Weekend Mirror 24-25 July, 2021

Sugar workers’ assets given away at peppercorn rates – Jagdeo 24-25 July, 2021 / Vol. 11 ‒ No. 82 / Price: $100

Internet: http: //www.mirrornewsgy.com / e-mail: mirror2018.gy@gmail.com

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Refurbished call centre will create needed PAGE 11 employment

– PM Phillips

Presence of COVID variants in Guyana very likely – Anthony PAGE 3

RHOs get ATVs, motorcycles to boost health care delivery

Paruima gets first ICT Hub PAGE 22

GDF will play integral role in developing National Disaster Plan Help for farmers, households affected by floods to be provided ‘soon’

SEE INSIDE

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WEEKEND MIRROR 24-25 JULY, 2021

POSITIONS FROM VICE PRESIDENT

BHARRAT JAGDEO [Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo addressed several issues during a recent engagement]

Coretta McDonald called out for Sugar workers’ assets given away at peppercorn duplicity T rates – Jagdeo

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eacquiring prime lands that were given away, without due process, under the APNU+AFC Coalition government is proving difficult, according to Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo.

The lands in question are those that belonged to the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo). The former Coalition government when it closed several sugar estates, transferred the assets to the Special Purposes Unit (SPU), which was established under the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL). The SPU was set up to oversee the divestment of assets belonging to the Guyana Sugar Corporation. Some of the lands were leased to private individuals.

In a recent interview, Jagdeo addressed the efforts to reacquire the lands. He said, “The Court just ruled against us that we can’t terminate the leases that were given, say at Enmore…they closed the estates and took all the estate properties and leased it to the big-wigs in APNU and some of their friends and families.

“So the sugar workers’ assets were given to the APNU leadership at pepper-

corn rates. The leases did not go through the legal department at NICIL. We don’t know how they were done.

“The court now says there was no breach of the lease. But the whole issue now is that they corruptly gave out these leases…now we are having a hard time getting it back.”

The ruling referred to by Vice President Jagdeo was handed down by acting Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire, SC. She ruled that in seeking to reacquire the lands given away, NICIL unlawfully terminated the agreements in question. The case before the acting Chief Justice was brought by several claimants: 1. Carol Trim-Bagot 2. Tristion Cordis Trading 3. Universal Group of Companies Inc 4. Derrick Lawrence 5. Claermont Andrew Austin 6. Dennis Austin 7. Ian Adams-Edwards 8. Dacia Walters 9. Namela Baynes-Henry 10. Clinton Williams.

They argued that their leases at Wales, West Bank Demerara, and Enmore, East Coast Demerara, had been terminated in breach of their

agreements.

After hearing the arguments, the acting Chief Justice, in her ruling, noted that the termination notices sent

by NICIL were invalid and that the agreement for lease of the lands in question remains enforceable. Justice George-Wiltshire also imposed a permanent injunction against NICIL from interfering with the Applicants’ quiet and peaceful enjoyment of their properties.

NICIL has indicated that it will appeal the judgement.

Notably, when GuySuCo’s assets were transferred to the SPU, under NICIL, by the former Coalition, government, Jagdeo had stressed that Guyanese deserve greater transparency, not secrecy that could see the ‘give away’ of Guyana’s assets.

Against that background, the Chief Justice said that Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, had said that prime lands at Wales, like those in the case at Peters Hall on the East Bank Demerara, were disposed of “without any process whatsoever” by the former Coalition government.

As such, he had advised the new NICIL board to rescind the leases.

PPP/C working to deliver on social sector pledges

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he PPP/C administration’s social sector pledges are being, and will continue to be, delivered on, declared Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo.

He said, “We made a lot of social sector pledges, apart from the economic ones that we are working on. And we want to assure people that day after day we have kept these pledges in our minds. When we go to work, we are working to implement the promises we made to people.

“We did have some setbacks. For example, we did not expect a COVID environment, but we are trying to address that, which has been costly on the economy, costly on people’s lives and their health and has created some problems because we can’t

get the economy to operate at full steam and to get the job creating initiatives going.

But we are going to come out of that.”

Jagdeo noted that in the first year of the PPP/C administration’s term in office, efforts have been made to deliver on promises made, including increasing old-age pensions by 25 per cent – an increase that adds over $4B annually to the pockets of pensioners across Guyana.

“We are working on the social sector pledges. This is why we removed VAT on water, electricity, data, food stuff, etc. as soon as we got back into office or else the cost of living would have been even higher,” he said.

Further, on the issue

of cost of living, the Vice President made clear that the concern of Guyanese in this regard is recognised by the PPP/C administration. “None of the items, food items that people use regularly, have VAT on them….the prices have gone up globally, but we anticipate that once you get past COVID, global production will go up and a lot of the prices will come down,” he explained.

The PPP/C in its manifesto assured of support for reduced cost of living, job creation and increased access to health and education, among other areas.

“We are busy trying to implement all we have promised,” the Vice President posited.

he actions of APNU+AFC Coalition Parliamentarian, Coretta McDonald, have been dubbed as “shocking” by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo.

During a recent interview, he said, “I was shocked that Coretta McDonald, an APNU+AFC Member of Parliament and a leader of the Teachers’ Union, was trying to get the teachers to not cooperate with us on the distribution of the ‘Because We Care’ cash grant. It is shocking.

As an educator, she has failed miserably. She has allowed her jaundiced APNU politics to influence her and she is trying to use the Union to sabotage an initiative that would help

the children of this country.

It is unbelievable that a person of that nature, who had been in the Teachers’ Union for so long, would allow this negative, racist, barren APNU politics to influence her. “…Coretta McDonald came to my office when I was leader of the Opposition and told me that she couldn’t even secure a meeting with Ministers of the (APNU+AFC) Government at the time….the APNU government wouldn’t even honour things we (the former PPP/C government) had given to teachers in the five-year agreement we had….she used to complain bitterly about them (APNU+AFC) not respecting

the Teachers’ Union. “…the moment she became involved in APNU’s politics, she morphed into this person who placed politics above country and people…it is an ugly morphing.

It doesn’t do the country well.”

Jagdeo called on Guyanese to beware of the negative politics by the APNU+AFC Coalition. “I would say to people, just ignore them. This is typical APNU negative politics,” he said.

According to him, the PPP/C governments has been and remains committed to delivering for all Guyanese, regardless of race, political persuasion or any other differentiating factor.

Oil revenues remain untapped

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ot a single cent of oil revenues has been utilized by the PPP/C government, according to Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo.

“We have touched a single cent from the oil money in the Sovereign Wealth Fund. We have about US$350M that has been accumulated there.

We have not touched a cent,” he said during a recently broadcast interview.

He added that, despite not utilising oil revenues, major development initiatives, including direct support to Guyanese families, are still be advanced.

The PPP/C Government position on using oil rev-

enues is this will not be done until the Petroleum Commission is established and the Sovereign Wealth Fund legislation is updated.

The PPP/C Government is committed to improving the Natural Resources Act. The Act governs the management of Guyana’s oil fund and how the money is spent. The commitment is in keeping with the PPP/C Government’s pledge to implement several measures to ensure accountable and transparent management of the country’s natural resources. This includes the establishment of an arm’s length Sovereign Wealth Fund, void and

insulated from political interference.

Further, the Vice President, during a prior interview, had said, “We want a Petroleum Commission made up of technical people with an independent board to manage the oil and gas sector,” he had said. As such, the Petroleum Commission Bill is expected to be tabled in the National Assembly soon.

Oil production began in December 2019 and revenues are currently deposited in the Federal Reserve Bank in New York and the account is under the control if the Governor of the Bank of Guyana.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 24-25 JULY, 2021

Presence of COVID NOTICE FROM GOAL variants in Guyana very likely - Anthony T

he PPP/C Government is focusing on the prevention of COVID-19 deaths, according to Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony.

And he has disclosed that health experts are assuming that all the strains of the Coronavirus are in Guyana, and as such all adults should be vaccinated.

Anthony said however, that the only method to ascertain whether other variants of the virus are in Guyana is through genomic sequencing. Genomic sequencing is a scientific analysis which would detect if the disease is different from its initial form.

He explained that while it is an important element, it is not a priority of Government at this time, since the treatment remains the same for all COVID-19 variants. “One can assume, that we have different types or variants that are circulating in Guyana and would have contributed to the clinical picture that we are seeing here. So, not only did we have more deaths, we are seeing more people being hospitalised during this period and a percentage of them would have died,” the Minister said.

To date, persons who died as a result of the disease

were not fully vaccinated.

As such, Minister Anthony is urging all adults to take the jab.

HERD IMMUNITY Government is aiming to have at least 500,000 adults vaccinated for Guyana to reach herd immunity, and has been making all efforts to ensure there are enough vaccines for all adults.

The Health Minister noted that Guyana is still some distance away from achieving herd immunity, as only 26.5 per cent of the adult population has been fully vaccinated.

Anthony said, “We have a lot more work to do. However, we want people to understand that these vaccines are safe, they are working, they are helping to prevent deaths, they’re helping to prevent severe disease and they need to come out and protect themselves. We also want to encourage persons who would have already received the vaccines, to talk to others who are hesitant about their experience, because most persons who have received the vaccine, they didn’t have a bad experience, they didn’t have any signs or symptoms of

anything. Those who probably had a little bit of fever, they’re just minor reactions, so, it’s not as bad as people would imagine.”

