Weekend Mirror 30-31 October, 2021

Harmon admits PNCR losing support, dismisses supporters’ concerns as ‘not real’ 30-31 October, 2021 / Vol. 11 ‒ No. 96 / Price: $100

Email: mirror2018.gy@gmail.com

‒ PPP’s Mustapha says focus remains on power not people PAGE 17 SEE INSIDE PAGE 16 ExxonMobil to triple PAGE 19 Guyana’s oil production next year

Coalition’s raucous behaviour in House spilling over to Parliamentary Committees – Teixeira

Applications for top GECOM posts submitted Nandlall urges Appeal Court to set decision day for election petitions case PAGE 3

PAGE 2

‒ Liza Unity arrives early

Guyana receives “very PAGE 14 aggressive interests” from UAE investors

$2.5B in flood relief grants distributed nationwide to date PAGE 7

2

WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 OCTOBER, 2021

Nandlall urges Appeal Court to set decision day for election petitions case G

uyana’s Appeal Court has been urged by Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, to set a date for a decision in the case of the election petition filed by the APNU+AFC Coalition.

In court on Tuesday (October 26, 2021), Nandlall

said, “We are really going around in circles here.” He argued that the Appeal Court has no jurisdiction to hear the manner, since it did not stem from the hearing of by the High Court, of the substantive petition.

Nandlall explained that

only the High Court has the power to adjudicate over an election petition – after which an appeal can be filed, not before the substantive election petition has been disposed of at the High Court level. “We have put forward court cases after cases

explaining the nature and type of jurisdiction that was received by the High Court …but this is a jurisdiction that the court never had…we cannot eke out a jurisdiction where one does not exist,” he said.

Both of the Coalition’s

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election petitions, Petition 88 and Petition 99, were taken to the Appeal Court.

PETITION 88 The Coalition, on June 3, 2020, filed an appeal in the case of Petition 88, arguing that the ruling judge erred in the decision that was handed down.

Petition 88 was dismissed in the High Court by Acting Chief Justice, Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire. Delivering her almost two-hour long virtual ruling yesterday morning, she underscored the fact that the petitioners had presented not a single piece of evidence to substantiate purported irregularities they sought to advance.

Petition 88, argued that the Recount Order was illegal and unconstitutional and therefore the declaration of results based on the recount is illegal and unconstitutional.

Dominican SC Anthony Astaphan, represented the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM); Trinidadian, SC Douglas Mendes, represented Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo in his capacity as General Secretary of the PPP/C; and Mr. Nandlall himself, who is representing the State.

Trinidadian SC John Jeremie, led the team of lawyers representing the petitioners.

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 99 Meanwhile, an appeal was filed by the APNU+AFC Coalition, challenging the Acting Chief Justice Roxane George’s dismissal of Petition 99 on June 14, 2021.

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. So far, Petition 99 has been thrown out and the other will move forward.

Petition 99 of 2020 was filed on September 15, 2020,

by APNU+AFC Coalition agents Monica Thomas and Brennan Nurse. Thomas and Nurse named Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield; David Granger – APNU+AFC Coalition; Horatio Edmonson – Federal United Party; Bharrat Jagdeo – People’s Progressive Party/ Civic; John Flores – Liberty and Justice Party; Asha Kissoon – The New Movement; Vishnu Bandhu – United Republican Party; Adebin Kindi Ali – Change Guyana; Patrick Bourne – People’s Republic Party, Jonathan Yearwood – A New and United Guyana; Shazam Ally – The Citizenship Initiative; and Gerald Perreira of Organisation for the Victory of the People as respondents. The Attorney General Chambers also joined the proceedings.

GECOM, on August 2, 2020, finalised results of the March 2020 General and Regional Elections process.

Those results showed that the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) won the Election with 233,336 votes, while the APNU+AFC secured 217,920 votes.

The two election petitions are challenging the results on different grounds.

The appeal is being heard

by Chancellor of the Judiciary, Yonette Cummings-Edwards, and Justices of Appeal Dawn Gregory and Rishi Persaud.

The matter comes up again in court on November 26, 2021, for reports. Further, the Court is likely to thereafter set a date for ruling or reserve its ruling for a date to be announced.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 OCTOBER, 2021

“We are running out of time to fight global warming” – PM Phillips P

rime Minister retired Brigadier Mark Phillips said the world is running out of time to fight global warming, and therefore governments must heed the global call to build momentum to increase investments in green infrastructure.

The Prime Minister made the comments Wednesday (October 27, 2021), during the commissioning ceremony for the solar photovoltaic grid tied systems at the Ministry of Agriculture, Brickdam.

The Prime Minister who has responsibility for the energy sector, underscored the critical role of renewable energy. He said, “Renewable and clean energy play a pivotal role in fostering economic growth, energy security, job creation and poverty alleviation in a cost-effective manner, while contributing

to climate change mitigation.”

He said the commissioning demonstrates a step in the right direction for the country, towards a low carbon future.

The project is a collaborative venture between the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Inc., the Organisation of American States (OAS) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).

Purposed to reduce emissions in the agricultural sector, the project complements the government’s low carbon development agenda.

This component of the project costs $6.3 million. It provides 10 kilowatts of grid tied solar power to the OAS office and 20 kilowatts of grid tied power to the IICA office, both in the compound of the Agriculture Ministry.

Applications for top GECOM posts submitted T

he deadline for applications to be submitted to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), after key vacant posts were advertised, passed on October 14, 2021 and the Commission is expected to now move forward with its considerations of the matter.

A meeting scheduled for Tuesday (October 26, 2021) to address this matter was postponed, due to technical challenges.

GECOM Commissioner, Bibi Shadick, explained that the meeting was to address the process that would be used in the appointment of a CEO and Deputy CEO. She said, “We were supposed to address the plan of action to deal with the applications - whether we are going to shortlist or interview all of the candidates for the posts of CEO (Chief Elections Officer) and DCEO (Deputy Chief Elections Officer).”

She added that the Commission’s focus is to address

recruitment for the critical posts, including Chief Elections Officer, and then move to the other vacant positions.

“We will address all of the matters, starting with the more critical positions first,” Shadick said.

The vacant posts are: 1. Chief Elections Officer/ Commissioner of Registration; 2. Deputy Chief Elections Officer/Deputy Commissioner of Registration; 3. Assistant Chief Elections Officer/Assistant Commissioner of Registration; 4. Logistics Manager 5. Civic and Voter Education Manager 6. Legal Officer 7. Chief Accountant GECOM has received 20 applications for the post of Chief Elections Officer/ Commissioner of Registration and 20 for the post of Deputy Chief Elections Officer/Deputy Commissioner of Registration.

It is part of a wider regional programme implemented through GIZ TAPSEC (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit’s Technical Assistance Programme for Sustainable Energy in the Caribbean) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat.

According to GPL’s Divisional Director of Projects, Ryan Ross, the primary objective is to provide technical assistance to regional utility companies in Jamaica, Belize, Barbados and Guyana, to develop the Integrated Utility Service (IUS) model, thereby demonstrating its viability.

Minister within the Ministry of Public Works Deodat Indar commended the solar initiative for its cost saving benefits. He said, “Today is testament of renewable energy using photovoltaic system. The source of the energy is clean and the cost savings is something that is unmatched. Renewable energy continues to be the

cheapest form and the world is transitioning to that.”

Meanwhile, Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha, said the time has come for Guyana to act, and its solar agenda will help it to achieve its emission reduction goals. He said, “Climate change is one of the biggest threats facing our society and our government has been leading the action

locally to reduce emission through the low carbon development strategy, which sets out Guyana’s vision for balancing national development and global climate action.”

The government’s goal is for 90 per cent of Guyana’s generated electricity to come from renewable energy sources. This will be achieved through the ex-

ecution of the government’s comprehensive agenda to diversify and clean up the energy mix.

Joining virtually were GIZ TAPSEC programme leader, Simon Zellner; OAS Assistant Secretary General, Nestor Mendez; IICA Director General, Dr. Manuel Otero; and Assistant Secretary General at CARICOM, Joseph Cox.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 OCTOBER, 2021

EDITORIAL

Guyana reclaiming position as leader on global stage

T

he Dr. Irfaan Ali-led PPP/C government, benefiting from the expertise of Vice President Dr. Bharat Jagdeo and technical experts across several government sectors, continues to work to advance the progress and prosperity of the Guyanese people.

And in doing so, our country is reclaiming its position as a leader on the global stage, specifically in the area of climate change.

On Thursday, October 28, 2021, President Ali announced the launch of Guyana's Low Carbon Development Strategy 2030 and a four-month consultation process, which will see the document being finalised and actioned.

Further, the PPP/C Government has already re-started the investment of US$135 million received as payments under from the Guyana-Norway agreement. These monies were withheld after the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) ruling against the then APNU+AFC Government. Re-engagement with Norway is also in progress.

As part of global partnerships, Guyana welcomed the launch of the Lowering Emissions by Accelerating Forest finance (LEAF) Coalition on April 22, 2021. The Coalition was launched by the Governments of Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States, along with several of the world’s leading private companies – including Amazon.com, Unilever, GSK, AirBnB and Salesforce. This offers the potential to build on the progress made under the Guyana-Norway agreement - which centred on an inter-governmental agreement for payment for ecosystem services – by combining it with a market-based mechanism. The potential market is starting to grow, so Guyana is exploring potential partners and opportunities as far and as wide as possible, working in close collaboration with Norway and other partners. Towards this end, Guyana has entered into a Letter of Intent to explore the possibilities offered by the new coalition, but no commitments have been made.

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

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

Back in 2009, Guyana and Norway signed a US $250 million agreement for the REDD+ Investment Fund (GRIF). The agreement sought to ensure that Guyana kept its forest intact, to ensure it harvested in a sustainable manner, and its decarbonisation rate and carbon sink status were maintained. That partnership remained until 2015, when the Coalition Government took office and undertook the Green State Development Strategy, which was criticised for its vagueness and lack of direction.

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

As part of the agreement, the two countries had agreed to establish the Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund (GRIF) as the financial intermediary mechanism for the performance-based payments from contributors to Guyana. The GRIF represented an effort to create an innovative climate finance mechanism which balances national sovereignty over investment priorities, while ensuring that REDD+ funds adhere to the Partner Entities financial, environmental and social safeguards. Norway had announced the release of $393.4 million Norwegian Kroner or G$9.1 billion, its final disbursement to the Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund.

Comical utterances Dear Editor,

I

pen this letter to you today in regard to something I saw plastered on the front page of the Sunday, October 24 edition of the Kaieteur Newspaper which I find quite laughable. As I am sure many persons are aware, Kaieteur News would usually carry pictures in its publications of persons holding placards as part of their activism in support of their call for renegotiation of the controversial ExxonMobil oil contract signed by the APNU+AFC. In the Sunday edition highlighted above the “protestor” was none other than Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon who wore a jersey with writing that called for 50% royalty to be paid to Guyana.

Editor, I found this to be hilarious and quite embarrassing for the Opposition Leader hence my decision to write to you today.

It is paramount that everyone is

reminded that it was the APNU+AFC Coalition that negotiated and signed the very 2% royalty agreement which Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon is now “protesting” against. In fact, a simple Google search will provide evidence of this. As a matter of fact, I reference an article published in June 2017 by iNews Guyana headlined “Exxon Mobil will pay 2% royalty in new pact with Govt”. This article provided a very detailed synopsis of the royalty agreement which the APNU+AFC Coalition signed with Exxon. With this in mind, I find it strange that the Opposition Leader would join the “protest” for 50% royalty when it was his government that agreed for Guyana to receive 2% in the first place. It is either that the picture used on Kaieteur News’ front page of the Opposition Leader was photoshopped or it’s a case of the usual dishonesty from the APNU+AFC. At the same time, I found this

whole thing to be even more comical when I flipped through the pages of the very edition of the Kaieteur Newspaper to find an article highlighting the APNU+AFC Coalition’s incompetent handling of the oil and gas sector. In fact, the article revealed that Suriname was able to secure a US$30.8M signing bonus for a block measuring approximately 2,235km2. However, in the case of Guyana, the APNU+AFC Coalition agreed to collect US$18M for an area that is 12 times the size of the Suriname block.

Editor, the fact that the Opposition Leader is parading around saying that Guyana should demand 50% royalty when his government settled for 2% is evidence of how inept they are. I trust that all your readers would see the same.

Yours very truly, Anson Paul

Harmon remains prisoner to his perception Dear Editor,

G

uyana is no longer a ‘heavily indebted poor country’ but for many, the mindset that was programmed during the PNC/Burnham era is difficult to shake. Despite Guyana’s exit of HIPIC II in 2006 after years of prudent financial management and tough debt-forgiveness negotiations, many are still slaves to the mental begging bowl perception of self. This has to change for Guyana to progress into a first-world nation, for we cannot until a critical mass of our population changes their standards, expectations, and behaviours.

Guyana’s recent participation in firstly, the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC, Texas) and Expo 2020 (Dubai) has attracted criticism as social media postings from many have highlighted our vibrant Guyanese presence at these events. Joe Harmon is reported to have said that OTC was a ‘friends and family junket’ implying that those in attendance had their tickets and expenses paid for by the Government

of Guyana. Harmon is a prisoner to his perception based on his experiences when in government, however, apart from a small contingent from Go-Invest (who operated the Guyana Booth) and a handful of members of Government, the Guyanese contingent so loudly and proudly represented paid their way (myself included). OTC, like all such conventions, attracted businessmen from all fields looking to invest, and conversely, for investors; connections made at OTC have/will flourish to the benefit of our nation for many years to come.

Similarly, the Guyanese presence at Expo 2020 attracted criticism including that of Leon Suseran who made assumptions that all who posted from Dubai were/are there on the taxpayers’ dime.

Suseran well knows the adage about what assumptions make us but forged ahead bravely because he (Suseran) does not yet comprehend a Guyana where we (Guyanese) can afford to travel on their earnings; Suseran and Co. must seek to be more responsible in the future as

opinions such as this affect how others treat us in the shark tank of business, a perception from our own that our business class is incapable of paying their expenses for a trip to Dubai (or elsewhere) immediately puts Guyanese at a disadvantage in any negotiations.

