GNN Online Newspaper - Dec 17, 2015

Thursday December 17, 2015

Gov’t, Opposition clash on AML bill in Parliament

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GOVERNMENT BULLDOZING PARLIAMENT -PAGE 7

PPP HYPOCRITICAL ON CLAIMS OF SUBVERTING PARLIAMENTARY PROCESS -PAGE 3

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Sugar Workers Protest for wage increase

Private Sector concern over Gov’t lack of consultations The Private Sector Commission (PSC) has expressed concern with the Government’s recent tendency to not engage in consultations with stakeholders on key legislations.

In a statement, the PSC noted that “There is growing concern regarding consultation and we would hope that this latest example will be the last piece of legislation done in this manner. Vital pieces of legislation should and must be brought to the attention of affected

stakeholders from civil society and the private sector so that Article 13 of the Constitution is implemented.”

The PSC was at the time referring to the amendment to the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act and a new AntiTerrorism and Terrorist Related Activities Bill to be tabled in the National Assembly today.

According to Article 13 of the Constitution “the principal objective of the

political system of the state is to establish an inclusionary democracy by providing increasing opportunities for the participation of citizens, and their organizations in the management and decision making processes of the State, with particular emphasis on those areas of decision making that directly affect their well-being.”

It noted that it is “surprised and concerned to learn from the media that an amendment to the Anti-Money Laundering

and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act and a new AntiTerrorism and Terrorist Related Activities Bill are about to be tabled and read in Parliament with no apparent consultation with the business community.”

R e c e n t l y the Government was reproved by two prominent Unions for not consulting on the yearend bonus for public servants to which Minister of Governance, Raphael Trotman said the government meant no

disrespect to the bodies representing workers but consultations would’ve led into the new year, thus not making the monies available

to persons for the Christmas celebrations.

January 26 is nomination day-GECOM The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has announced that January 26, 2016 will be nomination day for the upcoming Local Government Elections (LGE).

The disclosure was made via an advertisement in the Stabroek News.

GECOM has advised that all political parties,

voluntary groups, and individual candidates who are desirous of contesting the elections on March 18 are required by law to submit a symbol for its approval before Nomination Day.

Applications for symbols, which must include printed and electronic versions of the respective symbols must be submitted

to GECOM no later than January 5, 2016.

According to GECOM, any list of candidates submitted by any political party, voluntary group or individual candidate on Nomination Day,

without the required preapproved symbol, will be deemed defective and the defaulting political party, voluntary group, or individual candidate will be deemed ineligible to contest the LGE.

The date for

LGE was announced by Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan last month.

The long overdue March 18 polls will be held in nine towns and sixtytwo Neighbourhood D e m o c r a t i c Councils (NDCs).

The last LGE was held in 1994. The constitution stipulates that the election be held every three year.

There are some new features that have

been added to the Local Government Elections, including the constituency representation.

This legislation was enacted in 2009 during the ninth Parliament.

The election will cost more than the recently concluded General and Regional Elections. This is as a result of the feature of constituency representations, Minister Bulkan had explained.

Region One communities to have improved access to water

The Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), has commenced a programme to provide the Hinterland communities of Kamwatta, Mabaruma

and Koko in Region 1 with improved access to potable water.

This would be facilitated through the construction of new well stations and

the installation of stand-pipes for both communities at a cost of over G$10 Million.

Hinterland Manager, GWI, Osei Manifold, said “both

communities have significant water supply challenges.

In fact, the residents of Koko depend on rain water harvesting for their water supply. Hence, the construction of these new wells is vital to improving the standard of living in both Hinterland c o m m u n i t i e s .”

According to a statement from the company, “the programme will involve erecting over-head storage tanks capable of storing in excess of 1800 gallons of water for more efficient water service. It will also encompass the

installation of standpipes at key locations within Kamwatta and Koko which are easily accessible and convenient for residents to access the service.”

G W I Hinterland Manager added that “In excess of 400 residents within both communities will benefit from improved access to safe water upon completion of both wells…in particular, residents of Koko will be relieved following the installation of the new well station since the community has no water supply system.

In the past, residents

utilized ‘hand dug wells’, but due to the prolonged dry season this is no longer an option.”

He said “every effort is being made to install the new systems in the swiftest manner possible.”

T h e programme forms part of GWI’s overall Hinterland Water Supply Improvement Programme which has received an investment by the Government of Guyana in excess of G$130 Million for 2015.

$1B in contracts gets green light from Cabinet A whooping $1,055,000,000 in contracts geared towards developmental projects was earlier this week given the approval from Cabinet, when the executive arm met to discuss the country’s plans.

Minister of Governance, Raphael Trotman made this revelation yesterday at his postCabinet press briefing held at the Ministry of the Presidency.

According to the Minister $235,117,630 was approved for the construction of Mahdia community roads in region 8, from Campbell Town to the primary school and the Cenotaph to Dormitory Road. The contract was awarded to Technocon Investment Procurement and General Contracting Solutions.

In the same region, $302,310,531 was approved for a road from the Hospital roundabout to Campbell Town main access into Mahdia roundabout to Government quarters.

This contract was awarded to J. R. Ranch Inc.

Minister of Governance Mr. Raphael Trotman

$52,102,500 was approved for the construction of Rip Rap River Defence at Crane Garden Leguan. The contract was awarded to General contractors Inc. The sum of $20,272,500 was awarded for the procurement of sixty (60) drums of foam concentrate for the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) and this contract was awarded to Industrial Safety Supplies Inc.

For the supply, installation and testing of Secondary Competency Certificate Programme (SCCP) of the Ministry of Education, one of the contract was awarded to Hardware Depot at the sum of $5,207,400 and

the sum of $15,281,600 was awarded to South Caribbean Distributors’.

Two contractors benefitted from this arrangement.

For the purchase & installation of furniture for the University of Guyana, the sum of US$833,257,000 was awarded to Waldner L aboreinrichtungen GMBH & co.kg (germany) who secured that contract. A contract within that same arrangement was also awarded to Cedi Europe (Netherlands) for the sum of US$1,141,844.

$35/078,768 was approved for the supply and delivery of computers and accessories and

the networking of Laboratories under the Ministry of Education.

The contract was awarded to NT Computeac.

For the procurement of dialysis fluids for the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, the New GPC was awarded the contract which is fixed at $34,708,654.

