Weekend Mirror 10-11 April, 2021

PPP/Cdelivers on manifesto promise of online scholarships 10-11 April, 2021 / Vol. 11 No. 67 / Price: $100

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

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Another advance with PPP/C’ s infrastructure agenda...

First step of Bartica-Timehri road project started PAGE 3

Guyanese urged to take pandemic seriously, country not yet ahead of the curve CJ to rule on April 26 in elections petition process PAGE 11

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SEE INSIDE

Students PAGE 18 encouraged to take advantage of Government programmes – Min. Teixeira

Finance Minister PAGE 2 outlines plan to develop Human Capital – during World Bank’s Ministerial Conclave

Fixed COVID-19 vaccination sites countrywide PAGE 9

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WEEKEND MIRROR 10-11 APRIL, 2021

Finance Minister outlines plan to develop Human Capital – during World Bank’s Ministerial Conclave S

enior Finance Minister Dr. Ashni K. Singh recently attended and addressed a Ministerial Conclave on Human Capital convened by the World Bank Group as part of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group’s 2021 Spring Meetings which are currently being held virtually. The Conclave was held under the theme ‘Investing in Human Capital for a Green, Resilient and Inclusive Recovery’.

Minister Singh spoke on the topic of promoting economic opportunities while ensuring environmental and fiscal sustainability. His address focused on the country’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) which is soon to be expanded and which will set out a comprehensive development agenda for the country along a low carbon trajectory. He also focused on the high priority being placed by the Government of Guyana on various

initiatives to promote human capital development.

In his address, the Minister highlighted Guyana’s bright economic prospects as well as the country’s vulnerabilities and development challenges, emphasizing that Guyana is rich in natural resources, including oil, minerals, and forests that cover 85 percent of the country’s territory making its economic prospects currently very promising despite COVID-19 and domestic political issues which caused a sharp contraction in non-oil GDP in 2020. He reminded that even with the many challenges, Guyana is still the fastest growing economy in the world as a result of its production of oil, and will remain amongst the fastest growing economies in the next few years. “But we also face extreme vulnerabilities to climate change, as well as significant development challenges. We are well aware

of the magnitude of these challenges. They include avoiding the resource curse, promoting a strong and competitive non-oil economy, addressing our infrastructure gap, and improving human development outcomes,” Dr. Singh added.

On the issue of environmental sustainability, Minister Singh highlighted the role of both the original LCDS as well as the soon to be expanded LCDS. He stated that “Guyana’s commitment to low carbon or green growth is longstanding. In 2008, we published what we believe was the first low carbon development strategy for a developing country. The LCDS reflected that Guyana is at the intersection of many different aspects of the climate challenge. On the one hand, our low-lying coast means we are heavily impacted by climate change.”

The Senior Finance Minister then proceeded to high-

light examples of some of the impact on the country as a result of climate change. “In 2005, floods caused economic damage equivalent to 60 percent of GDP. On the other hand, our forests make a very substantial contribution in the global fight against climate change. The LCDS paved the way for us to join with Norway in 2009 in the world’s third largest international forest partnership under which the climate services provided by our forests were remunerated for the first time – making available US$250 million of performance-based payment for climate services to finance climate-friendly investments.” He posited further that Government is now preparing an expanded LCDS which will build on the original LCDS and outline a comprehensive low carbon development agenda for Guyana.

Minister Singh assured the Officials that the Govern-

ment has placed the highest level of importance on investing in human capital development as he elaborated its emphasis on education.

He explained that “despite the many competing calls on our finite fiscal resources, we are investing heavily in the social sector – education, health, etc. – as well as in facilitative infrastructure such as information and communications technology. For example, in education, we are investing heavily in early childhood education, universal primary and secondary education, improving access to and quality of tertiary education, strengthening technical and vocational education, improving learning outcomes at all levels, and ensuring lifelong learning – supported with the use of information and communication technology based on lessons learnt during COVID-19 – and all with the aim of improving production

and productivity as well as individual and household well-being.”

He added that “on many of these initiatives we are collaborating with the Bank, and we expect the education sector to dominate our portfolio of projects with the Bank in the next programming cycle… this will be in keeping with our emphasis on human capital development both as an input to, and an outcome of, sustainable economic growth.”

In concluding his presentation the Minister reiterated that his Government views human capital development “as both a critical prerequisite for and a critical objective of economic growth”.

The Conclave on Human Capital saw participation from the World Bank Group President David Malpass, other senior executives of the Bank, as well as several Ministers of Finance from around the world.

Kwakwani residents urged to pursue opportunities beyond bauxite ‒ opportunities for training available

K

wakwani residents have been urged by Labour Minister, Joseph Hamilton, to pursue livelihoods in other sectors to enhance their lives and develop their communities.

The Minister was at the time addressing a small gathering at the Kwakwani Primary School during a recent outreach to several villages in the Upper Demer-

ara-Berbice (Region Ten).

The residents were inquiring about the way forward for bauxite workers since the Russia-owned bauxite company RUSAL suspended its operations over a labour conflict back in January 2020. That impasse resulted in workers who had been laid-off, blocking the Berbice River, preventing the movement of the compa-

ny’s bauxite out of Guyana.

“You cannot sit down and wait for RUSAL and bauxite. The information I received is that RUSAL might not be back here because RUSAL has been able to get a bauxite operation in Brazil that is more lucrative to them. They are able to produce bauxite three, four times cheaper than they were doing in Guyana…That’s why as leaders, we have to be careful about decision making,” he said.

Minister Hamilton also said Linden and Region Ten can no longer be regarded as bauxite areas, and that residents must now focus on the other sectors including agriculture, forestry, mining and tourism.

At the same time, he noted that discussions are ongoing between local and international partners regarding taking over the company in the future.

“I had a meeting with the Guyana Gold and Diamond

Miners about mining and they raised that they are engaging people at the level of UK as a conglomerate to put a proposal to the Government. I don’t know when, I don’t know how, I don’t know how soon,” he said.

In the interim, the Labour Minister presented to the residents a range of opportunities for skills training through the Board of Industrial Training for youths, women and retirees. These include training in areas

such as small engine repairs, mechanics, plumbing, masonry, heavy-duty machinery operation, solar panel repairs, cosmetology, and garment construction.

He also encouraged Friendly Society groups to regularise themselves so they can also benefit from training and access small loans and grants to undertake economic ventures.

These groups can also bid for small government contracts.

Progress being made with finalizing Natural Resources Fund Act

T

he Natural Resources Fund (NRF) Act, which is among several oil-related pieces of legislation, is at the Attorney General’s Chambers and will be subjected to a review by an expert who is currently being sourced through public tender.

Attorney General and Senior Counsel, Anil Nandlall, in recent comments on the issue explained that the NRF Act is awaiting the procurement of an oil and gas expert or consultancy firm to scrutinise same.

He noted that bids from both local and international consultants have already been received and are currently being examined by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB).

It was previously disclosed in February of this year that over US$200 million earned in oil revenues is currently in Guyana’s Natural Resource Fund, with the latest payment made in January this year.

Notably, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo had made this disclosure during a press conference. He had explained that US$206.6 million (GY$43.1 billion) is currently in the NRF, including the latest royalty payment of US$8.3 million, which was received in January. “So far, US$21.2 million in royalty payments have been made into the fund. And there are four payments – US$4.9 million, US$3.6 million, US$4.3 million and US$8.3 million in royalty payments,

at different times – April 2020, August 2020, October 2020 and January 2021…and then from profit oil, we have March 11 (2020) – US$54.9 million; June (2020) – US$35 million, August (2020) – US$46 million and January 11 (2021) – US$49 million… so we now have US$206.6 million in the fund – US$185 million so far from profit oil and US$21.2 million from royalty,” he had said.

All of Guyana’s oil revenues are being held in the NRF, which is banked at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. However, this money has remained untouched, as the protracted political crisis that followed elections sabotaged any attempt to set up a system for withdrawing funds.

It is expected that once the Natural Resource Fund Act, which stipulates that various committees must be established to provide oversight for the fund, is reviewed, it will be brought to the National Assembly by the current Government.

With Guyana emerging as an oil-and-gas-producing nation, this requires the building of human and institutional capacity; crafting and agreeing to some critical policies and legal measures; and pursuing strong support and coordination among a number of governmental and non-governmental agencies.

President Dr Irfaan Ali has made it clear that monies garnered from Guyana’s oil and gas sector will remain untouched in the sovereign

wealth fund until a series of reforms are enacted to strengthen the Government’s regulatory infrastructure for the sector. “My Government is focused heavily on transparency and accountability. As you know, we have demonstrated this after the negotiations of the licence for the Payara. Not only did we make the agreement public, but we also made the environmental permit public, so nothing is done in secrecy…I’ve said before, there’ll be an arm’s length relationship with the politicians. We had international experts leading those negotiations and discussions… and, of course, the sovereign wealth fund is important, in terms of not only the securing and safeguarding [of] the

funds but also establishing the conditions and the circumstances, through legislation, on which resources will be used,” the President had said during an address to the Forecast on Latin America and the Caribbean Conference last year.

In keeping with its manifesto commitments, the Government has pledged to implement a number of measures to ensure accountable and transparent management of the country’s natural resources including establishing an arm’s length sovereign wealth fund insulated from political interference and upholding the Santiago Principles of transparency and accountability, and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).

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WEEKEND MIRROR 10-11 APRIL, 2021

Another advance with PPP/C’ s infrastructure agenda...

First step of Bartica-Timehri road project started T

he Government has started preliminary works to establish a new road corridor between Bartica and Timehri in keeping with a campaign promise.

On Wednesday (April 7, 2021), Minister of Public Works, Hon. Bishop Juan Edghill and a team of technical personnel inspected the proposed route for the road.

Former President and Prime Minister, Mr. Samuel as also part of the exercise.

Minister Edghill, in comments on the matter, said, “the possibility of a road from Bartica to Timehri is no longer an idea. It is some-

thing that is doable.”

The inspection of the route began with a short boat ride from Bartica to Foulmouth Dock on the Essequibo River, then along a logging trail to Makouria River, then to Sand Hills and Timehri.

Minister Edghill said the project would improve the commute between the coast and the hinterland, by significantly reducing travelling time, since commuters would no longer have to travel to Parika, then journey to Bartica, and vice versa.

Likewise, citizens will not have to travel to Lin-

den, then on to Rockstone, through to Sherima Crossing for a barge, and then make their way to Bartica. Both routes are lengthy.

Minister Edghill said the project would complement a similar road link to be done from Bartica to Parika. That link will eventually see a network stretching from Parika to Goshen and onwards to Bartica.

The Minister added that the project also ties into other major infrastructural works such as the Schoonord to Parika alignment.