He said it is even more important that persons get vaccinated since there is an increase in the Delta variant. The Minister said, “It’s now a pandemic among the non-vaccinated, meaning that if you haven’t received your vaccines as yet, you are at higher risk of getting a severe form of the disease and even dying from COVID, which can be prevented. And it can be prevented by just taking the vaccines.”

When herd immunity is achieved, the spread of the disease would decrease, which would set the stage for the gradual return of the country to some level of normalcy.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that 'herd immunity', also known as 'population immunity', is the indirect protection from an infectious disease that happens when a population is immune either through vaccination or immunity developed through previous infection. [SEE RELATED REPORTING ON PAGE 23]

The Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) team has commenced the notification process of emailing successful applicants on the next step in their academic journey through online distance learning.

In light of this, awardees are advised to check their emails (inbox, junk, spam) for further details.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 24-25 JULY, 2021

EDITORIAL

A year later: Shenanigans at GECOM cannot continue

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his week’s statutory meeting of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), held on July 20, 2021, was scuttled after a walkout by two APNU+AFC Coalition-nominated GECOM Commissioners. As such, the three motions calling for the dismissal of the embattled GECOM trio – Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, Deputy Chief Elections Officer, Roxanne Myers, and Region 4 Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo – could not be proceeded with.

The walk-out is a call back to the five-month debacle Guyanese endured before the final results of the March 2, 2020 were finally declared. At each point of possible progress, the Coalition-nominated GECOM Commissioners – Vincent Alexander, Desmond Trotman and Charles Corbin – found a way to ‘throw a spanner in the works’, even if it meant denying the will of the Guyanese people.

The Coalition-nominated GECOM Commissioners cannot be ignorant of the fact that there were brazen attempts to rig the General and Regional Elections – as seen in Mingo’s actions. This was followed was an attempt to steal the elections, in the face of a clear win by the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C). Now, the Guyanese people want the complicit actions held accountable. Nothing less will be accepted.

Mingo’s declaration on March 13, 2020 showed: APNU+AFC Coalition with 136,057 votes; PPP/C with 77,231.

The Statements of Poll (SOPs) issued by GECOM showed: APNU+AFC Coalition with 116,950 votes; PPP/C with 80,887. The difference is an increase in 19,107 votes for the APNU+AFC and a decrease of 3,656 votes for the PPP/C. By the end of the national recount, it was clear that Mingo manipulated over 22,000 votes in Region 4 – inflating the APNU+AFC Coalition voted by over 19,000 and decreasing the PPP/C votes by over 3,000. In 145 examples, where comparisons were made of Statements of Poll, Statements of Recount and the declarations made by Mingo, it showed that the votes for APNU+AFC was inflated by 7,644 votes. On the other hand, the votes for the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) were reduced by 753.

Myers, during the recount, was called out for trying to stymie the recount process and undermine its transparency after she attempted to seize cellphones from party representatives participating in the recount. Prior to that, Myers’ engagement with the Coalition’s Karen Cummings, while she threatened to remove accreditation from international election observers, put her in the spotlight. After Cummings’s comments to the international election observers, she was taken to task by Head of the Commonwealth Observer Mission, Owen Arthur.

While Arthur was speaking it was Myers who entered the room where the incident took place and interrupted Arthur.

She had handed Cummings a mobile phone for her to speak with someone, after which Cummings left the room. These are only two incidents where Myers actions were called into question.

Lowenfield’s final egregious move was to prepare a final report that invalidated the votes of over 115,000 Guyanese so that the APNU+AFC Coalition could be declared winners of the March 2020 elections. It took moves to two courts – the High Court and Appeal Court – for it to be made clear Lowenfield is not a “lone ranger” and must comply with instructions of GECOM. However, even then, instructions by the GECOM Chair for him to submit a final report based on the results of the national recount were ignored several times. On Sunday, August 2, 2020, the GECOM Chair offered Lowenfield a last chance to comply, demanding that he present his report by 14:00hours. There were weeks of delays, following the conclusion of the national recount, before the GECOM Chairpersons could declare final election results.

The GECOM trio must be held accountable.

Guyanese are clear on their misdeeds. Guyanese are also clear on questionable handover of assets.

Documents, which have been confirmed as authentic

by Housing and Water Minister, Colin Croal, showed that Mingo received a house lot three days before his application was even sent in. Further, the house lot was given to him one month before the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections. The house lot, costing $500, 000, was given at Plantation Experiment Housing Scheme, West Coast Berbice.

Another example of this was seen with Lowenfield, who in June 2019 – despite the passage of the No Confidence Motion – was the beneficiary of 216 acres at Millie’s Hideout, Region 10 – June 2019; and 2 acres at Mocha, Region 4.

GECOM’s Chairperson must also recognise that public trust in the entity to deliver credible, free and fair elections is on the line. That said, the ongoing shenanigans at GECOM cannot continue.

All eligible persons are encouraged to be vaccinated against COVID-19 Dear Editor,

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t is not lost on the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) that as at yesterday (July 21, 2021) 21,733 Guyanese have been infected by COVID-19, 515 of whom have lost their battles. The pandemic without a doubt has been one of the most significant challenges that has faced the Guyanese people in recent times. It is now a globally accepted fact that for the pandemic to be put in the past there is need for persons to be vaccinated. The FITUG has noted that since vaccination efforts were heightened there has generally been a reduction in daily cases while active cases are on the decline. It confirms vaccinations play a major role in staunching the spread of the dreaded virus.

At this time, we have seen that some 50% of adult Guyanese have received their first COVID-19 shot and approximately 27% are fully vaccinated. The Federation recognizes too that vaccination efforts have been severely setback by the irresponsible statements which emanated from certain national leaders. Indeed, it has increased vaccine hesitancy and is contributing to a lengthening of the pandemic in our country. This for us was most disturbing. This situation is, however, not unique to Guyana and in several countries around the world measures

have been and are being developed to improve vaccination rates. It appears that in Guyana we have now reached that crossroad and there is need for firm decisions for our lives can go back to normal and we can stop losing lives.

As the preeminent workers organization in Guyana, the FITUG encourages all eligible workers and Guyanese to be vaccinated. The workers movement is built on solidarity and every worker must be their brother’s or sister’s keeper. Indeed, it is unfortunate that workers who have taken the vaccine have to be exposed to others who have not or refused to take the vaccine. We can find no conceivable rationale other than a certified health condition for workers not to take the vaccine. Indeed, workers and all Guyanese need to protect one another. It is part of our collective responsibility.

To this end, the Federation recognizes some enterprises have taken this matter very seriously. Indeed, the health and well-being of the nation’s workers is important. Moreover, our Occupational Safety and Health Act obligates employers to provide a safe and healthy working environment. In the circumstances of today, receiving the COVID-19 vaccination would be an obvious measure. Against that background, some firms, we have heard and seen, have sought those employees not in receipt of COVID-19 vaccine

submit regular PCR tests to confirm their negative status. It appears maybe such measures are necessary to ensure a safe workplace.

We, however, believe businesses obligations go beyond. We hold that efforts should be made to ensure customers/clients are also vaccinated and/ or COVID-19 negative. Certainly, businesses cannot coerce employees into vaccination but not seek to ensure that their employees are also protected from contracting the virus from customers.

While we know that some employers may contend that the risk of contracting the virus may be lowered in vaccinated personnel, the reality is a risk still exists. And efforts should be made to mitigate that risk as far as practicable.

Against that background, it may now be prudent for the Government to consider the implementation of a vaccination passport or similar measure.

This measure, enacted in other jurisdictions, has been helpful in encouraging vaccine uptake. The FITUG, for its part, is willing to share its views and thoughts on such policy. We believe it is now incumbent for stronger measures to be adopted given the situation.

Indeed, an end is near, but it requires our collective efforts.

Sincerely, Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG)

Financial assistance for the flood-affected welcomed Dear Editor,

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ur world is still being besieged by a host of problems. Over the last few days, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands have been hit with floods.

And then right after, the BBC reported on mudslides in India. I can go on, but what I want to say, is that with the recent flooding situation in Guyana fits in to a global phenomenon of hard times for many people, but here there was the appreciation for human non-fatalities, as well as the rising of Government to take a hands-on approach to help the many affected by loss of livelihood and possessions. It was note-worthy to take to heart that even the President himself was on many flood-alleviation trips.

Now that the field assessment was conducted, and this after dealing with the immediate and necessary relief ef-

forts, as it should be, the Government of Guyana is currently fine-tuning the data it collected, so that necessary next steps can begin, which will lead to all the affected getting back their livelihood.

The word in the air is that “President Dr. Irfaan Ali will soon be making an announcement, regarding the financial assistance that will be rolled out.”

This is not something to be brushed over, as some 30,000 households were severely displaced and every one of these will be eligible for Government assistance. I add that there will be massive efforts and inputs towards the many bigger farmers who lost huge crops such as rice and livestock.

People be cognizant of the fact that the aftermath of flooding is a serious matter. It is more than giving hand-outs. The literature is there with

findings that flooded soils create significant challenges for agricultural lands.

Floods have many direct impacts, the most prominent being: Deposition of sand and debris on the productive lands; Erosion of agricultural soils; and flooded soil syndrome that is the loss of beneficial fungi which mobilize soil-based plant nutrients. I can add to this list, but for now, my word is that we must be aware that landowners face a number of economic challenges when recovering from a flood.