S e e r a m Civil Engineering & Woodworking Establishment was given the green light for a $45,637,840 contract for the construction of a storage bond for pesticide and toxic chemicals board at Mon Repos for the Ministry of Agriculture.

This contract saw an increase of $3,200,104, Trotman said.

For the provision of consultancy services for the design and construction of access roads including; Parika paved road Public road - Naamryck cross dam, Region 3; Ruby paved road - Public Road - Ruby Parika cross dam to Parika primary school, also in Region 3; Laluni all-weather road - Kuru Kururu - Laluni farmlands, Region 4; and Onverwagt all-weather road, Region 5, the contract was awarded to SRKN Engineering and increase from an initial $128,838,909, to 163,427,194; an increase of $34,588,285.

H. Nauth & Sons was awarded $15,918,360 for the construction of a tail regulator at Buxton East sideline.

For the operation & security of NDIA mobile & fixed pumps in regions 2, 3 and 4 (extension), a contract of $53,802,000 was awarded to General Engineering Supplies & Services. There was an increase of $14,640,000.

Cabinet gave its no objection for the supply of labour and materials for

the installation of pipelines and service connections at Hill Foot - Linden/Soesdyke Highway, region 10. The $16,224,915 contract was awarded to Million Mountain Engineering. $17,751,500 was awarded to Million Mountain Engineering for the supply of materials and labour for the installation of pipelines across Wismar/McKenzie Bridge, region 10.

For the provision of security services at E-government LGE sites at the Ministry of the Presidency, $74,867,328 was awarded to NM Security Solutions.

This recorded a $24,955,776 increase.

A d d i t i o n a l l y, the sum of $10,304,698 was awarded to Amazon Security & Investigations Services for another dimension of the project.

The green light was given for the reconstruction and resurfacing on the National Park tarmac which is being undertaken by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA). The $18,753,000 work will be undertaken by the Public Infrastructure Ministry.

Suspected bandit captured, escaped and re-captured following robbery this morning Early this morning the police arrested a man shortly after he reportedly slashed a woman’s hand and made off with her bag as she exited a gold mining establishment in Queenstown. The man, who is yet to be identified, ran through an alleyway after snatching the bag.

Security personnel from the mining company pursued and fired several shots at him.

However the operation was not smooth sailing as the alleyway was filled with workers who are contracted to clean the drains in the area. Despite that, the security personnel with high powered weapons, discharged

rounds rapidly at the fleeing bandit.

After the man was captured, a standoff between the workers and the security personnel ensued. The workers expressed alarm at the manner the men fired the high powered weapons through the alleyway given the presence of persons there.

The standoff forced the security personnel to retreat to their place of work and the sanitation workers appeared to have aided the getaway of the man before the police arrived.

The workers contended that the man should not be handed over to the police since

he was also beaten with a spade by one of the personnel from the mining company; something that this publication witnessed Shortly after fleeing again, the police arrived and circled the area leaving the man no place to run. He retreated into a yard and stayed there for some time.

The sanitation workers who reportedly were aware of his presence, refused to provide information to the police.

Eventually, a public spirited citizen informed of his exact location resulting in him being apprehended.

The development raised concerns over the

apparent reluctance of some members of the public to support the work of the police in helping to reduce crime.

Two weeks ago, police shot and killed two men in South Ruimveldt after they sought refuge in a yard.

According to the police, after responding to a report of a robbery, the men opened fire at them forcing a response.

The police came in for high praise for the swift response that saw no innocent person being injured during the operation.

Recently, President David Granger expressed the wish that he would like to see more

bandits being brought in alive so that information can be gathered from them. This has long been a call by some sections of the society who have in the past accused the police shooting and killing bandits even when they are unarmed making it impossible for information that can lead to the solving of other crimes be forthcoming.

Recently the joint services and the government announced Operation Dragnet which it said is geared at tackling crime. The initiative is a joint effort between the Police and the Army. Thus far the operation has been dubbed a success.

PPP makes demands before engaging in budget consultations “Commission of Inquiry report on GuySuCo, five year public sector investment programme, most recent Bank of Guyana report statistical bulletin, submissions made by the ten administrative regions to the Ministry of Finance, International Monetary Fund (IMF) article four strategy report, action income/expenditure/ revenue statements to the end of October 2015 and projections for the end of the year.”

The PPP also requested that the Minister make available a copy of the government’s sector strategy reports for the rice, sugar, Information

communication technology, quarrying, mining, tourism, health, education, crime, housing, and forestry.

He said these background documents will allow the party to prepare for meaningful consultations.

He also suggested some agenda items that the PPP wishes to raise which according to him are promises made in the APNU+AFC’s manifesto.

The reduction of corporate tax, the public procurement commission, reduction of VAT, the reinstatement of water and electricity subsidy for pensioners, the reinstatement of the

“Because we care” cash grant, increase in old age pension, increased wages and salaries for sugar workers and public servants, and the reduction of royalty for miners.

Rohee said this correspondence was sent to the Minister since November 26, however they are still awaiting a response.

The Minister had announced that he is planning to present the 2016 financial document in the National Assembly as early as January.

So far, there has been no engagement between the government and opposition on the budget.

to good governance and the strengthening of democracy and as such, they cannot and should not be delayed, when the law provides for it to be done in such a manner.

The Bills are the Municipal and District Councils and Local Authorities (Amendment) Bill No. 14 of 2015, the AntiMoney Laundering and Countering the Minister of Governance Mr. Raphael Trotman Financing of Terrorism in taking the Bills with the support of Standing Orders to take (Amendment) Bill through the stages of the then Opposition. several Bills through No. 15 of 2015 and debate at one sitting. Trotman pointed all stages of debate the Anti-Terrorism He noted that all out that, “In January on a single occasion, and Terrorist Governments, and and March of 2007 Bills addressing Related Activities especially the PPP respectively, the then the movement and Bill No.16 of 2015. have utilised this PPP government migration of persons He pointed out that option; oftentimes utilised the permissible for Cricket World the Bills are expected Cup 2007, and to ensure that the deployment of citizens participate disciplined forces on in the long awaited a CARICOM mission, Local Government were approved in Elections (LGE), one day, and after while guaranteeing very short notice.” Guyana’sinternational According to Trotman, standing in the the three Bills, which global fight against are expected to be c r i m i n a l i t y , taken through the three money laundering stages today, are critical and terrorism.