Like the other major roadworks, the Barti-

IMF doubles its growth prediction for Guyana to 16.4% T he International Monetary Fund (IMF) Tuesday doubled its original projection of 8.1 per cent Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth for in 2021 to 16.4 per cent. The IMF made the disclosure in its April 2021 World Economic Outlook titled, ‘Managing Divergent Economies’.

According to the IMF, the 16.4 per cent GDP for 2021 is the third highest after Macao SAR with 61 percent and Maldives, 18.9 percent, according to the IMF. Guyana’s GDP grew by 43.3% in 2020 mainly because of the new oil sector.

Global growth is projected at 6 percent in 2021, moderating to 4.4 percent in 2022. The projections for 2021 and 2022 are stronger than in the October 2020 World Economic Outlook.

The analysis and projections contained in the World Economic Outlook are integral elements of the IMF’s surveillance of economic developments and policies in its member countries, of developments in international financial markets, and of the global economic system.

The IMF said that the survey of prospects and policies is the product of a comprehensive interdepartmental review of world economic developments, which draws primarily on information the IMF staff gathers through its consultations with member countries.

RETURN TO DEMOCRACY Meanwhile, Dr. Singh, in comments on the matter, cited a return to democracy, as well as political and

economic stability, as a key factor in the IMF’s revised projection for Guyana.

He noted that the IMF’s previous assessments came at a time when Guyana was in political turmoil brought on by the former APNU+AFC Coalition Government’s refusal to demit office.

Singh said, “At the time the IMF would have done their forecast on the Guyanese economy, around September 2020, there would have been a lot of uncertainty and perhaps less clarity on where the country was going and what prospects and opportunities there would be.

Since then, of course, things have been clarified. We had a government assume office in August of 2020. We’ve had two budgets, which have now outlined the Government’s economic and fiscal plans. Those, of course, helped to resolve any policy uncertainties that might have existed. The two budgets have sent a clear signal of where our Government is taking economic policies and what our intentions are. And with the benefit of the clarity of signal that we would have sent, I’m not surprised of the upward revision of the growth outlook of the IMF.” The Minister added too that the IMF projection reflects the growing optimism that has returned to the Guyanese economy. “What that reflects is the remarkable optimism that has returned to the Guyanese economy. For a long period, the reality is

that the Guyanese economy has been beset by severe uncertainty going all the way back to December 2018, when the No-Confidence Motion was passed. From the time the No-Confidence Motion was passed, there was some amount of political uncertainty of what will happen. Initially, everyone expected an election would be held within 90 days. That did not happen. And then there was the back-and-forth with various court matters,” Singh said.

He also pointed out that during that time, a number of projects and foreign investments were put on hold, as many adopted a “waitand-see” stance on Guyana’s political scene – a stance that only abated when President Dr Irfaan Ali was sworn in as President in August 2020.

“So, the return to democracy in August 2020 and the clarity of the policy signals sent by both budgets would clearly have conveyed to the rest of the world that Guyana is once again back on track, is open for business. Lots of the projects that were put on pause have now restarted,” the Finance Minister said.

The IMF growth projection is a more conservative estimate than the one the Government had. With the measures announced in the 2021 budget, the Finance Minister had said in February that Guyana’s real GDP is projected to grow by 20.9 per cent, with the non-oil economy growing by 6.1 per cent.

ca-Timehri route will open up new lands, leading to an increase in agriculture, trade, housing and tourism opportunities.

Explaining the path forward, Minister Edghill said, “We will go to the drawing board with the coordinates.

We will look at all of the practicalities and of course, the shortest possible route is what we will be examining.

We will probably have to get a geologist to do some soil testing to ensure that we have materials in the closest proximity for the building of that road. I would suspect

that within another five, six weeks after this trip, my engineers will be able to do some designing and the monies that are appropriated in 2021 will start cutting an alignment.”

Further, he said a process will begin to decide on the best option to facilitate barge crossings where the road terminates at both the Timehri and Bartica sections.

Meanwhile, Mr. Hinds played an instrumental role in Wednesday’s exercise since he has institutional knowledge of the route. Mr. Hinds noted that the new

road network is an important component of the Government’s development agenda.

He said, “Development is a process that requires us to work at extending roads and infrastructure…This is a step, I think, a good step in the general development of our country.”

The Guyana Defence Force provided support during Wednesday’s exercise.

This year’s budget provides $25.6 billion for the construction of roads and bridges through the Ministry of Public Works.

REGIONAL DEMOCRATIC COUNCIL, REGION 8 MAHDIA 111- MILES POTARO ROAD COOPERATIVE REPUBLIC OF GUYANA

INV ITA TION TO B ID The Regional Democratic Council of Region #8 invites sealed bids from eligible bidders for execution of the following projects.

Public orks Capital Roads 1. Construction of All-Weather Road Paramakatoi to Kato Phase 2 (EE. $20,000,000).

Education Delivery Capital Buildings 2. Construction of Monkey Mountain Nursery School

(EE. $45,000,000).

3. Construction of Kurukubaru Nursery School

(EE. $45,000,000).

4. Bidding will be conducted through the National Competitive Bidding (NCB), Procedures specified in the Procurement Act 2003 and Regulations.

5. Interested eligible bidders may inspect the Bidding Documents and obtain further information from the Regional Office, Regional Democratic Council No.8 Mahdia 111Miles Potaro Road during normal working hours 08:30 – 15:15 hours Monday to Friday.

6. Bid Documents can be uplifted from the Regional Accounting Unit (RAU) Regional Democratic Council, Region 8 on payment of a non-refundable fee of three thousand dollars ($3,000) from Wednesday 31st March, 2021. Method of payment shall be cash.

7. The bid shall be submitted in a plain envelope bearing no identification of the bidder and clearly marked on the top left hand corner “Tender for …………………………… ………………………………………………………”

8. Bids shall be addressed to: Chairman, National Procurement and Tender Administration Board Ministry of Finance 49 Main & Urquhart Streets, Georgetown, Guyana And submitted in the Tender Box at the above-mentioned address no later than 20thApril, 2021 at 09:00 hrs. Electronic Bidding will not be permitted. Late Bids will be rejected.

9. Bids will be opened in the presence of bidders or their representatives who choose to attend at 09:00 hrs on 20th April, 2021 in the Board Room of the Ministry of Finance, 49 Main & Urquhart Streets, Georgetown, Guyana. All Bids must be accompanied by Valid Certificates of Compliance from the Manager of the National Insurance Scheme and Commissioner of Guyana Revenue Authority.

10. The National & Regional Procurement & Tender Administration Boards reserve the right to reject any or all bids without assigning any reason whatsoever and not necessarily to award the lowest bidder.

Mr. Peter Ramotar Chairman Regional Procurement & Tender Administration Board Region #8

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WEEKEND MIRROR 10-11 APRIL, 2021

EDITORIAL

Return to democracy, political and economic stability

A

year has passed since the events of March 2, 2020 threw Guyana into a state of uncertainty and political and economic instability. However, in the months since August 2, 2020, when the duly elected PPP/C government took office, changes have been rapid.

The return to democracy, as well as political and economic stability, has turned up tangible results.

Last week, the report by the United States of America (USA) State Department’s 2020 Country Report on Human Rights Practices, made clear that that the PPP/C won by a margin of 15,000 votes against the APNU+AFC coalition.

The report said: “National and regional elections were held on March 2. A no confidence vote in December 2018 against the ruling A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) coalition government triggered snap national elections for March 2019. Several rounds of litigation initiated by the coalition government and opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) delayed the elections until March 2, 2020…national and regional elections took place in March, and the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) won both the presidency and a majority of representational seats.

International and local observers considered the elections free and fair. The incumbent government, however, contested the results of the national elections, leading to numerous rounds of litigation over a three-month period that included a month-long recount…the general elections resulted in the return of the PPP/C to government after a five-year hiatus from a previous 23-year administration, which the incumbent government accepted.”

This week, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) doubled its original projection of 8.1 per cent Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth for in 2021 to 16.4 per cent. The IMF made the disclosure in its April 2021 World Economic Outlook titled, ‘Managing Divergent Economies’. According to the IMF, the 16.4 per cent GDP for 2021 is the third highest after Macao SAR with 61 percent and Maldives, 18.9 percent, according to the IMF. Guyana’s GDP grew by 43.3% in 2020 mainly because of the new oil sector.

Prior to that – in consideration of the major global challenge that is the COVID-19 pandemic – the World Bank in its semi-annual report on Latin American and the Caribbean Region, stated that Guyana’s economy will remain resilient against the effects of the dreaded novel coronavirus. It added that Guyana will maintain its positive growth trajectory as the burgeoning petroleum sector ‘picks up steam’. Of note is that the PPP/C Government, in addition to advancing a robust vaccination campaign, has sought to strike the balance between the economy and the health management of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Further, in all sectors, positive advances are taking place to improve the lives of Guyanese.

Before Election Day on March 2, 2020, the PPP/C has stressed that facts about track record – whether or not the political party in power delivered on their promises made in its manifesto – matter; facts about performance – how well the political party served the Guyanese people – matter; and facts related to whether the Guyanese people can trust the political party in power matter.

After eight months in office, the PPP/C has rolled out policies, plans and programmes, which demonstrate that it is building on its track record and that it upholds its commitment to serving the Guyanese people.

The return to democracy and political and economic stability will, undoubtedly, continue to result in transformations in the lives of all Guyanese across the country.

Amalia Falls Déjà vu Dear Editor,

F

or some weeks now, our media was inundated with articles about the proposed “Gas to Shore” power plant.

Vice-President Jagdeo has been taking the brunt of the attacks by the critics.

It reminds me of the “Amaila Falls Project” which was frustrated by similar daily attacks from the Opposition and the regular critics. This was even when all – I repeat, all – the information was shared with the Opposition parties, who had no suggestions nor criticisms when the Government representatives met them on more than one occasion. Yet the APNU voted against it in the National Assembly, and Blackstone, the US investor, walked away from the project.

That was a sad day for this nation.

Many of those who were screaming against Amalia then have resumed their attacks on this new project.

What is amazing are the shouts that no study was done. Clearly, no one in Government is so irresponsible as to not have studies done on such a project.

I have no doubt that feasibility studies have been done or are in the process of being done, and the results are very positive; so much so that they have generated confidence in Government’s officials to state that the project would

be beneficial.

That is not hard to understand if we look at the price of fuel alone. I believe the Government is being conservative when it says that the price of gas would be half as much as heavy fuel oil. From speaking to persons familiar with generating power from gas, I believe that savings on fuel would be much greater than what the Government has stated.

This means that we could save more than US$150M per year in fuel cost.

That alone suggests that we should vigorously peruse the project without undue delay.

The argument that it would encourage investments in manufacturing and processing has been made already, and need not be repeated again. We need just to emphasise that we can expect vigorous economic activities once we have cheap energy due to increased employment and greater production.