Recovery is hard work and our farmers need an extra dose of patience and persistence in these times. So, I commend the Government, many private bodies and other agencies, local and outside, for all the help.

Yours truly, Baldeo Mathura

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WEEKEND MIRROR 24-25 JULY, 2021

PNC has never behaved as a responsible Opposition Dear Editor,

D

r Rouf Ahmad Bhat wrote in the introduction to his Paper titled ‘Role of Opposition Party in Democracy’ (the International Journal of Science and Research) that: “The Opposition is as important as that of ruling party. They ensure that the acts of the ruling party are not detrimental to the interest of general public or nation at large. The role of the Opposition party is not to oppose every decision of the ruling party. Rather, it is the duty of the Opposition party to support the ruling party for the acts that are in the interest of the nation. The Opposition parties play a very significant role in a democracy as representatives of the people. The Opposition act as watch dog of the system. In such countries where there is a two-party system in vogue, the Opposition party forms a shadow cabinet to exercise vigil over the performance of the Government.”

In a previous letter, I had stated that the PNC has never been a government ‘of the people, by the people and for the people’, and in this letter, I wish to submit that PNC has never been an Opposition which reflects the will of the people. In fact, it has been equally worse as an Opposition, if not more detrimental to this nation.

What the PNC did from 1961-1964 had set the trend which this nation can expect anytime the PNC is in Opposition. The Wismar massacre in May 1964 had set that tone, and since then Indians have been living in perpetual fear of reprisals any time the PNC is in Opposition. This reprisal is because they supported the PPP or are deemed to do so.

Since the 1992 General Elections, the APNU had been in Opposition for 23 years, and thereafter from August 2020, and they have continued to act against the interest of this nation, including their own members and supporters. An important point to note is that the PNC is the dominant political party in the Coalition, and it is the PNC which is the Opposition. It is always the PNC in power

or out of power, the other parties, such as the AFC, simply did the biddings and were simply window dressing. These little pawns, completely devoid of any self-respect and dignity, hang on for dear life if even just to enjoy ostentatious lifestyle, which strained the Treasury.

It is an undeniable historical fact that the PNC never behaved as a responsible Opposition, and displayed this nefarious trait as soon as it lost an election. The PNC rigged all the elections: 1968, 1973, 1980 and 1985, and the Referendum of 1978; and for 5 long months, attempted to rig the 2020 Elections.

Another undeniable fact is that whenever the PPP won an election, the PNC greeted this with mayhem, violence, burning, looting and even murder. What is notable is the fact that this trend started in 1961, when the PPP won that election by garnering more than double the votes won by the PNC. The PNC began its trade mark behaviour: there were mass demonstrations, a general strike, and severe and aggravated inter-racial violence piloted by the PNC. This provided the British authorities with the excuse they needed just a few weeks after the election to suspend a legitimate government. They sent in the British troops, and the Governor declared a state of emergency. This was tried successfully again in 1998 when The Herdmanston Accord reduced the PPP’s term in office by 2 years just to quell the violence against the Indians.

It is these two periods as the Opposition which highlight the ineptitude and incompetence of the PNC to serve the Guyanese people. There is no disputing the mayhem and violence which marked its tenure as the Opposition, but what is equally dangerous is the penchant of the PNC in opposition to work relentlessly to derail the socio-economic programmes and policies which were implemented to better the lives of Guyanese. This began in earnest after the 2011 Elections, which saw the PPP as a minority Government. It must be recalled that the APNU had received 26 seats, the AFC 7 seats and the PPP/C 32

seats and this 1 seat majority was used to its fullest to hold this nation at ransom and to be the basis for the no-confidence motion in October 2014.

Unconscionable budget cuts saw the socio-economic stagnation of our dear country, as many developmental projects came under the ‘scissors’, which Nagamootoo gleefully executed year after year. These acts were detrimental to our socio-economic development, and should never have been done. This is not what a responsible opposition should have done. But hit is the trademark of the PNC in opposition. They never supported the Government, and their foremost concern was to get into power, feather their own nests and rape the Treasury.

Fast forward to 2020, the Opposition has already begun to unleash mayhem and violence, as was evidenced by its protests of being ‘robbed’ at the 2020 Election polls, and the encouraging of violence against Indians on the West Coast of Berbice.

With four more years to go until the 2025

Elections, it is anyone’s guess what is in store, especially when the Opposition Leader is already making threats of civil unrest.

In a democracy, an Opposition party should play a very significant role ‘as representatives of the people’. The Opposition must ‘act as watchdog of the system’, but in Guyana, the Opposition acts as a predator. If we can do a bit of transposition to Abraham Lincoln’s immortal Gettysburg speech, ‘this nation must have a new birth of freedom, and the Opposition must be an Opposition of the people, by the people and for the people’ We cannot afford to perish as a nation because the Opposition is self-serving. The Opposition must change its course.

I encourage Mr Harmon to read Dr Bhat’s Paper. In the last election, the APNU/AFC was elected by the people as the country’s Opposition, and they must honour that office, not dishonour it.

Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf

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Coalition MP should not shift positions on matters related to teachers and their students to align with her current politics Dear Editor,

I

am surprised that APNU+AFC’s Coretta McDonald is opposed to the education cash grant distribution that is currently in progress across Guyana. McDonald seems very confused as this initiative will benefit thousands of children from all geographic locations in the country. Her position on this matter contradicts earlier held views when she was at the forefront of the Teacher’s struggle after the APNU+AFC Government denied them their benefits and other emoluments for three years.

Back in September 2018, in an address to striking teachers who had assembled at the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) Woolford Avenue office, McDonald said that the

nation’s educators had received more under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration than what they were getting under the Coalition Administration.

She stated that it was under the PPP/C that teachers, for the first time, received additional benefits apart from a salary increase.

She graphically detailed back then that “If we look at what transpired under the PPP Government when they were in power and what is transpiring now…remember we didn’t want the five percent. We made noise about it. But with the five percent we got a whole lot of non-salary benefits.” She went on to explain that “For the first time in the history of this country, our teachers were able to get clothing allowance, duty free concessions,

WEEKEND MIRROR 24-25 JULY, 2021 and allowances for additional qualifications.

While the PPP Government was in power — and you know I don’t want to sound political, but we have to make the comparison because of all the untruths they peddling out there…”

This head of GTU went as far as to say that the then David Granger-led administration was playing with teachers’ emotions “to say to us that this thing is just three-and-something years since they in the Government.

And this is the party that most of the teachers supported”.

No one knows what transpired in the period after this but McDonald found herself on the candidate list of the APNU+AFC for the elections which followed. There is a view that she took her 30 pieces of silver for betraying the teachers whose interest she was supposed to serve. Her shifting of positions as it relates to the interest of teachers and their students supports this view as it is the same PPP/C that is investing in the education sector, only this time around, they are restoring a good that the APNU+AFC had obliterated.

Let us look at the details of this rollout. It is that “… the parents of over 172,000 learners, who for the first time since 2015, will benefit from their “Because We Care Grant.”

This resuscitated initiative is to aid in alleviating some of the financial burdens on these

parents, many of whom have been hard-hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, and the closure of the sugar estates, which are only now beginning to return to normal functioning order.

I am compelled to ask again why would this A Partnership For National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Parliamentarian and General-Secretary of the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU), Coretta McDonald try to discourage teachers from participating in the distribution of the grants? This woman of influence, when her APNU+AFC leaders were short-changing the sector, spoke out, and made a comparison of how the PPP/C was pro-sector, looking out for the teachers.

The Cash Grant was of course up and running at the time when the PPP/C was reaching out to the teachers, so she certainly was not against that.

I call on Ms. McDonald to be candid and rational. She needs to be honest and humane, and instead of seeking to impede the work of the Ministry of Education, she should be helping where fostering recovery of many homes is concerned. She shouldn’t shift positions when it comes to matters of teachers and their students to align with her current politics.

Yours truly, Attiya Baksh

Law Reform Commission members appointed Dear Editor,

I

am pleased to announce that in the discharge of his functional responsibilities pursuant to the Law Reform Commission (Amendment) Act No. 2 of 2021, The President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, His Excellency Mr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, has approved for appointment the Chairman and Members of the Law Reform Commission.

The nominees have been chosen after consideration of recommendations received from the various stakeholder organizations, consulted pursuant to the provisions of the Law Reform Commission (Amendment) Act No. 2 of 2021, and in accordance with the said Act. The approved names are as follows: • Retired Justice of Appeal B. S. Roy (Chairman) • Mr. Teni Housty • Ms. Clarissa Riehl • Mr. Brian O’ Toole • Ms. Emily Dodson • Mr. Roopnarine Satram • Ms. Deenawatie Panday The Law Reform Commission is an advisory body to the State and can recommend to the Government of Guyana amendments to existing laws, new legislation, and the repeal of existing legislation. The establishment of a Law Reform Commission is part of a fundamental component of the US$ 8 million dollar

Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) funded Support for the Justice System Programme. The IDB shall fund the functioning of this Commission for a specified period and the Government of Guyana is expected to take over funding thereafter.

Law Reform ensures that the country’s laws are updated at periodic intervals, and captures and embraces the aspirations, exigencies, social maladies and vicissitudes of the society as it evolves. A Law Reform Commission in Guyana is long overdue and exists in most Commonwealth countries. This institution is expected to ensure that the country’s laws are updated regularly and embrace new and emerging legislative trends across the world.

