Canadian Government to improve maternal, new-born, and child health across hinterland regions.

The project is being funded by Global Affairs Canada and executed by McMaster University at a cost of CA$2.5 million.

The project aims to reduce mortality rates among women of childbearing age, newborns, and children under five years old in Regions One, Seven, Eight, and Nine.

Importantly, the approach intends to bridge the gap that exists between the coast and the hinterland, which shows a higher rate of mortality among the targeted population.

Training will be an essential part of the new venture to promote an equitable standard of health care and engage communities and

traditional birth attendants to promote institutional health care for pregnancy.

Moreover, the undertaking caters to family health planning and training to help reduce adolescent pregnancy in the hinterland communities.

During the launch at the Cara Lodge Hotel on Tuesday (March 28, 2023), Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony said there was no neonatal service for more than a decade in Guyana.

Since then significant strides were made to remedy the situation and the new project will build on that foundation. “I know there is a desire to extend all of this into the different regions. We have started but we need that little impetus to make sure that all the regional hospitals will eventually have neonatal services and that is what this project will help

us to do in many ways,” Dr Anthony explained.

He pointed out that Guyana and Canada share a great relationship and have worked on several projects together.

Meanwhile, the Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Mark Berman noted that the initiative demonstrates Canada’s commitment to empowering women and girls and reflects the government’s feminist international assistance policy.

“The launch of this project comes at a strategic time in which we are seeing affirmations in the importance of gender equality, and the empowerment of women and girls to the achievement of sustainable development goals. That’s an important point that should not be lost,” he said.

The project will be implemented over five years.

92 more hinterland youths complete technical training

The government remains focused on educating youths and providing training opportunities, making them marketable for the world of work.

bracing the training, and the opportunity to secure employment.

able Development Goal Six which speaks to providing access to water and sanitation for all.

Some $17.7 billion was injected this year for water expansion and management, with $1.4 billion being allocated to increase access to clean, safe water in hinterland communities in Regions One, Two, Seven, Eight, and Nine.

Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal has reminded that several communities in hinterland regions have accessed potable water for the first time within the past two years. “We will continue until every household has access to a reliable supply of clean water. But we must commit to protecting our water sources and infrastructure. Our failure to do so will lead to devastating consequences,” Minister Croal stressed.

Matching statements to action once again, 92 hinterland youths have benefitted from education in several areas, including tourism and hospitality, and garment construction.

The graduates, who hail from Regions One, Two, Eight, Nine, and 10 received their certificates during a convocation ceremony at the Bina Hill Institute and Research Centre, on March 24, 2023.

The youngsters are em -

The programme was made possible through a collaboration between the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs and the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce. The 2023 Capacity Building Programme for CSOs is themed, ‘Advancing our Youths through Capacity Building.’

Minister, Pauline Sukhai said, “The Rupununi is acting as an incubator, by providing leadership in tourism throughout the hinterland.” She also urged for training, especially garment construction, not to be ste -

reotyped. She said, “It must cut across all genders. You have the option of opening up your own sewing business, where you can specialise in sewing school uniforms in your village or other nearby villages.” Minister Sukhai also encouraged women to expand their skills and challenge socially constructed gender roles, like agriculture, and utilising newer technologies.

During the training, the CSOs were also enlightened about the way tourism projects are implemented in the Rupununi, after having a first-hand view of Rewa and Surama eco-lodges.

32 bridges between Kurupukari to Lethem 60 per cent complete

Construction works on the 32 bridges between Kurupukari and Lethem, Region Nine, which are slated to be completed next year, are advancing well.

The contracts for the ongoing works were signed in April 2022 between the Ministry of Public Works and six contractors to the tune of $3.19 billion.

Approximately 60 per cent of rehabilitation works are completed to date.

According to the Minis -

try of Public Works, “The bridges being built from Kurupukari to Lethem are currently about 60 per cent completed, with some being further along. Works are progressing well.”

The works form part of the government’s strategy to advance hinterland development through enhanced interconnectivity, as a direct result of His Excellency, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali’s vision to ensure Guyana’s infrastructural

transformation is spread across all communities.

