Weekend Mirror 30-31 July 2022

‘Collective vulgarity’ of PNCR-led Coalition will not be tolerated – Teixeira 30-31 July, 2022 / Vol. 12 ‒ No. 33 / Price: $100

Email: mirror2018.gy@gmail.com

PAGE 24

Nandlall says....

PAGE 3

FBI ‘actively considering’ complaints against US-based persons using social media to spew racial hostilities

Elections CoI team crafting ToR to guide investigation

PAGE 16

Two years on…

Guyana’s developmental model reflects the priorities of country, people PAGE 8

– Ali says ‘Vision 2030’ will be achieved

SEE INSIDE

Public assistance booklets for August distribution Gov’t working out modalities for cement, steel distribution PAGE 6

PAGE 6

─ CHPA promises transparent process

ExxonMobil makes two more oil finds, total discoveries offshore Guyana stand at 38 PAGE 18

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WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 JULY, 2022

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WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 JULY, 2022

Nandlall says....

FBI ‘actively considering’ complaints against US-based persons using social media to spew racial hostilities

C

yber space is the new emerging platform for the commission of serious criminal offences in Guyana and globally, according to Attorney General, Anil Nandlall.

And this point was stressed when he met with Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Legal Attache’ James Markley, FBI’s Assistant Legal Attache’ Derek Kreitensteid, and US State Department Mayan L. Shih on Monday (July 25, 2022) at his Chambers.

Markley is the lead officer of the FBI for the Caribbean region, including 27 countries stretching from Bermuda to Guyana and is based in Bridgetown, Barbados while Kreitensteid is the Assistant Legal Attache’ and is based in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

Also, Mayan is the Regional Security Officer representing the US State Department in the Caribbean.

Nandlall pointed out to the FBI team that many persons who use social media platforms, in particular in the United States of America to spew racial hostilities and create ethnic strife among segments of the Guyana population, inciting and aiding and abetting riotous conduct and even domestic terrorism in Guyana.

He informed the team that the State of Guyana has already lodged formal complaints with various important offices and agencies in the United States on this matter, including the FBI and he is using this opportunity to reiterate those reports requesting actions from US authorities against these perpetrators who operate with impunity from the United States.

When asked, Nandlall said, the complaints were being “actively considered.”

WANTED BULLETIN The Guyana Police Force on December 3, 2021 issued a wanted bulletin for United States-based Guyanese Rickford Burke in connection with seven offences.

Burke, who is aligned to the APNU+AFC Coalition, appeared on a Facebook live programme with APNU+AFC Parliamentarian, Sherod Duncan, on December 2, 2021, where he reportedly made a number of seditious remarks about the governing People’s Progressive Party/Civic, made a call for agitation against the PPP/C Government and for Guyana to be divided along ethnic lines.

Burke had said, “I hope the international community is taking stock of what we are saying because when black people start to respond – and I question whether Bharrat Jagdeo, Anil Nandlall, Irfaan Ali and all these people who are working hard to incite a civil war; I wonder if they think they will survive. “…I don’t think we should

mince words anymore...I think we must seriously start examining whether we should divide the country….I think, this a time right now for militancy and a revolution in Guyana. We are not going to sit back and allow the PPP to enslave black people. It is time black people rise up and fight back…I think we should enter a period of non-cooperation with the PPP – do not cooperate with them. They should be no Service Commission.

I think the members of the Guyana Elections Commission from the Coalition should resign…bring everything to a halt. Grind government to a halt. Create an international incident…bring this government to its knees. “…they must understand that they are not the only bad people or gangsters in the country. The PPP must understand that. So until somebody get run off the road or something to compensate for the things they have been doing, they gonna keep doing it. And I am not afraid to say, I’m not afraid to say, this is a time we gotta challenge them back.”

According to the Police Force, Burke is wanted for questioning in relation to the several offences and several other offences.

1. Offence: The excitement of hostility or ill-will on the grounds of Race. [s. 2 of the Racial Hostility Act. Any person who willfully excites or attempts to excite racial hostility against a particular race by means of words spoken in a public place or transmitted by telegraphy].

2. Offence: Sedition under the Cyber Crime Act. [pursuant to s. 18(1)(a) and (f). the offence is made out if it’s against the government s. 18(1)(a) and if it excites racial divisions (f)] 3. Offence: Use of a computer system to coerce and intimidate under the Cyber Crime Act. [s.19 (3) makes it an offence to disseminate information via computer which is known to be false to damage the reputation of another person].

4. Offence: Seditious Libel [offence at common law. It is the overt speech or conduct to bring hatred and contempt against the Government].

5. Offence: Seditious Libel [s.

320 Criminal Law offences Act 8:01.]

6. Offence: Inciting the provocation of a breach of the peace [provoking a breach of the peace is s.141 Cap 8:02.

Inciting any offence is itself an offence] 7. Offence: inciting public terror. Inciting public terror in public places is an offence under s.137 of Cap. 8:01the incitement of persons to go to public places and behave a certain way could be incitement to cause public terror] The APNU+AFC Coalition has since come out in defence of Burke.

AREAS OF COOPERATION Meanwhile, the Attorney General also discussed the various policies and training programs being pursued by the various law enforcement agencies intending to augment

the State’s capabilities to investigate, prosecute and convict for criminal conduct, as well as the government’s robust legislative agenda.

The team raised a number of areas in which they have been cooperating with the Government of Guyana over

the years, such as, rendering mutual assistance in criminal matters, extradition, anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism, trafficking of narcotics and firearms, tracing proceeds of organized crime and forfeiture of assets, trafficking in persons

and cyber related criminal activities.

The team expressed an interest in intensifying its relationship with the Government of Guyana in the investigation, prosecution, and in securing convictions in these types of offences.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 JULY, 2022

EDITORIAL

Never Again!

I

n a matter of days, Guyanese will mark the two-year anniversary of the five-month struggle to protect our nascent democracy from would-be election riggers.

The APNU+AFC Coalition’s tactics to seize power via electoral fraud perpetrated during the tabulation of results for Region 4, with the complicity of a select few officials of the Secretariat of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), was blocked because of the vigilance of stakeholders in the electoral process – the political parties, the local Election Observer Missions, the international Election Observer Missions and the independent media corps.

Of note is that the Coalition did not challenge the pronouncement that the electoral process – up to the point of the controversial tabulation of votes for Region 4 – was free and fair. The GECOM Chair, Claudette Singh, on March 4, 2020, had said: “GECOM has delivered free, fair and credible elections.” The Coalition leader, David Granger, on March 4, 2020 had declared that: “The General and Regional Elections were free, fair and orderly.” The Coalition went as far as telling lawmakers in the United States of America, it is dossier, that: “The various comments from the observer missions convey that the voting process in the elections was well managed, peaceful, proceeded largely without incident and was free, fair and transparent. It is therefore, reasonable to conclude then that the voting process was not fraudulent.” All the while, the Coalition insisted that it won the 2020 General and Regional Elections. The protests of the APNU+AFC Coalition commenced when it was clear that they faced an electoral loss.

However, thankfully, one by one these protests – frivolous and unsubstantiated allegations – were exposed as being without any basis. That said, the extent to which the Coalition went it etched in the minds of Guyanese. We saw: • Peddling of misinformation related to the circulation of fake national identification cards; • Signatures of the PNCR Chairperson, Volda Lawrence, and Coalition activist, Carol Joseph, on manipulated declarations for Region 4, which increased votes for the APNU+AFC and decreased the votes for the PPP/C – declarations that were exposed during the national recount as manipulated; • Machinations that saw Assistant Commissioner, Edgar Thomas, being removed from his position at the GECOM Command Centre at Ashmin’s Building after he refused the instruction from Deputy Chief Election Commissioner, Roxanne Myers, to remove GECOM Commissioner, Sase Gunraj, from the building; • Barring the media from entering the GECOM’s Command Center at Ashmin’s Building; • Multiple court actions, which, among other things, scuttled multiple GECOM meetings and prevented a finalizing of the election results; • The Chief Election Officer, Keith Lowenfield’s flouting of a court order; • The Coalition-nominated GECOM Commissioners’ efforts to push through a report from the Chief Election Officer to declare a victory for the Coalition, despite the fact that the report included manipulated numbers; • Efforts to have Giftland Mall remove the security cameras that captured parts of the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), where the national recount was taking place; and • Efforts to remove GECOM Commissioner Robeson Benn from the ACCC when ballot boxes were being moved there for the national recount, among many other infractions.

In the face of this, Guyanese resisted the actions that were clearly intended to take Guyana down a path that is inconsistent with the will of the Guyanese people. Guyanese struggle, together, to ensure that the gains made in our democracy over the past two decades were not lost.

In addition to the two-year anniversary of the triumph of the struggle to protect our democracy, the PPP/C led Administration will also mark its second year in office.

The successes of the PPP/C first year in office – from delivering affordable housing to the return of direct support to Guyanese families via the ‘Because We Care’ cash grant, etc. – are in stark contrast to the five-year reign of the APNU+AFC Coalition.

In that time there was a clear and unapologetic focus by the Coalition on power, not people. This was seen, also, repeatedly in the Coalition’s use of the ‘race card’. This

Electoral system must be strengthened by putting measures in place to ensure no place for mischief Dear Editor,

T

he Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) must not waste time deliberating over trivial matters designed to procrastinate the delivery of the institution’s mandate. It is opportune for the Commission, as a collective, to recognise the deliberate, sinister, and abusive approach by the Opposition Commissioners to slow down or immobilise any rational delivery by the institution.

Our nation must stand together strongly and condemn the abrogation of purpose by these cabal Commissioners.

Their clandestine and characteristically partisan actions fly in the face of their appointment and accommodation which, luckily, the scripters of the Constitution may have contemplated.

Consequently, objectivity at the Commission level cannot be held to ransom, and this is ensured by the odd-number formula preserving the rights to rational decision-making. GECOM therefore must continue its purposeful forward-thrust, and put all systems in place for the holding of Local Government Elections (LGEs).