When the PPP/C took office in August 2020, it pledged to move swiftly to establish the Commission after it reviewed the Act and this was done with the Amendment of the Act which was assented to by the President on the 16th February, 2021.

The Commission will be operating out of a Government of Guyana building located at Lot 91 Middle Street, Georgetown. A Secretariat for the Commission has already been established and staffed. Members of the Commission are expected to be sworn in shortly.

Sincerely, Anil Nandlall, S.C. Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs

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WEEKEND MIRROR 24-25 JULY, 2021

APNU+AFC is opposing just for the sake of opposing Dear Editor,

F

rom the moment the Government announced that it will be moving ahead with the reintroduction of the ‘Because We Care’ and School Uniform cash grants, the opposition APNU+AFC began peddling all sorts of ridiculous narratives as they opposed it, especially on social media.

Just recently, Aubrey Norton wrote an

epistle criticising this initiative. Norton contends that the reintroduction of the cash grant should be rejected by all Guyanese as it is a “slap in the face” and not sufficient.

He forgets that it was his government that denied these kids close to $1.8B annually when it stopped this initiative upon assuming office in 2015. In my opinion, the amounts of $15,000 plus $4,000 may not be anything substantial to Norton and his cohorts who

are accustomed to raking in the hundreds of thousands every month. However, for the ordinary Guyanese, $19,000 will definitely go a long way.

I would like to point out that in the January 30, 2020 publication of the Guyana Chronicle, there was an article, which was headlined “President promises cash grants for families with school children.” This article reported on the promises made by the then President, David Granger, as he addressed residents of Region 2. Granger’s exact words were “We will put oil money in your homes and households…we will ensure that every family with a child, in school, gets a cash grant…the money will come to you.”

I find it so amusing that the entire coalition has banded together in opposition to this

initiative they themselves had promised the same to Guyanese while campaigning for re-election in 2020.

In this regard, I think the only logical conclusion that can be made is that the APNU+AFC is opposing just for the sake of opposing. They have no actual reason to be against it since it is geared at benefitting every single child in the public school system.

Why would they be so hell-bent on taking away such provisions from the Guyanese people? I personally call on all Guyanese to reject these efforts that are being made by the hypocrites of the Coalition to hinder development and progress in Guyana.

Respectfully, Anson A. Paul

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WEEKEND MIRROR 24-25 JULY, 2021

Because We Care: Region 4 - Cash Grant Distribution Schedule Friday August 06, 2021

Saturday August 07, 2021

Monday August 09, 2021

WEEKEND MIRROR 24-25 JULY, 2021

COM M ENTARY

9

More irresponsible posturing from the PNCR-led Coalition

By Dr. Leslie Ramsammy

T

he popular “Because We Care” cash grant program is back, bigger and better than the PPP Government’s 2014 version, courtesy of President Irfaan Ali’s PPP Government. This education cash grant is an example of non-contributory cash transfers from the consolidated fund to families.

Social scientists around the world have shown the effectiveness and efficacy of non-contributory cash transfers to families. For example, in a study published in 2018 by the University of Cambridge, UK, social scientists reviewed 165 studies of non-contributory cash transfers in low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2015 and concluded that such cash transfers reduced monetary poverty and improved health and nutrition, education, savings and production.

Similarly, a 2021 publication from SEED (Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration) reported a study done by a group of social scientists led by Dr. Stacia West of the University of Tennessee and Dr. Amy Castro Baker of the University of Pennsylvania that found a cash grant of $US 500 for 24 months to 125 persons living in the town of Stockton positively impacted on their physical and mental health. There was little or no evidence that such non-contributory cash transfers led to negative unintended consequences, such as dependency syndrome or as a disincentive to work etc.

There are numerous studies reflecting the effectiveness and efficacy of non-contributory cash transfers like the “Because We Care” cash transfer program. UNICEF, the World Bank, IDB and other organizations have declared that cash transfers for children is one of the

surest ways to reduce poverty. While hampers, school uniforms, laptops etc. are beneficial, long-term cash transfers to families promote human development by empowering people to make certain decisions for themselves – how best to use the cash transfers to improve the welfare of children and families in general.

But these studies have revealed certain pitfalls. One of the pitfalls is the potential for discrimination. When cash transfer programs identify sub-groups to benefit, the potential for discrimination abounds. The “Because We Care” cash transfer program extends benefits to all families with children in public schools and is likely to extend to all families with children in public and private schools.

Setting an income limit would have introduced the potential for discrimination.

With such strong evidence for cash transfers, it is shocking that leaders of the PNCR (APNU/AFC) would spout nonsense such as the education cash grant is a wasteful way of spending taxpayers’ money and that the program will promote dependency syndrome in Guyana, leading to greater poverty.

These assertions have been uniformly rejected by social scientists in hundreds of studies around the world.

It is in this context that I raise one example of spending taxpayers’ money that makes absolutely no sense.

In May 2019, having lost a No-Confidence vote and desperately trying to stave off elections, APNU+AFC decided to bankroll a Buju Banton visit to Guyana for a show. The APNU/AFC Coalition Government procured $50M worth of tickets for distribution among their supporters. The PNCR/APNU/ AFC leaders had no qualm in spending taxpayers’ money to bribe their supporters.

Families in desperate need

for some help got no money from that $50M. It was only a small number of young people who were facilitated with a few fleeting minutes of watching Buju Banton performing. Unfortunately, the Buju Banton splash is just one of the many examples of APNU/AFC squandermania.

It is vexing, therefore, that leaders of the PNCR and the APNU/AFC Coalition are out dubbing the PPP’s government education cash grant as a waste of money.

The cash grant program for 2021 places $3.2B in the hands of ordinary Guyanese family to spend in the economy. In 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 the amount in the form of an education cash grant for every child in school will be more than $3.2B. In fact, Dr. Irfaan Ali and the PPP had promised that the cash grants will grow to $50,000 per child by the end of President Irfaan Ali’s first term.

This means that in 2025, the Irfaan Ali-led PPP Government would put more than $7B in the hands of ordinary families to spend in support of their community economy.

The almost $20B that the Irfaan Ali’s PPP Government would have placed in the hands of ordinary citizens through just one program – the education cash grant program – in President Irfaan Ali’s first term will support the local grocery store, the local seamstresses and tailors, the vendors in the community market, etc. But for the PNCR and APNU/AFC, they see this as a waste of money.

The PNCR clearly believes that only they can decide how best to spend money for people. Buying Buju Banton tickets for a small group of Guyanese citizens is deemed more worthwhile than giving every family with a child in school a cash grant which in turn stimulates the economy.

This posture by the PNCR is irresponsible and an utter insult to the Guyanese peo-

ple.

Their assertion that the program is a total “waste of money” never gained traction because people refuse to be stupid. Now PNCR leaders are alleging discrimination.

But every parent with a child in public schools is eligible to receive the cash grant. If there are two or three or more children from one family, each child is eligible for the grant. It is for this reason that some families are getting multiple grants. The program is not restricted to any particular region – every family in every region is eligible, once there is a child in school, from nursery to high school. Ethnicity does not matter, religion does not qualify or disqualifies anyone and, definitely, who a family supports or votes for is irrelevant. Every family qualifies, as long as a family has a child in school. So where is the discrimination?

Coretta Macdonald, the President of the Guyana

Teachers Union and a PNCR MP in the APNU/AFC faction has been the most vocal of the PNCR leaders rejecting the cash grant program, dubbing it an absolute waste.

It is despicable that Ms. Macdonald claims she represents the teachers, the majority of whom have lauded the PPP Government’s program, whether it is the 2014 version or the 2021 version. Ms. Macdonald spoke both as the President of the GTU and a PNCR MP. Many teachers have already publicly dissociated themselves from her statement.

Some did so by publicly and enthusiastically joining in the distribution of the cash to parents. Others have come out and vigorously rejected Ms. Macdonald’s demand that they desist from helping the Ministry of Education in the distribution of the cash.

No one in the PNCR has chastised Ms. Macdonald and, therefore, we must accept that she was stating a

position of the PNCR and the APNU/AFC Coalition.

In fact, Aubrey Norton, another PNCR leader, one running to dethrone David Granger as the leader of the PNCR, has now come out with his own condemnation of the cash grant to children.

Aubrey Norton wants to be leader of the PNCR and he is prepared to oppose anything and everything the PPP Government does.

The PNCR (APNU/AFC) stand indicted – they are heartless, but also prepared to stupidly work against science. Just as they are engaged in a silent whisper campaign discouraging people from taking vaccines, so too they are now trying desperately to discourage the education cash grant.

The people are rejecting their ant-vaccination whisper campaign and also visibly rejecting the call to end the education cash grant. The PNCR has gone from clueless to plain stupid.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 24-25 JULY, 2021

POSITIONS FROM FREEDOM HOUSE

All avenues will be pursued to have dismissal motions debated – Gunraj

Wreath laying ceremony held in remembrance of Ballot Box Martyrs T L eaders and member of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Number 66 Village Burial Ground, Corentyne, in observance of the 48th death anniversary of Jagan Ramessar and Bholanauth Parmanand, commonly referred to

as the Ballot Box Martyrs.

Executive Secretary of the PPP/C, Zulfikar Mustapha and other party officials were in attendance. In his address to the gathering Mustapha urged Guyanese to remain vigilant in order to ensure their democratic freedoms are preserved and to avoid

a return to the dark dictatorial days of PNC (now APNU+AFC) rule.