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

The bridges will be built to international standards, upgrading from wood to concrete. It also forms part of a bigger plan that will link with the construction

PPP/C DELIVERING ON ‘PLAN FOR PROSPERITY’

Silica City to transform Soesdyke-Linden Highway, surrounding communities

− first public consultation held at Kuru Kururu

Scores of residents from Kuru Kururu village, located on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway and surrounding communities on Tuesday (March 21, 2023), attended the first public consultation on the development of Silica City.

Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy and Chief Executive Officer of the Central Housing and Planning Authority, Sherwyn Greaves presided over the meeting held at the Kuru Kururu Youth Choice Centre.

Silica City is set to become the leading destination for eco-friendly living in Guyana, advancing the country’s sustainable and climate-smart agenda. With 3,800 acres of designated land, infrastructure development has already begun.

Minister Rodrigues explained that the 3,800 acres of land will be converted for a range of developments, including housing, commercial, and areas for institutions, such as government offices. Open spaces will also be preserved for recreational spaces, hospitals, schools and other public services.

Some $2 billion in contracts were recently awarded for the first phase of infrastructure development works including the construction of road networks, bridges and culverts.

According to the minister, the first phase of development will also involve the construction of high-end young professional homes on approximately 109 acres of land, which will provide

Billions in infrastructure works ongoing in Georgetown – Min Edghill conducts inspection

300 house lots measuring 600 square feet each. These two-storey houses will be on the periphery of an 18-hole international golf course that is expected to attract persons to the area. “This will be slightly different from the ones that were constructed [ on the East Bank]. It is going to be a little bit more highend houses,” she noted.

As part of the development process, Minister Rodrigues informed the gathering that the Guyana Lands and Survey Commission (GLSC) provided an inventory of all those who have been granted leases in the area, including those with existing leases. Importantly, she said there is zero occupancy within the 109 acres secured for the first phase development and for the construction of homes.

Minister Rodrigues reiterated that Silica City will be a sustainable, modern, and vibrant city built upon the principles of sustainable urban land use and management. Moreover, she said, the city will be a ‘marvel.’ In a few years, this community will be the envy of the country and people will clamour to come to this community,” she emphasised

Meanwhile, Greaves said that the city will be a self-sufficient one that generates its own electricity. It will provide convenient transportation options such as tramcars. The city will also include dedicated bicycle paths to further encourage alternative modes of transportation.

“Just envision a city that you see in Dubai or one of these

areas. That is what we are bringing here to you. And this is not a dream, this is a reality,” he said.

Minister McCoy announced plans for significant development along the Soesdyke-Linden highway as part of the PPP/C Government’s broader objective to create vibrant and sustainable communities. He highlighted that Silica City will be a crucial element of the comprehensive plan to transform the highway, and emphasised that the new development will offer numerous prospects for the persons residing along the highway. “We envision a highway that will be booming in a few years time, booming with commercial activities booming with residential settlements… Silica City will bring so many opportunities for you here in Kuru Kuru and other areas along the highway,” he told the residents. The minister also addressed the issue of squatting, which remains a contentious matter along the Soesdyke-Linden highway. He acknowledged that while the government is working towards a comprehensive solution to the issue, individuals must refrain from participating in this unlawful activity.

The residents were also given the opportunity to express their views and concerns. Many of them welcomed the new development and anticipated the numerous opportunities it will generate for them. Representatives from a number of sister agencies including the Guyana Lands and Survey Commission and the Guyana Water Inc. also attended the event.

Billions of dollars in infrastructure improvements to roadways are currently being undertaken by the government through the Ministry of Public Works (MOPW), in the capital city, Georgetown.

Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill recently inspected the projects that are under construction in various parts of the city. These include the Kingston Seawall Beautification Project, Independence Boulevard, construction of the ‘Safe Space’ along the Lamaha Corridor, a four-lane carriageway at Cemetery Road and road works at Delhi Street, Prashad Nagar.

Minister Edghill disclosed that these are rollover projects from last year, and the ministry is ensuring they are imple -

mented at an accelerated pace, to benefit citizens.

Meanwhile, construction of the 1800 metres Independence Boulevard at Albouystonis progressing at an accelerated pace. Some $1.5 billion is being expended towards this project as well as Cemetery Road.

He explained, “All three lots are progressing. The remaining encumbrances that are preventing them from working, most of them are being resolved as we speak. There’s full cooperation, that is being given to the ministry and to the contractors and that might be something that needs to be said because sometimes people only like to hear the storms, they don’t like to hear the quiet but things are happening.”