At the last meeting of the Commission, GECOM Chairperson Madam Claudette Singh threw out the APNU/ PNC-WPA second trivial and procrastination-laden motion. Another motion that failed to disguise its clear intent and design to realise stalling of the holding of the delayed LGEs. One and all must applaud the decisive position taken by Chairwoman Madam Claudette Singh, who perhaps by now has become extremely frustrated and fed up with the obvious undercurrents as those commissioners continue to call for a review of the 2020 polls.

It is of note that the GECOM Chair-

woman had addressed a previous motion on the issue, and in her written decision against any internal review of the 2020 Elections, provided acceptable justification. Further, there have been judicial decisions in centrally-related matters and the differentiation between a review of GECOM’s approved procedures in effectively conducting free and fair elections compared to investigations into what transpired during the glaringly fraudulent actions of key elections officials.

Aside from the foregoing, the APNU/AFC Commissioners are well aware of the likely futility of such exercise, given that the former CEO Keith Lowenfield failed to submit the relevant reports, and many of the institution’s computers were wiped clean of related data. As one would suspect, had it not been for the protectors of democracy, who were certainly willing to protect the cast ballots with their lives, our country might have had to rely on the conflicting falsities and indictable fictitiously-created declarations.

The absolute irrationality resonating from the Vincent Alexander-led clan informs an inconsistent and baseless comparison concerning other recent elections at which the then APNU/AFC Government was widely defeated. One must therefore ask obvious questions concerning the reasons why there was no review of the 2016 and 2018 Local Government Elections.

Further, there could be no pretense about the nation’s perception regarding the role of the APNU/AFC Government in ensuring that the PPPC Election Petition against the 2015 Elections results was never heard. It is therefore reasonable to assert that the likes of Vincent Alexander and his clan would have also had many reasons to request internal

tactic, admittedly, is unsurprising. The People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), which is the majority partner in the Coalition, has played on ethnic insecurities of our people since the 1960s. The race card has always been the ‘ace in the pocket’, which PNC/APNU/AFC has flashed to keep their supporters in line. This is how they sustained the elite cabal for five years and sustained the illusion of uplifting the wellbeing and welfare of Afro-Guyanese. The Coalition lost the 2020 elections because they did nothing for Guyanese in general; they did not enhance the quality of life and wealth of Afro-Guyanese, except for a small elite group. It is, now, beyond a doubt that the PNC-led APNU+AFC Coalition has always been about power and not about the Guyanese people and this is, unfortunately, unlikely to change.

That said, all Guyanese are encouraged to look beyond the façade of the Coalition and recognise that it is only together,

reviews. So why was there no request for review for the clan on this occasion?

Further, evidence of significant difficulties experienced by the Auditor General in his attempt to Audit GECOM was met with a defiant lack of cooperation from officials of the GECOM Secretariat. There is also public evidence indicating that GECOM’s financial statements were not audited since 2011, but the nation has not heard a word concerning reviews in the heat of the wide stakeholders’ outcry.

It is clear that from 2015 onwards, GECOM staff and the entire operation at GECOM were taken over by a notorious cabal. It is not by chance that several senior members of the GECOM Secretariat who participated in the 2020 elections are facing fraud charges in the courts. It is also factual that several others ran away from GECOM because of the consequences they anticipated would follow.

The GECOM Chairperson is trying her best to improve things at the Commission. However, the harsh reality is that the electoral system must be strengthened by putting measures in place to ensure no more rigged elections. The good news is that the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the March 2020 General and Regional Elections are currently being implemented. In addition, genuine efforts are in place for the holding of LGEs, although the Opposition Commissioners at GECOM are deliberately trying to come up with delaying tactics and are also hell-bent on seeking to postpone the elections.

There is no time for any review before LGEs, take it to the courts!

Sincerely, Neil Kumar

as a people, that we will prosper. Guyanese have to move forward together for the simple reason that we are stronger together. It must be noted that the PPP/C Administration’s successes have come despite the fact Guyana is battling the COVID-19 pandemic and has been tasked with other national emergencies, in particular, the countrywide flooding that has affected some 51,000 households. And Guyanese have much more to look forward to as the current administration works towards the fulfillment of the Party’s 2020-2025 manifesto and ensuring that the ‘Plan for Prosperity’ is delivered, in order to benefit every single Guyanese – regardless who they voted for.

As a people, we must also send a clear signal to undemocratic elements that never again will they be allowed to hold our nation hostage for the sake of selfish personal and political motives. Never again!

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WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 JULY, 2022

Crisis in sugar sector was created by the APNU+AFC Coalition Dear Editor,

Ramjattan continues P shameless attempts to justify firing of thousands Dear Editor,

T

he July 19, 2022, Kaieteur News reported that AFC Leader, Mr Khemraj Ramjattan in speaking on the sugar industry, among other things, once again sought to justify, shamelessly, the former Coalition Government downsizing of the sugar industry. This narrative from Mr Ramjattan is not new and is largely a regurgitation of what he and others of his ilk had said in the past.

Though it was drawn to his attention on several occasion, the erstwhile gentleman continues to see sugar from a narrow perspective. As we and others have pointed on several occasions sugar has opportunities far beyond the bulk market. We note GuySuCo’s efforts on this front which it says is bearing fruit though we may not see eye-to-eye with the Corporation on other issues.

In advancing his rhetoric Mr Ramjattan seems to advance a very dim view of sugar workers and their families. He charges that a continuation of sugar seems to condemn the workers and their families to a poor life. This is unfortunate given the immense contribution of sugar workers and their families. Of course, while the AFC leader maybe correct to say that sugar workers and their families have dreams of betterment and improvement, didn’t he and his colleagues of the Coalition when in office rob them of those aspirations?

Mr Ramjattan charged that workers were be-

ing conditioned to use cutlasses as it appeared he took a derisive tone. But then it was the same person who in collaboration with others robbed thousands of workers of even being able to use a cutlass.

The AFC leader spoke about giving young men and women in the sugar belt opportunities to stem intergenerational poverty. This on the surface sounds pleasing to the ears. But alas Mr Ramjattan should advise what actions were taken in that regard? The ILO-sponsored socio-economic study that examined the lives of workers and their families after the callous closure of estates demonstrated the hardship and destitution that faced thousands of Guyanese.

We sincerely hope that Mr Ramjattan, in his quiet moments, will reflect on what closure really brought and what it did to many persons. At this time, we are aware that some among us still advance that the industry should be forgotten. Such intentions are not altruistic but are grounded in their innate desire to engage in all manner of speculation with the industry’s prized land holdings. It is saddening that in these times, there are men and women among us who are prepared to trample on thousands to satisfy their lusty greed.

Yours faithfully, Seepaul Narine GAWU President

PNC should free itself of adversarial politics and support lifting of Guyana to greater heights Dear Editor,

G

uyana is on the path of democratic renewal. Despite attempts by the political opposition to derail the democratic process, there can be no doubt that the country has made, over the decades, substantial progress in terms of representative governance and the rule of law.

The above notwithstanding, the search for ways to deepen our democracy to reflect our diversity must continue. In this regard, the measures taken by the current administration to reactivate the process of constitutional reforms must be applauded.

It is now for the political opposition to come on board with a view to iron out a governance construct that will address the ethnic dilemma that has been a drag on our developmental aspirations ever since the split of the PPP in 1955. Sadly, the scars of that political schism still remain in the body-politic, even though there are indications of higher levels of political inclusivity and multiculturalism. It is an established historical fact that the split in the PPP was engineered by Forbes Burnham following his unsuccessful bid to take over the leadership of the PPP. As a gesture of good faith, the PNC which still remains the largest opposition party in the country, should recognise the

legitimacy of the PPP/C administration and desist from labelling the government as an ‘installed’ regime when the entire world knows otherwise. This is only doing further damage to the image and credibility of the PNC as a political party and would further alienate those who may be politically sympathetic to the party.

Secondly, the PNC needs to publicly acknowledge some of the excesses of the past, including the rigging of national elections from 1968 all the way to 1985.

This admittedly is a tough call, but it is a historical fact that the PNC perpetuated its life in office for 24 years through a combination of force and electoral fraud.

It does not require a truth and reconciliation commission as in the case of South Africa to establish the fact that a serious injustice was done to the PPP and its supporters who were kept out of political office for nearly three decades through fraudulent elections. The Guyanese people as a whole were made to suffer from acts of political victimisation and incompetent rule. Indeed, the country during that period was reduced to one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere and Guyana was regarded as a ‘pariah’ state by the international community. The PNC cannot escape responsibility for that sad (Turn to page 20)

lease allow me to share my views on the above, as the main political Opposition is crying that there is a shortage of sugar here in Guyana.

I would like to go back to the election campaign of 2015. I can vividly recall that in almost all the political meetings and rallies, sugar and rice were the mantra of the AFC to win the votes of those sugar workers and their families, and rice farmers and their families.

But let’s talk about sugar.

During those very meetings and rallies, the AFC pleaded with sugar workers and their families for their votes. I can recall at the rally in Whim, Corentyne, Berbice in front of Dr Ramayya (hope you won’t come attacking, doc) all of the AFC speakers – such as Ramayya, Charandass, Ramjattan, Nagamootoo and even PNC Granger – made several promises to the sugar workers and their families.

All of them were full of joy as the sugar workers and their families were loud in applause when they all said they were going to turn around the industry for the better, and workers and their families would again have a good life, rather than what obtained under the PPP. Yes, this was said, and we all believed them and pleaded with the workers for their votes, because Nagamootoo was telling the sugar workers that they are the hardest workers and they are the working class that the PPP let down, and under the APNU+AFC Government, they would have several benefits being restored, as sugar would be profitable again.

We were all told that not a single worker would be sent home, and not a single estate would be closed under Nagamootoo’s watch; and YES, we all believed his words.