“The timely passage of these Bills, before the end of 2015, is a national imperative and the Government expects to receive the full support of the Opposition in the debate and passage of the Bills,” he said.

The Minister said that it is universally accepted that the demands of a situation allow for a Government to take a Bill through all three stages of debate at one sitting, and this has been the recognised practice in the pre and postindependence era.

“It is a long and accepted practice in the Westminster Parliamentary System that Government business must take priority, and that from time to time, the Standing Orders and Rules are amended or suspended to allow for this to happen,” Trotman added.

Clement Rohee

Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) says it is awaiting word from Finance Minister Winston Jordan with regard to a correspondence it sent to him for consultations of the 2016 National Budget.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, the party’s General Secretary Clement Rohee said the party did receive a correspondence from

so that it will touch the lives of all Guyanese.

Reading from the correspondence sent by Jordan, Rohee said the Minister asked for a prepared paper that would guide the discussions between him and the party. “He wants us to prepare a document and to submit it to him to guide the discussion with him and we replied to him on the 26th,” Rohee told the media.

He said the party replied stating that for any budget consultation to be meaningful a number of critical information and reports are required.

The PPP requested the following documents Rohee said

Minister Jordan with regard to the preparation for the budget.

He said in the correspondence which was written to the party on November 24, the Minister wrote inviting him and a delegation to meet with him (Jordan) on Friday November 27 for a meeting to exchange views and ideas to see how best to shape the 2016 budget

PPP hypocritical on claims of subverting Parliamentary process - Trotman Minister of Governance, Raphael Trotman has said that the Government is acting within the Standing Orders and the Constitution to take several Bills through all three stages of debate at one sitting in the National Assembly.

He noted that the Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is being hypocritical and mischievous in its claims that Government is subverting the parliamentary process

US and Local Artistes for Dinner Theatre tomorrow G u y a n e s e can expect an entertaining evening tomorrow at the Pegasus Poolside with the LARAMADE Musical Theatre & Dinner.

The event will feature a number of artistes from the

United States and local performers.

Those expected from New York, USA are Oral We l s h m a n , Launce Northe, Linda Northe, Simone Bazil, Donna Powell, Dean Maitland, Val Barnwell and

Joele Harmond.

They will be joined by Charmaine B l a c k m a n , Compton Magus Leacock, Barbara Nedd, Members of Classique Dance Company, and Indian Classical Dancer Kenrick Cheeks,

from Guyana.

The dinner theatre which is dubbed as a ‘Broadway Style’ show and ‘entertainment with a difference,’ will have Basil Bradshaw as the Master of Ceremonies.

Sugar Workers Protest for wage increase Sugar workers over the course of this week is engaging in picketing exercises outside the Administrative Offices and Pay Offices of the Corporation across the industry calling for a wage increase and the payment of their Annual Production Incentive (API).

W o r k e r s picketed at Wales, Enmore, Albion and Blairmont Estates on December 14; at Rose Hall and Uitvlugt Estates on December 16 and at Blairmont Estate on today (December 17, 2015) bearing slogans including “Why are

Sugar Workers targeted for discriminatory treatment?”, “As Gov’t workers, sugar workers must not be denied getting Gov’t Bonus”, “Our struggle continues for 2015 API and Wage Increase”, “No wage increase and a pittance API – a formula for an unstable future” and “We have produced; Now we perish!” among others.

According to the Guyana Agriculture and General Workers Union (GAWU), “the periodic protests undoubtedly will, in all likelihood, roll over into the New Year as the workers are highly demotivated at this

time by the treatment they are experiencing by the authorities.”

The Union added that the workers “feel justifiably that they have been singled out for discrimination notwithstanding the acknowledgement of their hard and dedicated work which has led to the industry breaking new records including the surpassing of the Corporation’s production target for the first time in eleven (11) years.”

GuySuCo has agreed to pay the API award in March, 2016.

GAWU says it wrote to the Minister of

Blarrmont sugar workers pickets infront office

Finance on (Tuesday) December 15, 2015 who announced the award, requesting that

the $50,000 Christmas Bonus award to Public Sector employees be awarded also to the

sugar workers who are employees also of a state-owned enterprise.

It awaits a response

The Governing Board of Directors of the Guyana Revenue Authority today, Thursday December 17, took a unanimous decision to send CommissionerGeneral, Mr. Khurshid Sattaur on vacation leave with immediate effect.

According to a statement from the revenue body, the decision was taken to facilitate an upcoming

comprehensive forensic audit of the agency by a reputable international firm.

Mr. Sattaur who has been CommissionerGeneral for the past 12 years has accumulated vacation leave time of more than 200 days. “He has been ordered to proceed immediately on leave while authorities organize for the audit of the Authority”,

GRA said.

Sattaur went on leave annual in July of this year along with 20 other staff members of the GRA who accumulated over 200 days leave.

Acting Deputy CommissionerGeneral, Ms. Ingrid Griffith will act in the position during the period.

KHurshid Sattaur ordered to proceed on 200 days leave

GUYOIL LAUNCHES ‘BLING MY RIDE’ PROMOTION The Guyana Oil Company (GuyOil) this morning launched its Christmas promotion “Bling My Ride” at its Regent and Wellington Streets location.

Up for grabs are 8 car make-overs, 8 flat screen television, 8 tablets and 80 consolation prize of a beach Umbrella as long as you buy $5,000 in fuel at any Guyoil Service Station which will enable you to get a coupon.

Guyoil staff and models at launch of Bling My Ride

It was noted that boxes will be placed at all of the Company’s 42 dealers around the country.

Retail Sales Manager; Jacqueline James stated that the promotion was crafted to have winners

across the country, noting that is the company’s first promotion to give back to customers in

a

number of years.

“This promotion will see customers from all the Regions benefitting as we will not only have one draw, we will have several draws and eight car make-overs, eight flat screen televisions, eight tablets and 80 beach umbrellas. So if you full up in Berbice; you will have the chance of winning, if you full up at Diamond; you will have the chance of winning.

That was the idea behind that promotion” she said.

One of the Directors of Guyoil; Oscar Phillips noted that if the venture receives good reception, it will be the start of several others where

the customers will continue to benefit.