The project is also pro -

viding employment opportunities forresidents in that area.

“When President Ali visited to see the progress of the work, he on the spot initiated that some of the streets, the smaller streets, interlocking streets should be done. 12 of those concrete streets are currently under construction and that is being done by the people that live in the community,” he highlighted. It is important to note that these are not all the projects that are being undertaken by the Public Works Ministry in Georgetown. The ministry will continue to develop and enhance its road projects all across Guyana in 2023.

Over $136 billion was set aside in budget 2023 to further advance transformative infrastructure projects nationwide.

East Coast Demerara to see major transformation through housing, infrastructure

Exciting times are ahead for residents along the East Coast of Demerara (ECD), as it is being transformed through infrastructure and housing developments to mirror that of the East Bank of Demerara (EBD).

Susan Rodrigues, Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, recently, conducted a site visit at the developing schemes of Non Pareil/Enterprise, Enmore/Foulis and Hope, ECD which have been allocated to low-income, moderate-income and middle-income Guyanese.

Upon completion of the infrastructure works in these areas, allottees will enjoy wholesome schemes with access roads and bridges, cul-

verts and drainage networks.

Minister Rodrigues stated that the government’s macro-vision for Region Four will see communities on the East Coast and East Bank of Demerara connected through major road linkages such as the Ogle, ECD to Eccles, EBD Bypass Road and the Aubrey Barker Road in Georgetown.

The infrastructure growth will improve the socio-economic conditions of the residents and unlock new commercial zones.

From 2020 to present, Minister Rodrigues noted that the Housing Ministry has allocated 5,900 house lots on the East Coast of Demerara out of the more than 12,000 house lots distributed in Re-

gion Four. Additionally, the Minister said that over $24 billion was expended for infrastructure development on the East Coast of Demerara. In terms of the Ministry’s turn-key housing programme, the first batch of young professional homes will be constructed at La Bonne Intention (LBI).

In February 2023, the Ministry also inked contracts for infrastructure works in areas such as De Engrat, La Resouvenir, Success, and Good Hope. Minister Rodrigues also stated that the agency’s first ‘Dream Realised’ Housing Drive for 2023 is slated to take place in April and will see land allocations on the East Coast of Demerara.

Landfill enhancement project moving apace

TheMinistry of Local Government and Regional Development has been steadfastly working to address the issue of solid waste management across the country.

To this end, the ministry, under the leadership of Minister, Nigel Dharamlall has embarked on an initiative to upgrade a number of landfill sites across the country.

The upgrades at the Haags-Bosch landfill site are testimony of this commitment.

The national sanitary

landfill facility is receiving a stormwater pond, biofilters, and landfill gas extraction wells to improve its operations.

Minister Dharamlall, in a recent interview, stated that the construction of the new facilities is on schedule. “At Haags-Bosch, we have to continuously upgrade the services provided there, and… we have all of those currently being implemented. Of course, there are challenges in terms of natural circumstances—weather, and now in some instances, we have

issues with materials. But, at Haags-Bosch, the construction is proceeding on time,” he said.

The minister noted that a contract was awarded last year for the construction of a sanitary landfill site at Blairmont, on the West Bank of Berbice, Region Five.

The road to that facility will also be completed this year. “Region Five has never had a sanitary landfill, and now we’re able to have one constructed in Region Five. Similarly, in Region Two, we had to close two [landfill] fa-

cilities, one at Lima and one at Charity, because of the expanded housing development, and we are currently building one at Zorg-en-Vlygt, on the Essequibo Coast,” Minister Dharamlall disclosed.

In the 2023 budget, some $2.2 billion was set aside for the execution of these projects, as well as the provision of landfill sites at Byderabo, Kildonan, Bon Success, and Kara-Kara.

The allocation also covered the closure of dumpsites at D’Edward Village and Esplanade.

The Bon Success, Lethem landfill has been operationalised, while upgrade works for the facility will be tendered within the next few weeks.

“Kildonan does not have, in that area, a sanitary landfill or a dumpsite. So, on a visit by His Excellency and the Vice President in Region Six, they indicated that one of the issues people raised was the wanton disposal of garbage around communities. And we have since—on their guidance from the outreach— been able to start construc-

tion of some small facilities in some of these populated areas. We began last year, and we’re going to intensify this year. So, you will find Kildonan and the other areas, more work being done there,” Minister Dharamlall explained.