Apart from just generating power, much more can be done with the gas.

Liquid gas would be produced and sold cheaply on the local market. All of these would earn Guyana substantial revenues.

The Vice President has been pilloried for using the term that, from the financial position, it’s “a no-brainer”. I think he is right even if it cost US$1B

to construct. The prospects and benefits would show that the payback on the investment could be relatively very short because of the high profitability of the project.

I feel compelled to point this out, since our country and our people have lost a lot because of similar attacks on the Amaila Falls Hydro Power Project.

We have been deprived of having cheap energy, and that has retarded growth in our economy and prevented the country from lifting more people out of poverty.

This project has even greater possibilities and benefits for our country than Amaila did.

Let us not allow the same fate to happen to this gas-to-shore project that Amaila suffered. It would be a great tragedy.

Knowing the PPP/Civic as well as I do, I’m sure that as more concrete information becomes available, it would be shared with the public. Then I have no doubt that we would all agree that taking the decision to proceed is really not difficult.

Hopefully, we would be able to convince the “Doubting Thomases”.

Sincerely, Donald Ramotar, Former President

International recognition of 2020 elections’ results welcomed Dear Editor,

E

aster Greetings to all Guyanese!

May the hope and promise of this auspicious occasion serve to inspire the necessary moulding commitments that continue to harmonise unite our nation!

At the time of penning this article, it is one month since that faithful March 02, 2020 elections day, when our citizens demonstrated affirmatively against the mushrooming oppression of the previous PNC/APNU/AFC regime.

Subsequently, our country became a spectacle of global focus, demanding the attention of the most powerful advocates of democratic rights. The final true results were affirmed only after five gruelling months, with the strong united front from local protectors of democracy and the help of the International Community.

No doubt, the strategic and constructive leadership of PPP/C General Secretary Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, together with our new President Dr. Irfaan Ali, proved to be visionary. Guyana’s path is now clearer, and Guyanese are certainly delighted, happy, and grateful for the support of the US State Department, Canada, the European Community, the Commonwealth, Caricom, and other countries for their recognition of the 2020 elections’ results.

The vile nature of the PNC- led

APNU/AFC cabal was on full public display as they attempted to upturn the true result of the elections. Corroborating the clandestine operations were infiltrated elements of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), including senior administrative personnel under the control of a tainted Chief Elections Officer. The US Human Rights report addressing the matter refers to the APNU/AFC’s blatant and contemptuous refusal to accept the results of the National and Regional Elections held on 2nd March 2020.

Further, the report condemns the APNU/AFC reaction to the passing of the successful No-Confidence Motion, and also chided the approach of the judiciary which led to the procrastination of Elections in Guyana. Matters such as these, however, were manipulated to influence the turbulent five months in which the APNU/AFC squatted in office as a de facto Government. During the period, the Guyanese people had to live with serious Police excesses, which led to the brutal murder of several persons.

Our country became a shadow of itself under the flagrant violations, but was certainly focused on having the related attending situation resolved peacefully.

Guyana certainly set the pace regarding the peaceful approaches to struggle for free and fair elections. This, however, could not have been achieved

without the tremendous support from observer missions and international organisations, and the wider diplomatic community. Certainly, the superior leadership of Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo served as a mould, uniting all the forces in Guyana in the struggle for free and fair elections.

Guyana must join with the world and condemn the brutal murder of peaceful protesters in Myanmar (Burma) for a similar cause. At this juncture, the PPP/C Government must lead the mobilisations and commence consultations with the wide stakeholder groups in civil society to ensure that we put in place all the necessary electoral reforms to stop all forms of rigging.

The PPP/C must implement legislative reforms that require a simple majority in Parliament, and lead the concurrent systemic cleansing of all aspects of the electoral body. GECOM must ensure actions are taken to realign the functionality of the organisation with our constitutional ideals for acceptability.

Differentiation of roles and functional responsibilities between the GECOM Secretariat and Commission must distinctly be defined, as we can no longer risk the abusive capitalisation on vague legal interpretations.

Further, given the Guyana peculiarities, the Chairperson of GECOM must (Turn to page 5)

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WEEKEND MIRROR 10-11 APRIL, 2021

Kudos to Irfaan Ali-led administration for taking the FITUG calls on all Guyanese COVID threat very seriously to exhibit responsibility to mitigate COVID-19 spread O Dear Editor,

Dear Editor,

T

he Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) is deeply concerned by the rising number of COVID-19 cases and fatalities in our country over the last few days. Statistics emanating from the Ministry of Health has informed that as many as fourteen (14) persons have lost their battle to the dreaded virus since the start of the month while several scores of Guyanese have become infected during the period. At this time, the Federation extends it deepest sympathies to the relatives and friends of those who lost their lives and wishes those who have become infected a speedy and healthy recovery.

In recent days, we have come to learn that a possibly new variant of the dreaded virus has entered Guyana. The Health Ministry has warned that this new strain is more contagious and seems to affect younger persons. Against this background, the FITUG urges all Guyanese to act responsibility and adhere to the COVID-19 protocols as we seek to minimize the rapid spread of the virus. We have seen in the media and elsewhere, over the weekend, the strong presence of the disciplinary forces to avert the large public gatherings customary with Easter. The actions which seem to have been effective, we hold, should have not been necessary. We believe, as responsible people, it is incumbent upon us all to take sober actions to staunch transmission of COVID-19.

We are hopeful that in the coming days and weeks, that we can see greater responsibility

by Guyanese to bring the pandemic under control.

We recognize too the congregation of persons at bars, shops and other business places. While we recognize that businesses have been severely affected by the pandemic, we urge business owners to also demonstrate some sense of urgency and seek to promote

practices that allow businesses to function while mitigating against the spread of virus. It is in the long-term interest of our nation. The FITUG is conscious too that large gatherings are not limited to businesses but extend to social and other gatherings. These they are equally irresponsible and those who encourage such congregation should be appropriately sanctioned.

The FITUG notes the active efforts of the Government to bring the pandemic under control. Already thousands of vaccines have been secured and we are aware of efforts by the Administration to obtain more vaccines. We note too that many Guyanese have been vaccinated. This is welcome news and demonstrates a responsible attitude. We have heard too apprehensions of some who are refusing to being vaccinated. Such talk is not helpful to defeating the pandemic and allowing life to return to normal. The vaccines utilized in Guyana have been utilized in many countries with good effect. Moreover, our health professionals have testified to the safety of the vaccines. We, therefore, encourage all eligible Guyanese to be vaccinated at this time. The Federation also encourages employers to allow their employees time off to be inoculated while providing adequate protection at the workplace.

The Federation strongly holds that our collective, responsible actions can go a long way to bringing the pandemic under control.

We, therefore, must adhere to the advice of health professionals, observe protocols, and obtain vaccines. We remind it is our actions that will ultimately staunch the pandemic and the ambivalence of some is not helpful at this time.

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

International recognition of... (From page 4) assert herself, face the reality, and cleanse GECOM of all the riggers who are before the courts for fraud.

There must be explicitly clear distinctions between the GECOM Commission and the Secretariat. Roles and responsibilities must be clearly defined, in keeping with our laws and regulations. Further, circulars, contracts, job descriptions, and job specifications must be put in writing. Reforms must take into consideration administrative, financial, accountability, procurement, audit, as well as adjustment of disciplinary penalties to sufficiently deter all wrongdoings.

GECOM MUST put on its agenda local government elections (LGEs) scheduled for this year. Standard operational procedures have to be activated to put in place appropriately competent staff and operationalise the necessary new period of continuous registration, followed by a period of claims and

objections. This will cleanse and update the Voter’s List, realising an acceptable position from which the Commission can proceed.

GECOM must get down to the serious task of employing staff who would win the trust and confidence of the nation. The training of staff must be objective, and never again be allowed to be infiltrated by the PNC cabal who have, in the past, largely employed their tugs and fraudsters. Therefore, stakeholders’ concerns with the attitude and performance of the Election Day staff must be also addressed and remedied for the successful execution of the LGEs this year.

We will forever be grateful to the US and the international community for their contribution to, and recognition of, our 2020 elections’ results.

Respectfully, Neil Kumar

ver the busy Easter weekend, I, like many Guyanese, chose to relax with good friends and catch up on the things that are important to us.

I noticed there was a heightened presence of members of the joint services closely monitoring the seawalls.

I was pleased, despite the few instances of bars being closed at 9:30pm and customers expressing their discontent, that the ranks who were present refused to give in or relent on their instructions. I wish to say publicly that I support this restriction and am quite pleased at the enforcement of the laws and regulations that are in place to protect us all.

Those brave ranks are just carrying out their operational instructions to ensure that we are all going to be safe in our homes once we are following the COVID guidelines. Do not curse, abuse and refuse to comply with

the instructions of the lawmen or else you will be charged and prosecuted.

And where there are instances of police harassment, report it to the hierarchy of the force. But first ensure you have the evidence to back your accusations against the lawmen.

I want to urge the party-going crowd and socialites to understand the impact that the pandemic is having on the world we live in, and in our lives. There are 10, 580 cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Guyana to date with 247 persons losing the battle to this dreaded pandemic.

I see this Irfaan Ali Administration taking the COVID threat very seriously and they are in order. Let’s do our part to save and protect our human resources from the COVID-19 epidemic and all of its strains now.

Regards, Alvin Hamilton

6

COVID-19 vaccines are safe, whether people get it in a hospital, church, mandir, masjid Dear Editor,

T

here are more than 100 fixed-site vaccination centers in Guyana where people can get their COVID-19 vaccines. These sites are open every day. There are also some out-reach sites which individuals and groups have organized. These sites are temporary, usually lasting for a day. There are three conditions for the MOH to send teams to these sites – first, the number of persons to be vaccinated must make sense for the Ministry to send a dedicated team for a day; second, residents in the community are not prevented from getting vaccines on the basis of religion, poli-

tics or any other factor and, third, the persons meet the eligibility requirement. At the moment the eligibility is based only on age – 40 years and older.

With due respect to Swami Aksharnanda, I believe that his letter published in the newspaper is unfortunate and misrepresent the facts.

The COVID-19 vaccines are being administered to persons resident in Guyana across the country, every person. As stated before, there are more than one hundred (100) fixedsite places that vaccines are being administered on a daily basis at this time. All of these fixed-sites are government health centers or hospitals.

None of the fixed-sites are

in any private facility or any masjid, or any mandir or any church.

The MOH has urged faith leaders, political leaders, NGOs, businesses etc. to help mobilize persons for vaccination. Mostly, community leaders have come together to organize persons within their communities.

Sometimes, they mobilize persons at a school, other times at a masjid, other times in a mandir and still other times in a Christian church.