Drawings for the promotion will be hosted at Palmyra Service Station on February, 02, 2016, Victoria Service Station on February, 05, 2016, Kitty Service Station on February, 09,2016; Sheriff Street Service Station on February, 12,2016; Providence Service Station on February, 16,2016; Diamond Service Station on February, 18,2016; A.M. Khan Service Station at Anna Regina, Essequibo on February, 20,2016 and at Regent Street Service Station on February, 26, 2016.

Gov’t holds ‘Meet the Public’ exercise in the City President David Granger said today that the ‘Meet the Public’ exercise is one of a series of events that will be taking place and that at the end of the day, every Guyanese must feel that they belong to the country, and that they have a government, and a society which care about them.

The exercise was this morning held at the Square of the Revolution and saw hundreds of persons meeting with ministers and government officials to raise various issues of concern. It was spearheaded by Minister of State Joseph Harmon, and included Minister of Citizenship Winston Felix along with top officials from several other

ministries and agencies.

Granger, who popped in on the event, said that the initiative was in keeping with the Coalition Government’s promise to “bring government to the people”. He explained that government wants to solve the problems facing the citizenry despite not having a lot of money. “You know the situation we found in sugar. You know the situation we found at the borders. You know the situation we found in the city. You know the situation in which we found the economy.

What we are trying to do is solve the problems affecting individuals.”

He emphasised that government is not trying to upset the ministerial

President David Granger addressing members of the public at the first “Meet the Public” exercise at the Square of the Revolution, Georgetown

or the government system, but is seeking to address individual problems and assisting persons to solve them.

“It is not a superficial exercise, it is not here to catch

the press, it is here to deal with you. You are citizens of Guyana, and if we don’t deal with you, who will deal with you?....The whole idea is that, we as Guyanese must know that we have

Rotary seeking Gov’t’s support for its humanitarian works As it works to garner the Administration’s support for its Humanitarian efforts the Rotary Club of Georgetown today paid a courtesy call to President David Granger at the Ministry of the Presidency.

The group was led by Club President, Mrs. Elizabeth Cox; Vice President, Mr. Clyde De Haas; Rotary Foundation Director, Mr. Pearson Burch-Smith; Presidentelect 2016-2017, Ms. Lisa Foster; past President Mr. Ronald Burch-Smith; Club

The Rotary Club of Georgetown members present President David Granger with a token, during a courtesy call this morning when they inducted him as patron of the Club. In picture: (from L-R) Club Secretary, Mr. Ralph Persaud presents the gift to President Granger, while Club member, Colonel Christine King; Vice President, Clyde De Haas and Club President, Mrs. Elizabeth Cox look on

a government that listens to the ordinary people,” Granger asserted.

Harmon said that since taking office seven months ago a lot of work had to be done. He explained, “Sometimes

member, Colonel Christine King; and Club Secretary Mr. Ralph Persaud.

Cox said “I know that having spoken to him, I know he is very excited about literacy and that is one of our areas…because we feel if you have an educated population they will be taken out of poverty faster.”

Members also used the opportunity to brief the President on the Club’s work and enquired how best they can aid the government in its ongoing efforts to improve literacy throughout the country.

At the meeting President Granger was inducted as an honorary member of the Club.

Coming out of

when the public come to see us, they have a problem.

Sometimes it is the way they are dressed that they cannot get into a government office. So today the dress restrictions are relaxed and people have the opportunity to interface with us. This is something that the president has said, that ministers must go out and meet the public, and listen to their concerns, and try to find resolution to some of the problems which they have”.

He said that the exercise will be a regular monthly undertaking.

Similar events are scheduled for Anna Regina, Region Two, New Amsterdam, Region Six and Linden in Region 10.

the meeting, Mrs. Cox said the Club is pleased with the outcome as the sentiments expressed by President Granger indicate the Administration’s willingness to support the efforts of the Club.

Also during the meeting, President Granger was presented with a token from, Mr. Ralph Persaud, the Club’s Secretary. The Rotary Club of Georgetown Guyana was first constituted on May 20, 1959. Dr B.B.G Nehaul the then Government Pathologist and Bacteriologist of British Guiana, who conceived the idea of establishing a service club in Guyana, chose the Rotary.

Preparation for Mabaruma Township very slow

The Regional Democratic Council, Region One says it is still awaiting a response from the Ministry of Communities on its proposals made for developments at Mabaruma which is

slated to be declared a town early next year by the government.

According to Deputy Regional Chairperson; Sarah Browne, a list of places that needs rehabilitation

along with new facilities that is needed in the Mabaruma subdistrict to qualify it for township status, was submitted to the Ministry some time ago.

“We would have

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Basil Williams has denied accusation made by the Parliamentary opposition Peoples Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) that there is a rush of bills through the National Assembly.

He explained that Guyana has to comply with certain regulations in the Americas Regional Review Group (ARRG) as the Anti-terrorism bill was read for the first time and the debates commenced.

“So Mr. Speaker, this Bill has to pass before the end of the year,” the Attorney General told the House.

He said the Government would not allow the PPP/C to stymie Government’s approaches to regulate Guyana under the international financial regime.

PPP/C Chief Whip Gail Teixeira in her presentation accused the government side of the House of not consulting with stakeholders before bringing the bill to Parliament.

She accused the government of violating Parliamentary democracy, procedures and norms.

“Mr. Speaker this is a travesty, the government cannot state what is the emergency in rushing these bills. The honourable Prime Minister got up and just read the motion, he did not do us the honour of at least explaining why the government has to do this,” Teixeira added.

She questioned why the general public can’t be informed about the rush of bills through the House. She said the government is

“bulldozing” the House.

In addition, Teixeira blasted the government for lack of consultation on the bill. She stated that stakeholders want to have an input in the critical piece of legislation.

H o w e v e r , Williams in his defence of the bill denied the allegations made by the opposition. He read a number of emails that were purportedly sent to a number of organisations, some of which responses were forwarded, while others did not respond.

Among the organisations consulted according to Williams are the Guyana Police force, the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), The Private Sector Commission (PSC) and the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG).

proposed buildings and infrastructure that we want to be upgraded; we sent that to the Ministry of Communities, however we would have gotten no response as yet, as to when these projects will commence and if we would get all of the stuff done. We want for example; upgrade of roads, an immigration office here, Guyana Revenue Authority and all of these different agencies to come into our Region, however we have not gotten any definite word…right now we only have the road upgrades that we do every year ongoing” Browne said.