Already, the government has placed funds towards the cleanup of Kara-Kara in Region Ten, and Bartica in Region Seven.

Evaluations have been made for the establishment of additional landfill sites in Region One and Nine.

PPP/C DELIVERING ON ‘PLAN FOR PROSPERITY’

Victoria farmers to benefit from farm-to-market road to assist with accessing farmlands

Farmers from Victoria Village on the East Bank of Demerara will soon benefit from better access to their farmlands through the construction of an all-weather farm-to-market road as the government moves towards improving and increasing production to further develop the agriculture sector.

This was disclosed during a Cabinet Outreach to the village on Saturday (March 25, 2023) by Agriculture Minister, Honourable Zulfikar Mustapha. The outreach was led by Prime Minister, Honourable Mark Phillips and was attended by several other Cabinet Ministers.

During his address to the large gathering which comprised farmers and residents from Victoria Village and other surrounding communities, Minister Mustapha said that the ministry through the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) has commenced the process for the construction of an all-weather farm-to-market road so that farmers can have better access to their

Upskilling Guyanese

through training remains a priority of the PPP/C Government, as it aims to increase the number of qualified persons in the country. This will lead to Guyanese becoming financially independent, as well as enhance the country’s economic standing.

Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr Vindhya Persaud said, “There is a very definite path of this government in ensuring that every Guyanese benefit from every sector and every programme offered”.

She made it clear while addressing the residents of Victoria, East Coast Demerara, during a recent meeting, “We are working on a path of transformation, where this country can grow to great heights and where the world can recognise all of Guyana’s contributions through every one of its people. So, today we come to you to say that every person is important in this trajectory of growth and this mission we are on to raise up the people of our country to unparallel heights.”

The minister took the opportunity to highlight her flagship Women Innovative and Investment Network (WIIN)

farmlands. “This year, we’ll continue the development in this community. When I visited this community, you made a request for an all-weather road. I want to tell you that it has been approved and that process has commenced so that we can commence construction of that all-weather farm-to-market road in Victoria to take you to the farm. We’ll do one mile of all-weather road on the Victoria middle walk that stretches from the end of the housing area all the way up to the farming area,” he noted.

Minister Mustapha explained that the project was tendered and that the contract will be awarded soon. Once completed, he added, approximately 300 cash crop and other farmers will benefit.

The Minister also said that farmers from villages like Victoria along the East Coast have an important role to play in the government’s food security agenda. With Guyana playing that leading role in CARICOM’s food security agenda, Minister Mustapha said that efforts will be

made to ensure farmers are empowered to be productive.

In December 2021, Minister Mustapha conducted an assessment of the Victoria middle walk. A section of the road will soon be upgraded to an all-weather farm-to-market road. “We are working to become food secure, and you the farmers on the East Coast of Demerara have to play a big part. We know, for a fact, that the East Coast (of Demerara) was once a very productive area in our country and we will empower you so that you can once again become productive,” he added.

During an outreach to the community shortly after assuming office, Minister Mustapha engaged farmers and conducted an assessment of many of the affected areas in Victoria. During the visit, farmers sought the government’s assistance with the restoration of agriculture-related activities citing years of neglect of critical drainage and irrigation infrastructure. The minister committed to having emergency work done

in the area.

Additional works were also done after engineers from the NDIA and extension officers from the National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) and the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) conducted a needs assessment in the farming communities.

“When I became minister, Victoria was one of the

first villages I visited because I know the agricultural history of the area. Farmers met with me and made requests for better drainage. Our engineers from the NDIA came and did an evaluation and we then desilted all the drainage canals in the community.

Farmers also said that the sluice here needed rehabilitation. We have since built a brand-new stainless-steel door at a cost of $22 mil -

lion to install at the Victoria sluice. Today, that sluice is operable and you are getting drainage. We also, from the NDIA, allocate $17.6 million annually to the Golden Grove – Victoria Water Users’ Association for the maintenance of drainage and irrigation canals. So, you can see that we’ve been making resources available and we’ll continue to do so,” Minister Mustapha noted.

training programme that was conceptualised to empower women across the country.