To those making assumptions, a simple Guyanese adage applies ‘nah tek yuh mattie eye fuh see’.

To the Guyanese who have embraced the first-world future and who are utilising every possible resource to deliver quality goods and services, I salute you and look forward to you being rewarded for your efforts; to those among us that are yet to grasp the vision, I suggest you spend more time in the present envisioning a prosperous future and less time mired in the HIPIC past.

For those yearning for those ‘good old days of poverty and want,’ there is always the palm tree waiting to take you there.

Sincerely, Robin Singh

5

WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 OCTOBER, 2021

Sugar industry remains resilient Dear Editor,

PAC debacle stems from Coalition’s corruption being exposed Dear Editor,

A

t a recent PAC meeting, it was revealed that millions of dollars’ worth of contracts were not awarded to the lowest most responsive bidder and there are no minutes to explain why. After reading news reports on the matter, it became clear to me that something amiss occurred in Region 10 during 2016 while the APNU+AFC Coalition was in office. This is in regard to the awarding of contracts. However, even though this was just one revelation, it begs the question about what more will be unearthed as the PAC continues examining the 2016 Auditor General’s Report. I ask that you permit me space in your publication to echo some of my concerns on this issue.

As mentioned, the PAC is currently looking at the 2016 report. In this report, it shows that in Region 10 fourteen contracts totaling $38.5 million were awarded to neither the lowest nor most responsive bidders. Additionally, seventeen contracts for the execution of drainage and irrigation works as well as road works were awarded. These contracts were also not awarded to the lowest or most competitive bidders.

With this in mind, I bring attention to the fact that just recently we saw issues arising within the PAC where the opposition chairman of the committee, Mr. Jermaine Figueira, pushed aside a motion by Minister Gail Teixeira to another date even though the motion was in accordance with the standing orders. We also saw issues being raised out of the blue by the opposition members of the committee with no basis to support many of their claims. I raise this question to everyone reading this; why is it that the opposition

members of the PAC are creating so many issues recently? Is it because they are trying to distract the government from properly examining the 2016 Auditor-General Report? In my view, the APNU+AFC’s recent behavior in the PAC could be an attempt to stymie its work to prevent revelations like the one with the awarding of contracts in Region 10.

Additionally, I think it is important to shed light on the fact that during the APNU+AFC’s time in office, they were involved in high levels of corruption. In fact, as soon as they left office last year, we saw revelations made regarding the use of taxpayers’ money to buy gifts, etc. This recent revelation that they disregarded the tender board process and requirements when awarding contracts back in 2016 is just another one of their corrupt practices coming to light. It is public knowledge that there ought to be records to support decisions made when awarding contracts.

Why didn’t the APNU+AFC ensure that proper records were kept like the minutes which would have given reasons as to why specific contracts were awarded to specific people despite them not having the lowest prices or being the most responsive bidder?

For all those wondering, I think the answer is very clear. The APNU+AFC Coalition was only concerned about filling their pockets and giving benefits to their cronies. One way in which they did so is by disregarding the tender process.

Now that more of their corruption is being highlighted, we are seeing efforts being made to stall up the PAC meetings and even create issues when there ought not to be any.

Thank You, Thomas Cole

Not surprised by the APNU+AFC’s bullyism in the PAC Dear Editor,

I

have been following the recent developments with regard to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and I have noted several things which I want to address.

It is very clear that the opposition APNU+AFC is focused on stymieing the progress of the government in every possible way. These individuals have nothing else to do but to parade around the place whole day and hurl attacks at the government on social media. Unlike them, the government officials including the Ministers who are part of the PAC do not have the luxury of free time to parade around the place. Rather, these officials are focused on the smooth running of the country. In this regard, I can understand why the government PAC members are not in favor of meeting twice per week. I also want to point out that the PAC relies on statutory and constitutional representatives to be present during the meetings. These individuals also play critical roles in ensuring the country is managed properly on a daily basis. Taking time out from executing their

mandates twice per week to attend the PAC meeting is ridiculous and quite frankly, unnecessary.

On another note, I have come to realize that the way in which the current PAC chairman, Mr. Figueira is behaving is similar to that of the last PAC chairman, Mr. Patterson.

I recall clearly that when Patterson was the chairman, he kept pushing aside the motion for his removal until he was compelled to act on it by the standing orders. As far as I can see, Mr. Figueira is behaving in the same manner by pushing aside the motion brought

by Minister Teixeira despite it being in accordance with the standing orders. Just recently I was doing some research on the PAC and I found out that the chairman is responsible for putting motions and questions before the members so that they can be discussed and voted upon should there be a need to do so.

With regard to the motion by Minister Teixeira, the chairman, Mr. Figueira, failed to carry out his function of putting the motion before the members so that it can be voted on. In my opinion, one can argue that he is acting outside of his constitutional mandate

W

hilst sugar remains the ‘sick man’ of the economy, the Government has so far ensured that it is not a ‘dead man’. Sugar’s intended death was well planned and carefully executed by the Coalition Government.

Grinding estates were closed instead of remaining operational, and despite promises of rehabilitation and capitalisation works to be undertaken, nothing was done. The plan to suffocate and strangle the sugar industry to death was well orchestrated during the five years in which the Coalition was in Government.

At first the Coalition made it seem as though they were interested in the survival of sugar. During the 2015 election campaign, Leader of the AFC, Khemraj Ramjattan, had said, “We are not going to close the sugar industry…we will make that industry profitable again…it creates so much employment directly and indirectly…”

Then they held a sugar conference at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre in August 2015, where they emphasised the importance of the sugar industry to the economy. At this conference, the erstwhile ‘champion’ of the sugar workers, Mr Moses Nagamootoo, had said, “Government will not abandon sugar in troubled times…the focus is to make sugar work. We have too many workers who stand to lose with the collapse of the industry. This Government will not allow sugar to sink”.

Subsequently, the Coalition sponsored a Commission of Inquiry which provided a 10-year plan to make the industry viable without the closure of any of the estates. But thereafter, the Coalition conjured a White Paper which provided for the ‘right sizing’ of the industry – a euphemism for the closure of 4 estates and the dismissal of over 7,000 employees.

This was not all. After the closure, the Coalition allowed the closed estates to rot and decay and assets stolen or sold for peanuts to friends and families. These assets include billions of dollars in standing canes, infrastructures, punts, machinery and equipment, factories and buildings. Now the replacement of these will take a lot more finances in capital investments.

The former Minister Mr Winston Jordan had promised that these estates would be kept in ‘moth ball’ condition to ensure they are attractive to investors. But the opposite happened.

Even this was not all! A $30 billion bond was secured in July 2018, and Mr Winston Jordan was adamant in his commitment and had made it clear that it was “to rescue GuySuCo… so that GuySuCo can come back on its feet…we will try to push as fast as possible to get it out of its struggles”.

Ironically, it is common knowledge what is done to take a ‘struggling animal’ out of its ‘struggles’ (a shot to the head). This bond was secured more than one year was after the closure of the estates, and was supposed to be used for: capital injection; support infrastructures; upgrades at Albion, Blairmont and Uitvlugt estates; and to develop new which is not that surprising for members of the APNU+AFC Coalition.

Furthermore, I saw statements by both sides of the PAC recently on social media and one of the things that stood out to me was the fact that earlier this month when Mr. Mahipaul moved a motion to meet twice weekly, Minister Edghill was in attendance virtually.

However, from what I gathered, the chairman did not allow Minister Edghill to make any contribution or vote on the motion claiming that he was not online when in fact he was.

Such actions must be condemned because the

co-generation capacities to support estate operations and sell to the national power grid. The plan would have also entailed the production of Plantation White Sugar as a value-added product for the local and Caribbean market, where there is a great demand and a lucrative market as such. But alas!

More than $17 billion was spent and none of the above was achieved. Instead, a downward spiral commenced which made a paltry target unachievable. Where did the money disappear? If these investments were brought on stream, GuySuCo would have been on its way to recovery and viability. Where did the money go?

However, history is a great teacher. This is not the first time that the PNC had attempted to decapitate GuySuCo. In the 1970s, the PNC saw that sugar was very profitable, and devised a scheme to get its hands on it. Then, in 1974, the Sugar Levy was introduced, which ‘creamed off’ the profits and the PNC invested in harebrained ventures and indulged in massive squandering. The Sugar Levy took off from 55 to 85% for every dollar for every ton of sugar produced and sold in excess of a given price range.

After the nationalisation in 1976, this continued under the PNC Government, and during this period, no capital investments were done in the sugar industry, and it was only about routine maintenance and replacements of worn-out parts of machinery and equipment. There was no vision for the longevity of the industry. A conservative estimate puts the money siphoned off via the Levy in excess of $100 billion.

Neither the PNC nor the Coalition as it is called now was ever interested in the survival and progress of the sugar industry or the agriculture sector as a whole, which it sees as the PPP support base. Today, the industry and the agriculture sector as a whole is facing both the ‘pandemic’ unleashed on it by the Coalition for 5 long years as well as the fallout from the worst flood in Guyana for over 40 years.

But under the PPP/C Government it is recovering from both. It is a miracle that the sugar industry is still not only standing, but fighting its way to surmount these challenges.

At this point, the industry needs all the support it can get. This Government has shown that it is committed to the progress of the entire agriculture sector and not just sugar, and those who are criticising the support for the sugar industry must acknowledge the billions of dollars of cash relief given to the rice industry, the cash crops and the livestock industry.

Everyone in this country has received some sort of cash relief since this Government took office. It is not just sugar.

In conclusion, I wish to remind that the sugar industry remains resilient, and even after the worst flood in decades, estates such as Albion are already in the process of rebuilding. Sugar will live on and progress under this Government.

Yours sincerely, H. Yusuf chairman is supposed to allow every member to have a say in the decision making process.

Notably, even the statutory and constitutional representatives that were present were not consulted on the motion beforehand.

This clearly shows the bullyism being exercised on the part of the opposition. I can’t say I am surprised because the APNU+AFC is known for displaying dictatorial tendencies during their tenure in office.

Yours Truly Attiya Baksh

6

WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 OCTOBER, 2021

P P P /C D E L I V E R I N G O N ‘ P L A N F O R P R O S P E R I T Y ’ 1,000 House Lots Distributed 37 House Lots Allocated Another on East Bank Demerara to Low-Income Families A in Berbice

L

ife for thirty-seven (37) low-income families in the Mahaica-Berbice region (Region Five) has changed for the better, as they are now land owners in the Balthyock Housing Scheme.

This is in keeping with a commitment by the Ministry of Housing and Water, just two weeks ago.

The lots were allocated during a simple ceremony on Friday at the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) office,

at Fort Wellington, Region Five, where residents were also presented their offer letters by the Minister.

Relocation began in 2012 with seven (7) families relocated and households within the block were regularized.

However, another portion of the area comprising of thirty-seven (37) lots was not allocated due to the incompletion of infrastructure works.

Fifteen (15) families who

are still residing on the reserve will be allocated, while the remaining twenty-two (22) lots will be distributed to residents within the neighborhood, who have outstanding house lot applications.

The allocation is expected to improve the lives of the allottees, as they will now have access to Certificates of Titles and basic utilities such as electricity and water, as well as roads and other infrastructure.

Increase in shore base, port facilities will provide more jobs – Edghill

T

he Guyanese public will have to pace itself for massive employment opportunities in the coming years, as multiple shore base and port facilities are being erected to cater for the development of the oil and gas and other industries.

This is according to Minister of Public Works, Hon. Bishop Juan Edghill, who noted that the PPP/C Government has been setting the stage for the creation of thousands of jobs for Guyanese, especially youths, as it encourages the aggressive development of the country’s petroleum resources.

Part of this agenda, as indicated by Minister Edghill, includes the granting of no-objections for several more shore base facilities, in addition to what is being constructed by Guyana Shore Base Inc. The need for such facilities is expected to increase, as ExxonMobil adds more projects to its Stabroek

block development agenda. He said, “GYSBI (Guyana Shore Base Inc.) cannot alone handle everything that will be happening, everything that will be happening in the oil and gas sector…

GYSBI was the first and they are doing well.”

With ExxonMobil’s operations, the Minister explained that the quantity of ships traversing the Demerara River weekly, has more than quadrupled. He said this is projected to go even higher when the next floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel comes on stream next year.

He expects this to grow even more, as operators of other offshore oil blocks could also replicate Exxon’s successful discoveries and develop them. “We will need more ports. We will need definitely more lay down yards. We will need more warehouses. We will need more berthing facilities for

ships coming in,” Edghill said.

This will not be restricted to oil and gas support services. The minister said it will also apply to agriculture, given President Dr. Irfaan Ali’s ambitious plan to return Guyana to its place as the breadbasket of the Caribbean. He said, “We will need facilities to deal with agricultural supplies, both, for airlift capacity for fresh vegetables and shrimp and fish or even poultry, but we will also need other facilities for our rice, our sugar, if we become a new producer of poultry feed, with our interventions in soya and corn, we need a lot of waterfront facilities.”

Given these plans, the minister projects more development of ports in all three main rivers.

He said Guyanese must be fervent in going after the opportunities to come.

Land titling process for No.46 village residents moving apace – Nandlall

R

esidents of Number 46 village, East Berbice Corentyne (Region Six) will soon be granted titles for the lands they have occupied for decades.

This assurance was given

by Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Mohabir Anil Nandlall S.C MP. He informed residents that the process to ensure they have ownership is moving apace.

Most of the land residents

have been occupying for decades are being claimed by others. The minister noted that over the years they have been paying a nominal rent for the land.

Minister Nandlall said when the issue was first raised, government moved to begin the process of granting ownership to the residents.

Petitioning the Land Court was one of the methods used, but that did not prove to be fruitful. The minister pointed

out that having the matter resolved first required a survey of the community to be recorded on a single plan. He said that survey has already been completed. “This single plan here shows every single lot of land in this village, shows the dimension, all the streets, shows the size of the lot, who is occupying, those who are adjacent and it also shows which of these plots are owned by certificate of (Turn to page 8)

total of 1,000 Guyanese are now proud landowners, as the Ministry of Housing and Water – Central Housing and Planning Authority, returned for its second allocation exercise on the East Bank of Demerara, Region Four.