Those promises were so soundly told that anyone would have believed that the words spoken on stage, on the ground, on TV and radio programmes, in press releases and on social media outlets were going to all be the reality for the workers and their families.

But then the APNU+AFC were elected into Government, and that is when we all had to face the harsh treatment and false promises made by Nagamootoo and the AFC, along with the APNU(PNC), to the sugar workers and their families.

The cry by the Opposition, that there is a shortage of sugar in Guyana, should never be, because they are the ones to be blamed if there is a shortage presently. Nagamootoo was so proud to say that he chairs the cabinet most of the time, and that he wants the best for the sugar workers. But not long after, it was Nagamootoo who sat and allowed the APNU(PNC) to start a process with Dr Thomas on the sugar industry to know what to do, and as we all know, the outcome of that report wasn’t based on the economic side of GuySuCo or the well-being of thousands of sugar workers and their families, but was based on a racist agenda.

Why did I say that? Because all along, we all knew that GuySuCo was running at a loss, so it wasn’t a surprise, as was mentioned by Dr Thomas in his final report. Nagamootoo sat there at the head of the cabinet and allowed the decision to close some estates and send thousands of workers packing to be voted on, knowingly that the APNU(PNC) would have outnumbered the AFC, which, by the way, always depends on sugar workers’ votes to enter Parliament.

The closing of some of the estates means that the mills would stop grinding, and are going to be destroyed or damaged in months and years to come. But Nagamootoo and the AFC, along with the PNC, didn’t care what the outcome would have been.

Thousands of workers were sent home, and were left without a job for months. Their families suffered economic and mental hardship during that time, but Nagamootoo, the AFC and PNC didn’t care, because those in Government were getting fat cat super salaries and benefits.

In a nutshell, all those things that happened in the industry were the cause of greed for power by some in the AFC and PNC, especially Nagamootoo.

After the decision was made to downsize (as they call it) GuySuCo, Nagamootoo stopped going to Berbice. He was ashamed to face the workers, so he sent Khemraj Ramjattan to defend his hasty decisions in the industry.

Ramjattan went every week to defend Nagamootoo and PNC’s decision to fire sugar workers and close the estates. But Ramjattan wasn’t making any sense to the workers, because he, as the leader of the AFC, allowed Nagamootoo to use the AFC and the sugar workers for his political greed for power.

Since then, I have deemed Nagamootoo as the “Conniving Snake”, because he deceived the AFC and failed to defend the sugar workers. He betrayed all of Guyana. The AFC had a Minister of Agriculture who didn’t even offer a reasonable defence to the workers. He didn’t care about what happened. He was sitting all along, and had to do what was told to him by Nagamootoo.

Today the AFC and PNC want to blame the PPP for what they presumed is happening in the industry, as they deemed it a shortage in sugar. The Opposition should call on Nagamootoo to now come public and say why he betrayed the sugar workers.

If the APNU+AFC hadn’t closed some of the estates and sent home thousands of sugar workers, we would not have reached this stage, as they are saying there is a shortage of sugar.

Today this Government has to spend billions on repairing those very estates that the APNU+AFC closed, in order to get them functioning again. It is the closure of the estates that led to this shortage, if there is a shortage, and the APNU+AFC and Nagamootoo must take the blame.

APNU+AFC closed those estates so that we would not get sugar in the future, and today they are crying bitterly for sweets from sugar that they throw away because of racist politics.

The cry by the Opposition now is wasting time, because we all know they didn’t care for the sugar industry at all, but all they did was to make false promises to the sugar workers and their families to get their votes.

So, Charandass was totally in order in saying, “YES! YES! YES!” to throw the APNU+AFC out of office for failing the sugar workers, and we all know that without the votes of the sugar workers and their families, the AFC can never ever see Government again, nor would the PNC. If there is a crisis in the sugar industry today, I do believe that it was created by the APNU+AFC Government while they were in office.

Respectfully, A. Seetaram

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WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 JULY, 2022

P P P /C D E L I V E R I N G O N ‘ P L A N F O R P R O S P E R I T Y ’ WIIN Phase 2 to be launched Gov’t working out modalities for cement, early August G steel distribution ─ CHPA promises transparent process

T

he Ministry of Housing and Water’s Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA) is working out the method for the distribution of steel and cement announced by President Dr. Irfaan Ali, as part of government’s support for home builders.

President Ali announced last Friday (June 22, 2022) that persons constructing homes costing $6 million or less, will be given the steel needed and one sling of cement for the construction of the foundation. For home builders spending $6 to $25 million, government will provide two slings of cement.

Minister, Collin Croal, MP said a technical team is combining the final documentation for the initiative.

“We have the information but we want to make sure that we present that package, all we have always done, we present that package as transparent

and as much information as possible. So, within a week time, if you may, or even before but just give us within a week…I have persons coming to my gate asking me about the programme.

Obviously if you hear anything about assistance for a sling of cement and steel, or if it’s the higher bracket, two slings of cement you want to know as quickly as possible,” Minister Croal pointed out.

CHPA’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Sherwyn Greaves reiterated the need for transparency and accountability during the implementation of the initiative.

He said, “When you see the modality, it will be very clear and transparent on how we will go about doing it.”

In addition to the provision of steel and cement, home builders will also benefit from a 3.8 percent interest on home loans up to $9 million.

The initiatives announced by the president add to the host of measures already implemented by the PPP/C Government to help citizens own their own home, enhancing their quality of life in keeping with its manifesto promise.

When the administration came into office in 2022, Value Added Tax (VAT) were removed from construction materials including sand, stone, concrete blocks, lumber, and subsequently cement.

The low-income threshold was raised from $8M to $12M, New Building Society’s loan ceiling increased from $12M to $15M and the Mortgage Interest Relief threshold increased from $15M to $30M. In addition to the turnkey initiative and house lot allocation exercise, the government has implemented a Home Construction Assistance Programme to allow persons easy access finances to construct their homes.

Public assistance booklets for August distribution

P

ersons who have applied and were approved for public assistance from January to June this year, will be able to uplift their booklets by next month.

Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud said the ministry has been facing a delay because of the large number of applicants this year. “January to June books have been exhausted because we have had so many applications. We would have had to reprint books, so we are currently printing and getting those books ready for those persons who would’ve already been approved for January to June…We are hoping at least by August,” the minister said during a recent community engagement

with residents of Bath Settlement and surrounding communities.

Minister Persaud noted that public assistance books for July to December are available.

She said government is fulfilling its manifesto commitment to ‘provide enhanced benefits for public assistance’ by implementing an automatic renewal system for public assistance beneficiaries who are permanently disabled until they are eligible for old-age pension.

The minister highlighted that this initiative was conceptualised to ease the expense and frustration experienced by having to renew their public assistance application every six months. “I felt that people living with

permanent disability were being frustrated. They had to reapply over and over and over and really if you have a permanent disability that is not going to change. So, it cost to get a medical report, whether it is your transportation, whether it is the doctor or whatever you have a cost. So, we are moving that hassle and so persons for this one time in their life they can apply and go all the way up to when they get pension,” the minister said.

A medical report and application are the only requirements needed to benefit from this programme.

Application forms are available at any of the ministry’s offices.

The application exercise is expected to run until next year.

overnment continues to implement programmes to empower women and girls with the introduction of the Women Innovation and Investment Network (WIIN) Phase Two. The free technical and vocational programme is expected to be launched early August to foster empowerment and financial stability among women.

Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud explained recently that the programme is ready to be launched even as applications pour in. “We are by the end of July, early August, we can get something started. The reason that we are taking so long is not that we are not ready, it is because of the share numbers that we are dealing with of applicants. And it is not just

you know; you turn up it is getting people in the virtual classrooms space; it is getting people in a physical space for that kind of training. So, it is a lot of things that have to be put in place to make sure that the experience is a good one,” she said.

The phased programme will accommodate applicants who were not captured in the sister programme WIIN through a hybrid feature which enables persons to receive training in-person and online.

The minister said the new initiative will have higher skills training and more courses to further upskill women. She said, “WIIN One was a learning curve for us. So, I think we are able to do better. So that the person who comes out with a WIIN certificate can easily find a

niche market out there to become financially independent.”

The programme will also help women to establish micro and small businesses through the ministry’s business training and empowerment grants similar to the primary flagship WIIN. The programme is part of the PPP/C Administration’s commitment to promoting skills training while fostering economic empowerment for women in all regions to access microfinance in the commercial banking system.

WIIN was launched in Baramita, Region One, on May 2021, to highlight the programme’s accessibility in hinterland areas. Since then, over 2,170 women have been trained in multiple disciplines specific to the needs of their demographic areas.

‘Because We Care’ cash grant distribution begins on August 2nd

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overnment’s ‘Because We Care’ $30,000 cash grant and uniform voucher is set to begin distribution on August 2, which will see almost 194,000 Guyanese students of public and private schools benefitting.

This is part of the PPP/C Administration’s manifesto commitment to improve access to education at every level, while reducing the cost of education to families.

Parents, guardians, and students were informed of the distribution date by the Ministry of Education’s social media platform, Facebook on Tuesday.

Last year, the grant saw every child receiving some $19,000, an increase from the $10,000 per child which was

first given to public school students in 2014.

Listening to the plea of parents, the initiative was extended to private school students for the first-time last year.

The grant has been increased this year t0 $25,000, while the school uniform and supplies voucher increased from $4,000 to $5,000, taking the total to $30,000 Government will be expending $5.8 billion in grants for the children.

Meanwhile, coupled with the grant, the ministry will be providing further assistance in the form of text books to every child in primary school as was done for children in Grades five and six.

Students from Grade sev-

en to 13 will be provided with the required Mathematics, English and literature textbooks, while the government continues to make every effort over the next two years to provide all secondary school students with all the textbooks needed for school.

Parents and guardians can uplift the grant at the respective school of their child or children.

Persons are required to present a valid form of identification (ID card, Driver’s license or Passport).

Persons are encouraged to have their identity verified by a senior official in their community or village Toshao’s if they are without a valid form of identification.