Added to not having a definitive response from the

Ministry, she said little consultation was done, noting that “we weren’t given any official letter… there was one meeting that was done by Minister Hastings, she was here on one occasion basically to establish the boundary and she met with some of the people at a general meeting and that was the only consultation people had in October.”

Speaking about steps to host Local Government Elections on March, 18, 2016, she noted that some communities are not prepared, however the Guyana Elections Commission is in the area conducting verifications and transfers and such.

“For the

communities that I would’ve visited, the people of Kubarimo and Barabina, they are not keen because most of the people who are living there are Amerindians and they are accustomed to having their Toshaos and the Amerindian kind of way of doing it so they are not too keen on being a part of the town.

The other communities we wouldn’t have had any consultations with them and the Ministry did not meet each community either” Browne said.

According to Brown, persons within the area are not too educated on Local Government Elections and what it means for them in terms of changes.

Gov’t, Opposition clash on AML bill in Parliament

Former Attorney General Anil Nandlall in his presentation noted that sending off some emails to selected organizations is not necessarily consultation.

“Today they are telling the GHRA and they are telling the private sector that they are not entitled to two seconds of consultations… this approach is totally

inconsistent with what they advocated for in the Opposition, it is against the constitution,” Nandlall said.

Leader of the House and Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo who rose to defend the bills reasoned that the government is doing its duty which is to protect the state and which also

Flies delayed start of Parliament sitting today An unexpected invasion of rain flies in the Chambers of Parliament today delayed the commencement of sitting by more than

an hour and a half.

Parliament was scheduled to commence at 14:10 hours today after several weeks of non-sitting, but got

started sometime around 16:00 hours.

House Speaker Dr. Barton Scotland announced that there was a slight shift in the start of today’s session due to the infestation of rain flies that was affecting the Members of Parliament (MPs).

meant passing the bills.

Nagamootoo rejected statements that there were no consultations on the Bill. “Statements that there were no consultations on the bills are not only misleading statement, it flies in the face of truth,” said the Prime Minister.

He also rejected Teixeira’s allegation of the government “bulldozing” the House.

He argued that it is totally irresponsible to come into this August Assembly and make baseless allegations.

“The question of bulldozing has no merit whatsoever.

They want to use the Parliament to frustrate the people’s business – the government’s business,” said the Prime Minister.

All occupants of the Chambers, including the media and Parliament staff were asked to evacuate so as to facilitate efforts to rid the Chambers of the insects.

The House convened and the sitting called to order after the flies were presumably ‘captured’ or exterminated.

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Swami Kaivalyanandaji, a renowned Yoga Guru, former Academician attached to Universities. Swamiji has been teaching Vedanta, Yoga and Sanskrit for many years in India and abroad. He hails from Kerala, the birth place of Aadi Sankaracharya in India.

Heart disease and stroke are the leading causes of death worldwide One-third of deaths in the United States are caused by heart disease, stroke and other heartrelated diseases, a report released Wednesday says. Heart disease and stroke are also the leading causes of death worldwide, the report showed.

In 2013, cardiovascular disease killed 801,000 Americans, the American Heart Association (AHA) report found. These are deaths from stroke and all heart-related conditions. Coronary heart disease alone caused 370,000 deaths in the United States that year, the AHA said.

About 795,000 people in the United States had a stroke in 2013. These strokes caused nearly 129,000 deaths. Approximately 750,000 Americans had a heart attack in 2013. Those heart attacks resulted in 116,000 deaths in 2013, the researchers said.

The report also noted significant racial differences.

The risk of first-stroke in blacks is nearly twice that of whites, according to the report. The research found that almost half of all black people have some form of heart or stroke-related disease.

The researchers looked at heart disease risk factors, too. They found that despite a 30 percent fall in smoking since 1998, nearly 19 percent of men and 15 percent of women in the United States still smoked in 2014. In that year, about one-third of adults said they didn’t do any physical activity outside of work.

Stroke causes nearly 12 percent of all deaths worldwide, the report noted. Nearly 17 million people had a first stroke in 2010, according to the AHA report. (Adapted from MSN Health)

People who live alone tend to be thinner

Good news for people living alone: A forthcoming paper shows that single adults — of any sexual orientation — are physically healthier when it comes to body mass index. The study, which appears in the January edition of the Journal of Family

Issues, found that living without a partner — either divorced or never married — is associated with lower body weight.

On the other hand, cohabiters and married people, whether male or female, had higher BMIs, a calculation of weight and height that

studies have linked to chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, some types of cancers, and, ultimately, higher rates of mortality.

Sociologist Jay Teachman of Western Washington University used 20 years of data from the 1979 National Longitudinal Study of Youth and more than 3,000 participants to examine body weight, marital status, and what he calls

“I purposely tried to make it as invasive, as intrusive, as hypocritical and unnecessary as possible to make the point.” This from South Carolina Rep. Mia McLeod, who pre-filed legislation Thursday designed to drive a point home about women’s reproductive rights.

To wit: She’s attempting to make it as hard for men to get erectile dysfunction drugs

as it is for women to get an abortion, NBC News reports.

Under her bill, a man attempting to obtain Viagra or Cialis would need to undergo a 24hour waiting period after getting the script; undergo an exam by a sex therapist to rule out “psychological conditions;” take regular stress tests to ensure he’s healthy enough for sex; produce a notarized affidavit from a sex

partner who can back up his ED claims; and go to at least three sessions of outpatient counseling, where he’d be encouraged to “pursue celibacy as a viable lifestyle choice.”

McLeod, a Democrat, tells WCBD that, after being irked by antiabortion bills that get filed regularly, she was inspired to show male colleagues what it was like to have their reproductive rights in the crosshairs. South

relationship “transitions” — that is, breakups.

He tracked people’s BMIs from adolescence to middle age (between 39 and 42 years old) and found people experienced a short-term weight loss after divorce, which he believes is probably stress-induced.

Generally, Teachman thinks, couples that live together are heavier because they’re more likely to share meals

and cook together.

“The divorce effect fades over time,” Teachman told Science of Us. “But the data show that ‘the appearance effect’ persists. Single people are thinner and likely more concerned about how they look because they are in the dating market.”