On Election Day, July 16, 1973, Parmanand and Ramessar were part of a crowd that had gathered outside a polling station at No. 63 Village on the Corentyne as part of a protest action. They were

peacefully protesting the illegal removal of the ballot boxes from the place of poll at the end of voting. The duo was shot and killed by a Guyana Defence Force Officer.

The 1973 incident was one of the many struggles to restore democracy to Guyana.

PYO remembers Michael Forde

T

he Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO) hosted a wreath-laying ceremony, in commemoration of the 57th death anniversary of Michael Forde.

Forde was a 22-year-old Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO) activist and was one of the leaders of the historic Freedom Marches in February of 1964.

He was killed that same year.

On the morning of Friday July 17, 1964, the then Premier of British Guiana, Dr. Cheddi Jagan and the leaders of the two main opposition parties, Mr. L.F.S Burnham and Mr. Peter D’Aguiar, were locked in a peace bid conference at the Premier’s office when a lethal bomb exploded at PPP headquarters, Freedom House.

Reports from the daily newspapers of the day, recorded that the explosion, which rocked the heart of Georgetown, went off at about 10:45 a.m. The force

of the explosion dismembered Michael Forde, sent an old house crashing to the ground and smashed glass windows at the nearby Metropole Cinema. The eastern portion of Freedom House and furniture in the building were also damaged. The windscreens of cars parked in the area were also shattered.

It was reported to the police that a young man went into the Progressive Bookshop, housed in the Freedom House building with a small carton. He placed the box on a bookshelf, purchased a book and without waiting for his change, hurriedly left the shop leaving his box behind. Seconds after the man had left, Forde, an employee, called out to the manager, Miss Euna Mulzack, an American citizen residing in the country, and informed her that the young man left hurriedly without collecting his change and also left a box behind.

Becoming suspicious, she

told him to throw the box out of the building. Forde responded and was rushing through the eastern side door of the shop when there was an explosion. The lower part of Forde’s left hand was hurled some 50 yards away back of the pit entrance of the Metropole Cinema. His mutilated body was found face upward lying across the entrance of Freedom House with just strips of clothing dangling around his waist.

At the time of the explosion there were around 40 persons in Freedom House,

some of whom were injured.

Among the wounded were Mrs. Mary Nunes, wife of Minister of Education Mr. Cedric Nunes, Mrs. Patricia Christian, Miss Euna Mulzack, with a damaged eye and Miss Bispat with a suspected fractured spine. The Premier’s wife, Mrs. Janet Jagan, the then General Secretary of the PPP, escaped with slight injuries to her hands.

Forde has been hailed as having made a significant contribution to Guyana’s fight for freedom and democracy.

his week’s statutory meeting of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) saw a walkout by the two of the three GECOM Commissioners nominated by the APNU+AFC Coalition.

Commissioners Vincent Alexander and Desmond Trotman left the meeting, causing the meeting to no longer have the quorum needed to proceed.

The walkout effectively thwarted the planned debate on three motions seeking the dismissal of Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, Deputy Chief Elections Officer, Roxanne Myers, and Region 4 Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo.

GECOM Commissioner, Sase Gunraj, in comments on the issue, said, “When the issue came up, the Opposition said they are not going to participate…we are accustomed to them doing this kind of nonsense now; the nation has gotten used to it….every time an issue they don’t find favour with is to be discussed they walk out. It is now apparent that they are in favour of the continuation of these persons in GECOM’s employ. Their words and their actions make this clear.”

According to him, all legal avenues at their disposal to ensure that the motions are heard and deliberated on.

In the meantime, a decision on the way forward, Gunraj stated, lies in the hands of GECOM Chair, Justice (rtd) Claudette Singh.

This is the second week that the motions were not addressed. Last week’s meeting, initially set for Tuesday, July 13th, was postponed.

MOTIONS Lowenfield, Myers and Mingo are currently on annual leave pending the decision of the Commission. All three are currently before the courts facing charges related to misconduct in public office.

The motions were supported by government-nominated GECOM Commissioners, Gunraj, Bibi Shaddick and Manoj Narayan.

The motion to dismiss Lowenfield was tabled by Gunraj and Shadick and listed 20 grounds on which he should be dismissed. The Commissioners said that

Lowenfield breached his functions, duties, responsibilities and obligations when he neglected to ensure due adherence and compliance with the statutory process outlined in Section 84 of the Representation of the People Act (RoPA), Chapter 1:03 by Mingo, who was under his direct supervision. Mingo, according to the Commissioners, failed to follow the stipulated process of adding up the Statements of Poll (SoPs) for his District and Lowenfield aided in his noncompliance. Lowenfield is accused of also breaching his functions when he neglected to provide proper and lawful directions, instructions and guidance to the officers and employees of the Secretariat in the performance of their statutory duties during the process of the adding up of the votes recorded in the SoPs for Electoral District Four.

Myers is accused of aiding and abetting Lowenfield’s actions. In her case, the motion was submitted in the names of Shadick and Narayan. They argued that she also went out of her way to facilitate a meeting in a GECOM facility by then Foreign Affairs Minister Karen Cummings where she threatened to revoke the accreditation of international observers. Myers’ order to have the Guyana Police Force remove Commissioner Gunraj and political party representatives from the GECOM Command Centre during the tabulation of the SOPs is also listed as one of the reasons she should be dismissed from her substantive post as DCEO. Meanwhile, Mingo is accused of discarding his oath of office and failing to act fairly and impartially or legally in the discharge of his duties. The grounds for Mingo’s dismissal surround his tabulation of the SOPs in which he clearly manufactured numbers to reflect a win by the APNU+AFC Coalition. It also concerns his conduct and defiance of the court orders mandating that he follow the outlined statutory process to acquire his final tally of the SOPs. The three were informed of the motions by GECOM Chair, retired Justice Claudette Singh, and were given an opportunity to respond.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 24-25 JULY, 2021

Refurbished call centre will create needed employment – PM Phillips L

inden would not be left out of his Government’s Development plans. This commitment of the PPP/C government was reiterated Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret'd), Mark Phillips.

He made these comments while touring the newly refurbished Toucan Call Centre building, located in Kara Kara, Linden in Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice. Phillips said, “It is our intention,

as part of the overriding principle, to create employment for the people of Linden…

So Linden will not be left out of the plans for Guyana. The focus now is on the development of all Guyana and all Guyanese.”

The call centre, which is expected to employ over 200 residents from the region once fully operational, was refurbished at a total cost of $142M.

Prime Minister Phillips added that “we will put out expressions of interest for investors to come to inspect and to set up their businesses here—by doing that, they

will create employment.”

He said the aim was to ensure that Lindeners benefit from the project.

Phillips noted that the refurbishing of the call centre

is in keeping with the Government’s plan of furthering social and economic development within the region, while providing a conducive environment for investment.

The Prime Minister stated that his Government is committed to other such initiatives not only in Region 10 but throughout the length and breadth of the county.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 24-25 JULY, 2021

Because We Care Cash Grant Schedule 2021

PLEASE SEE NEXT PAGE This schedule addresses the first two weeks of distribution. Another schedule that caters to the remaining schools will be published soon.

OUR CHILDREN DESERVE THE BEST FOR THEIR EDUCATION

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WEEKEND MIRROR 24-25 JULY, 2021

Because We Care Cash Grant Schedule 2021

This schedule addresses the first two weeks of distribution. Another schedule that caters to the remaining schools will be published soon.

OUR CHILDREN DESERVE THE BEST FOR THEIR EDUCATION

‘Because We Care’ roll out in Region 10 continues today T he Government’s ‘Because We Care’ cash grant distribution exercise commenced in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) on Thursday (July 22, 2021) and will continue today.

Each child in the pub-

lic school system will be receiving $19, 000. The ‘Because We Care’ cash grant provides $15,000, while the School Uniform and Supplies cash grant will see each child receiving $4,000.

The two-day distribu-

tion exercise in Region 10 is being led by several Government ministers, who have fanned out across several communities in Linden, as well as outlying areas, including Rockstone, Coomacka, Malali and Muritaro.

Riverine communities in the region will be served on July 26, 2021. These areas include Kwakwani, Hururu, Ituni, Kimbia and Sand Hills.

The reintroduction of the ‘Because We Care’ cash grant programme will see ap-

proximately 172,000 nursery to secondary school students within the public education system benefitting at a cost of $3.2 billion. The PPP/C Government has committed to increasing the grant incrementally each year until it reaches $50,000. The School

Uniform and Supplies Grant was increased last year from $2000 to $4000.

This initiative aims to provide assistance to families so that they can provide the necessary resources for their children to attend school.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 24-25 JULY, 2021

POSITIONS FROM THE PRESIDENT

GDF will play integral role in developing National Disaster Plan

T

he Guyana Defence Force would play an integral role in the development of a National Disaster plan to help protect Guyanese and the country’s resources from the effects of climate change, according to President Dr. Irfaan Ali. The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces made the disclosure while addressing graduates of the GDF Standard Officers’ Course 52 at Base Camp Ayanganna, this week.

The ranks were told that in addition to securing the country’s territorial integrity, the GDF will play a bigger role in civil protection.

Ranks are currently involved in the Covid-19 vaccination campaign and members were actively involved in the national response to the country-wide flooding.