The allocations were facilitated at the National Stadium, Providence, East Bank Demerara, last weel.

Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, Chief Executive Officer of the Central Housing and Planning Authority, Mr. Sherwyn Greaves, and other officials were all present.

As the Ministry aims to clear its backlog, the distribution process saw appli-

cants dating back to the early 2000s receiving house lots.

The lots allocated fall in the Block Plantation Grove/ Block Great Diamond area for moderate and middle-income earners. The area is said to have the potential to generate a lot yield of over three thousand lots, inclusive of residential, residential/ commercial, commercial, industrial and the sites reserved for social and economic activities, as the area further develops. Notably, the Diamond/Grove area is also strategically located in close proximity to the East Coast/ East Bank Bypass Highway.

Minister Croal stated that the scheme will be outfitted will all the necessary infra-

structure, in keeping with the Administration’s goal for wholesome communities.

He said, “The demand for housing is just the tip of the iceberg. Other demands arise too for better roads, bridges, drainage and access to water, among others,” said Minister Croal. He added, “the allocation of house lots and simultaneous infrastructural development that is taking place, will ensure that our promise of fully developed housing schemes is kept.”

While, this exercise catered for moderate- and middle-income earners, in July the Ministry also allocated 1,000 house lots to low-income persons on the East Bank of Demerara.

50 more police officers trained to handle gender based violence cases

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ifty more police officers are now more equipped to deal with Gender Based Violence and Domestic Violence after undergoing training at the Police Officer’s Training Centre.

The Second and Third Batch of graduates from the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security’s and United Nations Populations Fund COPSQUAD 2020 aim to improve the efficiency of the Guyana Police Force in dealing with these cases.

In September a batch of 18 graduated.

The Ministry of Human Services and Social Security launched the initiative in August with the hope that 2000 persons will be trained before the end of this year.

Minister of Home Af-

fairs, Hon. Robeson Benn M.P. and Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Hon. Dr. Vindhya Persaud M.P. were in attendance for the event.

Benn said, “We will have to admit if we are looking at the statistics that it isn’t working itself out in ways which we would want it to work out as quickly as we would want it to happen and hence, we have these training programmes. We have many of these new aspects of training for police … and education and training because we know the range of policing interventions are much more than what it used to be.”

Minister Persaud told the graduates that she has confidence in them to work towards changing the statis-

tics. “I would like to challenge all of you, to channel and harness your energies so that they could be utilised effectively to make that tangible impact. Wherever you are, let your name be that name that is called for all the good things that will happen in the police stations or in the offices or in the communities where you find yourself,” she said.

Gender Based Violence covers Sexual Violence, Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, Child Marriages and Early Union, Child Abuse, Trafficking in Persons and Intimate Partner Violence.

Seven women have been killed by their partners for this year up to October 15, 2021, compared to 11 for the same period last year.

Major infrastructural works for Region Two

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ignificant infrastructural works are underway to rehabilitate the river dam at Charity, Region Two, at the cost of $89 million.

The project commenced on October 15, 2021 and is expected to be completed within six months. The scope of work will see about 450 meters of the road in reinforced concrete while 350 meters will be done in asphalt.

Since 2015, the Charity River dam has been sinking despite efforts to reinforce it.

During high tides, the Pomeroon River would usually

overtop, causing extensive flooding in the area.

In 2020, the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development undertook emergency works, resurfacing countless potholes alongside the embankment.

The region’s road network is one of the region’s most important thoroughfares, hence the administration’s urgency to have it rehabilitated.

Further, the construction of the $31.7M Queenstown Nursery School is currently in its final stage which is being constructed according to

the Ministry of Education’s non-academic standards.

For years, both students and teachers had to occupy the lower flat of the Aberdeen Zorg-en-Vlyght Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) building. The contract was awarded to Kamta Persaud of K&J Contracting Services. The regional administration has however, been closely monitoring the works.

The region will also see to the construction of a new $585 million Abram Zuil Secondary School which is expected to house close to 900 students.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 OCTOBER, 2021

P P P /C D E L I V E R I N G O N ‘ P L A N F O R P R O S P E R I T Y ’

New Labour Office for Region 6 M

inister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton, commissioned the first Labour Office in Springlands, Corriverton, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

The Labour Minister said the office will provide access to opportunities such as training programmes, through the Board of Industrial Training (BIT), and allow employees to voice their complaints and concerns, to enable improvements in the work force.

He explained that the labour officers attached to this office are at present stationed at the New Amsterdam Office, however, they will relocate to the new office shortly. He also said the labour officers will be ensuring the health and safety of workers and will intervene in difficult situations relating to labour.

Hamilton said, “I say to them they best don’t get too com-

fortable at New Amsterdam, they are just resting there for the while, and I hope they understand that, and I’ve made it clear to them, when you take my job, you take my job to work at Corentyne…I was clear in my instructions as to who must be recommended.”

The Minister urged everyone to fully utilise the labour office and to foster engagements among business personnel, the upper chambers, and residents, to ensure the development of good labour relationships. “So that we can work together to develop the labour relations in this part of the region, in this part of the country and what we are doing here, we are also doing across the length and breadth of Guyana,” Minister Hamilton noted.

The Labour Minister concluded by emphasising that his Ministry is committed to

constructing two more labour offices in every region across the country to ensure equality of services to the citizens.

Meanwhile, Region Six and BIT Chairman, Mr. David Armogan said BIT has been taking a new direction of training persons in non-traditional areas because of the “massive” developments taking place across the country. He said, “Since I took over the Board of Industrial Training, we are trying to chart a new direction in the sense that traditionally the Board was involved mostly with school dropouts, persons who were not doing anything and wanted to procure a particular skill for employment purposes.”

Approximately $7 million was expended for rental and renovations to the office building.

Contracts signed for major road upgrades T

he Ministry of Public Works signed eight contracts valued at $1.5 billion for major road upgrades in several parts of Guyana.

The signing was done in the presence of Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill and Minister within the Ministry, Deodat Indar.

Speaking with contractors, Minister Edghill noted that the roads are very important as residents have been lobbying for them for a long time.

Among the major road works to be completed, is the construction of the Moleson Creek to El Dorado Road in Region Six, at a cost of $ 151,227,000. The contract was awarded to Shaffeeullah Sawmill.

Minister Edghill noted that the road which is currently a mud dam, will be upgraded to laterite, and later to asphaltic concrete at a length of 2500 meters and 7.2 meters wide. He said, “You’re putting on this first phase and then you will have to bring it to an asphaltic road because ultimately, when you have the bridge, it’s containerised traffic and everything that is going to be passing there so in that whole scheme

of things you will have to eventually get up to asphaltic concrete road,” Minister Edghill said, noting that the road will have several benefits. It is two-fold.

Number one, getting us to the abutment to facilitate the alignment and secondly it’s a dam that is already used for farmers and people live in that area.”

Other contracts signed Friday included the rehabilitation/construction of Cane Grove Phase Three (from the market) awarded to Avinash Contracting and Scrap Metal for $117,447,275, and the construction of No.58 Village Road, awarded to The GuyAmerica Construction for $ 640,713,500.

The contract for the construction of the No.52 Village road was awarded to Associated Construction Services for $239,732,000, lots 96 and 97 (maintenance) of the Mara access road were awarded to Shaffeeullah Sawmill and Kascon Engineering Services for $27,919,000 and $34,840,890 respectively.

Two contracts were also signed for projects in Region Seven. They include the rehabilitation of the Itaballi to Puruni road, award-

ed to Rim Construction Inc. for $176,615,040 and the rehabilitation of the Bartica Potaro Road (Mile 6 to 19), awarded to Adamantium Holdings for $77,311,641.

Minister Edghill noted that the projects are important to the people of Guyana.

The Number 58 road, for example, will lead to the Canje Creek and open up new lands for farming and foster the development of the agriculture sector.

He noted too that the unpriced bills must be handed over to the NDCs in the areas, immediately so there will be no controversy or bad community relations.

Edghill urged the contractors to work diligently to complete the works on time. He said, “The government that is being led by President Irfaan Ali, we are delivering services to these people, you are a partner in helping us get what we committed to the people, ultimately the people are the beneficiaries,” Minister Edghill said.

Minister within the Ministry of Public Works Deodat Indar also urged the contractors to use local labour and services to foster economic activity in the communities.

Puruni bridge construction on the cards T he government, through the Ministry of Natural Resources (MoNR) is in search of contractor to construct a bridge for the Puruni river crossing. The Puruni river is a tributary of the Mazaruni river, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).

Improving connectivity and increasing productivity in Guyana are two manifesto promises of the PPP/C, and upgrading and transforming the physical infrastructure plays a critical role in fully attaining these goals. Already, the government has made strides in this regard.

The Puruni river flows through an area with rich mineral resources and dense forested vegetation. Mining and forestry activities are concentrated along the river and the Kartabu-Puruni Road. As such, the river and road serve as a means of access to the resources within the area.

The Natural Resources Ministry has since invit-

ed Expressions of Interest (EOI) from individuals and/ or corporate bodies. The Ministry will consider options under various models including Design-Build (DB) and Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) or any other suitable model.

The Ministry has required that responses to the EOI should contain adequate information to be used to determine the optimal model to pursue: D-B or BOT, including all variants such as DBFO, DBFM, DBFMO; providing sufficient details to guide the final form of the Design-Build contract associated with the selected model; a conceptual design and preliminary costing; as well as proposals to maximise local content including local firms, suppliers, and labour.

The Ministry stated that the allocation and integration of responsibilities between the government and the contractor include the

finalisation of the road alignment on each side of the Puruni river to minimise its impact and achieve an early completion date; the responsibility for the final environmental studies and permitting.

The Kartabo-Puruni Road, leading from the Teperu Crossing at Itaballi at the mouth of Mazaruni River, is intersected by the Puruni River at a point. The road is part of the network which connects to the Linden-Lethem access road.

A pontoon system currently operates at the intersection to facilitate the crossing of the Puruni River and the point of the pontoon crossing. The area on both sides of the river is marked by relatively higher lands, thus implying that the area is prone to flooding when the river inundates and during periods of heavy rainfall.

Notably, funding has already been secured for the Linden to Lethem Road.

$2.5B in flood relief grants distributed nationwide to date

G

overnment, through the Ministry of Agriculture has thus far distributed $2.5 billion in flood relief cash grants to farmers nationwide, to help cushion the severe impacts of the May/June flood.

President Dr. Irfaan Ali announced in August that 52,000 households across 300 communities were affected by the unprecedented rainfall. “The combined assistance to homestead farmers, kitchen gardens and households for these categories will be in excess of $3.5 billion,” the President had stated.

Over $600 million has been disbursed to farmers across the Pomeroon-Supenaam (Region Two) district with over 3000 farmers benefitting.

Rice, cash crops and livestock farmers of Leguan and

Wakenaam, Region Three, received a total of $67.1 million. In the same region, another $22.6 million was distributed to farmers in the riverine communities of Bonasika, Aliki and Lanaballi.

In Demerara- Mahaica (Region Four) cash grants were given to farmers at St. Cuthbert’s Mission, Laluni, Swan village and several areas in the Demerara River.

Farmers from MahaicaBerbice (Region Five) and East Berbice- Corentyne (Region Six) were among the first to benefit from the government’s assistance.

More than 5000 flood affected farmers in Region Five received $1 billion in flood relief grants, while close to $1 billion was also disbursed to farmers at Auchlyne, Lesbeholden, Yakusari, Johanna and Mibicuri in Region Six.

Additionally, some 600 farmers in Region Ten, who were also affected by the flooding benefitted from the government’s flood relief grant. It is estimated that over $75 million will be distributed under the agriculture grant there.

The government has set aside $7.6 billion to support farmers who suffered losses from the recent flooding.

Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha said the government will continue to address the needs of its citizens, noting that everyone who suffered losses will receive assistance from the PPP/C Administration.

In cases where affected persons’ names are not on the list of beneficiaries, the minister said those issues will be addressed. Officials from the various agencies will return to ensure the process is smoothly managed.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 OCTOBER, 2021

P P P /C D E L I V E R I N G O N ‘ P L A N F O R P R O S P E R I T Y ’

Land titling process for... (From page 6) title and who own them. This singular plan will be used to get descriptions for all of you for the land you occupy and eventually when titles come after the process is concluded, the description of your land that will be on your title will be derived from tis plan,” the Attorney General said.

The AG informed residents whose cases are before the court, that they must be amended to include the new survey. He said it is the only way they would be able to acquire a title for the land.

He said, “The clear-cut cases where nobody is asserting title and the land is clearly demarcated, you will get

your title , obviously. The second set we will deal with, is those that are opposed. We will have to sit down with the people who are opposing you and work out a compensation or some form of resolution whereby they will relinquish their interest in the land. The Government will take care of that. That is our promise and commitment to you” Residents were urged not to alter the boundaries of their lands. The AG said doing so would result in them not receiving the titles they have been awaiting. He said, “The major part of the work is concluded which was to get a proper comprehensive

accurate plan and please, none of you do not change your boundaries because it will cause problems. Any movement of any boundaries here will cause great disaster in this process because from the time you move, you are shifting to another boundary, or you are shifting to a place that is different from which is demarcated on the plan,” the Attorney General urged.

Only recently, the Attorney General engaged the Ministry of to assist scores of residents of Non Pariel, East Coast Demerara to receive land titles after years of waiting. They received their titles on October 7, 2021.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 OCTOBER, 2021

Amerindian Development…

FOCUS ON GUYANA’ S FIRST PEOPLE $100M road works in Region Nine villages receiving St. Ignatius ongoing flood relief grants M F

armers of Aishalton, Karaudarnau and Achawib of Region Nine are now able to rebuild their livelihood, after suffering a devastating loss caused by the nationwide flooding earlier this year.

This follows the distribution of the government’s flood relief fund led by Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Hon. Nigel Dharamlall, at the weekend. He said, “Amerindian people as you know more than anyone else, have always gone through a lot of struggles and even whilst the people on the coast go through struggles, many of them do not understand the daily struggle that you have to go through just so you can provide for your family. Amerindian people are farmers at least most of them are subsistence farmers so when you lose a crop, you have basically

lost food for a year. Today’s exercise is our government’s commitment to you to ensure that despite all of the struggles that you have, and these struggles are more often rain or too much sun, and that is how you tend to be affected so a lot of it is natural and not man-made, but you are able to still continue to produce, to take care of your villages and families.”