His research is a departure from some of the conventional wisdom that coupled people tend to be fitter — and

adds a wrinkle to the numerous links between marriage and positive health outcomes.

Teachman also discovered an alarming racial trend in the data: White women experienced the least rapid, while black women, whether single or married, had the most rapid weight gain. (Adapted from Yahoo Health)

Carolina is one of several states that has been investigating its abortion clinics (it has three) after the Planned Parenthood imbroglio, the Savannah Morning News reports.

Not that McLeod is hopeful this bill will sail through. “I don’t think it’ll pass,” she tells WCBD. “We’re in a male-dominated legislature … and I really just want to broaden the discussion and get people

thinking about … the issues that women face who are seeking legal abortion services in this state.” (A Tennessee woman was

arrested for attempting a coat-hanger abortion to end her 24-week pregnancy.)

(Yahoo Health)

Bill would make men wait 24 hours for Viagra

Air India employee dies after being sucked into plane engine at airport An engineer at Mumbai airport died after being sucked into the engine of an Air India plane, the company said. The deadly incident happened late Wednesday as the Airbus A319 was being towed backward from the parking bay in preparation for taxiing out, said Anil Mehta, an Air India official.

The engineer, Ravi Subramanian, was standing near the landing gear under the plane’s nose as he supervised

the process. Passengers had boarded the aircraft for a flight to the city of Hyderabad. It wasn’t clear if any of them saw what happened.

Air India officials declined to give any further details, saying the country’s civil aviation regulator is investigating the engineer’s death.

“We are deeply saddened and regret the tragic incident at Mumbai airport yesterday evening,” Air India Chairman

Ashwani Lohani said in a statement, offering his condolences to Subramanian’s family.

The Times of India newspaper cited airline sources as saying that Air India staff had followed an irregular engine startup procedure because the plane’s auxiliary power unit wasn’t working. “Air India follows all standard safety procedures and parameters,” Mehta said in response to the report.

The incident is believed to be the first of its kind

involving an aviation worker in India. The only remotely similar case was 20 years ago,

according to the Times of India, when a man used a borrowed airport pass to ride his moped across the

runway in Hyderabad and was sucked into an aircraft engine. (CNN)

her late twenties, is a widow and mother to twins. She had affairs with both men for four years. When the two men found out,

the woman refused to leave either of them, leading to a contractual agreement between the three.

A b d h a l l a h Abdulrahman, a local police officer attempted to make peace between the trio.

“I heard people fighting and went to check, but I was surprised to see two men fighting over a woman who is said to be a widow and a mother of twins. We discussed everything, and they agreed that even if the woman were to fall pregnant

they will raise the child as their own since they have been taking care of the woman’s children together.”

Kenya’s NTV station published an excerpt of the contract. It states: “We have agreed that from today we will not threaten or have jealous feelings because of our wife, who says she’s not ready to let go of any of us. Each one will respect the day set aside for him. We agree to love each other and live peacefully. No one has forced us to make this agreement.”

Mdendwa told BBC the agreement was a logical conclusion as he and Kimani had been at odds over Wambui.

“It could have been very dangerous if the other man would have come to her house and caught me,” he said. “So our agreement is good as it sets boundaries and helps us keep peace.

She is like the central referee. She can say whether she wants me or my colleague.”

(Urbansouce. n i n g . c o m )

Women to marry two men in Kenya

Sylvester Mwendwa and Elijah Kimani have agreed to enter into a polyandry marriage contract with Joyce Wambui.

Polyandry is a form of polygamy whereby a woman takes two or more husbands at the same time.

Wambui who is in

WhatsApp blocked for 100 million Brazilians A judge has barred the wildly popular messaging app for 48 hours after WhatsApp failed to respond to two court orders, according to a court ruling. The judge ordered cell phone operators to block WhatsApp on Thursday and Friday.

WhatsApp had “failed to cooperate in a criminal investigation,” the judge ruled.

The temporary suspension was “a penalty for not complying.” CNN Money was not immediately able to confirm the details of the criminal investigation.

WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum tweeted a link to an article stating that

nine out of 10 Brazilian doctors talk to their patients using WhatsApp, and added to his tweet, “sadly not right now.”

Facebook (FB, Tech30) bought the messaging app for $19 billion in 2014.

Calling it a “sad day” for Brazil, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg posted a message slamming the decision. “I am stunned that our efforts to protect people’s data would result in such an extreme decision,” he said.

Facebook says the order blocks more than 100 million users. It urged them to complain in the hope that the judge will reverse the order. Facebook’s Messenger

service is still available in Brazil.

Local phone companies have been complaining loudly that Brazilians have been dropping their service plans in favor of using WhatsApp’s free call service. Some lawmakers have called for it to be banned altogether as an “illegal” and unregulated telephone service.

After losing control of Parliament, Venezuelan socialists create a new one

Venezuela’s ruling socialist regime, on the heels of a stunning defeat in which the opposition party gained a supermajority in parliament, has decided to simply create a new grassroots

parliament of their own.

Opponents fear this new grassroots parliament could be an attempt by embattled President Nicolas Maduro and his socialist party to undermine the opposition’s

landslide victory in congressional elections.

Maduro and his regime find themselves with their backs against the wall after the Democratic Unity Roundtable, the opposition party, won 112 seats in Parliament last week.

The win gives the opposition a two-thirds supermajority over the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela which won 55 seats.

The opposition party’s election win, celebrated by many U.S. politicians, marks their first national election

victory since former President Hugo Chavez started his socialist movement in 1998.

National Assembly President Diosdado Cabello didn’t offer details on how the grassroots assembly, an outgrowth of the late Hugo Chavez’s dream of empowering self-administering communal councils, will operate.

But opponents fear it could be an attempt to wrest control from the incoming opposition-controlled congress much as other

The Government has reduced the budgetary allocation for Carnival 2016 by approximately $44 million. This was revealed by Culture, Arts and Community Development Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly.

In 2015, the allocation for Carnival was $314 million but has decreased to $270 million for next year’s festival.

GadsbyDolly said the current

economic conditions have forced the Government to cut back.

The 14 per cent reduction is the latest in a series of cuts announced by the Government.

Earlier this month ministries were advised to reduce spending on Christmas parties and a far as possible scale them down to cater for staff only.