The President said that this proves that the GDF is suited to support civil protection, disaster preparedness and disaster response operations now and in the future.

He referenced his address at the recently concluded Annual GDF Officers’ Conference where he highlighted that the National Defence Policy will see greater involvement of the Guyana Defence Force in search and rescue operations, disaster

response, provision of infrastructural services, in the defence and protection of border communities, in medical outreaches, in response to medical emergencies and in coaching and honing the talents of our athletes. “Guyana has no control over the forces of nature. However, we can mitigate their effects and plan to better protect our people and assets. In this regard, Guyana will develop a comprehensive national disaster prevention, preparedness and response plan to help protect our people and our resources from natural and man-made disasters. The Guyana Defence Force will have an integral role in developing and giving effect to this plan.”

The new task, would not diminish or detract attention from the GDF’s primary mission of protecting the country’s territorial integrity and defending its national sovereignty.

The President noted that while climate change will not disappear and the world hopes that another pandemic will not occur, the GDF must always be ready for any eventuality. He said that most of the non-traditional threats are not unique to Guyana, and as a result, the country would continue to build partnerships to collaborate

and cooperate in combating and mitigating all threats.

He said, “This is your Force and these are the circumstances under which you are being inducted as officers of the Guyana Defence Force.

You will be expected to lead the efforts in defending our country’s territory, in protecting its national patrimony and the safety and well-being of its people; and in supporting our Caribbean brothers and sisters who may be affected by disasters.”

The 24-month course commenced with 40 students in June of 2019, but withered down to 16 graduates—two from Belize, two from Antigua and Barbuda, two from St Kitts and Nevis, one from the Guyana Fire Service, one

from the Guyana Prison Service and eight from the GDF. The Head of State added that the participation of other countries in the course is indicative of Guyana’s commitment to defence cooperation. He said this is also evident by Guyana’s recent hosting of Operation Tradewinds 2021—which also highlighted the country’s commitment to building the capacities of its neighbours’ respective defence forces. He said, “Guyana will continue the long tradition of welcoming officer cadets from our sister CARICOM states to train alongside our officers of the Joint Services.”

President Ali charged the graduates to be prepared

for life’s future eventualities through knowledge, commitment, respect and discipline. He told the ranks to be steady, focused and unwavering in the principles and values of their oaths.

He said, “As you embark on your new careers as officers in your respective services, it is expected that you will exemplify the highest standards of discipline, excellence, professionalism and leadership.

Your mission is not simply to lead but to make a difference through your leadership.”

The President charged the graduates to uphold the constitution, respect the law and to remain worthy of their uniforms.

The graduating ranks are Javid Mohamed, De-

lon Abrams, Jevon Reid, Ralph Williams, Joshua Ferdinand, Carlon Warde, Roy De Younge, Seanden David-Longe and Jermy Charles from the GDF; Mauro Cucul and Radmon Smith from the Belize Coast Guard; Rayon Emmanuel from the Guyana Prison Service; Mario O’Flaherty and Lakeem Crosse from the St Kitts and Nevis Defence Force; and Leshawn Andrews and Charles Batchelor from the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force.

Mohamed was awarded the Sword of Honour as the best graduating student while Smith received the best international student award. The best drill went to Batchelor, best military knowledge to Abrams, best shot to Smith and best fitness to Cucul.

The Head of State was accompanied by Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d), the Honourable Mark Phillips; Minister within the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, the Honourable Dr Ashni Singh; Minister of Home Affairs, the Honourable Robeson Benn; National Security Advisor, Mr Gerry Gouveia; GDF’s Chief of Staff Brigadier Godfrey Bess; Acting Police Commissioner, Mr Nigel Hoppie and other high-level ranks.

Guyana deeply committed to continued collaboration with Great Britain

L

etters of Credence from Mrs Jane Miller (OBE), for her accreditation as High Commissioner Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Great Britain to Guyana, were accepted by President Dr. Irfaan Ali on Tuesday (July 20, 2021).

The Head of State was joined at the Office of the President for the simple ceremony by the Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mrs Elisabeth Harper.

In accepting the Letters of Credence, President Ali welcomed Mrs Miller, the first female Great Britain High Commissioner to Guyana, and stated that the countries have long-standing ties of history and share similar values for the respect of human rights and democracy. He said that

since attaining Independence in 1966, Guyana has shared a strong relationship with Great Britain. He also credited the European nation for being “unwavering in its support for Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

The President, in his remarks, commended the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK) for its role last year in defending Guyana’s democracy. He said, “I must once again restate the sincere appreciation of my Government for the role which the United Kingdom played last year with its principled stand for the preservation of Guyana’s democracy during the impasse in the announcement of the results of our general and regional elections. My administration is committed to sustaining democratic rule in Guyana.”

The President said that Great Britain has been supportive of Guyana’s development efforts through numerous programmes of cooperation, including debt relief, education, water supply, restructuring of the sugar industry, public sector reform and strengthening of the judiciary and law enforcement agencies.

He also applauded its continued support of Guyana’s economic development, including its assistance to strengthen our infrastructure. Ali said, “I assure you that Guyana is deeply committed to continued collaboration for the progress of both of our peoples.”

President Ali said that it was important to work together to “seize the opportunity to match political will with action” in the fight against climate change. He said that he was confident

that the 26th UN Climate Change Conference, to be hosted in Glasgow in November, will give greater consideration to the concerns of small-island developing states and low-lying coastal states. “This Conference represents a watershed

moment for the discussions on climate change.” Guyana, he noted, is taking meaningful action to contribute to global efforts to address “this existential crisis…my Government has advanced its work to revitalise our Low Carbon Devel-

opment Strategy. Guyana’s future actions in this area will place great emphasis on the protection of our environment, the preservation of our biodiversity and the promotion of renewable energy and measures to ensure climate adaptation.”

WEEKEND MIRROR 24-25 JULY, 2021

15

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WEEKEND MIRROR 24-25 JULY, 2021

Empowering Women….

Over 200 begin WIN courses ‒ Programme rollout underway

M

inistry of Human Service launches its first online and in-person WIIN courses in ICT and professional care The Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, this week, launched its online and in-person WIIN (Women’s Innovation and

Investment Network) classes in ICT and professional care (child and elderly care).

The programme provides an opportunity to pursue courses in areas that would open new avenues for employment or entrepreneurship.

Over 200 of the over 4,200 applicants to the programme commenced classes on Monday (July 19, 2021).

Launching the ministry’s flagship training programme at the Guyana Women’s Leadership Institute (GWLI), Minister Vindhya Persaud explained

that $80 million dollars budgeted for training will be utilised to expend every effort to invest in certificate upskilling of women in every region. She urged the women to commit to the foundation training which is provided free of cost.

Dr. Persaud said, “It creates the opportunities by networking, thinking outside of the box, innovating, and using every iota of what you have gained for self- growth, development and earning possibilities. I believe in each one of you and urge you to take what you have started today to

the finish line.

“The WIIN program has been meticulously crafted to empower all women because of the absence of an eligibility criteria and the offer of areas of training that are unconventional, needed and could open up niche markets. I am encouraging you to be the influencers/ entrepreneurs of tomorrow as we empower you today. I recognize the sterling efforts of my team who worked assiduously with me to make this a sustainable reality, and we stand ready to support you throughout your journey. I am pleased

say that all the courses are accredited and from this first step, nothing will be unachievable as you will learn about starting and sustaining your business too.”

Persaud thanked all the lecturers and the School of the Nations University and University of Guyana for partnering with the Ministry. The Minister also opened the new, modern computer lab at GWLI which will be one of the main hubs for the WIIN programme.

The WIIN programme will continue to be rolled out in the coming weeks.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 24-25 JULY, 2021

DELIVERINGFOR GUYANESE: ENHANCEDHEALTHSERVICES

Festival City Health Centre RHOs get ATVs, motorcycles to be upgraded to Polyclinic to boost health care delivery S T he Health Ministry’s plan for the upgrading of the Festival City Health Centre to a Polyclinic is set to be completed in the next two months.

Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony MP said the project is now in the final stages. He said, “They are now finishing of the project; we are hoping that they can hand that back to us by the end of this month and once we get it this month, we’ll start preparing it to commission the Health Centre or the Polyclinic.”

According to him, the two-storey building will house various facilities such as doctors’ offices, a dental section, a physiotherapy department and laboratory.

He said works are also being done for the construction of an x-ray room in the facility.

Meanwhile, other services will be available soon. “I think the rest of the facility we would be able to open it, to commission it and have these additional services, maybe within the next two months or so,” Anthony said.

The Minister said the Festival City Health Centre serves a large population and by upgrading it to a Polyclinic people will have access to more services and get “pretty much everything done in one place.”

The facility will accommodate approximately eight medical doctors and other health personnel. The Festival City Health Centre is among several other clinics; Enmore, Industry and Campbellville, earmarked for upgrade by the end of this year and early in the new year.

even ATVs and 33 motorcycles were handed over by Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony, to Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall, for distribution to Regional Health Officers (RHOs) in Regions One, Seven, Eight and Nine.

Minister Anthony said the ATVs and motorcycles will complement the other vehicles already being used for transportation, and will boost the delivery of health services in the regions.

“In terms of improving the quality of the service that we deliver, many times our health post and health centres are a little bit distant from some of the communities and for health workers to move from point A to point B it’s often a challenge” Minister Anthony said.