At none of these sites are persons vaccinated on the basis of religion. I have personally been at many of these sites.

I will continue to visit these sites. To vaccinate people, we will go wherever we are

invited. What we will not do is a vaccination exercise where vaccines are provided only for a specific group, based on religion or politics or some other factor.

This model has been used before, for blood drives, where we have gone to churches, madirs, masjids. and the blood drives were never restricted to persons of only one religion, even if the drive occurred at a specific church, or mandir, or masjid. The Swami knows this well.

Our people are among the world’s most tolerant of each other’s religion and we share religious events and each other’s space for many, many decades. I have been honored and privileged for decades working in solidarity with our religious leaders. Everyday, I sit with these leaders in the same room in various communities and we work together without any animosity or tension. The vaccine is important to people, not at which site they get it.

CIOG, Dharmic Sabha, the Presbyterian Church and many pastors have worked with us so far. Yesterday, the

WEEKEND MIRROR 10-11 APRIL, 2021 Canefield/Enterprise NDC from different religious backhosted a vaccination day. grounds. The #52-#74 NDC The NDC councilors, the has organized a vaccination imams, pandits and pastors outreach. I met them yesgot together and organized terday, brothers and sisters, the event. The original sug- who were Muslims, Hindus, gestion from the community Christians, working together was that the event be held at to ensure that those 40 years a recreational center across and older in their community the NDC. But the technical are fully vaccinated. They persons suggested that it was chose a Christian Church as too small to accommodate the the most suitable venue. number of persons that was At this time, we need all expected. The recommenda- hands on board. It is unfortion among the community tunate that religion has crept persons was that the ideal in to the process we have place was the Dharmic Veda developed in the rolling out Center. Almost two hundred of the vaccine. I hope the persons were vaccinated yes- Swami, on second thought, terday at that center – they would see that far from favorwere Christians, HIndus and ing one group or another, we Muslims. The site did not are trying to reach everyone. matter, what mattered was I invite him to join us in enthese persons had an oppor- suring that persons who reach tunity to get a vaccine. the eligibility come forward Two weeks ago, the NDC to get their vaccines. The at Success organized a simi- vaccines provided from the lar outreach. They chose the government fixed-sites are masjid at Success as the most not better than the vaccines suitable site. Two weeks at outreach sites – whether ago also the CIOG hosted a these are schools, a business vaccination event for the res- place, a Masjid, a Mandir or idents of North Georgetown. a Church.

Most of the people were not Muslims. The Dharmic Sincerely, Sabha’s Kendra Center hostDr. Leslie Ramsammy, ed a vaccination outreach last Advisor to Minister of Saturday. Many persons were Health

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WEEKEND MIRROR 10-11 APRIL, 2021

Guyana is becoming increasingly multicultural Dear Editor,

G

uyana is becoming increasingly multicultural. This multiculturalism is manifested in the fact that Guyanese of different ethnicities and religions participate in major religious and national festivals such as Easter, Phagwah and Mashramani.

I believe we are today much more tolerant and accommodating of our diversity

especially when it comes to race and religion. This speaks well of us as a society and as a nation. Let us continue to embrace the principles of love, peace, brotherhood and compassion. These are indeed the defining characteristics of a morally just and enlightened society.

Yours truly, Hydar Ally

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WEEKEND MIRROR 10-11 APRIL, 2021

CJ to rule on April 26 in elections petition process A

ttorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Hon. Mohabir Anil Nandlall SC, says he is satisfied with the Court’s swiftness in handling the election petition. The Attorney General shared this view on Wednesday (April 8, 2021), following the hearing of Election Petition No. 88, before Chief Justice (Ag.) Madam Roxane George.

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

With the Chief Justice’s judgement set for April 26, 2021, the Attorney General said he was satisfied with

the timeline of the procedures. He said the process was concluded with “admirable speed” as opposed to the election petition filed in 2015 by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) that is yet to be heard.

“You see how radically different this one was heard and determined… Within eight months, within a year, the petition is going to be heard and determined – long before a year – and I think that that is reasonably good speed for a system like ours… I think that the timeframe in which this one was conducted was remarkable.”

The court proceedings focused on oral arguments from several attorneys, including Dominican SC

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

The petitioners, Ms. Claudette Throne and Mr. Heston Bostwick are asking the Court to declare the election results null and void. In further seeking to do so, the petitioners are challenging the national vote recount process, Section 22 of the Elections Laws Act and

Order 60 of 2020, which governed the recount.

Mr. Astaphan in his rebuttal said GECOM did not err in the management of the national recount. He asked the CJ to dismiss the matter if no claimed breaches are proven in the High Court.

Mr. Mendes, on the other hand, argued that the formation of Order 60 was lawful, as it is empowered

by Section 22 of the election laws. He said if the Court establishes that Section 22 is constitutional, then a substantial section of Ms. Thorne and Mr. Bostwick’s case will collapse. With no evidence to prove that there were irregularities or illegalities from the results of the national recount, the Attorney General argued that the case was without merit. He said, “One can’t turn a blind eye to the composition of GECOM. GECOM is made up, at the end of the day, by APNU+AFC and the PPP/C. And these are the parties,

along with the Chairman, who sat and decided to do a recount, and draft up rules to regulate the recount and then participated in the recount…

[Just] because the recount that does not go your way, you want to break it up and to cry illegality and unlawfulness.”

Election Petition No. 88 is one of two petitions filed by the Coalition following the declaration of the March 2 elections results in August last year.

Petition No.99, which challenged the final elections results, was nullified on the grounds of non-compliance of service on the second named respondent, former President Mr. David Granger.

Petition 99, argued that fraud was committed in the March 2020 Elections and over 115,000 votes were affected, benefiting the PPP/C. So far, Petition 99 has been thrown out and the other will move forward. Peti-

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

by APNU+AFC Coalition agents Monica Thomas and Brennan Nurse. Thomas and Nurse named Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield; David Granger – APNU+AFC Coalition; Horatio Edmonson – Federal United Party; Bharrat Jagdeo – People’s Progressive Party/Civic; John Flores – Liberty and Justice Party; Asha Kissoon – The New Movement; Vishnu Bandhu – United Republican Party; Adebin Kindi Ali – Change Guyana; Patrick Bourne – People’s Republic Party, Jonathan Yearwood – A New and United Guyana; Shazam Ally – The Citizenship Initiative; and Gerald Perreira of Organisation for the Victory of the People as respondents. The Attorney General Chambers also joined the proceedings. The dismissal of Petition 99 is being challenged by the Coalition in the Appeal Court.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 10-11 APRIL, 2021

Health Minister to Guyanese:

‘Take every precaution’ T

here is no evidence that there are new COVID variants in Guyana; however, persons are suffering more severe symptoms. This is according to Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony, who is urging the public to take additional precautions in the wake of a surge in COVID-19 infections over the last month.

He said, “As it pertains to what variant or variants we have in Guyana, we don’t know, because while we would have sent 10 samples for genetic sequencing, the result of those samples did not come back specifying that we have any of the newer variants. So, we still don’t know what variants we have in Guyana and we can only

know that if it is confirmed by genetic sequencing. We have seen an uptick of more cases…we have seen those cases in Region Four, Region Three and Region Seven, and out of seeing more cases, we have started seeing more hospitalisations,” he said.

There are now 70 persons hospitalised for COVID-19.

Of this lot, 54 are hospitalised at the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention at Liliendaal, 12 of whom are in the Intensive Care Unit.

Minister Anthony said other patients are warded at the Linden Hospital Complex in Region 10, New Amsterdam Public Hospital in Region Six, and the West Demerara Regional Hos-

pital in Region Three. He also noted that the regional hospitals are recording more COVID-19 patients, many of whom require assistance to breathe.

Minister Anthony said arrangements are currently being made for continued genetic sequencing testing at other laboratories beyond the Caribbean, however, nothing has yet been finalised. In the meantime, he said those samples are being preserved for future use. “We have samples because when we swab patients whether for doing the PCR tests and so forth, we are able to collect the samples,” he added.

Dr. Anthony hopes to do some more testing with the Trinidad-based Caribbean

Public Health Laboratory (CARPHA) and arrangements are being put in place.

COVID-19 is said to be constantly mutating. So far, scientists have discovered several variants in the United States, United Kingdom, South Africa and neighbouring Brazil. The South American country currently has the P.1 and P.2 variants, which reportedly spread faster.

In the wake of this, Minister Anthony is again urging the public to observe the gazetted COVID-19 precautionary measures. People should wear masks in public, wash or sanitise their hands frequently and practice social distancing. [See Related COVID-19 Reporting On Page 23]

Fix ed COVID-19 v accinat ion s it es count r y w ide COVID-19 vaccination is being done across the country for persons 40 years and older.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) wishes to reiterate that teachers who are 40 years and older will be administered their vaccine. Anyone who is eligible for vaccination at this time is required to provide a valid form of identification (ID) when visiting the

REGION

site closet to them.

Please note that the letter issued by the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Regional Education Department is not an exemption nor does it pre-qualify teachers under 40 years of age for vaccine.

The MOH is urging all persons, who are eligible, to take this opportunity to be vaccinated against the

SITES

deadly COVID-19 disease.

More than 100 fixed vaccination site and mobile teams will be administering the first and second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine countrywide.

Please check with your nearest vaccination site for more information on opening hours and dates of operation.

REGION

SITES

1 Eccles Health Centre Mabaruma Regional Hospital Soesdyke Health Centre Port Kaituma District Hospital Davis Memorial Hospital Matthews Ridge Hospital St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Waramuri Health Centre Woodlands Hospital Manawarin Health Centre

Kumaka District Hospital 5 Kwebanna Health Centre Fort Wellington District Hospital 2 Bush Lot Health Centre Suddie Regional Hospital Mahaicony Health Centre Charity Hospital High Dam Health Centre Anna Regina Health Centre Rosignol Health Centre Supenaam Health Centre 6 Huis t’ Dieren Health Centre New Amsterdam Hospital Queenstown Health Centre Skeldon Hospital Oscar Joseph Hospital No. 47 Village Health Centre 3

Port Mourant Health Centre Parika Health Centre Bothers Health Centre Goed Intent Health Centre 7 Versailles Health Centre Bartica Health Centre Den Amstel Health Centre 8 West Demerara Hospital Mahdia Hospital 4 Kato (Roving Team) Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) 9 Enmore Polyclinic Lethem Hospital Diamond Diagnostic Centre Annai Health Centre Vaccination Centre (Brickdam) Aishalton Hospital Unity Health Centre Sand Creek Health Centre Clonbrook Health Centre 10 Herstelling Health Centre Linden Hospital Melanie Health Centre Kwakwani Health Centre BV Health Centre

One Mile Health Centre Lusignan Health Centre

Amelia’s Ward Health Centre

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WEEKEND MIRROR 10-11 APRIL, 2021

Guy ana t ak es lead on Agr icult ur e in CARICOM GUYANA HOSTS INAUGURAL MEETING OF CARICOM SPECIAL MINISTERIAL TASK FORCE ON FOOD PRODUCTION AND FOOD SECURITY – task force looking to transform agri-food system in the Region

With Guyana once again taking the lead on agriculture in CARICOM, a Special Ministerial Task Force on Food Production and Food Security has been established to advance CARICOM’s agri-food systems agenda.