Gadsby-Dolly said:

“Yes, that is what we are considering at this point because in every ministry there are shortfalls but we are looking to determine how we can establish the quality of the festival and not sacrifice that just because we don’t have the exact allocation that we would have expected from before.”

Asked if the Carnival stakeholders should be worried about the

proposed reduction in allocation, GadsbyDolly responded quickly: “We have been in contact with our stakeholders and they understand the situation.”

Of the $270 million allocated to the commission for next year’s festival, $60 million was used to pay outstanding debts.

“Contractors may have to adjust their

The Jamaican government is considering providing better salaries to trained science and mathematics teachers than their other colleagues in a bid to keep them in the classrooms.

Jamaica has been losing some of

its best teachers in these two subject areas who go overseas for better working opportunities.

The Education Minister Ronald Thwaites, admits that the idea to pay science and maths teachers better than their other

T&T Gov’t cuts Carnival budget by $44m

central governmentcreated agencies have been entrusted with large budgets operating parallel to defunded districts where opposition politicians govern.

Maduro has been defiant in the face of the opposition’s winning a two-third supermajority in Dec. 6 elections, vowing to take to the streets to defend the revolution started by Chavez and blaming the loss on an “economic war” waged with U.S. support.

He also shot down

several top priorities for the incoming congress, including an amnesty law for jailed activists the opposition considers political prisoners.

On Tuesday, in a meeting with grassroots activists, he praised the new legislative initiative with heated rhetoric.

“I’m going to give all the power to the communal parliament,” Maduro said. “This parliament is going to be a legislative mechanism from the grassroots. All power to the Communal parliament,” he said, without giving details.

(Adapted from Yahoo)

prices downward,” De Silva said. He said that had already become a reality, as suppliers, understanding the economic challenges, had given the commission discounts of between 10 and 20 per cent.

Gadsby-Dolly said she was not able to comment on the issue

of the retention of the $2 million first prize for the International Soca Monarch. Soca star Machel Montano is not expected to defend his title this year, having said that last year would have been his last in the competition.

(Adapted from the Trinidad Guardian)

colleagues will be controversial.

However, he says the time has come to question whether it makes sense to pay all teachers at the same rate.

He says discussions have started with the Jamaica Teachers’ Association.

In the 2015 sitting

of the Caribbean S e c o n d a r y E d u c a t i o n Certificate, Jamaica recorded declines in additional mathematics, integrated science, biology, chemistry, physics and human and social biology teachers.

(Jamaican Gleaner)

Jamaican gov’t mulls offering better salaries to maths and science teachers to keep them

The Education Minister Ronald Thwaites, admits that the idea to pay science and maths teachers better than their other colleagues will be controversial

Up to 7,000 Syrians tortured or killed in detention New evidence has been released that up to 7,000 Syrians who died in government detention centres in Syria were tortured to death, a rights group said in a report. Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report after an eight month research of at least 53,275 smuggled photographs of tortured Syrian individuals.

In January 2014, a defector, who was given the codename of ‘Cesar’, smuggled images out of

Syria, showing bodies of detainees photographed by his colleagues and himself. The bodies in his images showed signs of starvation, brutal beatings, strangulation and other forms of torture and killing.

The 86-page report, “If the Dead Could Speak: Mass Deaths and Torture in Syria’s Detention Facilities,” answers questions such as: are the photographs authentic?

Are they really images of dead detainees? If so,

what caused so many to die? And how did the bodies end up in military hospitals and what happened to the corpses afterwards?

Khaled, who was released from a prison in Damascus suburbs in February, told Al Jazeera that he was detained for two years after defecting from the army. “They electrocuted us several times a week, as they asked us questions on the whereabouts of defected colleagues. I lost

13kg in less than three months, there was no food or water for days.

“We were all cramped in small cells, sometimes after torturing us they would throw us back in the cell naked. When people in the cell bled or starved to death, they would keep their bodies there for a few days to terrorise us,” Khaled said.

“We could not sleep either, they would make sure we would stay up - cramped in a small cell with dead bodies

around us. It haunts me until this day.” Khaled is now a refugee in Turkey, after his release he managed to escape to Lebanon and made his journey to Adana.

In a January 2015 interview with Foreign Affairs, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad

responded to allegations that prisoners have been tortured and abused by Syria, saying: “If there’s any unbiased and fair way to verify all those allegations, of course we are ready. That would be in our interest.” (Adapted from Al Jazeera)

approach and rolling out the welcome mat for Muslims. It sees Muslim tourists as an opportunity to boost its economy.

This blossoming of Japanese hospitality towards Muslims stands in direct contradiction to widely circulated internet rumours among US conservatives claiming that Muslims are not even allowed to enter Japan.

Tourism is one area where the “Abenomics” policies

of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have undeniably found the success that has so far eluded much of the rest of the programme.

The Abe government had initially set a target of attracting 20 million tourists each year by 2020.

But the acceleration in numbers has far outstripped expectations, meaning that the 20 million figure may be met this year - five years ahead of schedule. Now the government has revised its target upwards to 30 million tourists by 2020. Muslim tourism, led by Malaysians and Indonesians, is a

major part of this wave.

According to the figures compiled by the Japan National Tourism Organization, by the end of October 2015 the number of Malaysian inbound tourists had risen by 18.2 percent over last year’s figures. The oneyear jump in the numbers of Indonesians visiting Japan was even more dramatic at 30.8 percent.

Japanese local governments and businesses have been responding proactively to this new set of customers arriving on their shores.

Muslims searching for

halal restaurants can now find online lists, and Japanese businesses have been moving to enter the halal food market with an eye towards expanding agricultural exports.

Some Japanese travel agencies now offer special programmes aimed specifically at Muslim travellers. For instance, a small start-up called Travelience now offers a one-day Tokyo Tour for Muslim Tourists.

(Adapted from Al Jazeera)

and south. It’s about the size of Belgium.

The current instability began earlier this year when President Pierre Nkurunziza said he would run for a third term. This seemed a clear a violation of both the agreement that ended the country’s civil war and the country’s constitution.

Protesters took to the streets. Police fired on them with live ammunition, killing a number of them.

In May, an attempted coup was beaten back.

In July, Nkurunziza was re-elected. Now, in the view of many observers, opponents of the President are being

subjected to extrajudicial assassinations. But the protests have continued.