Minister Dharamlall reiterated that this exercise is not a political movement, as is being touted by some, but rather, government’s commitment to improving the quality of life of every citizen.

Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Zulifar Mustapha and his team were also in the region overseeing the exercise at Shea, Maruranau and Awarewaunau.

In July, President Mohamed Irfaan Ali announced that over $7.8 billion had

been earmarked to provide financial assistance to farmers and households, who were severely affected by the nationwide floods.

From this amount, about $7.3 billion will be direct cash injection to those who suffered losses, while the remainder will be used by the Ministry of Agriculture.

It was revealed that more than $3.5 billion will be transferred to homestead and kitchen garden farmers and households. Homestead farmers will receive $100,000 each, kitchen garden farmers $50,000 and persons with households $50,000 each.

Additionally, over $3.2 billion will be distributed to rice farmers since over 50,000 acres of rice land were directly affected.

Over 300 communities and 52,000 households will benefit from the programme which commenced in August, this year.

15 Region Eight communities receive tractors to boost development

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he Ministry of Amerindian Affairs distributed 15 tractors to various villages in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni).

Among villages benefitting were Bamboo Creek, Chiung Mouth, Itabac, Kanapang, Kato, Kurukubaru, Tuseneng and Yawong.

The exercise was conducted by Minister Pauline Sukhai, during a recent visit to the region. She noted that the tractors are among commitments made by the PPP/C during the campaign trail. She said the government does not discriminate against any region, and will bring de-

velopment to every community across the country.

“We are bringing development support, making critical interventions to all those communities, every single community, we do not discriminate against any, and today I’m here for a special reason and that reason is to deliver on behalf of the PPP/Civic government…to realise and to deliver yet another commitment or promise to the nation,” she said.

Minister Sukhai also said persons across the sub-region are benefitting from the many developments and opportunities made available to them.

Minister Pauline Sukhai with residents of Chiung Mouth

She related that the tractors will boost development and enhance operations in areas such as agriculture, transportation and forestry. “The tractor is not only meant to support agriculture, but when you get road building contracts too it is useful for fetching road material, it is useful to rent to contractors.

So, it is useful for many things, for transportation, for expanding agriculture, for forestry, for hire etc. it is a versatile heavy-duty machinery,” Minister Sukhai said.

Villagers were also afforded an opportunity to voice concerns on issues affecting them.

inister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall, MP, has expressed satisfaction with the quality and progress of the $100 million road works ongoing in St. Ignatius, Region Nine.

The project is a partnership between the Ministries of Public Works and Local Government and Regional Development.

According to him, one of government’s commitments is to enhance the infrastructure of every community.

He noted that for years, hinterland communities had been neglected in the ar-

eas of health, education, and infrastructure. This, Minister Dharamlall said must be addressed. He said, “We expect that project to be finished in the next few weeks and then, later on, we also intend to do more investments in road works in this community as this is a huge Amerindian village which takes account of over 2000 residents. While we are doing this village, we are also doing the same in Santa Rosa, building concrete roads in those areas and we are currently in Aishalton with those road upgrades.

Next year, we expect to

intensify this programme for the betterment of the people.”

Similar works are also being undertaken by the Public Works Ministry from Karasabai to Yarong Paru/ Monkey Mountain Road to the tune of $110.5 million.

Another is underway from Lethem to Annai, North Rupununi at an approximate cost of $85million and is set to be completed in 2022.

The minister reiterated the government’s plan to link the hinterland communities to provide access to resources, to boost the region’s economic activities.

Fly Hill, Pai Pang, Quatata, Yupukari benefit from rehabilitated health centers

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he villages of Fly Hill, Pai Pang, Quatata, Yupukari and surrounding communities in the Upper Takutu- Upper Essequibo (Region Nine) are now better equipped to provide a wider range of healthcare services to residents.

Some $15 million was invested in the rehabilitation of Fly Hill, $13 million for Yupukari, $7 million for Pai Pang and $5 million for the Quatata health centres. Quatata also received a motorcycle to facilitate home visits.

Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall, along with regional officials attended the commissioning of the facilities. The Local Government Minister said the investments being made in the region seek to improve healthcare delivery to residents. He said, “Healthcare is very important in our country and as you are aware in the Rupununi it has been one of the issues that has been affecting our people, which is the delivery of quality healthcare. Everywhere that we have gone, we would note that all of our facilities would have the requisite drugs and medical supplies, because that used to be one of the sicknesses within the health system in Guyana, when our Amerindian brothers and sisters go to some of these facilities that there are not enough drugs and medical supplies to provide to them.”

The Yupukari Health Centre

Minister Dharamlall said residents are expected to be treated with respect while receiving service at the health centres. The same, he noted must be given to the healthcare workers. He said, “You can expect from this government full respect and humility and I want to also ask the residents to show the similar respect and humility when you come to receive service.”

Regional Health Officer (RHO), Dr. Cerdel McWatt said the initiative is in keeping with the government’s commitment to achieving universal primary healthcare.

As such, the facilities will be equipped with the medical supplies to treat residents for snake bites and complications from Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), among other conditions.

These health problems, Dr. McWatt noted are common with those residing in the

region. “We stress the need to provide healthcare that is on par to the demand of the community and that we are endeavouring to give with the involvement of RDC and by extension, the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development and the Government of Guyana.

Nothing less will be offered to the villagers,” Dr. McWatt noted. According to him, additional resources will be given to the health facilities via the department’s referral system.

Health services in the region have been affected by poor infrastructure.

Residents commended the government’s efforts thus far, in keeping with its promise to improve the provision of services in the health sector. Currently, 63 persons are being trained to become certified health workers in their respective communities.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 OCTOBER, 2021

In Focus : Adv ances in t he Agr icult ur e Sect or

IMPROVING CAPACITY, STANDARDS IN THE SECTOR

23 graduate from Pest A p p lic a t io n a n d M a n a g e m e n t t r a in in g

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he Ministry of Agriculture’s Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals Control Board (PTCCB), this week, held a graduation and awards ceremony for persons who participated in the board’s pest application and management training exercise.

Through the training, 23 persons are now equipped with the knowledge on how to properly manage and use pesticides and other chemicals.

PTCCB Chairman Mr. Leslie Munroe, said the training was done as part of board regulations, as persons must be certified if they are interested in the field. “Training is one of the hallmarks of the board’s activities. The people who are graduating this morning, they would have gone through some training for them to understand the nature of the work they are doing, to understand the substances that they use,” he said.

Graduates noted the benefit of the training to their respective fields.

Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha who was in attendance told the graduates that the skills gained from the training will aid in the overall development of the country, because the use of pesticides is necessary in various productive sectors. “You will not only be serving the agriculture (sector), you will be serving all the sectors that need guidance, that need to use these chemicals and you as the applicators, you are the persons who will ensure that these things are used in a safe way. You will be responsible to ensure that these sectors develop,” the minister said.

Minister Mustapha further added that the graduates should now be able to educate the general public on the knowledge gained.

V e t e r in a r y B o a r d s t r e n g t h e n in g p o lic ie s t o m e e t in t e r n a t io n a l s t a n d a r d s

The Veterinary Board of Guyana is seeking to strengthen its strategies to ensure services offered benefit Guyanese and mirror international standards.

Chairman of the Board, Dr. Nardeo Bassoodeo, said his team plans to put systems in place which will see veterinarians exhibiting standardised services nationwide, and close gaps hindering the sector.

To improve the working standard of Animal Health Assistants, the Board has scheduled a two-day sensitisation workshop for October 28-29.

The virtual forum will focus on the legal role and responsibilities of the practitioners.

While the Board is determined to advance its veterinary medicine service, the chairman said it also wants to have improved communication with those involved in human health.

Additionally, the Veterinary Board is seeking to revise the Veterinary Act of 2003 to affix regulations which will allow veterinary practitioners to work in a more improved manner.

Attorney–at–Law, Mr. Omadatt

Chandan stressed the importance of the two legislations-licensing and registration and the code of practice for veterinarians and animal health assistants. He said public consultation on the two issues will begin soon. ‘There is need for us to have a code of practice because from time to time, you would hear animal rights organisations complaining about the standard of animal health care. So, there is a need for us to standardise and bring up to a certain standard,” the legal practitioner asserted.

Chairman of the Ethics Committee, Dr. Rennard Overton said since the establishment of the Board earlier this year, there have been about six engagements with members of the public who raised concerns about the quality of animal health care.

“We have dealt with some of those concerns and others are still being addressed…the ethics committee would receive these communications from person in the public and then we would launch an investigation and see what corrective methods, if any, are necessary, to put in place,” Dr. Overton noted.

$ 3 9 8 . 1M m o r e in c o n t r a c t s in k e d t o a d v a n c e w o r k s in t h e A g r i S e c t o r

A

s the Ministry of Agriculture forges ahead with plans to transform the food sector, another $398.1 million in contracts were awarded to five contractors.

During the ceremony at the ministry’s boardroom, Castilho Engenharia Incorporated inked a $261.7 million contract to rehabilitate 18 kilometers of the Ituni/Tacoma main access road. The completion of this project will improve access to thousands of acres of farmlands.

Through the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), three contracts valued $115.7 million was awarded to Memorex Enterprise, while the other two were signed by Farm Supplies Limited.

Memorex Enterprise is responsible for the extension of the sugar storage bond at the Blairmont estate. The new marketing model for sugar produced by the entity will require the estate to package all of their annual sugar produced, estimated at 23,000 metric tonnes.

Farm Supplies Limited will supply and deliver a motor road grader and a vibratory compactor road roller to the sugar company.

The road grader machine will help with the maintenance of about 783.1 kilometers of roads at the Albion and Blairmont estates, while the other multipurpose machine will be used for the maintenance of all-weather roads and earthen dams on estates throughout the Berbice region.

Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha said the transportation routes are critical to

the safe and timely movement of labour, equipment, materials and harvested canes, noting that without proper facilities, production will be compromised.

Further, the New Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) has awarded $4.5 million to Meditron Incorporated and another $16.1 million to Western Scientific Company Limited for the supply and delivery of equipment for the agri-processing facility in Region 10.

The ministry intends to retrofit the facility with modern equipment to provide a certified environment for new and existing agro-processors. The initiative is also part of government’s plan to boost agro-processing nationwide.

Minister Mustapha said his ministry does not regret making these significant investments, as it is already seeing positive results. “These contracts are important because for example we are embarking on new crops in the intermediate savannah. We have already started a trial for corn and soya beans there with a group from the private sector and the trial is looking very good in terms of production.”

He said the ministry will closely monitor the progress of the works at each location. “We are coming to the end of the year, and these are some of the projects that remain to complete our work programme for the year, so these are very important projects for us.

The minister urged that contractors abide by the terms set out in the contracts they signed.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 OCTOBER, 2021

PM says Government’s energy plans will improve standard of living

P

rime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d), Mark Phillips, charged that the PPP/C Government is committed to pursuing an energy transition plan that is centred on providing affordable, stable and reliable energy.

The clean energy mix would also aid in eradicating poverty while improving the standard of living of Guyanese.

The Senior Government Official made these comments while delivering remarks at the third meeting of

the Global Commission on People Centred Clean Energy Transitions.

Prime Minister Phillips, who represents Guyana on the Commission, said that his Government has begun the implementation process of several clean energy programmes, particularly in remote hinterland communities, which are too far away to connect to the national grid.

He said too that community members will be trained in installing and maintaining the technology as part of an

initiative to create jobs. The initiative would also link energy access projects to productive activities such as ICT, commerce, and agro-processing to allow for greater community ownership and sustainability. Phillips said, “Specifically, the projects entail the installation of 13 solar PV farms, the provision of 30,000 solar home systems for hinterland communities, the installation of 20 minigrids solar PV systems for public and community buildings, the installation of more

than 180 solar PV stand-alone systems for the Government’s ICT Hubs, and the installation of a three MW grid-connected solar PV system at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.”

He noted that the solar PV installations will result in approximately 46.4 MW of installed solar PV capacity and are expected to be commissioned within two years.

Additionally, the Government would continue to push ahead with its hydropower projects including the 165 MW Amai-

la Falls project. He said, “Ongoing hydropower projects include the installation of a 150-kW hydropower station at the Kato Falls that will be completed in 2022; the rehabilitation of the Moco-Moco hydropower project with an installed capacity of 0.7 MW and the construction of a 1.5 MW hydropower station at Kumu”.

The Global Commission on People-Centred Clean Energy Transitions brings together 30 government leaders, ministers and prominent

thinkers to discuss clean energy solutions. The commission was convened by the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), Dr Fatih Birol, in January of this year. The launched 12 recommendations for a people-centred transition to clean energy.

The recommendations were divided into four key areas: decent jobs and worker protection; social and economic development; equity, social inclusion and fairness and people as active participants.

12

WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 OCTOBER, 2021

A NEW LOW CARBON Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy 2030

M

y Fellow Guyanese, good afternoon. Today, I am pleased to launch a four-month consultation on Guyana's new Low Carbon Development Strategy.

As you are aware, we have committed to launching a national consultation on this national development strategy. As I speak to you today, the strategy is already uploaded and ready for the population and even those in the international community.

LCDS 2030 advances a vision first articulated in 2008 by the then President, our Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo. The vision was further developed in 2009 when it was encapsulated in the world's first low carbon development strategy from a developing country.

The scale of vision captured 12 years ago remains valid today – and continues to rest on two fundamental questions.

One, how can Guyana harness the opportunities of low carbon development to prosper at home? And two, how can Guyana lead the way to globally relevant solutions to the biggest challenges of our time, including energy security and climate change?

A lot has happened since 2009. At home, we saw how many of the measures outlined in the LCDS were stymied by the previous administration, including the Amaila Falls Hydropower plant. This was the flagship of the LCDS and would have seen Guyanese and businesses enjoying affordable, non-polluting electricity by now.