Minister Persaud noted that since its launch, the WIIN progrmame has significantly impacted the lives of 6,000 women across the country, providing them with the opportunity to acquire their own businesses or become gainfully employed. “Let us look for the areas where you can gain financial independence. Where you can make money in simple words, where women understand that sometimes you don’t have to work for people you can work for yourself and also make a good living,” she said.

To this end, the minister has assured residents that WIIN will be brought to Victoria for in-person and virtual training in a number of areas.

Similarly, the Human Services Ministry provides training to persons living with a disability (PWD) free of cost, in courses such as social media marketing, garment construction, and more. Thus far, 300 PWDs have been trained across the country. “People who live with disabilities can be productive too. Whether they are blind or have a mobility issue,”

Minister Persaud said as she announced the construction of a training facility for PWDs at the old Mahaica Hospital.

Meanwhile, Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton shared similar sentiments on the importance of having qualified human resources in the country.

The labour minister also committed to bringing the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) to the community of Victoria. “I would hope that Victoria and the surrounding communities would take the opportunity to have us execute some programmes this 2023, to develop people in the community. I have promised them that after this is done, I will visit both facilities and we can work together to have some technical training programmes happen,” he said.

Presently, the Labour Ministry is developing a training facility in Unity, Mahaica that should be completed in six months’ time.

The intention of the facility is to train skilled men or tradesmen to ensure that they are certified and accredited to work in any part of the Caribbean.

Gov’t committed to upskilling Guyanese countrywide

Defence Diplomacy augurs well...

of the GDF will be converted into an additional knowledge set to position the force to produce men and women to be part the country’s Defence Diplomacy.” “Additional knowledge set” should be read to mean that in addition to its role as provided for in the Guyana constitution viz; ‘ ‘The Guyana Defence Force established under the Defence Act shall in the discharge of its constitutional responsibilities function in such a manner as

to earn the respect and enjoy the confidence of citizens.’

From a Guyanese perspective, an appropriate theatre for the practice of its Defence Diplomacy would be the Conference of Ministers of Defence (CMDA) whose overall purpose is; ‘To foster mutual knowledge, analysis, debate and exchange of ideas and experiences on defense and security matters in attempts to better contribute to the

development of its member states (CMDA Regulations – Title II, Article 2). Based on recent declarations, the CMDA’s concern of security of the state has been broadened to include human security.

Another theatre that would allow Guy-ana to engage in the practice of Defence Diplomacy would be the Regional Security System (RSS). The RSS is an international agreement for the defence and security of the Eastern Caribbean. It sets out to preserve the peace and stability of the region by delivering worldclass, professional, effective and efficient services through cooperative engagement with partner nations, the security sector and the peoples of the region.’ The RSS envisages

a future expansion with South America. A manifestation of the RSS’ ‘future expansion to South America’ was demonstrated when at the 33rd Intersessional meeting of CARICOM Heads held in Belize, members states of the RSS who were present, signed the protocol that would allow Guyana to join the regional security body.

While Defence Diplomacy presupposes greater spending for representational enhancement abroad, at the same time, it augurs well for Guyana’s foreign policy, and the country’s national architecture.

Sincerely, Clement J. Rohee

of August 2020. And we have been delivering to all the people of Guyana including Victoria, and including the Haslington/ Grove NDC,” he said.

Meanwhile, Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister with Responsibility for Public Affairs, Kwame McCoy, echoed similar sentiments. He noted that partnership between the government and residents is essential to the development of the area, and emphasised its readiness to collaborate. “We are looking forward to the partnership of working with you…all of you…because it is

← FROM PAGE 8

only by working together that we can get to the ideal place of our development,” he stated. Minister McCoy insisted that it is only by working together as one that the community will see the transformation and results that they are expecting. “All the development we have been talking about and all of my colleagues have been talking about, it is only by working together, in partnership, that we can get there very quickly,” he expressed.

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC, Minister of

Health, Dr Frank Anthony, Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond, Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton, Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson, Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr Vindhya Persaud, and Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues were also a part of the outreach. [SEE RELATED REPORTING ON PAGE 17]

32 bridges between Kurupukari...

of the Linden to Mabura road.

Additionally, as works are advancing on the US $190 million Linden to Mabura Road project, works will also commence

on upgrading all the bridges to concrete structures, since the road is the first phase of what will be the Linden to Lethem Road.