Gov’t to commence training laboratory staff to combat Monkeypox

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he Ministry of Health has organised training for laboratory staff regionally to combat the infectious monkey pox disease which is rapidly spreading around the world.

The training commenced on Thursday (July 28, 2022) at the National Public Health Reference Lab by a staff who was recently trained by PAHO/WHO in Jamaica.

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony said the training is important and is being headed by an expert in the field. “She brings to Guyana that experience of how to do these testing… what are the protocols that we should be observing to get them more acquainted with monkeypox…how to identify, how to diagnose… and when we diagnose how

to take samples so that we can do the PCR testing”, he explained.

The minister noted that the training is not complicated as those selected are working in the field. The half-day training targets three to four laboratory staff from each region.

The training is being to prepare the country to ad(Turn to page 20)

7

WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 JULY, 2022

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

Bonasika farmers to benefit from gov’t support to develop root crops industry, improve drainage – Wakenaam, Leguan to also benefit from drainage works – Gov’t looking to commence fertilizer distribution soon, urges farmers to finalize lists

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armers from the island of Bonasika, Essequibo Islands-West Demerara (Region Three) were today told of the government’s plans to develop the root crops industry.

During a meeting with farmers on the island, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha disclosed that the government was looking to develop the industry to satisfy demands in the region.

Minister Mustapha was at the time spearheading an outreach to the islands of Bonasika, Wakenaam, and Leguan in the Essequibo River.

He informed farmers that, following the Agri-In-

vestment Forum and Expo which was held at the Arthur Chung Conference Center last May, bilateral discussions between local government officials and officials from other CARICOM countries pointed to a ready market for a variety of root crops that can be grown in Guyana. “We, the farmers and the government, have to work together so that we can consolidate and expand what we already have. NAREI will work with you to develop your root crops cultivation because we have a ready market for those crops. We have so much demand, but we cannot satisfy that demand yet. If every

farmer here is willing to get on board, we will work with you. We will help you to develop the land and supply all the planting materials required so that at the end of the cycle, we can have tons of root crops coming out of Bonasika,” he explained.

The minister told farmers that commodities such as turmeric, ginger, cassava, sweet potatoes, and eddoes, etc., were some of the root crops that were in demand and that the ministry was ready to work with the farmers so that they can tap into the ready market. This, he explained, was also in keeping with CARICOM’s efforts to reduce the regional

Over 1,000 seafarers capitalise on MARAD’s one month amnesty

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undreds of seafarers have regularized their certification in keeping with the Maritime Administration (MARAD) recent amnesty granted on June 24, 2022.

Within the one-month amnesty granted MARAD reported that over 900 seafarers were added to their registry and over 1,000 regularized their licenses and discharge books.

The amnesty was granted

by Minister of Public Works Bishop Juan Edghill, on the eve of ‘Day of the Seafarer’ which was observed on June 25.

At the time of the am-

nesty announcement, MARAD’s Director General, Stephen Thomas, said there were only about 300 registered seafarers in its database.

Some 1,058 seafarers took the opportunity to either renew or acquire a license in a number of categories. These include Boat Master Grade 3 for speedboat, and Boat Master Grade 3 for general certificate of competency, bowman and river navigation.

Operators of all vessels are required to have certification based on the size and trading area of the vessel.

Regarding discharge books, 53 persons were able to get their books in order.

The discharge book shows the record of the seafarer’s experience and certification.

The cost of acquiring a license range from $2,380 to $32,500 and is valid between three to five years, while the cost for a discharge book is about $11,440.

MARAD’s Director General back in June, stressed on the importance of seafarers being registered. He said seafarers being in the system will allow MARAD to offer support and guidance to where necessary.

Farmers to begin receiving fertiliser assistance soon – Min. Mustapha ‒ tender for fertiliser supply expected to be awarded before the end of the week ‒ farmers assured that testing will be don’t to ensure quality fertilizer is supplied

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griculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, along with officials from the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), recently, met with members of the Rice Farmers’ Fertilizer Assistance Registration and Verification Committee to discuss the government’s fertilizer assistance programme that was announced last May

by President Dr. Irfaan Ali. The meeting was held

to discuss the lists of rice farmers per region who were eligible for the fertilizer assistance based on information gathered by the various committee members represented.

During the meeting, Minister Mustapha disclosed that, to date, approximately 168,000 acres had been sown but that it was anticipated that that figure would increase before the end of the advised sowing period, which is

scheduled to close at the end of the month. “To date, we have just about 168,000 acres that were sown but we are anticipating that by the end of this month, that total will increase because people are still sowing. I’m very optimistic that by the end of the sowing period this figure will increase to just about 200,000 acres.

At the end of the process, we have to ensure the (Turn to page 19)

food import bill by 25% by the year 2025.

There are approximately 150 farmers on the island who cultivate a variety of fruits and cash crops.

Additionally, farmers present were also told that the ministry, through the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), would soon commence a series of drainage works on the island.

The minister told farmers that a team from the ministry had visited the island sometime last month and based on their assessment, the proposed scope of works could not be completed this year. “I have a report here.

The most important things you need, based on what is here in the report, are proper drainage for your farms and to have the bushes cleared.

The entire programme will cost about $120 million.

We did not budget for those works this year but because of the importance of agriculture and the fact that we want to ensure you have the

necessary infrastructure to ramp up your production we will put systems in place to start those works. It will have to be done with a pontoon so that works can be done on both sides. Those works will not be completed this year. It will take some time; I want to be honest with you,” the minister explained.

Minister Mustapha further noted that the NDIA will advertise for the works and once the process is completed, those works will commence.

Similarly, while meeting with farmers from Wakenaam and Leguan, Minister Mustapha committed to having all the main canals and dams cleared and rehabilitated.

During the meeting with farmers from Wakenaam, Minister Mustapha said that another excavator would be made available to assist farmers on the island. The minister made this disclosure after farmers indicated that the machine currently used to perform works on the island was unable to execute the magnitude of works to be done. He said that the ministry would work with

the region to have another excavator on the island soon.

Meanwhile, during his meeting with farmers from Leguan, Minister Mustapha said that farmers could start receiving their fertilizer assistance from as early as next week. This, he added, could only be done if the lists provided are verified.

Also, farmers raised concerns about persons whose names were on the list.

While some farmers had questions about some of the names that appeared on the current list for the island, other farmers said that many persons whose names were being queried were indeed farmers but cultivated very small plots of land.

Minister Mustapha explained that committees comprising farmers and extension officers from the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) were tasked with developing the list and that until the lists was finalized, the distribution process would not commence. Farmers were then given until the end of the week to finalize the list. Officials from the GRDB are also expected to return to the island tomorrow to assist with the process.

8

WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 JULY, 2022

POSITIONS FROM THE PRESIDENT Two years on…

Guyana’s developmental model reflects the priorities of country, people – Ali says ‘Vision 2030’ will be achieved T

he PPP/C Government is undertaking a robust approach to ensure Guyana’s development soars by leaps and bounds, and is positioning an international construct that will soar by 2030.

This transformational agenda, ‘Vision 2030’, according to President Dr. Irfaan Ali, is one that will see Guyana becoming a country ‘second to none’ in another eight years. He said, “We are going to do it, we are going to build a country second to none and we are going to show the world that Guyana 2030 is a place every citizen will want to be in…there’s absolutely no barrier, whether it be political, social, economic, global, that can stop us from changing this country to a place that we all will be proud of.”

In recent comments, Ali laid out his government’s strategic framework for the massive transformation, making it pellucid that no negative energy will hinder the journey, The Head of State said the fundamental elements which will contribute immensely to the almost nine-year plan, must see a developmental link between infrastructure, human, technological and social transformation; econom-

ic diversification, international positioning and equitable and prosperous development.

He added that the development mix will also comprise environmental responsibility, sustainable development, service reorientation and security. The aim is to position Guyana to boast a gapping lead in all sectors.

The President contended that the nation’s approach “to development cannot be done in a straight line”, as he believes that it would take a while for the country to meet the goal line.

He said the transformational venture will be done on a scale that Guyanese have never witnessed in the country’s history. Ali said, “This is a mission that require every single one of us, a mission that require every single stakeholder. This is a mission that must not fail, this is a mission whose only outcome shall be success with the grace and help of God almighty.”

Dr. Ali said the infrastructural transformation which include building and construction is mission less, if there is no upgrading of the human resources. He pointed out that it must be linked to life changing experiences for the people of Guyana. “So,

the road and the bridges that you hear us talk about, the new buildings… they are all linked to the upliftment of human lives here in Guyana.

The transformation is linked to expanded economic opportunities, it is linked to the improvement of livelihood, it is linked to the advancement of society… with a human aspect,” the president noted.

ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION The economic transformation, President Ali

“There’s absolutely no barrier, whether it be political, social, economic, global, that can stop us from changing this country to a place that we all will be proud of.”

– President Dr. Irfaan Ali explained, focuses on positioning the nation to be the best in food production and security.

He said the economic upgrading is not solely focused on oil and gas, but utilising the revenues from the booming industry, to boost the other sectors, to making them competitive, resilient and sustainable pillars. “That is the inter-link between the economic diversification, the infrastruc-

ture transformation and the human resource transformation,” President Ali remarked.

“Our healthcare system powered by the best, our education system powered by the best, our governance system powered by the best that is powered by the best, our construction sector powered by the best, we are going to be a leader and we must prepare ourselves to be that leader,” he added.

He added too that in order to achieve this the work also starts with individuality. “Constructing a country is about constructing our character, it’s about constructing who we are… understanding who we are, it is about constructing an identity for our country… and our society,” the Head of Stare emphasised.

TECHNOLOGICAL TRANSFORMATION With the number of achievements set out by the administration to accomplish by 2030, President Ali made it clear that technology is integral in the enhance-

ment push.