Internationally, the world has endured a series of enormous economic shocks, including the banking and financial crisis, and the Covid-19 pandemic. Global progress on climate change has not been smooth – despite the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.

Against this changing backdrop, Guyana has now become a producer of oil and gas – with the potential to transform the development opportunities for all our people.

So, the context of the LCDS we launch today – LCDS 2030 – is very different to the context of 2009.

But the fundamental challenge of delivering broad-based development and prosperity at home, while contributing to solutions to global problems, remains largely the same.

My Government's guiding principle in rising to this challenge is the same guiding principle that influences everything my Government does: my unshakeable belief that the people of Guyana working together – as "One Guyana" - have the skills, the ingenuity and the experience to create a better country of which we can all be proud. Working together, we can transform our country without leaving any area of our country or segment of our people behind.

We can become an ever more attractive place for investors and for our diaspora to choose to come home. And we can look after all our people by generating the resources to take care of the most vulnerable and provide help when people need support that only the state can provide.

STIMULATING LOW CARBON GROWTH The LCDS 2030 sets out an updated vision for how my Government intends to drive the transformation of our country. We will welcome feedback and insights over the coming months – but today, as we launch the consultation, I want to outline four main themes that the LCDS 2030 addresses.

The first theme is how we align our status as an oil and gas producer with being active participants in the global search for climate solutions.

Second, I want to focus on how Guyana once again intends to resume our work to build a global model for forest climate services and other ecosystem services.

Third, I will outline how we will drive the future low carbon development of our country – through clean energy and a suite of low carbon development opportunities, including investment in protecting our people and country against climate change that is already occurring.

To address the first theme: the discovery of oil and gas has rapidly integrated Guyana into a three to four trillion US-dollar annual global marketplace. Revenue from this market can transform our country and create opportunities for our people, especially our youth that previous generations could only have dreamt of. Just last week, I returned from Dubai – where the level of awareness of Guyana, and interest in Guyana, was unprecedented. This is now our experience all over the world.

My Government recognises the responsibility that comes with this opportunity. We are deeply aware of our duty to manage the industry carefully and strategically. That is why over the coming months, we will finalise the legislation to improve the Natural Resources Fund and embed world-class standards of transparency in our management of oil and gas revenues. The new legislation will enable a certain amount of oil revenue to be invested in critical development priorities. The remainder of the revenue will be saved for the future - so that our children and their children can benefit for many years to come.

This means that over the coming decade, with resources from the oil and gas sector, we will make the highest level of investment in health and education that Guyana has ever seen. In the short term, investment in both health and education are critical to the recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. Over the longer term, we will augment basic education investments with new support for technical and vocational skills, with a particular focus on strengthening digital skills for a rapidly digitising economy. Investment in health care can change the situation where too many people suffer from curable illnesses or die prematurely because we are a poor country: within ten years, our health system can be as good as anywhere in the world.

At the same time, we will invest in continued diversification of the economy by supporting non-oil sectors and areas of the country away from the coastline. This will involve support for physical infrastructure – including river, road and air transport networks, the electricity grids; the national digital connectivity network; and more.

It will also involve repairing coastal and hinterland climate protection infrastructure, as well as targeted support for agricultural expansion in non-forested parts of the country – to enable Guyana to become self-sufficient in key agricultural products as well as an exporter to regional markets and beyond.

This investment will put Guyana on a long-term trajectory to sustain one of the highest growth rates in the world, create wealth for all our people and put the days when Guyana could not afford to run its Government even further in the past.

However, the global market for oil and gas will not last forever and will decline in the coming decades as the world decarbonises in line with the targets of the Paris Climate Agreement and the need to stabilise global temperature increases at 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.

TRANSITION TO CLEAN, RENEWABLE ENERGY To ensure that Guyana will be ready for this future world, it is important to recognise that we are, in fact, participating in two transitions as a country: one domestic and one international.

Our domestic transition is outlined in the LCDS 2030: we intend to remain one of the world's lowest carbon economies – prioritising action on forests and energy. I will talk more about our domestic low carbon transition in a few moments when I address the other themes of the LCDS 2030.

But first, I want to address the international transition because most of our oil and gas will be sold in the global marketplace. Actively managing the development of this marketplace in line with global decarbonisation targets is a challenge that the world continues to fail to grasp. This is why demand for oil and gas to safeguard global energy security continues to be high, rebounding after a slowdown due to the pandemic.

Global policies are needed, and if they are to work, they must be fair, economically rational and based on science.

Basic fairness means that the oil industry, and its US$3-4 trillion of annual revenue, should not just be for the benefit of incumbent oil producers, particularly when those incumbents are already very wealthy. Expecting developing economies to leave their oil in the ground really means protecting the monopoly-like situation of existing producers so that they can maximise their income from oil and gas.

Just three producers produce about 24 million barrels today, a level of oil production that needs to be reached by 2050 to align with the Paris goals – it would be perverse if the market was protected for them and them alone. The world's largest oil producer – the United States of America – has a per capita income of US$65,000 – about ten times that of Guyana.

No responsible government should volunteer that its people stay poor so that richer countries can have their market protected.

Putting faith in solutions that expect this to happen is irresponsible and ultimately damages the prospects of climate success.

Rather, since 2009, Guyana has supported two main global policies to drive global decarbonisation.

First of all, there should be a global price on carbon, levied on the consumption of oil and gas. This is the way to incentivise both the investment in lower carbon replacements for fossil fuel-based electricity and transportation – such as renewable energy and electric vehicles – while at the same time managing the global low carbon transition through incentivising progressively lower-carbon sources of fossil fuels.

The second main policy is that subsidies for fossil fuel production should be removed. In 2019, fifty of the largest economies in the world – which account for 80% of global greenhouse gas emission – increased their support for fossil fuel production by 30%. Most of this was in developed countries, which are already the incumbents benefiting most from the trillions of dollars in the oil and gas market.

The Government of Guyana supports calls for the elimination of such fossil fuel subsidies, especially in OECD countries where the subsidies are the most distorting, destabilise prices, and do nothing to reduce the carbon intensity of the world's economy.

Combined, these two policies can create a much fairer marketplace for oil and gas that is compatible with achieving the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. Guyana will not shirk its responsibilities in such a marketplace.

At the same time, Guyana will pursue strong policies to ensure that its oil and gas sector operates to international standards. The Government is working to eliminate flaring from oil production, except in the case of genuine emergencies. When my Government took office in 2020, there were no safeguards in place to disallow flaring. As a result, we introduced one of the very few taxes on flaring in the world – where beyond the commissioning period, all flaring will be taxed at US$45 per tonne of carbon, along with the actual gas lost. For newly-licensed production, the tax on flaring will be accompanied by legal limits on the overall amount of flaring.

In parallel, with advancing a "no flaring" policy, new measures have been introduced to ensure that all waste management is the responsibility of the oil producer, in accordance with international standards, from "cradle to grave".

My Government will also continue dialogue with oil producers to ensure that, alongside the above measures, exploration and production operations will continue to explore all opportunities for lower carbon technological innovation – including the use of renewable energy in oil production, Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) and – when technologically viable – green hydrogen.

So in sum, my Government will meet our responsibilities to the people of Guyana by maximising the benefits to be accrued from the oil and gas industry while at the same time advocating for global policies to create a level playing field to align the global marketplace for oil and gas with the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement.

But to only focus on oil and gas is to be short-sighted. In all scenarios, a future global economy will decarbonise, so the other two themes of the LCDS 2030 look beyond the oil and gas sector.

In particular, the second theme looks to take Guyana's vision for forest climate services and ecosystem services more broadly, to the next level of development.

If oil and gas is a bedrock of today's global economy, the world's ecosystems need to be the bedrock of the future economy.

In our lifetimes, we need to see the proper recognition of the value created by the world's forests, biodiversity, and oceans. This is the only long-term way to preserve these vital ecosystems for decades and centuries to come. Guyana was one of the first countries in the world to recognise this.

LEADERSHIP ON FORESTS In 2009, when Guyana set out the original LCDS, we made an offer that no other country had made – to create a global model for jurisdiction-scale action to show how the world's forests could be maintained.

Since then, other countries have followed, and Guyana has

13

WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 OCTOBER, 2021

N ECONOMY [STATEMENT BY HIS EXCELLENCY DR MOHAMED IRFAAN ALI, PRESIDENT OF THE CO-OPERATIVE REPUBLIC OF GUYANA, AT THE LAUNCH OF NATIONAL CONSULTATION ON LCDS 2030]

worked with partners around the world to gain a far greater understanding of the enormous contributions that our ecosystems make to the world's health and economy.

Because of the work of the last twelve years, we now know that Guyana has maintained the second highest percentage of forest cover on earth – with more than 99.5% of our forest remaining – an area almost the size of England and Scotland combined. Deforestation rates are among the lowest in the world.

We now know that the Guiana Shield, one of the most pristine rainforests in the world - which we share with Suriname, French Guiana and Brazil - stores about 18% of the world's tropical forest carbon and 20% of the world's freshwater. Guyana alone stores about 19.5 billion tonnes of carbon in our forests.

We now know that we have extremely high levels of biological diversity in our country. We have four percent of known animal species. There are more bird species in Guyana than in the entire United States of America. We have 2.4% of known plant species.

All these ecosystem services and others provide enormous value to the global economy –Guyana's forests alone are estimated to provide global value from US$40B to US$54B annually.

Yet – unlike oil and gas – the world does not yet recognise this value in monetary terms. This is the main reason that forests across the world are cleared for agriculture, mining, infrastructure, and other uses.

In short, the world's tropical forests are worth more dead than alive and forest areas that are the size of Greece disappear every year, causing about 16% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

The world continues to make faltering progress towards recognising this value and creating alternative low carbon income streams for the communities and countries which have these assets, protect these assets for the good of everyone. Some progress has been made on REDD+, within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

But compare the market for oil and gas with the market for ecosystem services, and you will see what the international financial system values.

This situation needs to change over the next decade if the worst extremes of climate change are to be averted, and if the world's forests and other ecosystems are to be maintained to regulate rainfall, prevent diseases and provide the basis for much of the world's future medicines.

A GLOBAL MODEL Towards creating this new global ecosystem economy, in 2009, Guyana sought international partners who shared our vision. As a result, Guyana and Norway worked together to create a model for economic incentives for making forests worth more alive than dead.

For the period 2009 to 2015, Guyana earned US$212 million in payments to be invested in the LCDS. Jobs were created, Amerindian villages were titled, hinterland and coastal businesses were supported, the Cunha Canal was rehabilitated, among many initiatives.

Unfortunately, US$137M of the money received was not invested, in large part because the previous administration did not proceed with Amaila Falls or any renewable energy projects to be funded from forest climate services. This situation changed earlier this year – and US$85 million of the revenues are now being used to build utility-scale solar power capability in Linden, Essequibo Coast and Lethem and other areas.

But all was not lost. As part of the Guyana-Norway partnership, the two countries also cooperated to build a world-leading Monitoring Reporting and Verification System – or MRVS – utilising satellite technology and ground-based work to provide the scientific basis for our knowledge of the scale of the value provided by our ecosystem services.

It is this MRVS that provides the basis for opportunities for Guyana over the next decade.

From early 2022, the quality of data provided by the MRVS means that there is a strong possibility that Guyana can access new market-based mechanisms for forest climate services that include private as well as international public sector financing.

There are a number of possibilities outlined in the LCDS 2030, but I want to emphasise that no agreements will be entered into until

after the national consultation is completed and the LCDS 2030 is finalised. Moreover, even after the LCDS 2030 has been finalised, all agreements will involve the participation of those impacted – with a particular emphasis on adhering to a set of United Nations mandated safeguards – including a principle known as Free Prior and Informed Consent, or FPIC - for indigenous peoples and local communities.

We hope that progress can be made in the next six to twelve months towards the next step with forest climate services. This can bring us a step closer to a day when their true value will enable them to increase their significance as part of the domestic economy in Guyana. Guyana will support such markets, and hope that in years to come, global markets for ecosystem services will start to rival those for fossil fuels.

When outlining our plans for oil and gas a few moments ago, I mentioned that Guyana would be pursuing both an international and a domestic transition. I said I would come back to the domestic transition, and it is to that I now turn – as I address the third and fourth themes of the LCDS 2030.

The third theme relates to Guyana's low carbon transition, starting with the energy transition.

Today's energy problems are well-known – Guyana has some of the highest electricity costs in the Americas, and supply is about 97% dependent on imported fossil fuels. It is tragic that this is still the case – because the Amaila Falls Hydropower project could have come on stream in the past five years. All the technical analysis over the years, including a report presented by a consultancy engaged by the last Government and Norway, concluded that Amaila Falls Hydro project represented the best way forward to expand Guyana's energy supply.

But given where we are today, Guyana can now resume its clean energy transition – through decoupling economic growth from greenhouse gas emissions.

THREE PHASES The LCDS 2030 outlines how this will happen in three phases.

From 2022-2027, a near tripling of electricity demand will be met through a combination of natural gas and the Amaila Falls Hydropower project on the main national grid, coupled with a major expansion of solar power with batteries on the rural networks. By the end of this period, the Essequibo Coast, Linden, Leguan, and Wakenaam grids will be integrated with the national grid. The Bartica, Lethem, Port Kaituma, Madhia, and Matthews Ridge grids will be almost exclusively powered by renewable energy. Alongside the work on the country's grids, all hinterland villages, about 200 villages with a total population of just under 100,000 people – will undergo an electrification programme by about 2026. This work has begun already in villages across the country, included Seba, Waramadong, Paruima, Kurukabaru, Whyaka, Mission Capoey, Lake Top Capoey, Annai, St Monica and Karaburi. Finally, the transmission and distribution network will undergo a massive upgrade to manage the forecasted electricity demand and meet the standards expected of a modern power utility company.

From 2027 to 2032, a second phase will see further increases in electricity demand being met by continued replacement of Heavy Fuel Oil, expansion of wind and solar power, and the commission of Guyana's second hydro plant, the site of which will be identified in the coming years.

After 2032, the expansion will be driven by the prevailing market conditions, but it is likely that battery technology will be sufficiently advanced to enable solar and wind plants to provide new capacity increases while contributing to further downward pressure on electricity prices.