Meanwhile, Minister Dharamlall said the ATVs will be used to travel across mountainous areas to address emergency issues.

He noted that Guyana will

be in a better place with the provision of improved health services. He said, “I think this is a significant investment that the Ministry of Health has made, there has always been a challenge of logistics across the country, the delivery of health services is going to be enhanced with these pieces of equipment or vehicles that have been provided today.”

This support is also expected to bolster delivery of health care in the hinterland communities.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 24-25 JULY, 2021

Business Development

$12M in grants disbursed through Green Business Tech Fund

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he Small Business Bureau (SBB) on Tuesday (July 20, 2021) presented 12 persons a total of $12 million through its Green Tech Fund.

The beneficiaries each received $1 million at a ceremony held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Liliendaal.

Launched in 2017, the

SBB’s Green Business Technology Fund is geared towards encouraging the implementation of businesses that incorporate fundamentals of the Green State Development Strategy.

Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond MP congratulated the 12 recipients,

noting that it was a competitive selection process where awardees were selected based on the most practical, sustainable and innovative ideas.

She said, “The idea is that you should use this financial support as a platform for business expansion so the years to come you will be in a position to contribute

to increase in employment and economic growth in our country.”

She said the SBB sets aside $12 million each year to address the effects of climate change. The Minister said, “It’s important that all of us play an integral role in mitigating the effects of this global phenomenon. Guyana,

in spite of our small size, is among the leaders in sustainable development through the introduction of the Low Carbon Development Strategy.”

According to her, the Government wants more Guyanese to develop business ideas that are aligned with the Low Carbon Development Strategy.

The Green Business Technology Fund is an annual competition facilitated by the entity. It aims to support development of innovative green businesses, ideas and solutions, including market research, development and testing of new products, software, and business processes.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 24-25 JULY, 2021

INFRASTRUCTURE: BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE

$99.5M Georgetown road maintenance underway G

overnment, through the Ministry of Public Works, Special Project Unit accelerates its $99.5 million road maintenance programme in the capital city.

These works are to remedy defects developed during the rainy season and will restore the safety, serviceability, structural capacity and appearance of the roads.

In order to remedy the current flaws, the city was

divided into five quadrants and a visual inspection of each quadrant was conducted which identified and prioritised the thoroughfares for emergency remedial works.

Sectional rehabilitation or overlaying is part of the works catered for; these include but are not limited to roadway excavation followed by the placing of minimum white sand or sand clay and minimum aggregate

base layer and 50 millimeters (mm) asphaltic concrete.

Additionally, several potholes will be remedied.

This includes squaring and cleaning of potholes, place and compact aggregate base finishing with some 50 mm asphaltic concrete as directed by the engineer.

Asphaltic concrete for the project will be supplied by the Public Works Ministry, while contractors will be

paid to transport, place and compact the material according to technical specification.

Subject Minister, Bishop Juan Edghill, in comments noted that the advance works are in keeping with Govern-

ment’s development agenda and also to ensure that the nation’s roadways are safe and secure. The Minister is appealing to road users to exercise patience, noting that traffic diversions have been

enforced to facilitate several road projects.

Some $25.6 billion has also been approved for the rehabilitation and construction of roads and bridges under Budget 2021.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 24-25 JULY, 2021

Aspiring dentists provided with Millions intended for Amerindian development cannot be accounted for access to training

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entistry classes have resumed at the Cheddi Jagan Dental School, after being closed for some time due to the pandemic.

The announcement was made

by Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony. “We have restarted our dental programmes, training programmes that is, so the various programmes that we normally run for dental/ dentexes and so forth, those have been restarted. They were suspended because of COVID but now we are able to restart them, of course, using the appropriate COVID protocols,” Minister Anthony said.

During down time, a new pharmacy was constructed to improve service to the public.

A number of key facilities, including a sterilisation room were refurbished. Work is also ongoing on a theatre to accommodate maxillofacial surgeries.

Anthony said, “We recognise that persons who require some specialised types of dental work are not able to get it anywhere else. In a lot of cases, it’s more than just the normal dentistry that people would come to the institution for, but it requires operation by a maxillofacial surgeon.

Currently at the institution we have a number of Maxillofacial Surgeons, but they don’t have a theatre to operate. So, in this year’s budget, we had allocated $24.1 million to construct a theatre for maxillofacial surgery at the dental school.”

Minister Anthony said the bidding process has been completed and the contract for construction will be signed during this week, with construction set to start by next week. The Minister is hoping the facility would be up and ready by the end of the year.

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assive sums, paid out as advances to APNU+AFC Coalition officials from funds intended to support Amerindians in Guyana and their development, have not been recovered.

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, Sharon Hicks, was grilled on the missing money, at a recent meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

According to her, advances totalling $39.6 million and $64.7 million were paid out in 2015 and 2016 from the Amerindian Pur-

pose Fund. However, over $25M has not been recovered.

The 2016 Auditor General’s Report noted that $25.9 million had still not been recovered, and the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) had become involved.

The Auditor General’s 2015 Report also cited financial irregularities in the management of the Amerindian Purpose Fund by the former Coalition government. According to the 2015 report, the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs – now the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs – could not account for expenditure totaling $818 M which was spent from the Amerindian Purposes Fund (APF) in 2015. The report explained that expenditure from the fund totaled $1.012B in 2015, but majority of that

was unaccounted for.

The Amerindian Purpose Fund was established in 2000, in keeping with a proviso in Section 26 of the Amerindian Act. This was followed by the establishment of the Amerindian Development Fund (ADF), in 2014, which was used to provide funding to support the socio-economic development of Amerindian communities and villages through the implementation of their Community Development Plans (CDPs). CDPs were identified and developed by the Amerindian villages themselves, which proposed their priority projects to be financed under the GRIF ADF. Earlier this month, President Dr. Irfaan Ali announced $800 million being allocated in the 2020 emergency budget for the ADF.

Flags to be flown half-staff today

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n keeping with Proclamation No. 2 of 2021, which was issued on July 7, 2021, by President Dr. Irfaan Ali, it is hereby advised that the funeral of His Excellency Jovenel Moïse, the late President of Haiti will be held on Friday, July 23, 2021.

As stated in the Procla-

mation, the National Flag must be flown at half-staff on the day of the funeral of the late President in solidarity with the Government and people of Haiti as they bid their final farewell.

President Moïse was assassinated in the early hours of Wednesday, July 7, at his home.

COVID-19 travel protocols being reviewed

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he Ministry of Health is in the process of reviewing the COVID-19 protocol for persons arriving in Guyana.

This disclosure was made

by Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony, who noted that there has been an increase in COVID-19 vaccines globally. As such, vaccination requirements are being considered for entry into the country. “We are currently reviewing our protocol; we have a team that is currently reviewing that based on people now getting vaccinated and to see how we can do both PCR and vaccination as a requirement,” he said.

Currently, Guyana accepts a negative Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test taken within 72 hours prior to arrival.

Minister Anthony said while other countries are accepting antigen tests for entry, Guyana only accepts PCR tests. “The reason being is that antigen tests are not as sensitive as the PCR. With PCR testing, if somebody is positive, you can know within a short period of time, but with antigen, it takes a long time, people generally will have to be symptomatic before you see a positive result,” he explained.

To date, over 242,000 persons have received their first dose of the vaccine.

This is approximately 49.9 per cent of the country’s adult population. Further, over 128,000 persons or approximately 26.3 per cent of the population are fully vaccinated.

WEEKEND MIRROR 24-25 JULY, 2021

Help for farmers, households affected by floods to be provided ‘soon’

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database to support the recovery and rebuilding efforts, following the devastating countrywide flooding, is in place and help will be provided to those who were affected soon.

This is according to Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo who, in a recent interview, said, “The numbers are in now. We have about 30,000 households and small farmers who had losses, as well as a number of big farmers who lost rice and livestock…we have a database now and we are working out how much and what grants we will give to families and those who had losses.

“This is to ensure they

get some help to make sure they return to productive life….the people will get help from the government and that will come shortly.”

He noted that the support efforts will run into billions of dollars.

On June 14, 2021, some $10B was approved by the National Assembly to provide flood relief interventions, including repairs to infrastructure and supporting recovering in the productive and household sectors.

Over 300 communities were affected by the flooding, which has been declared as a national disaster, with 180 of these being hinterland communities.

‘Special initiative’ for dismissed sugar workers to be announced

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he PPP/C intends to fulfill the promises made to the Guyanese people. And as part of that effort, a special initiative to support the 7,000 sugar workers who were fired under the former Coalition government will be announced soon.

This is according to Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, who said, “We intend to fulfill our promises…we remember our promise…. soon I will be meeting with sugar workers to explain this initiative….there is a special initiative we are working on for the 7,000 workers who were laid off.”

Back in 2016, the former Coalition government closed the Wales Estate, and the following year, shut down the Enmore, Rose Hall and Skeldon Estates, putting over 7000 sugar workers on the breadline. Only three estates – Uitvlugt, Blairmont

and Albion – were left in operation, but resources and support to these entities were limited.

In June 20201, a study by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on the ‘Socio-Economic Impact of the Closure of GUYSUCO Sugar Estates on Sugar Workers in Guyana’ was released. The report gives a comprehensive overview of the vast economic impact the estates’ closure have had on workers, sugar producing communities and the economy as a whole.