Meanwhile, the government is discussing the

← FROM PAGE 15

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

Op-Ed: PNCR in another attempt to distort, revise Guyana’s history

By Clement J. Rohee

ThePNC once again sought to besmirch the good name of the former democratically elected President of Guyana and deny him the honour, Father of the Nation. The bee in the PNC’s bonnet is the billboard mounted at Houston with a portrait of Cheddi Jagan proclaiming him ‘ Father of the Nation.’ The PNC is livid about this billboard and the public message it conveys. They want it removed.

At a PNC press conference held on Thursday March 23, 2023, in the presence of Opposition Leader Mr Aubrey Norton, Mr Hamilton Green said; “As an Elder, I call on the Leader of the PNC and Leader of the Opposition to respectfully ask that that sign be torn down.” Green went on to say; “I hope we get national support to remove that abomination, that obnoxious sign describing Jagan as ‘Father of the Nation.’

And in answer to a question as who he (Green) thinks should be named ‘Father of the Nation’ his response was; “If there is someone that should be named ‘Father of the Nation’ it is Forbes Burnham.”

This is not the first time spokespersons of the PNC 1have sought to stir controversy on this matter. But it is not so much the billboard that matters, it is the individual to whom the title has been bestowed that bothers the PNC.

Mr Green should be reminded about the controversy in the PNC whether Burnham should be considered Father of the Nation by his own Comrades having regard to internal disagreement among leaders of that Party on the subject.

It is to be recalled that in July 2012 at a lecture delivered to the then National Assembly’s ‘Governance and Democracy’ lecture series, then Opposition Leader David Granger was reported as stating; “There is no father of the nation, there is no mother of the Nation. I think we have to unlearn this myth.” A few days later, Aubrey Norton launched a scathing attack

on Granger describing his statement as “strange and intellectually flawed.”

So now thanks to Elder Green, Mr Norton has scored a pyrrhic victory, that notwithstanding, both are in pursuit of an illusive dream that Burnham should be crowned ‘Father of the Nation.’

Green’s pronouncements should be viewed not just as another manifestation of the genre of speeches we hear these days from the political opposition, but a call to action for the tearing down the billboard must be condemned. It would be downright vandalism and is tantamount to a political provocation. It bears a close resemblance to Hannah Arendt’s “Banality of evil.”

The PNC seems not to have rid itself of the human impulse to hate, regrettably, it has developed a propensity to transform that impulse into action by its public pronouncements.

Recent pronouncements by leaders of the PNC and their political allies attest to the fact that they have not abandoned their bigoted and aggressive ways.

In the course of his ranting and raving during the press conference, Mr Green conveniently overlooked the fact that nation building started way back in the late 1940’s when Cheddi Jagan was elected to the Legislative Council after fighting a brilliant contest against John D’Aguiar a staunch supporter of colonial rule.

Jagan’s entry to the Legco as it was then called, marked the beginning of a new era; the era of politics of protest and politics of exposure. Jagan had emerged as a national leader. The shooting to death of five sugar workers at Enmore in June of 1948 and the pledge he made at their burial solidified the emerging stature as Father of the Nation.

His call in April 1950 before the Waddington Commission for constitutional reform and internal self-government; His travels abroad to whip up solidarity and international support following the suspension of the consti-

tution by the colonial power and his imprisonment by its local lackeys only helped to strengthen the popular view of him being Father of the Nation

With Jagan at the helm, nation building continued with the victory of the PPP at the election in 1953 winning 18 out of 24 seats albeit in a government that did its level best, lasting just 133 days in office. Four years later, Jagan was returned to office as Premier of British Guiana from 1957 to 1964.

Green repeated Burnham’s spurious claim that ‘it was a mistake by Jagan not to issue a statement of loyalty to the new Queen for her coronation.’

In ‘The West on Trial’ Jagan wrote: “Our decision not to send delegates to greet the Queen in Jamaica was probably our main sin of omission. That a Guyanese representative had gone to the Queen’s Coronation ceremonies in London was enough.”

Mr Green sought to rubbish Dr. Jagan’s role as Father of the Nation by belittling his contributions to national development. Here are a few examples of actions that could be attributed to him as an emerging Father of the Nation.