Further details are set out in the LCDS 2030 – but in sum, this energy transition will achieve a level that very few, if any, countries have achieved. Cheaper electricity will be supplied, and that supply can increase fivefold with emissions staying essentially

flat.

The energy transition will form the backbone of the broader low carbon transition outlined in the LCDS 2030. Small and medium businesses will be supported to create low carbon jobs and economic opportunities. A dedicated 15% of funds from forest climate services will be invested in Amerindian communities' priorities, including land titling and capitalisation of the Amerindian Development Fund to implement Community Development Plans. Low carbon infrastructure will be expanded – including transportation, digital infrastructure, e-Governance, and social inclusion. The urban built environment – roads, drainage and water infrastructure among other areas – will be improved in all our towns. Consideration will be given to international architecture and urban planning competitions for Georgetown and Silica City to match the unprecedented anticipated growth with high standards of urban planning. The LCDS 2030 will support entrepreneurship and innovation. The Protected Areas System will be expanded, and we will see the creation of an International Center for Biodiversity. Work will resume on the restoration and maintenance of our important mangrove forests. In 2022, work will start on the implementation of Guyana's Climate Resilience Strategy and Action plan, which was produced using revenues received under the Guyana-Norway partnership. Work will re-start to implement the strategy and upgrade sea defences, irrigation systems, build agriculture systems that are more resilient and address the threat to public health from climate change.

There is much detail in the document, and even more in the strategies and programmes which support it. But all in all, the LCDS 2030 captures how the next decade in Guyana's development will leave a positive transformative impact on our country.

INCLUSIVE AND PARTICIPATORY APPROACH So I urge you all to take the time to read the LCDS 2030 and to participate in the consultations which will happen in the coming months.

To carry out the national consultation, the Multi-Stakeholder Steering Committee will be reconstituted. Details will be shared in the weeks ahead, and there will be ample opportunity for all our people to participate.

We are living in a very exciting time in our country – full of promise and potential. It falls to us – as a government and as a people – to seize this moment. If we work together – as one Guyana – we can hold our heads high, knowing that we are capable of rising to this moment. We can provide answers to some of the biggest questions the world faces: like balancing energy and climate security or creating the basis for a future ecosystem services economy. We can help our people to become prosperous without leaving anybody behind. Not on the basis of slogans or simplistic but unworkable solutions – but on the basis of hard work that harnesses the ingenuity and innovation of the people of this country.

So I say to you fellow Guyanese, this is our moment. We urge you to read the document, to take your time in analysing and understanding the document, to understand the context in which Guyana is operating, to understand the positioning of our country in the international dynamics. To understand the positioning of our country in transitioning from our natural resources now, which we must utilise, to a strong sustainable global economy.

Thank you and God bless you all. (October 28, 2021)

14

WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 OCTOBER, 2021

POSITIONS FROM THE PRESIDENT

Guyana, Barbados to advance cooperation P

resident Dr Irfaan Ali met with a delegation from Barbados, led by the island’s Minister of Housing, Lands and Maintenance, the Honourable Dr William Duguid, this week, at State House.

The Barbadian housing officials are on the third day of a three-day visit to Guyana, where they have been exploring investment opportunities.

Housing development was discussed when President Ali met with the Prime Minister of Barbados, the Honourable Mia Mottley, following the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) early

this month.

A joint press release from the two countries had indicated that several initiatives were discussed to advance cooperation and investment in the areas of agriculture and fisheries, oil and gas, mining, forestry, tourism, the hospitality industry, transportation, housing and water resources.

At the meeting, President Ali was accompanied by the Minister within the Ministry of Housing, the Honourable Susan Rodrigues and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mrs Elisabeth Harper.

Also part of the Barbados delegation was Permanent

Secretary of the Ministry of Housing, Lands and Maintenance, Mr Timothy Maynard; Senior Housing Planner, Ms Kelly Hunte; National Housing Corporation’s General Manager, Mr Ian Gill; Chief Technical Officer Mr Ian Foster and Planner Mr Raymond Lorde.

The Barbados Investment and Development Corporation was also part of the delegation and was represented by its CEO, Mr Mark Hill; Business Development Officer for Guyana, Ms Sharon Walton; Director, Ms Marina Taitt and Manager, Bio-Economy, Mr Paul Waithe.

Guyana receives “very aggressive interests” from UAE investors

G

uyana has received “very aggressive interests” from investors from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), but was clear that these investments must include the local private sector, supported by strong local content policies from the Government, according to President Dr. Irfaan Ali. The Head of State was at the time responding to a question during a press conference following Guyana’s National Day celebrations at Expo 2020 in Dubai.

President Ali pointed out that bilateral talks between the two states started before Expo 2020 Dubai and that he is looking forward to continued discussions.

He lauded the UAE for having a very modern, technologically efficient system of development. He said that it has focused over the years on developing smart grids, one-card systems, health information management systems bolstered by the oil and gas sector.

Ali added that engagements in those areas have already started and that the two states are also discussing “in a very intense way” the sharing of experiences and how they will “twin” their approach to development, given Guyana’s potential.

President Ali also noted that now is an “excellent opportunity” for the UAE to look beyond its traditional areas of investments and explore Guyana and its surrounding environs to create a strategic alliance and partnership that will create new opportunities. He said, “I was speaking to some of the leaders, and I said listen, the UAE also would have to face challenges of food security.

Let us see how Guyana can support your food security agenda and that of the Region; matching our resources, investment with land. And that is a type of visionary approach that we want to create moving forward.”

LOCAL PRIVATE SECTOR DRIVE The Head of State emphasised that the opportunities for investment and

development of the various sectors in Guyana must be “driven by the private sector, supported by strong policies from the Government”.

He said that this is why a large delegation featuring representatives from Guyana’s private sector was brought to the Expo. He said, “We are hoping that they will be matching with the other private sector operatives from the UAE and will be making connections and building partnerships to make use of the opportunities back home and to ensure that there is local content.”

In addition to the private sector representatives, heads of various governmental agencies and organisations were also part of the delegation. The President said this was done to enable the sharing of the vision of Guyana’s development and the opportunities available with stakeholders in the UAE. SECOND-TO-NONE INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES Ali said, “We have the greatest potential to supply all of the food requirements of the CARICOM region.

We have large quantities of untapped freshwater. We sometimes focus on oil and gas, but freshwater is as important as oil and gas. When we speak about the future and about sustainable development, we have biodiversity and eco-services, second to none. We have mining opportunities, second to none.

We have tourism opportunities, second to none. We have opportunities in the ICT sector because of our geographic location, second to none.”

The President said that the high cost of energy and inadequate infrastructure have historically prevented Guyana’s development from being “ballooned upwards” despite the country’s tremendous potential. However, he noted that the Government will ensure that significant changes are made with the incoming resources and international interests. He said, “Suddenly, we now have the potential of ensuring all of these sectors flourish with the lowest energy rate in the region, with the best renewable mix of energy and the most sophisticated and efficient transport infrastructure.”

The President explained that this positive change has resulted in discussions and planning for massive transformative projects like the gas-to-shore energy project, the hydroelectricity development authority project, the development of a new city, the development of a road connection between northern Brazil and Guyana, shore base facilities, deepwater facilities, and other larger projects.

He said that there is also tremendous interest in developing tourism and eco-services, as well as food sustainability in the agriculture sector.

Senior Minister within the Office of the President with responsibility for finance, Dr Ashni Singh; Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Waldron; Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr and GO-Invest CEO, Dr Peter Ramsaroop also attended the press conference and delivered remarks.

15

WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 OCTOBER, 2021

of $1.2B Gov’t to contractor: Construction Lusignan Prison on schedule No more extensions for February completion T on CJIA project M

inister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar disclosed that the PPP/C government has declined China Harbour Engineering Company’s (CHEC) request for an extension of its deadline to complete additional works at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).

CHEC had requested a deadline extension to April 2022, but Minister Indar insisted that the work, which is currently at a progress level of 20 per cent, must be completed this year.

Indar said, “We’re not discussing any extension.

On the 15th of November, of this year, the engineers will go back and they will do a certificate of completion, which is to determine progress works. At that point, we will know exactly what (is the) percentage completion, what are the issues, and then

we will have that discussion.

But not now. I want to make sure that just cause is shown, and try your best as a company -you have 120 workers here-to ensure that you push the work.”

The minister visited the project site to get an update on the progress of works, after he received complaints about it and other related developments.

The works being done by the contractor include an extension for two new air bridges and rehabilitation work addressing over 1,500 defects, which resulted from poor quality of work by the very contractor. The Minister was informed that 88 per cent of the over 800 defects has been resolved.

Minister Indar expressed particular concern about the pace of the project, given multiple timeline breaches.

He said that a lot of work

went into negotiating solutions with the contractor.

He said, “It’s not going as you would like it to go, the speed that you would like it to go. But it is going. It is progressing.”

Asked if he is confident of the company’s ability to sufficiently bring the project to a close, the minister said that the government had a lot of reservations when it first assumed office. Indar noted that when the PPP/C Administration came into office, President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali himself had to get involved, speaking with the senior management of China Harbour to determine a way forward.

The government held numerous meetings and inspections with the contractor to resolve issues, and it will continue to advocate for the project to be completed sooner, rather than later.

he construction of the new Lusignan Prison is on track for its February 2022 deadline.

The $1.2 billion facility is 25 per cent completed, and is a commitment of the PPP/C Administration, following destruction of sections of the Georgetown and the old Lusignan prisons. Upon completion, the facility will also address the current overcrowding in the prisons.

The prison director said

unlike the other facilities, the new structure will have installed fire prevention features.

Apart from providing upgraded conditions for inmates, the new prison will also focus on their rehabilitation.

Recently, Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, MP, said government is devising a programme titled ‘A Fresh Start’ that aims to provide inmates with the requisite skills for

their reintegration into society.

It is expected that when the male inmates are relocated from the holding bay, which houses about 200 prisoners to the new facility, the female prisoners from New Amsterdam will be housed in the old structure.

The three facilities are being constructed by Mohamed’s Construction and Real Estate Agency, M&P Investment and Nabi Construction Inc.

Edghill reads riot act to contractors

‒ No further delays on construction of Bartica, Leguan stellings

M

inister of Public Works Bishop Juan Edghill, has made clear there must be no further delays on the construction of the Bartica and Leguan stellings in Regions Seven and Three, respectively.

He said the projects, which were inherited from the previous administration were at a stage of failure, riddled with poor performance and delays. However, he stressed that govern-

ment “is working to remedy them.”

On a recent visit to the stellings, the minister had expressed displeasure at the pace of construction. A meeting was subsequently held with both contractors for the projects. He said, “We (government) are not going to allow further delays. We have engaged the contractors on both projects, Leguan and Bartica and we are working through the is-

sues to ensure we get these projects delivered.”

S. Maraj Contracting Services is constructing the Leguan stelling and Courtney Benn Contracting Services Ltd is working on Bartica’s.

Prior to the last visit by Minister Edghill, meetings were held with both contractors for falling behind on the project. During those meetings, they agreed to fulfil their end of the contract.

16

WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 OCTOBER, 2021

PARLIAMENT HAPPENINGS UNDER REVIEW THE PPP/C’ S LEGISLATIVE AGENDA, MORE

Coalition’s raucous behaviour in House spilling over to Parliamentary Committees – Teixeira Meetings of Parliamentary Committee cancelled, staff complain about ‘stress levels’

M

eetings of the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) scheduled for Friday, October 22, 2021, and Monday, October 25, 2021, were cancelled owing to complaints of heightened “stress levels” and “unprofessional conduct” certain members.

Parliamentary staffers are now refusing to work with the committee.

Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, in comments on the issue,

explained that the presiding Clerk of the PAC requesting to be removed, during a meeting, where he was in a visibly distressed state. He said, “After the last meeting, the Clerk of the Committee came to my office in tears.

She broke down, she asked to be removed. She told me she was sick. I observed that she was thin, she is sick and has lost weight. I have never seen her that thin, she has lost weight, she is fed up and I observed that for myself.”

According to Isaacs, following the clerk’s request to be removed, he sought a replacement for the upcoming meetings; however, all of his staff were reluctant to work with the committee.

“I had a meeting with the Head of Committee Divisions and others, and they are all refusing. The most senior clerk, I asked her and she said no. She said she troubles with her pressure.

I spoke with the second most senior clerk, who also

refused,” he said.

In a letter dated 21 October, 2021, the Clerk of the National Assembly informed PAC Chairman, Jermaine Figueira, and other PAC members, of the cancellation of meetings and detailed the toll the behaviour of some committee members is having on his staff. “Due to the frequent challenges being encountered at meetings of the Public Accounts Committee, the present Clerk of the Committee has developed health issues because of high stress levels and cannot continue to clerk the committee. All other Clerks of Committees are unwilling to clerk the Public Accounts Committee because of the unprofessional conduct of some members of this committee, which is not conducive to a healthy working environment,” Isaacs outlined in his letter.

Isaacs has since made clear that he stands with his staff. “What is written in the letter is the truth. They are the facts of the matter.

The clerks have my support.

They are my staff and I support them fully,” he said.

The last meeting of the

Public Accounts Committee was held last Monday, October 18, 2021, where PPP/C Government reps clashed with APNU+AFC Coalition members on the Committee.

Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Gail Teixeira attempted to move a motion which sought to have the frequency of the PAC meetings remain once weekly. PAC Chairman Jermaine Figueira subsequently asked for additional time to review the submission, promising to resume meetings on Monday. However, he later reneged on that agreement UNPARLIAMENTARILY BEHAVIOUR Teixeira in comments on this matter underscored the fact that the Clerk of the House was clear that that complaint was about the behaviour of “some” MPs not all. “I have seen the Clerk’s comments. He said some members, not all members of the PAC have demonstrated unfortunate behaviour. Mr. Figueira has tried to turn that around to say all members,” She noted.

Asked about the complaints from the Clerk attached to the PAC, Teixeira decried the dismissal of technical advice, repeatedly.

“When the Clerk advises on what the Standing Orders or the Rules of Committee say, if the advice is not agreed with the PAC Chair can ask for further guidance from the Clerk of the House, Mr. Isaacs. Not reject or push away or dismiss the work of the Committee’s Clerk as if they mean nothing,” she said.

The Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance noted too that the Parliamentary Committees have important work to conduct and the Parliamentary Opposition need to approach this professionally. She said, “The 12th parliament is the most raucous Parliament that I have sat in from 1992. The behaviour of the opposition MPs is unprecedented compared to other Oppositions of the past.

This is reflected in some of the Committees, in par-

ticular the Public Accounts Committee. The same behaviours that you see in the house – the personal attacks and inappropriate comments about people’s personal lives – takes place in a much more personal manner in the PAC. “The Clerks of the Parliamentary Committees have always known that the PAC is a difficult Committee to work in. It is demanding.

However, I have never seen this level of personal attack and vitriol. The Clerks of Parliamentary Committees are technical advisors to the Chair and the Committees.

They are not minute takers.

They are trained and they have the Constitution, the Standing Orders and the Rules of Committee to advise the Committees on how they operate.

“I have not spoken to the Clerk of the PAC directly so I don’t know the situation personally, but I have seen that when the PAC Clerk tries to explain the Standing Orders or the Rules of Committee, the response is a dismissive one from the Chair, Mr. Figueira. I think the fact that the fact that the Clerks are all women is also a sign of misogyny as well.

These Clerks and technical advisors, they are not mere minute takers. They are there to guide on parliamentary procedures.

“Outside of the loudness and vitriol, the Clerks cannot get the Chair to listen to them on Standing Orders or the Rules of Committee.

The Clerks have been sidelined by the former PAC Chair (David) Patterson and it is the same behaviour that is continuing with the current PAC Chair. So I agree with the Clerk of the House, Mr. Isaacs, in his position to stand with his staff.”

According to the Standing Order 6(8) of Parliament, the Clerk of the Assembly is responsible for providing every Select Committee of the Assembly with a clerk.

The PAC comprises nine members, five from the government side and four from the opposition. The Committee is chaired by a Member of Parliament (MP) from the main opposition.

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Turmoil in PNCR….

Granger wants his ‘ally’ to run Congress, calls colleagues biased ‒ silent on leadership role in political arena I

ncumbent leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), David Granger, has called for the 22nd Biennial Congress to be further delayed and for there to be changes in the administration of the event.

Writing to the PNCR Central Executive Committee, Granger says he wants General Secretary, Amna Ally as the congress administrator. Ally is seen as a close ally of Granger. According to Granger other members of the Central Executive Committee – specifically Aubrey Norton, Dr Richard Van-West Charles, Mortimer Mingo and Winston Felix – should not play a part in the accreditation of delegates and nominated since they are biased.

SILENT ON CHALLENGE TO LEADERSHIP Further, unlike in 2018, when he was returned as leader uncontested, Granger now faces several challengers for the post of leader. However, Granger remains silent on the issue of his standing at the helm of his party and

challenges to his leadership.

Opposition Leader, Joseph Harmon, as well as PNCR Executives, Aubrey Norton, and Dr Richard Van West-Charles have all confirmed that they are contesting the post – with Harmon being the only one to host a formal campaign launch at the Herdmanston Lodge, Queenstown, Georgetown.

Harmon only recently joined the PNCR leadership.

In August 2020, at a meeting, led by Granger, the PNCR’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) co-opted him to serve on the committee. However, in a year, Harmon has been already been accused

by PNCR members of “democracy in the PNC” and collaborating with Granger on this issue.

Norton, who had challenged for leadership of the party and lost to Granger in 2014, has said that there is need for a new political culture. Norton had said, “I believe I have the requisite skills to give leadership. I have said to people I believe that even while we served in Government I cannot be accused of corruption or

anything of that kind, and I believe that I am one among the viable candidates. The direct answer to that is once the congress of the People’s National Congress reform is called, I intend to run for the leadership of the party.”

Van West-Charles, son-in-law of the Party’s founder Forbes Burnham and PNRC Executive, challenged Granger for leadership of the Party. He had said, “Let me answer this way. Am I prepared? Yes. Am I willing? Yes. The only thing I would say to you in accordance with the constitution of the PNC. It is in the hands of the membership of the PNC, in terms of the nominations….as we prepare for a congress, once there are nominations in my favor, I am prepared and I am willing to play a significant role in the leadership of the party.” Van West-Charles’ most recent appointment was as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the former Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) under the former APNU+AFC Coalition Government. He has been criticized for spending

Harmon admits PNCR losing support, dismisses supporters’ concerns as ‘not real’

‒ PPP’s Mustapha says focus remains on power not people

O

pposition Leader, Joseph Harmon, set about the launch of his campaign for the leadership of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) by admitting that the party – the majority partner in the APNU+AFC Coalition – is losing support.

“Our party is hemorrhaging,’ he admitted.

Proffering a reason why the PNCR is losing support, Harmon said some persons may be aggrieved over issues that are “not real” at all. “If we harm you, if you felt aggrieved, it may not be real but we are going to apologise.”

People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Executive Secretary, Zulfikar Mustapha, in commenting on the matter, noted that the focus of Harmon, and others seeking key leadership positions, remains on power, not people.

He charged that the disdain demonstrated by

Harmon is similar to what played out over the five years of the APNU+AFC Coalition term as government. “The focus was never on the people, only on saying things that sounded good. Leaders are elected to serve and this is why the Coalition lost the March 2020 Elections – the concept of service was lost on them,” Mustapha said.

The PPP Executive Secretary added that with the PNCR leading the APNU+AFC Coalition, it is clear that true representation of all Guyanese people will not be a priority. He said, “Harmon's position mirrors that of his Party which is all about self-interest. Having demonstrated a penchant for not working in the interest of the people even when in government, Harmon utterances show clearly that there is no intent to change and to put the welfare of the

people first.”

Mustapha noted too that the Harmon’s persistent refusal to accept where the PNCR-led Coalition erred will continue to result in loss of support. “While trying to woo his way to the leadership, Harmon's reluctance to accept that his Party continues to lose support, is indicative of his wanton disconnect to reality.

Being unaware of such, disqualifies him from holding the position he now seeks.

The supporters of the Party must be cognizant of what the reality is,” he said.

In contrast, he charged that the PPP will continue to deliver on its manifesto promises – unlike what the Coalition did – given the Party’s commitment to service and commitment to ensuring the collective progress and prosperity of Guyana and the Guyanese people.

over $85M in parties over a two-year period, among other issues. Notably, Van West-Charles joined that Alliance For Change (AFC) in 2018, but moved back to the PNCR sometime afterwards.

While the three men have confirmed that they will be running for the top post, current Leader David Granger continues to dodge the question, as to whether he would run for re-election.

LEADERSHIP QUESTIONED Granger, in August 2021, announced that he has taken a leave of absence from the Party effective September 1, 2020. However, he did not indicate for how long.

In the meantime, his leadership continues to be questioned.

Congress Place was picketed by members of Granger’s own party, who demanded that he hold the Congress so that the party could choose

a leader. One placard, aimed at Granger and Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon, read ‘David and Joe, stop denying democracy in the PNC. Time for congress’.

Also, Granger has also been denounced by individual members of the party, like former PNCR Parliamentarian, James Bond. Bond had labelled Granger’s leadership as “ineffective” and “mediocre”.

Meanwhile, a PNCR diaspora group on May 16, 2021 had called for Granger to step down from leading the party.

The letter, published by the local press, signed by Connie McGuire, Michael Bramford, George E Lewis and the PNCR New York Diaspora group. They appealed to all PNC Executives, members and supporters to demand the resignations of Granger and other party leaders. They noted that after working tirelessly to get Granger elected in 2015, the party made a series of missteps, failed to

connect to supporters, and sidelined young and dynamic leadership like that offered by former Region 10 Regional Chairman Sharma Solomon.

“It will be a colossal mistake for (us) the members of the PNCR groups in the New York Diaspora and the executive members of the PNCR to allow them to remain at the helm of the PNCR. This will no doubt do irreparable damage to the party…it is time for them to pass the baton on to the younger leadership of the likes of Sharma Solomon, Vanessa Kissoon, Thandi McAllister and others,” the NYC group said.

The PNCR’s last biennial congress was in 2018.

The latest update is that the overdue 22nd Biennial Congress is set for December 11, 2021. PNCR Chairperson and acting Party Leader, Volda Lawrence, had previously said that the congress would be held by the end of November 2021, but no later than December 13, 2021.

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Constitution, laws not... at least on paper, reveals any attributes in Ms. Myers that were capable of offsetting the clear paper advantage which Mr, Persaud enjoyed.” Notably, the ERC committee dealing with the investigation met with Persaud twice – on August 14, 2018 and on August 24, 2018.

CARICOM TEAM FINDINGS Notably, Barrow-Giles led the three-person CARICOM Observation Team, which also included Sylvester King and John Jarvis.

The CARICOM observation team, which David Granger deemed the most “legitimate interlocutor” in the process, in their report on the national recount of votes from the March 2, 2020 Elections, said, “The Team did not witness anything which would render de recount, and by extension, the casting of the ballot on March 02, so grievously deficient procedurally or technically.

“…the Team viewed much of the exercise as a fishing expedition designed to gather data for a possible election petition and which resulted in considerable time being wasted during the recount. Furthermore, the net was cast extremely wide in the hope of at least making a small catch and at times the anticipated harvest ended in slim pickings. “…the Team did not view the objections raised by the APNU/AFC as materially relevant to the recount of the ballots…we simply have no evidence as to who were the ultimate beneficiaries of the alleged “ghost voting” and voter impersonation. “…nothing that we witnessed warrants a challenge to the inescapable conclusion that the recount results are acceptable and should constitute the basis of the declaration of the results of the March 02, 2020 elections. Any aggrieved political party has been afforded the right to seek redress

(From back page)

before the courts in the form of an election petition.

“We are, however, of the unshakable belief that the people of Guyana expressed their will at the ballot box, and as a result, the three person CARICOM Observer Team concludes that the recount results are completely acceptable.”

The CARICOM team arrived in Guyana on May 01, 2020 to observe the recount of the votes cast on March 2, 2020. The arrival of the Team followed the invitation of the GECOM Chairperson, to the CARICOM Secretary-General.

The GECOM Chair had requested the return of the CARICOM High-Level Team. The High-Level Team had been dispatched to Guyana in March 2020 to scrutinize and supervise the recount of the votes. However, that mission was aborted.

In the interim, there was intense high-level negotiations which culminated in the selection of the three-person team.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 OCTOBER, 2021

oil revenue could total ExxonMobil to triple Guyana’s oil Guyana’s US$600M by year end – Min Bharrat production next year ‒ Liza Unity arrives early I

E

xxonMobil’s local subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) announced Tuesday (October 26, 2021), that the Liza Unity floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel has arrived in Guyana’s waters ahead of schedule.

This means that Guyana’s daily oil production, currently just over 100,000 barrels per day, is set to triple early next year.

ExxonMobil said the vessel, which was dedicated by First Lady Arya Ali, took 53 days to travel more than 11,000 nautical miles from Singapore. Now that it is here, it will be connected to the spread mooring be-

fore preparation for testing and commissioning.

The vessel will be used for the start-up of the Liza Phase Two operation.

Phase one came into play in December 2019 when the Liza Destiny began production. In the first half of 2021, Phase one produced 111,767 barrels of oil per day.

The Liza Phase Two development will produce up to 220,000 barrels of oil per day. The vessel will be supported by six drill centres and approximately 30 wells. This includes 15 production wells, nine water injection wells and six gas injection wells.

The Phase Two development targets approxi-

mately 600 million barrels of oil, and is expected to cost US$6 billion, including a lease capitalisation cost of approximately $1.6 billion, for the FPSO. The Liza Unity is the world’s first FPSO to achieve such recognition for sustainability for its design, documentation and operational procedures.

The SUSTAIN-1 class notation recognises energy efficiency management, mitigation of ozone depleting substances and management of hazardous materials throughout the development life cycle. To make these determinations, the design and construction of units are assessed against their adherence to the require-

ments of the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) Guide for Sustainability Notations, aligned with the applicable United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

ExxonMobil has other development projects in the pipeline. The Payara project, which was approved last year, is scheduled for first oil in 2024. It is also awaiting approval from the government for the Yellowtail project for start-up in 2025.

f the prices for oil remain steady at the current level, US$85 per barrel, Guyana could end 2021 with about US$600m in earnings, according to Natural Resources Minister, Vickram Bharrat.

According to him, Guyana could get about US$150 million for its last two oil lifts this year. “Soon we will receive payment for the last lift we had with Aramco Trading Limited, and we have another next month. Based on oil prices now, which is between US$84 to US$85, if it remains…then we can comfortably get US$150M between the two lifts. With

this projection, we are definitely closing the year with almost US$600M in the Natural Resources Fund (NRF), and then you add royalties to that and it is even more possible, and this is from Liza Destiny alone,” Bharrat said.

The Minister added that the PPP/C government is pleased with the performance of the sector amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

ExxonMobil’s current project revolves around the Liza Phase One development. Others, such as the Liza Phase Two and Payara, which are soon to come on stream.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 OCTOBER, 2021

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COM M ENTARY

Transforming healthcare in Guyana: PPP on track to deliver first world service

By Dr. Leslie Ramsammy

D

id you know that when the PPP was officially launched in 1950 Guyana’s life expectancy was just 45 years?

Did you know that between 1957 and 1964, Guyana had one of the world’s largest gains in life expectancy, reaching 61, a gain of more than 15 years between 1950 and 1964?

It was a phenomenal jump in life expectancy and Guyana was ranked among the countries in the Caribbean and Latin America with the highest life expectancy. Among the PPP government’s Ministers of Health who pioneered that early transformation was Janet Jagan. The country’s impressive distribution of health centers began during her tenure as Minister of Health. It was during that time that Guyana started its vaccination program, with polio vaccination. Janet Jagan oversaw the introduction of the DDT vector control program that ended the deadly malaria sweep along the coast.

Then the PNC came into power in 1964. Progress in health

stopped instantly. After 28 years of PNC rule, life expectancy remained near 60 and threatened to fall back in to the 50s by 1992.