The PPP/C, during its campaign for office, promised to ensure that every retrenched sugar worker is rehired when the estates reopen. In an effort to bring back the sugar sector to its previous state of profitability, the PPP/C Government had approached India for assistance with the reopening of the closed estates.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 24-25 JULY, 2021

Amerindian Development…

FOCUS ON GUYANA’ S FIRST PEOPLE Over 400 CSOs to benefit Paruima gets first ICT Hub from training T

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elivering on the promise to revise the Community Support Officers (CSO) programme in hinterland communities, the PPP/C government is moving to expand access to training programmes.

Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai and Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which will see some 440 Community Support Officers from hinterland communities receiving skills training.

Minister Hamilton urged CSOs to help develop the country. He said the training will be beneficial for agriculture development and food security in the hinterland. He said, “The Board of Industrial Training mandates, an instruction from me, was that whatever opportunities and whatever facilities exists on the coast, it must also reach

the hinterland…because we believe that Guyanese people must be trained and they have access equally.” The Minister emphasised the need for gender equality in the hinterland communities, and encouraged young women to “take the leap and recognise and make use of the opportunities that are available” to them. “We have no gender specific programme…and I say to young women as I travel through this country, don’t let the society restrict you to what you can learn,” he said.

Meanwhile, Minister Sukhai stressed the re-establishment of the CSO programme is yet another commitment being fulfilled.

She said, “We have to make special effort to ensure that we have both genders accessing the level and types of training that our ministry is offering and by extension, the PPP/Civic Government

to young people across this Country and to the Amerindian and hinterland youth,” Minister Sukhai said. The Minister said the training is important not only to the CSOs, but for the development and improvement of people’s lives.

The CSOs will receive the training through the Board of Industrial Training (BIT).

A few months in office, the former APNU+AFC Coalition government fired almost 2,000 Amerindian CSOs in the hinterland – removing over $600M per annum from the village economies. The CSO programme was reinstated when the Government took office in August 2020.

The CSO engagement is part of the PPP/C Government’s commitment to youth development and advancement, and investment in the Amerindian Peoples’ lives.

he village of Paruima, Upper Mazaruni, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) is the first of 200 villages, to have its Information and Communications Technology (ICT) hub commissioned.

The community will also benefit from the training ICT technicians to maintain the

ICT equipment being installed in Paruima

equipment. Three persons from the village will also be qualified to train other interested persons to use the gadgets in the ICT hub.

The programme is yet another promise being fulfilled by the PPP/C Government to bridge the digital gap between the hinterland and the coast.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 24-25 JULY, 2021

Four expectant mothers being treated for COVID-19 at GPHC M

Medical masks for children with comorbidities

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s children are now more susceptible to contracting the severe form of COVID-19, Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, is urging parents and guardians to protect their children, especially those with underlying health issues.

He explained that medical masks are best suited for children with comorbidities.

He said, “Children with medical conditions such as cancers and so forth, it is recommended that they wear the medical types of masks, because it’s trying to protect them from getting these infections. Other children who are relatively healthy should and can wear the cloth mask. So, we should encourage children to wear masks, especially in the light, right now globally, you have the Delta variant that is currently circulating and with this particular variant, anyone who is unvaccinated would be at risk,

which includes children.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines state that children five years and above should wear a mask, while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued its guidelines, stipulating that those children two years and over should wear a mask.

Guyana’s COVID-19 guidelines state that everyone over the age of eight years, must wear a mask whenever in public.

Minister Anthony is also advising against using a face shield as an alternative to a mask. “Face shield is just a physical barrier. When you wear a mask, especially those like the medical mask, they are specially designed, so depending on which type you’re using, they probably would have three layers and they’re specially designed to prevent small particles from getting into your respiratory tract. With an N95

mask, it has about five layers, so it protects you. So, they’re not the same thing and therefore, if you use a face shield and somebody sneezes, maybe it stops the physical droplet from getting to you. But if you were in a room where aerosols are circulating, you can breathe them in, so it’s not the same thing,” he said.

Currently there are seven children in the COVID-19 wards and ten adults in the Intensive Care Unit at the COVID hospital, Liliendaal.

The Health Minister is urging parents and guardians to abide by the COVID-19 guidelines established by the Government, to reduce their children’s risk of contracting the deadly disease.

All persons 18 years and older are also encouraged to visit any of the Ministry of Health’s vaccination sites and take the vaccine, to protect themselves from COVID-19.

inister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony disclosed on Thursday (July 22, 2021) that four obstetric patients are being treated for COVID-19 at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

He said the discovery was made during the routine check-up of the patients, who have since been isolated from the general ward population.

He said, “So, mothers would come in and we would administer the Covid test just to make sure. And sometimes we find that mothers who are ready to give birth tested positive, so, we have to take precautions to make sure and also to reduce spread among the nursing staff and patients within the wards.”

Minister Anthony noted that between 12,000 and 14,000 births take place annually, with about 8,000 at GPHC alone. The Minister said since the pandemic started, it is routine for expectant mothers to be tested.

Meanwhile, breastfeeding mothers would not be affected if they take any of the COVID-19 vaccines, the Health Minister said.

Anthony said, “The advice has been that during pregnancy you can take the vaccine, however, it is better if those persons who have any doubt, to consult with their obstetrician to just make sure they have that

discussion. And I’m sure the obstetrician would be able to clarify and clear up any doubts that they may have.

Similarly, mothers who are breastfeeding can continue to do so, it is safe to do it. We encourage pregnant women to get their vaccines. We encourage mothers who are breastfeeding to get their vaccines, there is no adverse outcome.”

In total, there are 74 persons hospitalised for

COVID-10 countrywide.

Of that figure, 53 are at the Infectious Diseases Hospital; 15 in the Intensive Care Unit, including a child. The others are isolated at regional hospitals throughout the country.

Thus far 244,365 persons or 50.2 per cent of the country’s adult population have taken the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 129,361 persons or 26.6 per cent of the adult population have been fully vaccinated.

Coalition’s rhetoric is anti-national - Jagdeo T

he actions of the PNCRled APNU+AFC Coalition continue to expose its duplicity and the fact that national interests do not form part of its agenda, according to Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo.

Noting that self-interest prevailed during the Coalition’s tenure in office, he noted that the reactions by the Parliamentary Opposition’s leadership to the distribution of the ‘We Care’ cash grant are not shocking.

APNU+AFC leaders, over the past week, has come out to criticize the cash grant that is being distributed to all public school students. The ‘We Care’ grant, an initiative started, under the previous PPP/C administration, has been increased from $10,000 to $15,000. Notably, when APNU+AFC took office in 2015, it discontinued the grant.

Jagdeo in a publicized interview said, “I guess, as we have come to know now, that no behaviour by APNU and its senior leadership could be considered shocking. They have descended into anti-national rhetoric on more than one occasion.

They use, constantly, racism to try to divide our people.

Now, even when this ini-

tiative can benefit every Guyanese, particularly their supporters, they are now trying to get them not to benefit.

“We saw the same behaviour with the GOAL scholarship programme…. we also saw the selfish behaviour with the (COVID-19) vaccine, when Harmon and the others themselves had taken the vaccine….this behaviour is typical APNU behaviour.

“The only way they can succeed is if we, in Guyana, suffer collectively from amnesia or short-term memory.

If every Guyanese looks at the history of this grant, then they will see the duplicity of the APNU regime and its leaders. This grant existed under the previous PPP government. The school kids, 167,000 of them, received $10,000 each....APNU came into office in 2015 and I recall Trotman saying that the programme is untenable, uneconomical. Imagine a grant to our school children, every race, every political persuasion, every religion, is uneconomical, and they only way it should proceed is if they were means tested.

The Minister of Finance at the time and the former Granger administration at the time, they all defended

the removal of the grant.

They said it could not be afforded…I have pointed out in Opposition and now, that food in government in the period APNU was in office grew by over $1.67B – more than what the cash grant to our kids cost – yet they complained that the grant for school kids was unaffordable.”

According to him, the PPP/C Government is “actively examining” the possibility of extending the ‘We Care’ cash grant to children in private schools. He said, “Maybe not all of the parents would take it, but some parents have been making the solid case that they struggle at home to send their kids to private schools; it is not as though they are rich and in a way those kids who go to private schools, they take some pressure off the public schools….we have asked the Ministry of Education to assess how many children attend private schools.

The Education Ministry is trying to identify all of the numbers …the Government will consider all the facts on this issue, and we will make a determination very soon.”

That said, he called for Guyanese to not be distracted by the APNU+AFC Coalition’s rhetoric.

Jagdeo reaffirmed the PPP/C Government’s commitment to increasing the children’s school grant to $50,000 over the next four years. “If we can afford all sorts of things, then we can afford to give back this money to the children of Guyana…that is the PPP/ C’s priority, the children of Guyana….we are happy to do this because it is assisting families,” the Vice President declared.

On the issue of ensuring transparency in the distribution, he explained that the exercise is being audited by the Auditor General’s Office. “I spoke with the Education Minister and she has assured that the Auditor General’s office is involved in the entire process to see that all the kids get their money,” he said.

Across Guyana, some 172,000 students are to benefit from the $3.2 billion ‘We Care’ cash grant programme.

PUBLISHED BY NEW GUYANA Co. Ltd., Freedom House, Robb Street, Lacytown, Georgetown, Guyana. Tel: [592] 226-2042 / 227-2095 / 655-0459 / 627-7432