And because these is growing demands for labour nationwide, Dr. Ali is more adamant that there is need for the appropriate technology to be introduced to enhance works. “… we know that this will be a challenge that is why we have to embrace the type of technology that will advance the work and not slow us down. We can only achieve this by investing in technology…embracing technology. Whether is re-energising the agriculture sector, not only are we talking about expanding the farms but right now we are discussing the building of the largest ever hydroponics farm in Latin America Caribbean right here in Guyana,” he underscored.

The President stressed that the tourism and hospitality sector cannot be advanced, if there is no social transformation, underscoring that the element is critical and gives immense support to the physical transformation to which he alluded.

Guyana, according to him, must take the lead in setting new example and a new style of development that reflects the priority of the country and its people.

President Ali leads gov’t team on successful engagement in Washington

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uyana welcomes the opportunity to further strengthen its relationship with the United States as a strategic partner, particularly during its period of growth, according to President Dr. Irfaan Ali. The Head of State, during a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington DC, on Monday (July 25, 2022), highlighted the countries shared values and their quests to strengthen the region. He said, “We look forward to discussing how jointly we can continue to work on the issues of food security, climate, financing, working in the region in terms of debt crisis facing CARICOM, but more importantly, finding a balanced development strategy, and in doing so, staying true to the value system, principles that both of us believe so strongly in—that is a democratic society where

transparency, accountability, and strong governance support for the development of Guyana.”

Ali’s delegation included the Vice President, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo; Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Honourable Hugh Todd and others.

At the invitation of the US Government, the delegation met with high-ranking US Government officials, including the Secretary of State and leaders of Congress and the Senate, to discuss a range of issues to further deepen bilateral relations between Guyana and the United States. US Ambassador to the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch and other US government representatives also attended the meeting.

The President noted that the discussions this week are a continuation of the dialogue between the two countries,

which was initiated during June’s Ninth Summit of the Americas, in which critical issues for CARICOM as a region were identified, which includes food security, energy security, financing, and the issue of climate change.

He reminded that Guyana is already providing leadership, including on issues of the environment, while pursuing the country’s development agenda.

Government’s’ investment portfolio, according to Ali, goes beyond oil and gas, agriculture, and human transformation. The PPP/C Administration wants to build a knowledge economy that is supported with Information, and Communications Technology (ICT) to make Guyana a natural hub for ICT services.

FINANCING Government of Guyana signed a Memorandum of Un-

derstanding (MoU) with the Export-Import (EXIM) Bank of the United States in Washington on Wednesday (July 27, 2022) and Ali hailed the US$2bn deal as a signal of the US’s commitment not only to Guyana but to CARICOM. The MoU represents an important milestone in US-Guyana relations since it lays the foundation for Guyana to access EXIM financing and facilities for the first time and provides for interventions at a scale that is likely to have a lasting developmental impact.

Under the agreement, the parties agreed to explore options for utilising EXIM’s standard instruments, which include direct loans and medium- and long-term guarantees, to finance US exports to Guyana for Government projects totalling US$2bn.

Ali said, “In this development phase of our country, we

want to see greater US participation not only from the Government but from the private sector. One of the inhibitive factors has always been the ease of access to financing and the barriers to financing.

This, today, is the single most important signature not only for Guyana but for the region, the United States, through one of its agencies. EXIM Bank is serious about its commitment to the CARICOM region.”

The MoU, he added, should also signal an open invitation to the private sector and the leadership of both countries to now move aggressively forward on a platform that is supported by the Government of Guyana and EXIM Bank.

As such, he expressed optimism that full use will be made of this opportunity and that there is a deeper understanding, on both sides, of the level of seriousness that is

attached to the relationship.

This commitment, the President added, “has now been cemented in the MoU that not only outlines areas but sets an initial figure of $2bn to be allocated to the development projects and work in Guyana.

“I think we can applaud ourselves and EXIM Bank for this dynamic, futuristic, and bold move in advancing this relationship and this cause, and the areas we have identified shows the broad and multifaceted nature of the leadership of EXIM Bank.”

The MoU also identifies a number of indicative sectors in which projects may be identified. These include but are not limited to: infrastructure (including roads and bridges); energy (including renewable energy and emission reduction); telecommunications (including wireless technologies); water treatment (Turn to page 17)

9

WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 JULY, 2022

Amerindian Development…

FOCUS ON GUYANA’ S FIRST PEOPLE

INVESTING IN GUYANESE 2

AMERINDIAN DEVELOPMENT: FOCUS ON GUYANA'S FIRST PEOPLE

In the less than two years since the PPP/C government took office, upwards of over 90 billion has been spent on measures to support the development of Guyanese. Specific emphasis has been placed on Amerindian development with a range of programmes being funded to close the gap between the coastal and hinterland communities.

SUPPORTING AMERINDIAN DEVELOPMENT • Youth Empowerment – $ 1.944 Billion invested • The Community Support Programme was resuscitated and will be increased to 2,500 persons, creating an additional 500 jobs for young persons in Amerindian villages.

• Investment Fund- $ 1.7 Billion allocated to 220 Amerindian Communities • Covid-19 has had devastating effects on our earning capacities and affected Village economies. The PPP/C government recognized the hardships the Guyanese Amerindian Villages face and, in an effort, to advocate for assistance in Village economy resuscitation invested, $1,732,018,747 in 220 Villages across Guyana. This was able to assist them in stimulating their economies further. Some examples of projects funded are listed as follows: ► Purchased (21) ATVs valued at ($40M) ► Purchased (3) 4x4 Pick -ups valued at ($15M) ► Purchased (3) Model M trucks valued at ($21M) ► Purchased (22) Mini Buses valued at ($88M) • The Presidential Grant Fund - $874 million invested from 2020-2022.

• A total of (115) infrastructural projects were completed e.g. (bridges, village offices, multipurpose buildings, etc) valued at ($172M) • A Total of (73) small business and agricultural projects started in villages e.g. (cattle rearing, poultry rearing, cassava cultivation and processing, village shops etc) valued at ($88M) • Support for Agricultural Development - $ 1.016.6 Billion invested from 2020-2022 • Supply of 112 Tractors with Implements (Plough and Harrow) totalling $ 534 million and an additional 71 Tractors with Implements (Plough and Harrow) totalling $ 482.6 million in 2022.

• Support to water and land transportation - $ 190 million invested from 2020 to 2022 – 43 Boats, 53 Outboard engines, 5 Mini Bus, 4 Pick up and 29 ATVs The PPP/C government has continuously revolutionized the transport systems in the Hinterland. This includes the riverine communities through the provision of boats and engines and ATVs for rough terrains in various Villages, anyone who travels the length and breadth of Guyana’s hinterland would

understand the importance of this support to transportation in these areas since it is far-reaching.

• Women’s Projects - $91.5 million Invested - Amerindian women are the backbones of their Villages, their contribution and ability to be the ultimate drivers of development in their Communities cannot be underemphasized. As such, this Government has made specific provision for women’s projects in Villages and Communities. This will be specifically utilized for the construction of women’s groups’ buildings since these women need a safe space to grow and carry out their group’s mandates. Further to this, sewing has proven to be a useful economic activity for these women’s groups.

• Amerindian Land Titling - Under the PPP/C led Government in 2021 a total of 5 demarcations valued at $135 million has been completed with the issuance of Certificates of Titles being done.

• Construction of the National Toshaos Council Secretariat - $ 127.769 Million Construction commenced in 2021 and is expected to be completed in 2022.

ACHIEVEMENTS BY PPP/C GOVERNMENT SINCE ASSUMING OFFICE IN AUGUST 2020 Across the country, other key achievements of the PPP/C government since taking office, include: REDUCING THE COST OF LIVING • Removal of VAT on Water and Electricity, basic food items and household necessities, educational and medical supplies, on certain construction materials and most recently on building cement, sheetrock and concrete board • The application of the freight cost adjustment for the calculation of import taxes, rolling back freight cost to pre-pandemic levels from 1 August 2021 until 31 December 2022, estimated to save $10 billion for businesses and consumers • Progressively lowered the excise tax on fuel from 50 percent in February 2021 to 0 percent in March 2022 • Arranging monthly farmer markets to help our farmers find ready markets for their produce and help consumers benefit from the price advantage of buying directly from the farmer; • $1 billion allocated for the purchase of fertilisers for free distribution to farmers • Government will create 8,000 temporary jobs across the country to help families cope with the rising cost of living INCREASING DISPOSABLE INCOME • Provision of $25,000 COVID-19 Cash Grants resulting in $7.5 billion distributed to families across all ten Regions • Over $7 billion in flood relief cash grants to farmers and households to help recover from the May/June floods of 2021 • Provided a $250,000 one-off cash grant to nearly 5,300 severed sugar workers from Enmore, Skeldon, Rose Hall and Wales sugar estates, injecting over $1.3 billion into these communities • Increasing the monthly income tax threshold from $65,000

to $75,000 in 2022, releasing a total of $1.3 billion into the hands of current tax payers • Restoring and increasing the Because We Care Cash Grant to $25,000 per child, placing an additional $2 billion in the hands of parents of school children, coupled with increasing the uniform grant from $4,000 to $5,000 per child, placing an additional $200 million of disposable in the homes of these children • A special one-off grant of $25,000 will be distributed to every single household in riverain and hinterland communities, placing $800 million in the hands of these households.

SUPPORTING THE VULNERABLE • Increase the monthly Old Age Pension from $20,500 to $28,000, placing an additional $6.3 billion of disposable income in the hands of our pensioners • Increase the monthly Public Assistance payment from $9,000 to $14,000, providing an additional $950 million in disposable income to these individuals • $180 million to support dialysis patients.