Last week, an army barracks in Bujumbura was attacked. Following that attack, at least

87 people, reportedly including four police officers and four soldiers, were killed.

And the bodies started turning up in the streets in greater numbers.

“There were corpses in the road of young people who were dragged off their beds and killed,” said Claver, the former elections observer.

(CNN)

Japan embraces Muslim visitors to bolster tourism

While the United States debates the feasibility of closing its doors completely

to Muslim immigrants and visitors, Japan has quietly been adopting the opposite

Burundian plea: ‘How many people must die before you help stop the killings?

People dragged from their homes and killed in the night. Bodies littering the streets of the capital at dawn. An attack on an army barracks. A President whose third term is viewed by many as unconstitutional. All this amid a history of horrible ethnic warfare.

These are frightening times in the central African country of Burundi. Lurking always in the background is the possibility of widespread ethnic violence and even regional instability.

And one resident of

the capital, Bujumbura, made an emotional plea Wednesday to the international c o m m u n i t y .

“How many people must die before you help stop the killings?”

Nsengiyumva Pierre Claver, a former EU elections observer, asked in an interview with CNN. Burundi is a tiny landlocked country in the Great Lakes region, bordered by the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the west, Rwanda to the north, and Tanzania to the east

Bravo blasts poor treatment by selectors All-rounder Dwayne Bravo says he is still committed to playing for West Indies but was forced to quit Test cricket because of the poor treatment meted out to him by selectors.

Bravo said that with little interest coming from selectors he had turned his attention to the lucrative Twenty20 leagues across the globe.

“Until earlier this year I was still interested to play Test cricket but I have yet to hear anything from any selector, what their plans are for me, what my position is,” Bravo lamented.

“I just decided it’s

time to move on with my life and try to channel my energy in different places. I would have loved the opportunity to play Test cricket again but since being dropped back in 2010 I never got the chance and I just decided to call it a day.”

He continued: “I’m not shutting down my opportunities to represent the West Indies, I still 100 per cent want to play for the West Indies in One-Day internationals and T20s.” Bravo said many West Indies players felt more respected outside of the Caribbean, and

Dwayne Bravo

this was behind their decision to ply their trade in tournaments like the Big Bash.

“I get frustrated at times, not only for myself but for all the other cricketers,

Chris Gayle, Darren Sammy, Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, we all want to represent West Indies,” Bravo said.

“But sometimes the way we have been

treated over the years … why should we actually fight with West Indies’ cricket where the rest of the world opens their arms for us? “Yes they pay us well but

at the same time we never feel disrespect in any way when we play for those teams around the world.

We feel love. (CMC)

reflected, analyzed where they had gone wrong and were now anxious to show their quality. “The guys sat down and they know exactly what they have to do and they know that they’re capable of doing it. It’s not like it’s out of their league,” Simmons said.

Simmons said the both the batting and bowling departments needed to prove their worth.

“The bowlers have been good in the last four or five Test matches—they

weren’t good in the last one—and the batting has let us down quite a bit,” Simmons noted.

“The batting is at the point that we need to prove that we are as good as we’re made out to be.

They’re good players, we know they can play at this level and it’s up to them to come out now and show everybody that they’re back in good nick.” (Adapted from CMC)

Simmons backs Windies to stage Melbourne fightback

West Indies head coach Phil Simmons has promised a fightback from his team when they face-off against

Australia in the second Test match bowling off Boxing Day in Melbourne.

The Windies lost the series-opener by a

huge margin but have regrouped and will be looking to make amends in the second match, as they try to make up for their

huge disappointing showing in Hobart last week.

Simmons told reporters the Windies had

Sports Commission meets with sport associations/federations

Some of the representatives of sport associations pay rapt attention to the presentations from the Sports Commission last Saturday at the National Resource Centre

The National Sports Commission (NSC) last weekend met with the representatives from national sport associations/federations at the National Resource Centre at Woolford Avenue as part of continued efforts to strengthen the administration of sport in Guyana.

With guidance from the NSC Act 1993, Commissioners sought to inform national associations of the role of the NSC in developing sport in Guyana and to identify some of the core issues that are currently affecting the proper administration

of associations.

T h e Commissioners on new NSC includes: Ivan Persaud (Chairman), Nigel Hinds (ViceChairman), Edison Jefford, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Seon Erskine, Lavern Fraser, Inga Henry, Aliann Pompey and ex-officio member, Christopher Jones.

The forum recorded an impressive turnout from associations, federations and boards as is unique to the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) and Guyana Hockey Board with the NSC inviting President, General Secretary,

and Treasurer of each of the 30 plus listed national associations.

The GCB, Guyana Football Federation (GFF), Hockey Board, Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG), Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation, We i g ht l i f t i n g Association, Swimming, Judo, Karate, Table Tennis, Cycling and many other associations were present.

Also notably in attendance was the Guyana Olympic Association head, Juman Yassin.

Director of Sport, Christopher

Jones opened the forum with remarks

The associations all agreed that the allocation of funds is critical to their success; the prerequisite for associations/ federations/boards to receive funding from the Commission, according to the act is that they must have an elected Executive, a Bank Account and they must keep proper accounts and records.

Several of the associations have submitted their projected plan for 2016 to the Commission.

T h e Commission is also

mandated to provide assistance to any sports organisation in the audit of their accounts or in relation to any other matter where assistance may be required

To this end, the Olympic Association is in receipt of a NSC request to assist with ‘training’ for the administrative strengthening of associations available under International Olympic Committee (IOC) Solidarity P r o g r a m m e .

The NSC is also tasked among its critical functions to establish Regional Sports Committees or

Advisory Units and Offices in the three counties of Guyana. The members of Regional Sports Committees shall consist of not more than five members and must come from the representative County.

T h e Commission will be moving in this direction.

The associations posed a number of critical questions dealing with issues progression of their various sports, some of which included the development of facilities for the training, competition and encampment of athletes as well as antidoping legislation.

Thursday December 17, 2015

SPORTS COMMISSION MEETS WITH SPORT ASSOCIATIONS/ FEDERATIONS

Vice-Chairman of the NSC, Nigel Hinds (right) makes a point during the forum while Chairman, Ivan Persaud is left along with Commissioners, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Lavern Fraser