The Food Production and Food Security Agenda was put forward by President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali during the 32nd CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting last February. CARICOM subsequently endorsed the agenda and agreed to the establishment of the task force to implement the strategy.

Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, who also serves as Chairman of the Special Ministerial Task Force, hosted the inaugural meeting with Ministers of Agriculture from the ten participating CARICOM member states.

During his address, Minister Mustapha said the objective of the task force is to guide the regional position towards the transformation of the agri-food system allowing for a significantly more resilient, wealth-generating, and food secure Region. “ Food system transformation is at the core of our aspirations and mandate.

Therefore, our activities over the next years would be geared towards this goal.

Specifically, the CARICOM Agri-Food System Strategy seeks to frontally address the complete removal of all technical barriers to trade, development of a CARICOM Cross Border Agri-Food Investment Strategy to support production corridors, accelerating the pace of finalising and adopting of the CARICOM Investment Code, completion of the reform of the CET suspension and rule of origin regimes to afford protection to regional enterprises and to support the competitiveness of regional forms, implementation of E-Agriculture Strategy, development of measures to promote de-risking of the sector, improvement of transport and logistics and, investment in production, research and development,” he said.

To this end, the Minister said, an Implementation Plan with 36 broad policy areas has been articulated. Select priority sectors such as poultry, corn/soya bean, rice, beef pork, mutton, coconut, niche vegetables, fruits, and fruit juices, ginger t ur mer ic hav e also been identified to advance the commercialisation agenda of the regional food system.

The Ministerial Task Force comprises Agriculture Ministers and other officials from Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, The Bahamas, Dominica, Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.

During the meeting, the Task Force also reviewed, amended, and accepted the Terms of Reference (TOR), which was developed by a team of technical officers from the CARICOM Secretariat. The TOR outlines the objectives, purpose, membership, and governance of the task force.

During his presentation, Programme Manager, Agricultural and Agro-Industrial Development, CARICOM, Mr. Shaun Baugh discussed the implementation plan for the strategy. He said that the objective of the plan was to commercialise the Regional agri-food industry, with actual commencement of private sector production activities in priority sectors identified, within a three-year window. He also discussed several broad policy measures and reforms required to support the commercialization of the Region’s Agri-food System.

In the short and medium terms, trade barriers were identified as a major constraint that will be addressed. The need for the development of an e-agriculture strategy as well as investments in production, research and development were classified as long-term areas that need to be addressed.

The Task Force will also work to engage the Regional Private Sector, foreign investors, international and regional institutional partners, and the diplomatic community with a view to formulating effective partnerships to take the work forward.

At the end of the meeting, Minister Mustapha tasked the Heads of Government to discuss the TOR and implementation plan with their fellow Cabinet members ahead of the next Ministerial Task Force meeting, which is scheduled to take place once monthly ahead of the next CARICOM Heads of Government Conference.

Guyana has once again taken the lead role in agriculture in CARICOM after surrendering the position to St. Vincent and the Grenadines under the previous administration.

AgriExtApp developed by IICA, CARICOM...

GUYANA ADDRESSES COVID, FOOD SECURITY CHALLENGES DURING REGIONAL MEETING

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha has discussed Guyana’s efforts to resuscitate the agriculture sector amid the COVID-19 pandemic during a virtual meeting with the Director General for Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and other Ministers of Agriculture from across the Region.

“COVID-19 has impacted our agri-food system in several ways. We saw a reduction in the income for farmers, loss of jobs for some, and increased prices of agriculture inputs and supplies, just to name a few. One major lesson that COVID-19 has highlighted is the need for more resilient agriculture sectors in the Region. In providing continued support to our farmers, it is necessary to facilitate continued access to and diversification of sources for agriculture inputs such as seeds and other planting materials, feeds for poultry, livestock, and other small ruminant animals, and fertilisers. We are exploring alternative sources of feeds to reduce our dependency on external supply and reduce this cost for our farmers. As such the Government of Guyana is providing special incentives for investment in corn and soya,” Minister Mustapha said.

Agriculture Ministers from across the Region spoke about the challenges faced in the sector as a result of the pandemic and vowed to collectively work to enhance regional integration as they seek to rebuild their respective productive sectors.

The subject Minister also said Caribbean nations needed to work together to transform the way agriculture is done across the Region. He also encouraged the Ministers to use the 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit as a launching point to present actions and implement solutions to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

“It is imperative that the Caribbean Region work together to transform the way we produce, consume and think about food, ensuring our countries are not left behind.

We should use the UN Food Systems Summit as a launching point to take concrete actions and implement solutions that will put us on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our national food systems should be aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. All actors in the agri-food system and partners such as IICA will undoubtedly have a vital role to play.”

IICA’s Director General, Dr. Manuel Otero also officially launched the ‘AgriExtApp’, a platform developed to foster government-to-government intra-regional trade, as well as share produce information across the region. The platform is created to allow residents of CARICOM member states to communicate in real-time, the level of production in the region. The launch of the app is said to be congruent with CARICOM’s mandate to transform the Region’s agriculture and agri-food system. Dr. Manuel also said the application will be used by Caribbean farmers and countries that need help with promoting new technologies and best practices.

Minister Mustapha said Guyana was grateful for the role of IICA in providing support for the development of an online trade App that will benefit our agro-processors.

“It is our vision to shift agriculture from primary producer to value-added, as such developing our agro-processing industry and enhancing our marketing services is a priority.

The AgriExtApp developed by IICA and CARICOM will support the modernisation of the Extension service, especially since my government has allocated funds in this year’s budget to purchase tablets for our extension staff, to engage in real-time those involved in this very important sector,” Minister Mustapha said.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 10-11 APRIL, 2021

POSITIONS FROM THE PRESIDENT

Guyanese urged to take President engages Guyanese, pandemic seriously, country addresses concerns not yet ahead of the curve A A

special appeal was made to Guyanese by President Dr. Irfaan Ali, on Wednesday (April 7, 2021).

In a short broadcast message, he stressed that the COVID-19 pandemic remains a serious national issue and a major global health concern.

“I urge you to continue to follow the guidelines, I urge you to continue to stay safe; I urge you to continue to protect your families and your communities by adhering to the COVID-19 guidelines…we are not ahead of the curve. We are still managing this deadly pandemic.

We need all stakeholders, we need all Guyanese on board,” the Head of State said.

According to him, while the PPP/C government has sought to strike the balance between the economy and the health management of the COVID-19 pandemic, Guyanese need to be responsible.

The Head of State’s plea comes on the heels of some 140 persons being reportedly arrested over the Easter weekend for breaching COVID-19 protocols. Reports are that those arrested were found in various bars and entertainment spots later than the 22:30hrs (10:30 PM)

national curfew time that has been instituted to help curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Meanwhile, over 42,000 people across the country have to date received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, even as the Ministry of Health encourages persons ages 40 years and older to get vaccinated.

The Ministry will be administering some 40,000 first doses of the vaccine and several hundred second doses during this week. The country’s vaccination campaign is being rolled out in phases.

Business community called on to be more innovative

‒ expand vision, plans to capture regional, int’l markets

H

is Excellency Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali has challenged the local business community to position itself to benefit from the national economic transformation by adopting a bolder mindset.

The President said Guyana’s economy is expanding and buzzing, and businesses must capitalise on the emerging opportunities and the transformation of the productive, services and manufacturing sectors. President Ali made this call in his feature address at the 131st Annual General Meeting of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which was held virtually on Tuesday (March 30, 2021).

“Economic transformation demands a new mindset. The private sector must begin to think bigger, bolder, braver and brainier. In other words, it must become more ambitious, less risk-averse and more innovative. There is no time to be lost. The COVID-19 pandemic has set back business prospects, but the impending economic recovery must become the impetus for the private sector to upscale its ambitions and upgrade its capacity,” the President said.

The business community, President Ali said, must plan not only for the local market, but for the regional

and international markets as well, as Guyana’s economy is expected to double over the next decade.

“The expanding local market must become the springboard for extending the local business community’s reach into the larger, international and global economies and markets,” he said.

The President reminded the business community that the key to their resilience was the ability to adapt to change. He reminded them of past hurdles prior to the change in Government in 1992, when they found ways to deal with challenges which stifled their growth.

“Ingenious ways were found to source goods, including spares. Small-scale trading allowed for the survival of commerce, and when the situation changed for the better, the business community positioned itself to make the most of the improving economic climate.

Adaptation to change has indeed been the forte of the local business class,” he said.

Dr. Ali said Guyana’s impending economic recovery must become the impetus for the private sector to upscale its ambitions and upgrade its capacity. He also advocated for partnerships

between the business community and the media.

He said, “Today, I also ask you to rethink our local strategy. I ask the media and the private sector to sit down and to have a frank conversation. We cannot destroy each other with suspicion, where questions are necessary, the questions should be asked, and the answers should be provided.”

President Ali reiterated that his Government will support local investment in shore-based facilities, as well as support initiatives at the regional level to boost regional economies.

The President noted that he had outlined a seven-point National Business Development Plan in November, and added that his Government remains committed to changes which are necessary to transform the business environment.

He said the Government also recognises the link between democracy and economic freedom, and between the latter and investor confidence and it would ensure that democratic rights and freedoms are upheld. President Ali said the Government has also removed the bottlenecks and red tape to reduce time and costs, and increase the ease of doing business in Guyana.

recent visit by President Dr. Irfaan Ali to Yakusari, Black Bush Polder, Berbice saw dozens of Guyanese being engaged.

The Head of State listened to various concerns

raised by residents and provided immediate solutions.

Many of the issues relating to government services were addressed on the spot while residents with other matters were put in contact with the

relevant officials.