MEASURES TO INCENTIVISE THE EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES • Removal of VAT on Machinery and Equipment; • Removed VAT on all ATVs for Mining, Forestry, Agriculture and Manufacturing • Removal of VAT on Exports; • Change of Log Export Policy to Allow Saw millers to Export Logs MEASURES TO PROMOTE AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT • Reversal of Land Lease Fees Across all sectors and water

charges back to 2014 rates and reversal of Land taxes and drainage and irrigation charges back to 2014 • Removal of VAT on Fertilizers, Agrochemicals, Pesticides and key inputs in the Poultry Industry and zero rating of the Poultry industry • Tax concessions on investment in Agro-Processing facilities, Cold storage and Packaging and Special incentives to be made available for planting of Corn and Soyabean Measures to Improving Business Competitiveness, Promoting Local Content and Job Creation • Support the renewal of the Industrial and Commercial transport fleet o Remove the 10 percent excise tax and 14 percent VAT that currently applies to the importation of new motor trucks o Remove the VAT of 14 percent that currently applies to the importation of new haulers for pulling containers or similar vehicles o Remove the 10 percent excise tax in relation to importation of new double cab pickups below 2000 cc and reducing the excise tax from 110 percent to 75 percent for new double cab pickups between 2000 and 3000 cc. o Remove the 10 percent excise tax altogether in relation to importation of new single cab pickups below 3000 cc • Remove the 14 percent VAT on cranes, safety equipment and oils spill response equipment • Remove the 2 percent withholding tax on resident contractors to reverse the punitive measures of the previous Administration • Government will take steps to minimise disparities arising from the tax system that will disadvantage Guyanese businesses against their international counterparts.

10

WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 JULY, 2022

The March 2020 Election Saga:

Power just for the sake of power

By Gail Teixeira, PPP Executive Member [On August 2nd, Guyana will mark the two-year anniversary of the struggle for democracy. For five months, democratic-minded Guyanese fought to protect our country from attempts to thwart the will of the people.

This piece was first published by the Weekend Mirror in June 2020]

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ighteen (18) months have passed, since the successful and valid passage of the no-confidence motion on December 21, 2018 that defeated the APNUAFC government. Guyanese waited for 14 months for the General and Regional Elections to be held on March 2, 2020, and then waited 105 days following the national recount.

We have waited another 10 days since the conclusion of the recount of the votes from the March 2020 Elections for a declaration by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), and still nothing.

That declaration, in accordance with the recount results, reflects a PPP/C victory.

In the course of these 18 months we have resisted again and again, and succeeded each time in stopping every attempt to derail our fragile democracy, and to steal our elections, our votes, our voice. In this tangled web that the David Granger-led APNU+AFC Coalition ensnared our people and nation, we have resisted and thwarted each attempt to derail our democracy. We maintained our resolve to protect democracy and the will of the people.

We have been challenged – some may say psychologically abused and tortured – to endure, worse yet to comprehend, the contortions that was the Coalition’s delusions, insinuations, deception and downright lies.

However, this frenetic behavior is not as mad as one may think.

The plot to discredit the results of the recount and restore the discredited Mingo-Lowenfield results of the 10 Electoral districts, which were finalized by March 14th, or the new Lowenfield disenfranchisement of over 275,000 voters, unravelled on June 13th as a part of a grand conspiracy hatched long ago.

The Granger-led APNU+AFC Coalition has had a master plan prior to the no-confidence motion of how

it would ensure it won the 2020 elections, not by its policies and programmes but by fiddling with the election machinery.

We must remember that the APNU+AFC Coalition came to office on a hairbreadth of 4,256 votes, less than 1% difference with the PPP/C. This was followed by its defeat at the March 2016 Local Government Elections where the PPP/C won almost 60% of the 70 Local Authorities with 30,000 votes. Again, at the November 2018 Local Government Elections, the Coalition lost 65% of the 80 Local Authorities with an even bigger margin of 45,000 votes. Therefore Granger and the PNC cabal recognized that the 2020 scheduled elections could not be taken for granted as a ‘shoe in’ for them.

Thus these plans were in place prior to the no-confidence motion and their defeat. The no-confidence motion caused the Granger-led cabal to bring forward their plans.

This tangled web of deception, however, can be easily unraveled with facts.

STRATEGIC POSITIONING The positioning in 2015 of former Commissioner of Police Winston Felix as Minister in the Ministry of the Presidency responsible for Citizenship, Immigration, and the Guyana Registrar’s Office was the first step in setting up the rigging machinery.

Granger as far back as November 2017, speaking to supporters in the diaspora, stated: "I think there are several questions that you have to ask yourself as you look to the future. You have to ask yourself how did the PNC gain office in 1964. Ask yourself how did the PNC remain in office and what did it do during that period.

Ask yourself how the PNC regained office in 2015 and ask yourself how would the PNC retain office after 2020."

GECM CHAIR The appointment of a Chairman of the GECOM, in the person of retired Justice Patterson, amenable to the likings of President Granger even if it meant violating the Constitution in 2017, was followed by another 10 months and rejection of 18 names of eminent Guyanese produced by the Leader of the Opposition as required by the

Constitution.

To an extent this plan worked from October 2017 to June 2019 in that it allowed for the appointment and promotion of key persons in the GECOM machinery who would in the March 2020 elections play a critical role in the attempt to derail the elections and appoint Granger back in office.

Patterson and Lowenfield played a critical role in delaying the preparedness of the GECOM for elections within the constitutional timeline of three months following the no-confidence motion.

The fact that GECOM was not ready from December 2018 to November 2019 exposed the conspiracy to keep Granger and APNU+AFC Coalition in government as long as possible, in total disregard for the Constitution.

The Caribbean Court of Justice rulings of June 18, 2019 and orders of July 12, 2019, which declared that the appointment of the Chairman Patterson was flawed and unconstitutional and that elections must be held in three months, although paused due to judicial proceedings, certainly put a spoke in the Granger-PNC-APNU+AFCGECOM conspiracy.

But it mainly provided once again for more delays and Granger’s continuation in office.

There was an attempt to have further delays to appoint a new Chairperson following the CCJ decisions. This too failed HTH REGISTRATION There was a move to have the GECOM machinery continue operating in a delinquent manner, to delay its preparedness for elections until the end of February 2020.

They wanted to ensure that there is a new Houseto-House registration, which scraps the original database at GECOM and therefore disenfranchises thousands of voters. This was part of the original conspiracy prior to the no-confidence motion.

It was President Granger who wanted a House-toHouse registration. On March 15, 2019, on the eve of the three-month deadline, he said: “The credibility of elections, in turn, is dependent in part on the integrity of the Official List of Electors. A contaminated list can vitiate the credibility of elections…. the Government side, during its engagement with the Elections Commission, gained the

impression that, considering the small size of the national population, the existing list of electors was ‘inflated’ and needed to be sanitised.”

Again on June 18th 2019 in Bartica he reiterated this and said: “It is essential that we hold fair, free and credible elections. We cannot proceed on the current list of voters. It is outdated and corrupted. It may hold as many as 200,000 incorrect entries. ..”

Isn’t it ironic that on Friday June 12, 2020, a year later, Granger referred to the same issue and parrots what APNU+AFC has been saying during the recount of over 200,000 irregularities to discredit the results of the recount of the elections.

Following CEO Lowenfield’s submission to the Chair of GECOM disenfranchising 275,000 voters, Granger reiterated his party’s lies and declared that he has confidence in the March 14, 2020 results and Mingo’s fraudulent spreadsheet and was willing to be sworn in on the basis of those results.

Remember it was the High Court that ruled on August 21, 2019 that GECOM could not scrap the database of the National Registration and that according to the Constitution the names of persons on that database could only be removed in keeping with the constitutional provisions.

Hence a dead person’s name could not be removed unless a death certificate was produced nor could someone who have moved from one part of Guyana to another or migrated to another country – once they were Guyanese citizens and their name was on the voters’ list, it was their choice to return to the community where their name was originally posted or return to Guyana to vote. There was no residency requirement in Guyana. It was also noted that Commonwealth citizens were also entitled to be registered and vote in Guyana.

Hoping for further delays to hold elections and reversal of the CJ’s ruling in order to re-introduce the House to House registration, the APNU+AFC Coalition appealed the decision. On February 10 2020, the Court of Appeal upheld the decision of the High Court. Having failed in their efforts with the Houseto-House campaign, the APNU+AFC put on a lethargic operation during the Claims and Objections between October to November 14 2019.

During the Objections period; they brought 15,000 objections to person who had died and or emigrated (despite the court ruling at the end of August 2019) in Regions 3, 5, 7, and 9. This too failed.

REDUCED POLLING STATIONS There was continued efforts to disenfranchise thousands of voters particularly in areas where there is majority support for the PPP/C supported.

GECOM reduced polling stations in very populated areas on the East Coast, which were mainly PPP/C strongholds, and set up stations in open fields, while increasing stations in areas where the APNU+AFC Coalition had majority support. This too failed to dissuade PPP supporters from making extra efforts to get to the polling stations to vote.

REGION 4 TABULATION The APNU+AFC Coalition moved to fight over the Region 4 tabulations (as used in the 1997 and 2001 elections) to derail the election after the nine (9) Electoral districts had been completed tabulated and showed the PPP/C with a 52,000 lead.

In fact the delays experienced in those three days at the office of the Region 4 Returning Officer, Mingo, were calculated to wait for the results of the Regions the APNU+AFC Coalition expected to win such as Region 7, 8 and 10, which were not concluded until night of March 4, 2020.

The events of March 3rd, 4th and 5th during the tabulation of Region 4 haves been well documented by the International Electoral Observer Missions –the Commonwealth, the Organisation of American States (OAS), the European Union (EU), the CARICOM and the Carter Centre.

At this point the conspiracy kicked into full mode: the now infamous Mingo’s fraudulent spreadsheet result co-signed by the Chairperson of the PNC, Volda Lawrence, with the unequivocal collaboration of the Chief Election Officer hurriedly produced the results to swear in Granger President. This was thwarted by an injunction on March 5, 2020, which stopped the declaration.The Chief Justice ruled on March 13, 2020 that Mingo must use the Statements of Poll.