This fact must never escape us. The only time since the 1940s that life expectancy increases in Guyana is when the PPP was or is in office. Life expectancy began to slowly increase when the PPP took office in 1953. But began to increase in earnest between 1957 and 1964. After a period of stagnation between 1964 and 1992, life expectancy increased again after 1992. The largest gain occurred between 2000 and 2010 when it moved from 61 to 70. Guyana made no gains between 2015 and 2020.

Hopefully, in the coming years under a new PPP government, Guyana can swiftly move to 75. The PPP’s goal has always been a life expectancy of 75 by 2025. While this may not be possible, hopefully we can surpass 75 by 2030. The Irfaan Ali-led PPP Government is on a path to transform healthcare and this transformation should permit Guyana to exceed a life

expectancy of 75 by 2030.

Healthcare is one of the most critical public good service a government can deliver.

No government can survive in a genuine democracy if it does not provide people with a reasonable healthcare service.

In 1992 when Cheddi Jagan’s PPP was swept into power after the first ever free and fair elections in an independent Guyana, the PPP government inherited a healthcare system that was totally broken, unable to deliver the most basic of care. The first freely elected Health Minister since Guyana became independent, Gail Teixeira, was given the unenvious task of leading the sector.

She inherited a broken health care system with a per capita investment in health of less than $US7, finding resources to remedy the dire situation was always going to be a major barrier. It would have been easy for Minister Gail Teixeira to simply settle for band-aiding the situation. But, instead, with Cheddi Jagan’s support, and with the help from the then Finance Minister Bharat Jagdeo,

she led the PPP’s long, difficult journey to transform health in Guyana.

Given where our country is today, it is hard to imagine that the country’s public health system in 1992 could not even deliver a basic hemoglobin (HB) test result. The doctors and nurses were delivering diagnosis by their own innate ability and could not depend on x-rays and laboratory support. There were little to no medicines and other basic medical supplies.

Hospitals and health centers were dangerously dilapidated.

Water and electricity supplies were minimal and sporadic.

Malaria, TB, HIV were killing people. Maternal and child mortality rates were the worst in the Americas, together with Haiti. For example, by 1990, Guyana recorded more than 2,500 child deaths and between 80 and 120 maternal deaths per year. The annual number of deaths per year was in excess of 13,000. Of the just over 100 doctors, the majority were from Cuba and the Philippines.

There were only 8 dentists in the whole country.

Today, less than 150 children under 5 years old die every year. That is still too many, but vastly different from the 2,500 per year before 1992.

Today, we have between 8 and 14 maternal deaths. We should have none. But compare to 80 to 120 per year, Guyana has made significant progress.

Guyana now has more than 1,000 doctors, more than 40 dentists, specialist doctors.

The number of surgeries being done every year has now increased by more than 500%.

Many new health centers and hospitals have been constructed. From a totally dilapidated state, the health infrastructure has been transformed. Laboratories and radiology services are being provided across Guyana. From less than $US7 per capita, Guyana today is spending more than $US300. The PPP has changed healthcare in Guyana.

But as much as the PPP government has changed healthcare, Guyana is about to witness a total transformation of the healthcare system again. Presently, the Minis-

try of Health is finalizing the drawings for three new hospitals in West Demerara, Suddie and Bartica. Construction of those hospitals will begin in early 2022. A new hospital is planned for Skeldon. New Regional hospitals will be built on the East Bank and the East Coast of Demerara and Region 5. A major upgrade of both the GPHC and the New Amsterdam Hospitals are on the cards. A new specialized Maternal and Pediatric Hospital is planned and a state-ofthe-art oncology center is to be established.

But healthcare is set to be transformed not just because of the new infrastructure and the new look. It is set to be transformed by an entirely new approach to human resource development. The country is set to see new training for nurses and allied health workers. We will continue to train more doctors and dentists and continue to strengthen human resource by expanding and improving specialist training for doctors and nurses.

For a country that under the PNC had a health system with hospitals and health centers that were falling apart to now be looking forward to see a modern, first-world infrastructure, it is testimony to how far we have come.

For a country that could not reliably provide an HB test in 1992 to now be conducting sophisticated laboratory testing, including DNA testing with high technology PCR capacity, it is further testimony to how far we have come.

For a country where a simple C-section to deliver a baby was a very difficult undertaking to be doing things like hip and knee replacement, it is real testimony to how far we have come. For a country that could barely do a cataract surgery in 1992 to now being able to do open heart surgery and kidney transplants, it is testimony to how Guyana’s healthcare is being transformed. This country now can do some surgeries with laparoscopy technology and techniques. This is where a surgery can be completed on a computer screen with the surgeon in a different place from the patient.

Guyana’s healthcare truly has been transformed already, but what is coming in the next five to ten years will genuinely place Guyana as a leader in healthcare in our region.

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Gov’t to reduce vaccine hesitancy through improved communication ─ with USAID funding

G

uyana will be using its share of the US $2.5 million which the US Government has made available to the Caribbean, to boost its communication strategy to reduce vaccine hesitancy here, according to Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony.

The US, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has donated the sum to four countries in the Eastern Caribbean; Guyana, Suriname, The Bahamas, and Trinidad & Tobago, to support vaccination campaigns. The money adds to the almost US $63 million the US has already injected into the Caribbean to fight the pandemic.

“These funds would assist the countries in the region to improve their com-

munication with the general population, encouraging them to get vaccinated and understand the benefits of vaccination. It also comes at the, I would say, a critical time when vaccines are now being approved for children,” Dr Anthony said.

He reminded that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of the Pfizer vaccine for children 5-11 years, and once the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) greenlights the emergency use of the vaccine, Guyana will acquire it for its children population.

Dr Anthony said boosting the communication strategy to reduce vaccine hesitancy, will ensure more persons safeguard their children’s health, by agreeing for them to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

The Minister of Health

noted that the government is collaborating with Johns Hopkins University to better understand the strategies needed to ensure Guyana reaches herd immunity. he said, “The funding that we receive from USAID would go into helping us to respond to some of these things because on a daily basis, people are on social media, and they receive all kinds of misinformation.

And they tend to believe these things. So, we have to now come up with a programme to counter that.”

Due to the skepticism of some sections of society, Guyana is yet to reach herd immunity, by immunising at least 90 per cent of the population. The government continues to appeal to the population to take the vaccine to curb the spread and deaths of persons from the disease.

No recorded cases of Vaccination of children 5-11 MIS-C in COVID-19 positive children in Guyana years could begin soon M M inister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony has noted that children ages five to 11 could begin receiving the Pfizer vaccine before the end of the month, once approved by the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA).

He said, “We are the examining the possibility of doing the vaccination of the five to 11 age group because we are anticipating that the US FDA would approve the Pfizer vaccine for this age group as well, so we will have another cohort of people that we will have to work on.”

According to CBS news, Pfizer’s request to roll out COVID-19 vaccines for Americans as young as five years old cleared a key regulatory hurdle Tuesday, after a panel of the Food and Drug Administration’s outside vaccine advisers voted by a majority to back

Pfizer’s request. Top U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said vaccines for the five to 11 age group could likely be available in the first half of November, and could see many children getting fully vaccinated before the end of the year.

Guyana is currently administering the vaccine to children 12 to 18 years, along with pregnant and nursing women.

On Monday, the health minister noted the disparity in children 12-18 years taking the second dose of the vaccine and also noted that there needs to be more uptake of the first dose of the vaccine, with the current fully vaccinated rate of 17,498 or 24 per cent of the adolescent population. “Our approach has been that once we go to a school, open it up to the entire community so anybody within that

age group can come to the school that we are operating in and they can get vaccinated. We have seen some of that but in other cases I think people felt that only people going to that school can come and I think that has caused some confusion so we are working with the ministry of education to correct that so that we can appeal to more people,” Dr. Anthony said.

The Health Minister said the ministry will continue going into schools and working with the education ministry to ensure children of that age group are vaccinated. He is also advising parents to ensure their children are immunised so that they could return to school.

An analysis from the Food and Drug Administration suggested that the benefits of vaccinating children younger than 12 far outweigh the risks.

inister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, has disclosed that there are no recorded cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS-C), a rare but serious condition associated with COVID-19 in which different body parts of children affected by Covid-19 become inflamed.

Dr. Anthony said children generally get a milder form of the COVID-19 disease.

He said, “We have not seen any case here as yet, but it’s a very rare condition, but it’s something that we have to constantly look out for.”

As of Sunday, there were 5,594 confirmed cases of COVID- 19 among children in Guyana.

“We can confirm by PCR that they were positive for Covid-19 so within this age group we are seeing persons, children testing positive, be-

cause I think for some people it’s a myth that children are not going to be positive and things like that. That’s far from the truth because we have these 5,594 children who have already tested and confirmed to be positive, and this ranges from the zero to four age group, five to nine, 10-14 right up to age 19,” Dr Anthony said.

He said a subset of children infected can have complications “if they have underlying issues just like in the adults, if they have some form of co-morbidity, then when that is compounded with COVID 19, you can have a more severe form of the infection and that can lead to some problems.”

MIS in children was first observed in Europe and pediatricians around the world have been asked to keep a

close eye on the disease.

According to the World Health Organisation, symptoms of MIS-C include: a) Rash or bilateral non-purulent conjunctivitis or muco-cutaneous inflammation signs (oral, hands or feet). b) Hypotension or shock. c) Features of myocardial dysfunction, pericarditis, valvulitis, or coronary abnormalities (including ECHO findings or elevated Troponin/NT-proBNP), d) Evidence of coagulopathy (by PT, PTT, elevated d-Dimers). e) Acute gastrointestinal problems (diarrhoea, vomiting, or abdominal pain) and elevated markers of inflammation such as ESR, C-reactive protein, or procalcitonin.

Minister Anthony noted that there needs to be at least two of these symptoms before MIS-C is diagnosed.

Constitution, laws not the cause of electoral debacle – Teixeira T

he Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is an independent and powerful organisation, according to senior lecturer in the Department of Government at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Cynthia Barrow-Giles.

However, she charged that reforms are necessary at the entity. “Powerful yes, yet GECOM was unable to use its power to assert itself,”

she said.

The senior lecturer in the Department of Government at the University of the West Indies (UWI) made her comments during a virtual discussion on a research paper, which was themed ‘The Judiciary and the 2020 Guyana elections’.

ROOT OF THE PROBLEM Minister of Parliamenta-

ry Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, in comments to the Weekend Mirror on this issue, charged that the call for reform of GECOM, in terms of the constitutional appointments of the GECOM Commissioners – three from the Government and three from the Parliamentary Opposition – and the GECOM Chair, is not the fix. Rather, she stated that the root of the problem has

to be addressed.

She noted that it was not the Carter-Price formula (three-three-one) that cause the March 2020 General and Regional Elections debacle; rather it was staffers working in consort with political elements who tried to undermine the will of the Guyanese people and hijack the elections.

The Carter-Price formula was created by former

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United States of America President, Jimmy Carter and former Prime Minister of Belize, George Price. This was a response to need for improvements after the 1992 elections – Guyana’s first free and fair elections after 28 years. It was first applied in the General Elections of 1997.

Teixeira said, “A preliminary response to those comments is that is was not the Constitution or the laws that betrayed Guyana in the March 2nd Elections. The Constitution and the electoral laws did not lead to the repeated attempts to hijack the elections. The constitutional formula (three-three-one) did not create that situation, nor did it prevent a solution.

“It was some of the staff, the people working with GECOM – the Chief Elections Officer, the Deputy Chief Elections Officer, the Region 4 Returning Office, – who were part of the conspiracy to hijack elections.

“Yes, there is need for electoral reform. There is need for removing any ambiguity in the electoral laws and for tightening certain areas, all to ensure that we remove any opportunity for a repeat of what we saw from certain GECOM staffers in 2020.”

According to her, Guyana must be careful to not opt for what seems to be the easy solution. She said, “I think we have to be a careful to not look for an easy solution, although a change to the Carter-Price Formula would be difficult in the current political climate. Also, the Carter-Price formula will have to go through widespread national consultation before any changes could be made. However, this is not what caused the election debacle.

“What we should focus on is ensuring that GECOM that is transparent in its recruitment, training and placement of both permanent and electoral day staff. We have to ensure that the staffers reflect the diversity of Guyana and this is one way to rebuild the trust that was lost in GECOM. We don’t have trust in GECOM right now and rebuilding trust is GECOM’s big task currently. Secondly, we have to ensure that there is no political interference in the operations of GECOM, like we say play out in the March 2020 electoral process.

“We cannot put a plaster on the issue. This is the

wrong way to go. Even if we change the Carter-Price formula, but we leave the discriminatory practices, how will that solve the issue? Will that prevent a reoccurrence of what we saw in March 2020?”

Teixeira stressed that any approach to reform must be comprehensive and must address the structure of GECOM, relative to staffing and operational practices.

“So we are talking about greater transparency, merit based promotions, etc.

And tightening the electoral laws,” the Minister said.

FLAWED HIRING PRACTICES In 2019, a report from the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) on its probe into the hiring practices of the GECOM was considered by the full Commission and calls were made for the former Deputy Chief Elections Officer (DCEO), Vishnu Persaud, to be reengaged.

The ERC was tasked with probing the hiring practices of GECOM following a complaint lodged by the three GECOM Commissioners – Bibi Shadick, Sase Gunraj and Robeson Benn.

The call for an investigation came after the top-ranked candidate applying for the post of Deputy Chief Elections Officer (DCEO) – Persaud – was passed over for the post.

Instead, GECOM hired the second-ranked candidate Roxanne Meyers, after now former GECOM Chairman, Retired Justice James Patterson broke the deadlock and voted in favour of her.

Myers has since been fired from GECOM for her role in the March 2020 election debacle.

The three GECOM Commissioners, in a joint complaint letter, had called for a full investigation on the hiring practices at GECOM last year. The GECOM Commissioners charged that the state of affairs is “clearly indicative of a larger issue at the Guyana Elections Commission, which has an adverse effect on ethnic relations and harmony in Guyana.”

The investigation’s main finding was that Persaud was the most qualified person for the job. According to the report, on Page 29, Persaud was the most “suitable candidate for appointment to the post of DCEO” of GECOM. It adds that, “Nothing has been presented to us which, (Turn to page 18)

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