Matters dealt with included better drainage, improved roadways, enhanced security, upgraded electricity supply, installation of streetlights and a new well for Yakusari.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 10-11 APRIL, 2021

GUYANA ONLINE ACADEMY OF LEARNING TEL: 592-226-8732 || 592-225-8430 EMAIL: scholarships@mps.gov.gy Application Form for Academic Programme Section 1: Programme Selection

Preferred Areas of Study * (Select a maximum of three options that you wish to be considered) Programmes Title

Option 1 * Option 2 * Option 3 *

# # #

Academic Level (Certificate /Diploma/ Bachelor/Post graduate Diploma/Masters)

Section 2: Personal Information

Offering University

First Name *

Middle Name

Surname *

Maiden Name

Date of Birth *

Nationality *#

Country of Current Residence*#

dd/mm/yyyy Gender #* (Male/Female) Email Address *

Phone Number 1 (Primary)*

Marital Status #* [Single, Married, Divorced, Widow, Other)] Phone Number 1 (Secondary)

Current Address * Lot# & Street Name

Village/Community/Town

Region* #

Lot# & Street Name

Village/Community/Town

Region* #

Address of Origin

Government Issued Identification Numbers Passport Passport # Date of Issue Date of Expiration Emergency Contact Person *

Driver’s License

Full name

National ID*

Relationship to Applicant

TIN*

Phone Number *

Which of this best typifies you?

Teacher in Public School

Private Sector Staff

Teacher in Private School Public Service Staff

Self Employed Unemployed

Disciplined Service Staff

Student

Do you wish to be considered for Government scholarship?

Yes What is the current range of your Less than $1,000,000 household annual household $1,000,000 to $3,000,000 income?

No

$3,000,000 to $6,000,000 $6,000,000 to $9,000,000 More than $9,000,000

Have you ever been awarded Government of Guyana Scholarships Year If yes, please provide detail:

Yes Programme

No

Section 3: Academic and Employment Records Name of Institution *

Years Attended * From To

Qualifications Acquired *

Grades *

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WEEKEND MIRROR 10-11 APRIL, 2021

Secondary Education: [CXC/GCE/CSEC/CAPE]

Tertiary Education: Post-secondary Technical Schools and Universities

Name of Employer(s)

Official Position Held

Start date (dd/mm/yyyy)

End date (dd/mm/yyyy)

Section 4: Motivational Statement * Write in not more than 500 words, a statement of what motivated you to want to study your programme of first choice, how will this programme support your personal growth, and how Guyana and your community will benefit from your newly acquired knowledge upon the completion of the programme of study. [Type or Upload]

Section 5: Declaration By singing the form button below, you agree that the information you have given on this application is true and correct, and forms part of the application, and that you have not withheld any information. You agree that if any information on this application is not found to be true, GOAL reserves the right, at any time, to cancel/reject your application and/or ask you to withdraw from the programme and be liable to repay the cost of the services you may have received under this programme.

Signature

Date (mm/dd/yyyy)

Application forms can be done online from the Ministry of Education website at http://education.gov.gy/ or the Ministry of Public Service Website at https://scholarships.dps.gov.gy/ . Applications can also be submitted in hard copy to the Ministry of Public Service at 164 Waterloo Street, North Cummingsburg, Georgetown.

[If you are submitting a hard copy of your application form there is no need to upload Online]

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

List of Documents to be submitted or uploaded:

Passport size Photo [upload in jpeg format] Copy of all academic certificates [upload in pdf format] Proof of Identification: copy of National ID or Driver’s Licence [upload in jpeg format] Motivational Statement [upload in pdf format] Letter of support from current employer (if employed) or any one in authority to attest to your personality [upload in pdf format]

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WEEKEND MIRROR 10-11 APRIL, 2021

PPP/C delivers on manifesto promise of online scholarships T

he provision of 20,000 online scholarships was a PPP/C manifesto promise and it is being delivered on with the operationalization of the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) – a platform offering scholarships to several recognised Universities for programmes at different levels.

Executive Member of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, in comments on the matter this week, said, “In our manifesto, we promised online scholarships.

We promised 20000 online scholarships. And you would have read in the newspaper and in the media that that scholarship program is now

unfolding by the ministries of Public Service as well as the Ministry of Education… the two ministries, education and public service are jointly administering the scholarship programme.”

Nandlall urged that the opportunity be taken advantage of. He said, “If you wish to avail yourself of this programme, please ensure that you comply the necessary application form and you are part of the program…you have a wide repertoire of areas of study that you can review and choose one of your liking….please ensure that you are part of this programme. Don't wait until the programmes have started and the academic year

has started and then trying to rush to get it done. Please be part of this programme so that we can continue this drive to educate our young people in particular.”

Nandlall assured, also, on non-discrimination in the awarding of the scholarships. He said, “There is no discrimination here. Any person, any Guyanese was qualified for these scholarships. I am assuring you we are assuring you that you have a fair opportunity of getting one of these scholarships. “…but you can only qualify, you can only be considered if you have an application in the system.

So please ensure that you get

an application in the system, but also that you peruse the various areas of discipline of study and you choose wisely.”

Notably, in its 2020-2025 manifesto, the PPP/C assured that it intends to: improve access to education at every level, from nursery to university; to raise the quality of education across all levels; and to prepare students for the job market, especially at the technical and tertiary levels.

To do this, the PPP/C has detailed specific targets, including to: • Build, expand and improve educational facilities across Guyana; • Improve remuneration and

conditions of service for teachers; • Offer incentives to teachers and opportunities for training and skills development; • Expand the use of ICT in education; • Enhance opportunities in Technical Vocational Education; • Facilitate the establishment of an online university and promote e-learning for hinterland students; • Enhance the Learning Channel to support learning across all levels and to extend the coverage across Guyana.

• Update a manpower survey and undertake curricula reform accordingly.

• Provide generous tax incen-

tives for private education providers from primary to tertiary levels to ensure affordability and improve the quality of education.

• Provide free education at the University of Guyana within 5 years.

• Provide a pathway for debt write-off for students with outstanding student loans.

• Enhance attention to our children with Special Education Needs (SEN).

• Reform and strengthening of the monitoring system for school management.

The PPP/C government has been in office just for just over eight months and has made progress and delivered on several of its manifesto promises.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 10-11 APRIL, 2021

THE GOVERNMENT OF GUYANA 20,000 SCHOLARSHIPS FOR ONLINE LEARNING. In keeping with the commitment made by His Excellency Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali and the People’s Progressive Party in its manifesto running up to the election to grant 20,000 scholarships for Online Courses, the Ministry of Education teaming up with the Ministry of Public Service is pleased to announce and commence accepting applications for the awarding of scholarships in a variety of disciplines. The Ministry of Education is working on operationalizing the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL), which will house this program, within this first half of 2021. This program is for Guyanese across all communities in every region and will be made accessible accordingly. The Ministry of Education has the responsibility of managing the academic and technical aspects of the program while the Public Service Ministry will award the scholarships.

GUYANA ONLINE ACADEMY OF LEARNING COURSES: INDIRA GANDI NATIONAL OPEN UNIVERSITY (IGNOU) INDIA CERTIFICATE COURSES Programme

Duration

Eligibility

Certificate in Food and Nutrition

6 months

No Formal Qualifications

Awareness Programme on Dairy Farming for Rural Farmers Certificate in Craft and Design (Pottery)

2 months

No Formal Qualifications

6 months

No Formal Qualifications

Certificate in Motorcycle Service and Repair

6 months

No Formal Qualifications

Bachelor Preparatory Programme (BPP)

6 months

Certificate in Disaster Management (CDM)

6 months

Certificate in Health Care Waste Management (CHCWM) Certificate in Tourism Studies (CTS)

6 months

Certificate in Nutrition and Child Care (CNCC)

6 months

Certificate in Primary Teaching (CPT)

6 months

A minimum of 5 subjects CSEC/CXC/GCE (science stream) plus 2 CAPE subjects (Units 1 and 2) or 2 GCE A levels. Working teacher with 2 years of teaching experience in a recognized institution.

Certificate in Teaching of Primary School Mathematics (CTPM)

6 months

A minimum of 5 subjects CSEC/CXC/GCE (English and Mathematics included); plus 2 CAPE subjects (Units 1 and 2) or 2 GCE A levels.

Working nursery, primary or elementary teachers

6 months

A minimum of five (5) CSEC/CXC/GCE passes This programme is designed for persons who did not have GCE A Level or CAPE subjects that are required for enrollment into other programmes. Upon the successful completion of this programme. The candidate become eligible for Bachelor’s degrees A minimum of 5 subjects CSEC/CXC/GCE (English and Mathematics included) plus 2 CAPE subjects (Units 1 and 2) or 2 GCE A levels or its equivalent or BPP from IGNOU

Certificate in Teaching of Readings

1 year

16

A Bachelor’s Degree in any discipline. Currently employe WEEKEND MIRROR 10-11 APRIL, 2021 teacher in early school grades.

University of West Indies (UWI-OPEN), Barbados

Certificate in Teaching of Readings

1 year

A Bachelor’s Degree in any discipline. Currently employed as teacher in early school grades.

Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) India Diploma Programmes Diploma Programme in Value added Products 1 year from Fruits and Vegetables (DVAPFV) Open University (IGNOU) A minimum 5 subjectsProgrammes CSEC/CXC/GCE (science Indira Gandhi National India of Diploma stream) plus 2 CAPE subjects (Units 1 and 2) or 2 GCE A Diploma Programme in Value added Products 1 year Diploma Programme in Value added Products 1 year levels from Cereals, pulses, and oilseeds (DPVCPO) from Fruits and Vegetables (DVAPFV) A minimum of 5 subjects CSEC/CXC/GCE (science Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education 1 year 1 year stream) plus 2 CAPE subjects (Units 1 and 2) or 2 GCE A Diploma Programme in Value added Products (DECE) levels from Cereals, pulses, and oilseeds (DPVCPO) Diploma in Youth in Development Work (DCYP) 1 year Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education 1 year (DECE) Diploma in Computer Integrated Manufacturing Diploma in Youth in Development Work (DCYP) (DCIM)

1 year

1 year

Diploma in Nutrition and Health Education (DNHE)

1 year

Diploma in Women/s Empowerment and Development (DWED)

1 year

Diploma in Creative Writing in English (DCE)

1 year

A Diploma in Mechanical/ Electrical/ Electronics/ Agriculture/ Automobiles/ Computer/ Civil Engineering from a recognized technical institute or its equivalent; plus, Candidates should be employed in related industrial organization or self-employed in an equivalent capacity.

A minimum of 5 subjects CSEC/CXC/GCE (science stream) plus 2 CAPE subjects (Units 1 and 2) or 2 GCE A levels A minimum of 5 subjects CSEC/CXC/GCE (English and Mathematics included) plus 2 CAPE subjects (Units 1 and 2) or 2 GCE A levels. Non CSEC/CXC/GCE applicants with three years working experience as development workers at any level.

A minimum of 5 subjects CSEC/CXC/GCE (English and Mathematics included) plus 2 CAPE subjects (Units 1 and 2) or 2 GCE A levels. Anyone without the qualifications listed above but is 20 years old and above will also be admitted.