The Electoral District 4 was completed on Friday, March

13th, at midnight under atrocious conditions and by the next morning the CEO had the results ready to submit to the Chair of GECOM to declare Granger the winner.

CARICOM’s ROLE A factor in the conspiracy that will have to be analysed further in the future is the reasons for Granger’s approach to CARICOM. Was it due to fear of sanctions? Or did he believe that like in 1997 CARICOM would get involved in the governance issues, despite the fact that the PPP/C won those elections freely and fairly, according to the international Electoral Observer Missions? Or was he playing for more time to stay in government and allow other areas of the conspiracy to play out?

Whatever his objectives, he was clearly disturbed and upset by the June 15, 2020 Report of the CARICOM Scrutinizing Team report, which stated that the results of the recount were transparent and creditable and the PPPC won the elections.

Having signed the Aide Memoire for the recount on March 16, 2020, Granger allowed his party candidate, Ulita Moore, to go to the court to stop the recount. This again absorbs precious time.

But this too fails and the court rules that the recount should proceed and GECOM is in charge of the process.

FRUSTRATING THE RECOUNT During the recount from May 6, 2020 to June 9, 2020, the APNU+AFC Coalition representatives used every ballot box as an opportunity to throw drag out the process and make allegations that were unfounded and baseless.

By the end of the recount, the Coalition claimed that there were over 250,000 cases of irregularities of dead, voter impersonation and other procedural deficiencies.

It is clear now that this was done to form the basis for Lowenfield’s report to the Commission.

LOWENFIELD’S REPORT ON THE RECOUNT The Chief Elections Officer in delivering his report on the recount perpetuated the APNU+AFC Coalition’s plot.

So integral is he to the conspiracy that he defied his statutory duties as a servant of the Elections Commission, (Turn to page 15)

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WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 JULY, 2022

KEY ACHIEVEMENT BY PPP/C GOVERNMENT SINCE ASSUMING OFFICE IN AUGUST 2020 REDUCING THE COST OF LIVING

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SUPPORTING THE VULNERABLE

Removal of VAT on Water and Electricity, basic food items • and household necessities, educational and medical supplies, on certain construction materials and most recently on building cement, sheetrock and concrete board • The application of the freight cost adjustment for the calculation of import taxes, rolling back freight cost to pre-pandemic levels from 1 August 2021 until 31 December 2022, estimated to save $10 billion for businesses and consumers • Progressively lowered the excise tax on fuel from 50 percent in February 2021 to 0 percent in March 2022

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Arranging monthly farmer markets to help our farmers find • ready markets for their produce and help consumers benefit from the price advantage of buying directly from the farmer;

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$1 billion allocated for the purchase of fertilisers for free distribution to farmers

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Government will create 8,000 temporary jobs across the country to help families cope with the rising cost of living

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Provision of $25,000 COVID-19 Cash Grants resulting in $7.5 billion distributed to families across all ten Regions

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Increase the New Building Society ceiling for loans from $12 million to $15 million

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Restored the ceiling on Mortgage Interest Relief for housing loans to $30 million, up from $15 million

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Provided a $250,000 one-off cash grant to nearly 5,300 severed sugar workers from Enmore, Skeldon, Rose Hall and Wales sugar estates, injecting over $1.3 billion into these communities

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Increasing the monthly income tax threshold from $65,000 • to $75,000 in 2022, releasing a total of $1.3 billion into the hands of current tax payers • Restoring and increasing the Because We Care Cash Grant to $25,000 per child, placing an additional $2 billion in the • hands of parents of school children, coupled with increasing the uniform grant from $4,000 to $5,000 per child, placing • an additional $200 million of disposable in the homes of these children A special one-off grant of $25,000 will be distributed to every single household in riverain and hinterland communities, placing $800 million in the hands of these households.

In addition to zero-rating of VAT ON certain construction materials (including stone imported for construction and housing from CARICOM, locally produced pre-stressed concrete piles, locally fabricated mild steel beams for building construction, locally manufactured roofing and PVC products for building construction) and more recently the removal of VAT on building cement, sheetrock and concrete board Government has increased the Low-Income Mortgage Loan Ceiling from $8 million to $15 million

Over $7 billion in flood relief cash grants to farmers and households to help recover from the May/June floods of • 2021

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$180 million to support dialysis patients.

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Increase the monthly Public Assistance payment from $9,000 to $14,000, providing an additional $950 million in disposable income to these individuals

REDUCING THE COST OF CONSTRUCTION AND HOME OWNERSHIP

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INCREASING DISPOSABLE INCOME

Increase the monthly Old Age Pension from $20,500 to $28,000, placing an additional $6.3 billion of disposable income in the hands of our pensioners

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Government will assist house-lot owners whether houselots were allocated by Government or privately owned to secure financing, construction and delivery of houses at a cost of $7 million, $9 million and $12 million

MEASURES TO INCENTIVISE THE EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES Removal of VAT on Machinery and Equipment; Removed VAT on all ATVs for Mining, Forestry, Agriculture and Manufacturing Removal of VAT on Exports; Change of Log Export Policy to Allow Saw millers to Export Logs

MEASURES TO PROMOTE AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT Reversal of Land Lease Fees Across all sectors and water

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WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 JULY, 2022

KEY ACHIEVEMENT BY PPP/C GOVERNMENT SINCE ASSUMING OFFICE IN AUGUST 2020 charges back to 2014 rates and reversal of Land taxes and drainage and irrigation charges back to 2014 •

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Tax concessions on investment in Agro-Processing facilities, • Cold storage and Packaging and Special incentives to be made available for planting of Corn and Soyabean

Support the renewal of the Industrial and Commercial transport fleet

Remove the VAT of 14 percent that currently applies to the importation of new haulers for pulling containers or similar vehicles

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Remove the 10 percent excise tax in relation to importation of new double cab pickups below 2000 cc and reducing the excise tax from 110 percent to 75 percent for new double cab pickups between 2000 and 3000 cc.

Remove the 10 percent excise tax altogether in relation to importation of new single cab pickups below 3000 cc

Remainder at various stages of completion, slated for completion during the course of 2022 In excess of 3,500 transport and titles distributed Land identification and acquisition made for the first phase of Silica City

MEGA INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENTS

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The design and construction of two major highways easing traffic congestion on the East Bank of Demerara Corridor.

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Mocha to Diamond by pass road, completed

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Mandela Avenue to Eccles Four Lane Concrete highway, completed

Remove the 10 percent excise tax and 14 percent VAT that currently applies to the importation of new motor trucks •

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Removal of VAT on Fertilizers, Agrochemicals, Pesticides and key inputs in the Poultry Industry and zero rating of the Poultry industry •

MEASURES TO IMPROVING BUSINESS COMPETITIVENESS, PROMOTING LOCAL CONTENT AND JOB CREATION •

to date

Construction of Eccles to Great Diamond Four lane concrete in progress

LEGISLATIVE AGENDA •

Passage of the recent land mark Condominium Act, paving the way for more housing options for and more business opportunities for investors.

MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN THE WATER SECTOR

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Remove the 14 percent VAT on cranes, safety equipment and oils spill response equipment

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5 percent reduction in water Tariffs across all categories of customers, providing an estimated $260 million in savings annually.

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Remove the 2 percent withholding tax on resident con- • tractors to reverse the punitive measures of the previous Administration

Over 28,000 pensioners benefit from free water supply up to 10 metre cube per month

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Government will take steps to minimise disparities arising from the tax system that will disadvantage Guyanese businesses against their international counterparts •

MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN THE HOUSING SECTOR •

More than 11,000 House lot allocation made under the flag- • ship Dream Realise housing drive

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Commencement of in excess of 1,200 housing units con• structed across regions 3, 4, 6 and 10

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300 completed and handed over to families for occupation,

IMPROVED ACCESS AND QUALITY OF SERVICE Government has expended in excess of $15.4 billion to support the expansion of the water distribution system – including first time access to water to more than 35,000 persons in over 60 communities across Guyana In the Hinterland Communities, 20 new wells have been completed to provide service for more than 10,000 persons for the first time.

Provided over 10,000 new service connections to support the rapid expansion in the housing drive and home ownership programme

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WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 JULY, 2022

KEY ACHIEVEMENT BY PPP/C GOVERNMENT SINCE ASSUMING OFFICE IN AUGUST 2020 •

The Hinterland access to water coverage has significantly increased from 46 percent to 60 percent and Government is committed to achieving 100 percent access by 2025

MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN THE SECURITY SECTOR

ber and three hundred and twenty-seven (327) Groups

GUYANA FIRE SERVICE •

Government remained resolute towards the fulfillment of its mission and delivering on the implementation of the Govern• ment’s Plan for the benefit of the people of Guyana. Since our Government took up the reigns of office on • August 2, 2020 to date, the vision for a strengthened security • sector which offers a greater level of safety and security for our citizens •

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• Based on our 2021 statistics, there has been a 20% reduction in serious crimes across the country and a 30% reduction • in road fatalities.

There is a general 12% reduction in serious crime and when compounded with our 2021 achievements; to-date there is a 32% accumulated reduction in serious crime since our Government took up office.

GUYANA POLICE FORCE

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Delivered 50 Double-Cab Pick-ups to increase police pres• ence and visibility within communities.

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Commissioned new Regional Divisional Headquarters in Region2 – Anna Region; 2 new Police Outpost at Onderneeming and Lima Sands.

Reconstruction Providence Police Station and Rehabilitation of Kato, Kurupung, Port Kaituma living Quarters and Aquero Police Station

29 Retrofitted Containers were established for Virtual Legal Proceedings; in light of the COVID-19 Pandemic was done in conjunction with the Ministry of Legal Affairs Construction of two new Prison Dormitory’s at Lusignan Prison was completed and inmates of the temporary makeshift holding area were transferred to the 2nd newly constructed dormitory.

Completion of the Mazaruni Prisons Phase I.

Completion of Senior Officers Living Quarters

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Drones were purchased to improve our surveillance across the administrative regions.