The records show Jagan’s fight in early 1948, eighteen years before independence, against an export tax of 30 cents per ton of bauxite in place of 1 1/2 percent tax on the value of bauxite exported. The budget debate in that matter gave Jagan the opportunity to expose the monopolies of bauxite-alumina by the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) the company’s huge profits, its connections with the Aluminum Company of Canada (Alcan) and the Demerara Bauxite Company Ltd.(Demba)and the exploitation of countries such as British Guiana.

Secondly, there was a huge fight by Jagan concerning the purchase by the colonial government in 1951, fifteen years before independence, of 262 acres of land at Campbellville and 301/2 acres at LaPenitence which formed part of an es-

tate owned by the Corentyne Sugar Estates Ltd; a Bookers subsidiary. The price paid was 96 times more than the purchase price in 1937. The company was thus in a position to earn from interest alone on the agreed price for part of the estate nearly three times what it was earning as income from its operations on the whole of the estateJagan described this as “ a classic example of nationalization aiding the capitalist class.”

Another example of Jagan’s deep and abiding interest in securing the well being of Guianese was demonstrated in his fight for a comprehensive scheme of water control for drainage and irrigation. That pursuit resulted in the establishment of the Boerraserie Extension Project, designed to help farmers on the West Coast of Demerara and the East Bank of Essequibo; the Mahaica-Mahaicony-Abary and the Greater Canje Scheme.

Continuing his ossified account of history, Mr Green claimed that DrJagan “payed scant regard for Amerindians.”

In November 1949, long before Mr Green entered the political arena, Cheddi Jagan was in the Legco extending his full support to a motion on Amerindian Policy. He is on record stating; “I think the time is certainly ripe when we should give such protection as is necessary to the people who contributed so much to the early development of this Colony, and who can contribute more to its greater development.”

He referred to reports which revealed ‘the experiences the Amerindian people had acquired in the industries of timber, balata cattle rearing, gums, resins, wax, incense, medicinal barks, perfumes, dyes, poisons and nuts.’

Mr Green gave an uninspiring version of historical events leading up to the granting of independence to British Guiana. He failed to mention that on November 1st, 1961, Cheddi Jagan, then Premier of British Guiana moved the following motion in the Legco; “Whereas it is

the inherent right of all people to administer their own affairs and to determine their own destinies. And whereas it is the declared policy of Her Majesty’s Government to grant Independence to their subject people; And whereas Her Majesty’s Government has accepted the principle of Independence for British Guiana; Be it resolved: That this Assembly request Her Majesty’s Secretary of State for the Colonies to fix a date during 1962 when this country shall become fully independent within the Commonwealth of Nations.”

In an effort to skip over the period during which Mr Burnham attempted to seize control of the party resulting in the split in 1955, Mr Green opted to refer to an international gathering that resulted in the formation of the Non-aligned Movement (NAM). He then chose to extol the virtues of the four founder leaders of NAM claiming that Dr. Jagan paid no interest to the Movement while Burnham did so enthusiastically.

In his writings, many references can be found about tributes paid, and support Jagan extended to the Egyptian leader, Gamel Abdul Nasser’s nationalization of the 1956 Suez Canal which resulted in the crisis instigated by the British who, for economic reasons opposed nationalization of the canal.

Following the death of Jawaharal Nehru on June 2,1964, Cheddi Jagan moved a motion honoring Nehru in the Legislative Council. Nehru had extended his support to the PPP at the time when the constitution was suspended by Britain.

Dr Jagan is on record as having attended Ghana’s independence celebrations in 1957 but more importantly, he sought the assistance of the Ghanaian leader to ‘exert pressure on Burnham to either reunite the party or join in a United front government’

Nkrumah continued his efforts to assist in finding a political solution with the despatch of a Ghanaian mis-

sion to British Guiana. Green made no mention of this development and how his leader frustrated the efforts of the mission.

Mr Green claimed that: “Dr Jagan never explained why he was not part of the West Indian Federation.”

Here is what Dr. Jagan said: “Let me say categorically. The views of the PPP I reflect have not changed. It still maintains that on the attainment by Federation of dominion status the issue of British Guiana’s participation should be decided by a plebiscite. Full self government is a goal from which we will not deviate. Whether the people of British Guiana decide to join the Federation or not, full independence is something for which all Guianese must strive.”