Bachelor’s Degree Programmes

Bachelor of Science (Hosp. and Hotel Admin) (BHM) Bachelor of Arts (Tourism Studies) (BTS)

3 years

Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) B. Com Cost Accounting

3 years 3 years

B. Com Management Accounting B. Com Financial Markets B. Com Finance and Analysis BBA International Finance BBA Real Estate Management

3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years

B. Sc Multimedia

3 years

B. Sc Cyber Security B. Sc Cloud Computing B. Sc Artificial Intelligence B. Sc Data Science Bachelor of Computer Application BBA Aviation BBA Digital Marketing

3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years

3 years

Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), India

JAIN “deemed to be” University India

A minimum of 5 subjects CSEC/CXC/GCE (English and Mathematics included) plus 2 CAPE subjects (Units 1 and 2) or 2 GCE A levels or BPP from IGNOU

A minimum of 5 subjects CSEC/CXC/GCE (English and Mathematics included) plus 2 CAPE subjects (Units 1 and 2) or 2 GCE A levels or its equivalent. Applicants must be 18 years or above as on July 1 prior to the year of admission.

A minimum of 5 subjects CSEC/CXC/GCE in either the Business or Science streams (including English and Mathematics.) plus 2 CAPE subjects (Units 1 and 2) or 2 GCE A levels. Applicants must be 18 years or above as on July 1 prior to the year of admission.

BBA Digital Marketing BSc Industrial Engineering and Management

3 years 3 years

BSc Business and IT Bachelor in Robotics BSc Data Science

3 years 3 years 3 years

BSc in Nursing

3 years

BSc in Special Education

3 years

WEEKEND MIRROR 10-11 APRIL, 2021

17

A minimum of 5 subjects CSEC/CXC/GCE in the Science streams (English and Mathematics included) plus 2 CAPE subjects (Units 1 and 2) or 2 GCE A levels. The University of only other academic admission requirement is to Applied Sciences successfully pass two admission courses within the first (IUBH), Germany 12 months of your studies. The passed courses will be acknowledged.

University of Five O'Level GCE/CXC/CSEC passes, including English Southern Language and Mathematics/Economics/Accounting.

Caribbean (USC) - Updated Guyana Nursing Council Registration, Nursing Trinidad Council. Registration Certificate which includes the Registration Number must be submitted. Associate of Science Diploma and Transcript and at least three (3) years of work experience as a Registered Nurse.

Five O'Level GCE/CXC/CSEC passes, including English Language, Mathematics, and a Science subject.

Diploma/Associate Degree in Teacher Education and transcript. Must be currently employed as a teacher.

Post Graduate Diploma Programmes

PG Diploma in Disaster Management (PGDDM)

1 year

PG Diploma in Distance Education (PGDDE) PG Diploma in Environmental and Sustainable Development (PGDESD) PG Diploma in Intellectual Property Rights (PGDIPR) PG Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication (PGJMC) PG Diploma in Rural Development (PGDRD) PG Diploma in Maternal and Child Health (PGDMCH) PG Diploma in School Leadership and Management for Head Teachers (PGDSLM)

1 year 1 year

PG Diploma Human Resource Management PG Diploma Marketing Management PG Diploma General Management PG Diploma Financial Management PG Diploma Retail Management PG Diploma Operation Management PG Diploma Banking and Finance Management PG Diploma It Management Postgraduate Diploma Secondary English

1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year

Postgraduate Diploma Secondary Mathematics Postgraduate Diploma Early Childhood Education

1 year 1 year

Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), India

1 year 1 year

A Bachelor’s in any discipline from a recognized University.

Completion of MBBS and internship

1 year

Prospective and in-service school Head Teachers/Principals with a bachelor’s degree from a recognized university.

JAIN “deemed to be” University, India

A Bachelor’s Degree in a related subject with a GPA of no less than 2.7. Final Year students with a GPA of 2.7 are also eligible to apply.

University of the West Indies (UWI) OPEN Barbados

A Bachelor’s degree or its equivalent in the specialization which they teach with a G.P.A of at least 2.0. The candidate MUST teach in the area of specialization for the full duration of the programme

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WEEKEND MIRROR 10-11 APRIL, 2021

Master Degree Programmes

MA English MA Journalism MA Economics MA Public Policy & Administration MBA Digital Marketing MBA Risk Management MBA Aviation Management MBA Real Estate Management MBA Logistics and Supply Chain Management MBA Health Management MBA Wealth Management & Financial Planning MCA Cyber Security MCA Full Stack Development MCA Cloud Computing MCA Data Science MSc - Psychology M. Com Accounting & Finance M. Com Management Accounting M. Com International Finance MSc Big Data Management

2 years 2 years 2 years 2 years 2 years 2 years 2 years 2 years 2 years 2 years 2 years 2 years 2 years 2 years 2 years 2 years 2 years 2 years 2 years 2 years

MSc Artificial Intelligence MSc Cyber Security MSC Engineering Management

2 years 2 years 2 years

JAIN “Deemed to be” University, India

A Bachelor’s Degree in a related field with a GPA of no less than 2.7.

University of Applied Sciences (IUBH), Germany

A pass Bachelor’s degree in computer science from a recognized university. At least one year work experience before start of IUBH Online Master’s programme (achieved after previous studies). Plus: At least two years’ work experience when you want to graduate

Note: Applicants are invited to make three (3) choices of course of study in order of their preferences. Applicants should pay attention to the special conditions/requirements of some universities. Completed applications with all supporting documents can be submitted online as provided in the Application form or sent to the Ministry of Public Service at: Ministry of Public Service, 164 Waterloo Street, North Cummingsburg, Georgetown.

Students encouraged to take advantage of Government programmes – Min. Teixeira R

egion Five’s top performing Caribbean Secondary Examinations Council (CSEC) students were encouraged to take full advantage of the programmes and scholarships being offered by the Government by Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira has encouraged.

Minister Teixeira over the weekend addressed the 14 students from Mahaica-Berbice Region, at an awards ceremony held in

their honour in De Hoop Village. Minister of Public Service, Hon. Sonia Parag also attended the ceremony.

“This country has enormous potential, enormous, and so when my friend Sonia talks about scholarships, when the President talks about all these scholarships available, it is about looking at building our nation. We are talking about the diversities and expansion of agriculture, agro-processing, we will need skilled people in those

areas, horticulture, manufacturers. … We have oil and gas companies, others will be skills on the rig, others in procurement et cetera, enormous opportunities out there,” she said.

Minister Teixeira advised the young people not to feel pressured into their life goals immediately. She told them that while they may change their minds many times before eventually deciding on a course, they should embrace the virtues of service to com-

munity and country.

“It’s okay, you are finding your niche, where you feel content to be useful to yourself, to your families and communities. You have to find the place where you feel you are doing your best, that you feel the most satisfaction in being able to work and study and do well,” she explained.

The students hailed from Rosignol Secondary School, Bygeval Secondary School and Fraser’s Educational Institute.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 10-11 APRIL, 2021

COMMENTARY

Sheer hypocrisy: PNC/APNU/AFC leaders took their vaccines, but are silent on vaccination A

s of today more than 50,000 Guyanese have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. By the end of this week, we expect that about 60,000 Guyanese would have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. This is a strong response to the spiraling COVID-19 epidemic in Guyana.

As much as this is a strong response and as much as the Ministry of Health deserves high praise for an ef-

fective vaccine campaign so far, clearly, there is a visible vaccine hesitancy. The vaccination program as of this time has targeted persons 40 years and older. More than 5,000 persons who are less than 40 years old have received their first dose of vaccine because they are front line health workers. But there are almost 200,000 persons 40 years and over. It means that still less than 50% of those aged 40 and over have come forward

to receive their vaccine.

The President, the Vice-President, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Health, other Ministers and Members of Parliament from the PPP have been relentless in their promotion of the COVID-19 vaccines. The lone MP from the Joinder Party - ANUG, TCM and LJP - has also taken his vaccine and has urged people to take their vaccines. The Speaker of the National Assembly has

done so too. The leadership of the PPP and all the newer political parties that contested the March 2020 General and Regional Elections have come forward and encouraged people to take their vaccines. Private sector leaders have also aggressively been promoting the COVID-19 vaccines. Various faith leaders have joined the call to our Guyanese sisters and brothers to get their vaccines.

But there is a screaming,

screeching silence among certain political leaders, refusing to promote the COVID-19 vaccination program. The Leader of the PNC and of APNU, David Granger, has been irresponsibly silent on the vaccine campaign.

Mr. Granger is MIA, missing in action, much like when he was President. When he was President, in times of trouble or crisis, he was always MIA. Today, David Granger is silent at a time when every

responsible Guyanese leader should be out front urging our Guyanese sisters and brothers to take their COVID-19 vaccines. Mr. Granger certainly has nothing against the COVID-19 vaccine. It is publicly known that he took his vaccine. It is vexing, therefore, that he would adopt a posture of silence.

He has said not a word of encouragement. It is not about helping the government, it is (Turn to page 20)

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WEEKEND MIRROR 10-11 APRIL, 2021

Sheer hypocrisy: PNC/APNU/AFC leaders... about a responsibility and an obligation Mr. Granger has as the leader of the second largest political party in the country. Even if he does not care about every Guyanese citizen, he ought to care for his own supporters. The time has come for Mr. Granger to call on his supporters to take the vaccines that are available.

It is now public speculation whether Joe Harmon has taken his vaccine. If he has not taken his vaccine, he is being a poster child for recklessness. At the very least he

is letting down his supporters. The MOH team hosted a dedicated vaccination session for MPs and I know that most of the MPs were there to take their vaccines. I know other leaders of the PNC and the AFC and the one-man parties that belong to APNU+AFC have taken their vaccines.

But they are silent about the vaccination program. The ugly silence is a disservice against their own supporters.

It is an abrogation of the Leader of the Opposition's responsibility. It is irresponsible for all those MPs from

the Opposition APNU+AFC as they remain silent. Their silence is not just ugly, it is reckless.

To his credit, the former Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo, showed up among the present Opposition MPs for his vaccine and did meekly mentioned he hoped Guyanese take the vaccine. Nagamootoo took time after that to write a long epistle defending APNU+AFC's obnoxious attempt to thief the March 2020 elections. But he has gone silent on the COVID-19 vaccine. His AFC colleagues,

Khemraj Ramjattan, Raphael Trotman and others have taken the vaccine. They too have decided that silence is their preferred position. If the vaccine is good enough for them, why is the vaccine not good enough for their Guyanese sisters and brothers, both those who support them and those who do not support them. The silence of the Opposition leaders and their MPs, even after they took the COVID-19 vaccine, is reckless and I have no hesitation in calling out their hypocrisy.

Presently, Guyana has enough vaccines to vaccinate 81,000 Guyanese with their first doses and 61,000 with their second doses. In the coming weeks, Guyana will receive enough vaccines to vaccinate another 150,000 Guyanese citizens. By the middle of May, the MOH is hopeful that at least 250,000 Guyanese would have received at least one dose of vaccine, of which more than 20,000 would have also received their second dose. It is incumbent on all political leaders to play a role in the

(From page 19) successful rolling out of the COVID-19 vaccines. Political leaders who chose silence at this critical time are abrogating their responsibility to the people of Guyana. They must be held accountable for this ugly silence.

Even as the government has committed resources for the vaccination of everyone, there are other disturbing signals. The MOH has called on private sector leaders, religious leaders, NGOs and individuals to help mobilize our sisters and brothers. We are (Turn to page 21)

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WEEKEND MIRROR 10-11 APRIL, 2021

Guyana has always embraced a spirit of peace – Prime Minister

P

rime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, recently stressed that the PPP/C Government remains committed to promoting peace and unity at home among its diverse population and at the international level.

“Guyana has always embraced a spirit of peace … everything that we do must be done with the ultimate goal of promoting unity, cooperation, and an overall culture of peace, particularly when it comes to sensitive areas such as politics, religion and economics,” he said.

The Prime Minister said

that the claims by Venezuela over Guyana’s territory have tested the relationship between the two countries, but that Guyana remains committed to the best practice of peace. He said, “Guyana has become home to many Venezuelans in the recent past as a result of that country’s ongoing economic and political state, and even as we welcome those nationals to our land, we continually hope that a peaceful end to this dispute can be achieved”.

However he noted that wars and conflicts create an atmosphere of uncertainty,

which affects generations of people and constraints growth and development.

“Today’s world is wrought with major global issues that create conflicts which bring about gross uncertainty concerning cooperation among countries…. We continue to see territories fight against each other based on historical practices- following in the footsteps of forefathers, who, at the time had fewer opportunities, advancements and information than we do today,” he said.

With regard to Guyana’s internal affairs, the Prime

Minister said that peaceful relations is an integral part of the social construct of the Guyanese society and that the country takes pride in its di-

versity. “We take pride in our racial and cultural diversity; we revel in our differences while using those differences to share experiences with

each other. It is these practices that allow us to always be lauded for our hospitality by visitors far and wide,” the Prime Minister stressed.

Sheer hypocrisy: PNC/APNU/AFC... (From page 20) encouraged by the many people who have come forward.

The private sector throughout the country have stepped forward. This include big busi9nesses, such as Banks DIH, Sterling Products, Fernandes.

But small businesses, such as those in Berbice helping out with the mobilization of people for vaccination. Small

businesses , such as Permaul Trading, Peter Lewis and Chris Jagdeo in Albion have shown the way forward for collaboration. But religious leaders such as those in Dharmic Sabha, CIOG, the Seventh day Adventist, the Buxton pastors etc. have also stepped forward. It is in this context that we reject those

who have made vaccination in masjids an issue. We are willing and grateful that masjids, mandirs, churches have hosted vaccination campaigns.

This is the time for all Guyanese to work in solidarity to ensure that all Guyanese aged 18 and above are vaccinated.

22

WEEKEND MIRROR 10-11 APRIL, 2021

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WEEKEND MIRROR 10-11 APRIL, 2021

Gazetted COVID-19 Measures extended until April 30 T

he Government has extended the gazetted COVID-19 measures to the end of April.

The Emergency Measures number 16 states that restriction to home and restriction on social activities remain in place. “No person shall host, attend or visit a cinema (except for drive in) a private party, a banquet or reception, a public or hotel swimming

pool or a wake or vigil or any other social activity,” the measures state.

The curfew remains the same, running from 10.30 pm to 4.00 am.

Meanwhile, the National COVID-19 Task Force has implemented some restrictions for the Easter weekend, which begins on Good Friday. The measures, it said, are intended to ensure limited activities,

while preserving the sanctity of the holidays. The Task Force said all church services, including Mass and other cultural programmes can only be held at a 40 per cent capacity. Churches are also advised to use outside spaces, where available.

It has advised that activities in public spaces including parks, creeks, lakes, beaches and resorts are also prohibited.

Two more private labs get provisional approval to do PCR testing - Min Anthony A

Guyana’s economy will remain resilient...

(From back page)

ed to expand by 5.6 per cent, driven by growth across all sub-sectors.

The sugar industry is expected to grow by 9.6 per cent. This, Dr. Singh noted, is due to the restructuring of the Guyana Sugar Corporation, along with the recapitalisation of sugar estates and improved production.

Meanwhile, with new, high-yielding varieties, the rice industry is forecasted to expand by 3.5 per cent this year. At the same time, the forestry, livestock, other crops and fishing industries are expected to grow by 18.5 per cent – 5 per cent, 5 per cent, and 11.1 per cent respectively – driven by higher demand, and incentives provided in Budget 2020.

The extractive industries are also expected to see massive growth during this fiscal year. The mining and quarrying sector is expected to grow by 39.1 per cent. This will be driven by growth in

the oil, gold, and bauxite industries.

Within the oil and gas sub-sector, the daily rate of production is projected at just over 109,000 barrels of oil per day. This sub-sector is projected to grow by 46.7 per cent in 2021. The gold mining sub-sector, which also suffered some setbacks in 2020, is expected to grow by 4.2 per cent in 2021, largely due to the resumption of operations at one largescale gold mine, which had suffered a stoppage in 2020.

Dr Singh said the bauxite sub-sector, which faced major interruptions in 2020, is expected to recover in 2021, and grow by 18.4 per cent.

Similarly, the other mining and quarrying sub-sector, which saw a significant contraction in 2020 as a result of lower demand, is projected to recover, and grow by 19.8 per cent in 2021.

The performance of the manufacturing sector is pro-

jected to improve by 7.3 per cent in 2021, on account of anticipated growth in sugar, rice, and other manufacturing.

The three sub-sectors are expected to grow by 9.6 per cent, 8.7 per cent and 6.2 per cent, respectively.

The Finance Minister said with the resumption and expansion of public sector construction through the Public Sector Investment Programme, along with growth in the private sector investment, a 9.1 per cent growth rate is projected for this sector in 2021.

Significant improvements are anticipated for 2021, following the phased reopening of the economy, and an overall growth rate of five per cent is projected for the services sector.

This is largely driven by anticipated expansions in wholesale and retail trade, transportation and storage, and financial and insurance activities, which are projected to grow by 10 per cent, 9.9 per cent and 7 per cent, respectively.

nother two private medical facilities are now authorised to conduct the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for COVID-19.

Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony, disclosed thatt Coastal Diagnostics and Sheriff Medical Laboratory have been given provisional approval.

He said, “So right now, for PCR testing we have four authorised laboratories, the first one being the National Public Health Reference Lab, which is run by

the Ministry of Health, the second one would be Eureka Medical Laboratories and they have been doing PCR testing, the third…

Coastal Diagnostics, which has been granted a provisional licence and the fourth …Sheriff Medical Laboratories, which has been granted a provisional licence.”

Minister Anthony said the full licence would be granted once all the criteria for PCR testing are met. He said, “Both of them have been given provisional licence because we tend to

assess on a regular basis, until we are comfortable and then we make sure they’ll be granted the full licence once they comply with all the things that we require.”

Apart from PCR testing, there are now eight local facilities accredited to conduct the antigen test.

While the United States has adjusted its travel measures to include either the PCR or antigen tests other countries, including Guyana, still require a negative PCR test for entry.

Guyana’s economy will remain resilient against COVID-19 impacts – World Bank G

uyana’s economy will remain resilient against the effects of the dreaded novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, maintaining its positive growth trajectory as the burgeoning petroleum sector ‘picks up steam’, according to the World Bank in its semi-annual report on Latin American and the Caribbean Region.

The World Bank’s latest estimates show that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

of the Latin American and Caribbean Region will be 2.6 per cent lower at the end of 2021 than it was at the end of 2019.

Further, the Bank said while most of the region should be enjoying strong economic rebound in 2021, Haiti and Suriname are expected to experience negative growth. On the other hand, Guyana’s growth rate will remain in the double digits, the bank said. Guyana grew

at an extraordinary rate of 43.5 per cent in 2020, having completed a year of oil production. The positive spillover effects were, however, dampened by a deep contraction in the non-oil economy, triggered by measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite the lingering adversities, projections remain positive, with the country set to record economic growth of 20.9 per cent at the end of

2021, 26.0 per cent in 2022 and 23.0 per cent in 2023.

The country’s GDP of about $6.8 billion is expected to more than double by 2025, reaching over $14 billion.

Guyana, a middle-income developing country, is covered by dense forests and is home to fertile agricultural lands and abundant natural resources. Gold, bauxite, sugar, rice, timber, and shrimp are among its leading exports.

OIL AND GAS SECTOR This nation, however, attracted international attention after ExxonMobil made the first commercial discovery of oil offshore Guyana in 2015 and started production in December 2019. In September 2020, ExxonMobil made its 18th discovery offshore Guyana at the Redtail-1 well.

According to the second largest stock exchange in the world by market capitalisation, NASDAQ, Guyana, with its estimated recoverable resources of about nine billion barrels of oil equivalents is projected to be among the world’s largest per capita oil producer by 2025.

Oil production is undoubtedly contributing significantly to local growth, but the World Bank cautioned Guyana that risks related to the management of wealth generated from the sector remain. “Guyana will be challenged to transform its burgeoning oil wealth into human capital, physical capital, and financial assets for broad-based welfare increases,” the World Bank advised.

The country’s oil-andgas-sector is already pumping finances into its Natural Resources Fund (NRF), with some US$61,090,968 (approximately G$13B) being earned from the sale of the nation’s fifth oil lift.

The Government, in keeping with its commitment to accountability and transparency in the petroleum sector, has announced that the country received its latest payment after the

sale of 997,420 barrels of oil which were lifted from ExxonMobil’s Liza Destiny on February 5, 2021.

The nation, new to the petroleum sector, sold its first one million barrels of crude on February 19, 2020, raking in nearly US$55 million. In its second million-barrel sale, the country received US$35 million, US$46 million as proceeds from the sale of its third million-barrel of crude, and US$49.3 million from its fourth oil lift.

Based on a consolidation of all the lifts to date, the country has sold 5,009,797 barrels of oil valuing US$246,542,662. The country is anticipating its sixth lift within the next two weeks.

Along with the earnings from the oil lifts and over US$21 million in royalties and interest, Guyana has close to US$267,668,709 in its NRF, at the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank.

PROJECTED PERFORMANCE Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, during the presentation of this year’s $383.1 billion national budget, projected that Guyana’s real gross domestic product (GDP) for 2021 is projected to grow by some 20.9 per cent, with the non-oil economy growing by 6.1 per cent, a significant reversal of the 7.3 per cent contraction in 2020.

Under sectoral growth, the agriculture, forestry and fishing industries are expect(Turn to page 23)

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