Mr Green claimed erroneously that Dr. Jagan paid no interest in the Nonaligned Movement (NAM) but Mr Green would have sat in the National Assembly during a debate on foreign policy in December 1971, when DrJagan exposed the fallacy behind government’s nonaligned policy. He condemned the PNC’s policy of equidistance refusing to establish diplomatic relations with China, Cuba and the USSR as well as its refusal to recognized the new government in Vietnam while claiming it was socialist and nonaligned. “Do not tell us about nonalignment when you are aligned hand in glove with the United States of America; when you use words but your performance is something entirely different.”

Editor, I believe is important to rebuff the hidebound dilettantism expressed by those who have a penchant for either distorting or revising events in our country’s history.

Cheddi Jagan lived on the front lines of history and his status as a freedom fighter on behalf of the Guyanese people can never be diminished by the ramblings of those who seek to deny his rightful place in our country’s history as the Father of the Nation.

Tacuma Ogunseye wanted for ‘exciting hostility’ based on race

TheGuyana Police Force (GPF), on Thursday (March 30, 2023) issued a wanted bulletin for Working People’s Alliance (WPA) executive member Tacuma Ogunseye.

According to the wanted bulletin, the politician is wanted for the offence of “attempting to excite hostility or ill-will on the ground of race, contrary to Section 3 of the Racial Hostility Act…”

Last week, Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, had said the statements Ogunseye, which were deemed ‘racist and inciting’ by a number of government officials and civil society bodies are currently under legal review. Benn had said, “They [statements] appear to me to be frankly seditious and if they are found to be frankly, seditious, the laws will take its course.”

Ogunseye, with whom PNCR Leader, Aubrey Norton, shared a stage on March 9, 2023, during a public meeting in Buxton, East Coast Demerara, stated that in the “present campaign” the WPA has “clear objectives”. The first of these, according to him, was “to get the African team in a state of battle readiness… the Afro-Guyanese police and soldiers… would stand with Afro-Guyanese in resisting mainly Indo-Guyanese supporting the PPP/C.” He said, “…no government could survive if they don’t have the support of the military and those who carry weapons for the state… once we organise our people and once we begin to fight we

will ensure that our brothers and sisters in uniform will do the right thing…a white diplomat pulled me in a corner and he said I don’t understand how people complain that they are oppressed and they are holding guns in their hands. They are the majority in the army, in the police, and they say they are oppressed. What he was saying is our problem is our own making. Our problem is our own making. Anytime we turn those guns in the right direction it is over.”

The WPA has since issued a statement in support of Ogunseye. The statement on March 10, 2023, said, “The WPA stands in solidarity with its longstanding member, Tacuma Ogunseye… Mr Ogunseye did not incite the forces as the statement insinuates. He simply call on the men in uniform to do the right thing and not turn their guns on Guyanese citizens protesting and resisting government overreach.”

Further, at a press conference on Tuesday (March 28, 2023), Ogunseye said, “When we look at the made up of charges they have been uttering since the controversy. Treason seems to be the most severe of the threats, and myself and the WPA has publicly resolved in public that once they come with treason charges. We will not treat it as a legal matter. We would see it as what it is a political matter, and I will go into court and plead guilty with the explanation and we would fight it from there.”

Regardless the attempts

at justification, Ogunseye’s comments have been described as hateful, racially inflammatory and terrorist in nature, by President Dr. Irfaan Ali. The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) has led the charge in rallying condemnation for the March 9, 2023 comments made Ogunseye.

To date, the business community - the Private Sector Commission (PSC) and the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce (GCCI), among others; the religious community - the Central Islamic Organization of Guyana (CIOG), the Pandits Council, the Guyana Central Arya Samaj, and the Guyana Inter Religious Organization (IRO); as well as the trade union movement, via the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG), have all come out in condemnation.

The leaders of the APNU and AFC, Aubrey Norton, and Khemraj Ramjattan, have, to date, refused to condemn the comments. While Ramjattan has remained silent, Norton, during a news conference on Thursday (March 16, 2023), said only that Ogunseye’s comments represented a “bad” choice of words. He said, “Yes there might have been a bad choice of language…you would notice that we did not endorse the language that was used….there are many people who agree with what Ogunseye said….when it comes to reflection of reality, indeed (the comments addressed that).”