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Currently, the Guyana Police Force is working on the Recon• struction of the Ruimveldt Police Station, Mabaruma Police Station and the Rehabilitation Yarakita Police Station

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COMMUNITY POLICING GROUPS To date - the Community Policing of Guyana total membership is five thousand, three hundred and nine (5,309) mem-

Currently, the Guyana Fire Service is working on Reconstruction of Ogle Fire Station, in addition later in the year the Guyana Fire Service

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Construction of Eccles Fire Station

861 Inmates graduate from ground-breaking courses as part of the inmates’ rehabilitation and reintegration process.

Under the Citizen Security Strengthening Programme; com• missioned Albion and Whim Police Stations.

Over 160 New Community Policing Groups Formed

Works has commenced on the Construction of a New Guyana Fire Service Headquarters at Durban Park

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Expanded Ambulance Service with the procurement of 4 Ambulances

GUYANA PRISON SERVICE

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Acquired one (1) Hydraulic Lift, one (1) Airport, Rescue and Fire fighting vehicle and eight (8) Water Tenders and two (2) Water Bowsers

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Fresh Start Initiative launched to support ex-offenders economic integration upon release.

Currently, the Guyana Prison Service is constructing a Vocational School, Infirmary Annex Cell Blocks at Lusignan Prison.

KEY INFRASTRUTURE DEVELOPMENTS US$190 million contract awarded to Constructura Queiroz Galvao (QG) for the upgrading of the road between Linden and Mabura Hills; this road will transform hinterland travels and open millions of acres of land for livestock and agricultural investments for export.

US$261 million Contract awarded to China Railway (Caribbean) Ltd for the construction of a new bridge across the Demerara River between Nandy Park and La Grange;

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WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 JULY, 2022

KEY ACHIEVEMENT BY PPP/C GOVERNMENT SINCE ASSUMING OFFICE IN AUGUST 2020 Contracts awarded for the rehabilitation Farm to Market Access Roads in Black Bush Polder, Moleson Creek, East Bank Berbice, De Hoop Branch Road, IR-3 to Abary Creek;

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G$2.4 billion worth of contracts to be awarded for the rehabilitation of culverts and bridges for the widening of roads • from New Amsterdam to Moleson Creek;

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G$3 billion worth of contracts awarded for the construction of 32 bridges between Kurupukari to Lethem;

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Contract awarded to WSP Caribbean Ltd for Feasibility Study and Designs for the construction of new bridge linking Guyana and Suriname. Project being done jointly between Guyana and Suriname;

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Clearing of alignment for the 4-lane road between Schoonard and Parika completed;

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Clearing of the alignment for road between Parika and Goshen 50 % completed;

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Electric Vehicle Charging Stations - Tenders will soon be closing for the supply of 6 electric vehicle charging stations to catalyse e-mobilty in Guyana as we prepare ourselves to embrace modern and efficient transport technology.

HEALTH Covid-19 Vaccination Coverage: •

Adult Population: 1st Dose: 86.1% and 2nd Dose: 66.5%

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(School Aged Population 12-17) - 1st Dose: 47.6% and 2nd Dose: 34.8%

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Plans are advancing for the installation of more than 500MW of new generation capacity comprising natural gas, hydropower and solar to ensure adequate energy security in support of our development agenda. These transformative investments will help to lower our energy costs and • provide the people of Guyana with a reduction in electricity cost of at least 50% by 2025.

• Despite the rising cost of fuel on the world market and with • oil prices now exceeding US$100 per barrel, Government has taken a decision to not increase electricity prices. We have absorbed these costs to cushion you, the people of Guyana.

SOLAR FARMS AND MINI-GRIDS

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Over the next 3 years, a total of 13 new solar farms will be installed along with 19 new solar mini grids.

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8 Solar Farms: 15MW of solar farms will be installed at Linden, 10 MW in Berbice and 8MW in Essequibo.

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2 new Solar farms will soon be operational at Lethem and Bartica, while implementation of a solar farm at Wakenaam is advancing.

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Energy Efficiency - A total of 34,450 energy efficient LED lights has been procured to reduce energy consumption.

Free installation in your homes and businesses at Bartica, Linden, Leguan and Wakenaam will soon commence.

Clearing of the alignment for the road between Timehri – Sand Hills - Bartica in progress; Infrastructure:

POWER SECTOR

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Waramadong, Paruima and Jawalla of Region 7; Kurukubaru of Region 8; Annai, Karasabai, Aishalton and Kraudarnau of Region 9; and Riversview of Region 10, will benefit from the installation of solar PV mini-grids.

The communities of Sebai, Karaburi, Kwebanna, Haimacabra, Baramita and Canal Bank of Region One; Wakapao, Capoey Mission, St. Monica and Tapakuma, of Region 2;

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Embarked on the construction of 6 regional hospitals and one Specialized Maternal and Child Health Hospital all of which are expected to be completed within 3 years. Locations include:Diamond, De.Kendren, Anna Regina, No. 75 Village, Enmore and Naarstegheid Upgrade of one Regional Hospital in region 7, the Bartica Regional Hospital.

The allocation of 1B for the upgrade of all health centers Construction of the following Barimita, Aishalton hospitals and Blood Bank in region 3(West Demerara Regional Hospital), Lusignan Heath Centre, Single Flat at Linden, and extension works at Kwakwani etc.

Budgetary allocation of $120,000 000 for piloting of Telemedicine at Mabaruma, Mahdia, Aishalton, Lethem.

Commissioning of two SMART Healthcare facilities.

Reintroduction of Cataract Surgeries - Infrastructural upgrades and procurement of medical equipment to optimize the ophthalmology hospital at Port Mourant, Berbice.

EDUCATION •

20,000 online scholarship programme has commenced with the first batch of 6000 Guyanese awarded in 2021 and an additional 4,500 scholarships targeted under the GOAL programme in 2022.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 JULY, 2022

The March 2020 Election Saga... (From page 10) the Constitution and laws.

His report stated the results of the recount, which showed that the PPP/C won the March 2020 Elections, but then dismantles the recount for each electoral discount by disenfranchising a total of over 275,000 voters.

Lowenfield, in his report, argued that of the 460,352 votes, at the General Elections level, only 185,260 votes, could be considered as valid.

As per Lowenfield’s numbers, if only 185,260 votes, at the General Elections level, are deemed valid: • The PPP/C secured 56,627 votes • The APNU+AFC Coalition secured 125,010 votes; and • The small opposition parties received a total of 3,623 votes.

If these numbers were allowed to stand, it would mean that the APNU+AFC Coalition won the Elections by 64,760 votes – and would be leading the PPP/C by 68,383 votes.

In essence, what Lowenfield does – by inserting his opinion in the matter – is present a two-thirds victory to Granger and the APNU+AFC. He is now guilty of committing a criminal offense of electoral fraud.

LAST DITCH EFFORT In a last ditch effort to stop the Commission declaring the results on June 18, 2020, Lowenfield makes no submission of a final report – using the results of the recount, as required.

Also, two of the three APNU+AFC Coalition-nominated GECOM Commissioners were not in attendance at the GECOM meeting on Thursday (June 18, 2020), which had to be aborted due to a lack of a quorum.

Simultaneously a notice of a motion was filed in the Court of Appeal to stop the declaration. With the Court having no jurisdiction in this matter, the outcome was clear from the start.

Two questions were put to the Appeal Court: an interpretation of the Constitution of the words “more votes cast”, which the Court said means “more valid votes”; and a question about jurisdiction to hear arguments that would ultimately aim to disenfranchise over 275,000 voters. On the latter, an appeal has been filed by the PPP/C to the CCJ. On the former, the PPP/C agrees that “more votes cast” means “more valid votes” and contends that the Certificates of Recount already determined what those valid votes are, since those legal documents state clearly the worlds “Valid Votes” and enumerate

numbers showing a PPP/C victory. The APNU+AFC Coalition, of course, has a different view on this issue.

Altogether, this is the saga of the Granger-led conspiracy to steal the elections of March 2, 2020 with the clear objective to ensure that ‘by hook or by crook’, they remain in office and in power.

POWER FOR POWER SAKE Power for power’s sake sits on quicksand, a lesson APNU+AFC Coalition ignored and felt that they could ride roughshod over the Constitution, the laws and the people of this country.

The domino structure of the conspiracy has been falling one by one. Already, the JFAP, part of the seven-party APNU+AFC Coalition, has broken ranks and called for the recount results to be used and allow for a democratic transition of government.

Also, a senior AFC member, Dominic Gaskin, has come out with strong criticism of the Coalition, which is led by his father-in-law, David Granger.

Whilst the conspiracy may have succeeded in causing enormous and historic delays, it has failed at each step and did not stop the inevitable – the swearing in of the PPP/C as the new legitimate

government of Guyana. Continuing the struggle at hand remains of utmost importance to allow for a democratic transition of government.

The patience and discipline of the Guyanese under extreme duress over the last 115 days, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has not gone unnoticed by the Commonwealth, the OAS, the CARICOM and the foreign missions in Guyana.

Our dogged perseverance in the face of repeated flagrant and bare-faced attempts to steal the elections on March 5th, March 13th and on June 13th, from within the machinery of the Guyana Elections Commission – the body constitutionally enshrined with protecting the right of the Guyanese electorate to vote at free, fair, transparent and credible elections – is unprecedented.

As, I look back over the years of elections growing up in Guyana with the violence of the 1960s and later rigged elections between 1968-1985 and the violence in 1992, 1997 and 2001, I can proudly conclude that we as a nation have matured and learnt how fragile and delicate our emerging democracy is and we have learnt that our overwhelming overriding duty as Guyanese is to protect it, regardless of our political

affiliation.

IGNOBLE FIRSTS The March 2, 2020 Electoral process has created history and for long will remain in the minds of our people, and much will be analysed and written about it for generations.

We reached some firsts in the world which I am sure we would have preferred not to: • Having no election held until for 14 months after a no-confidence motion saw a government defeated a government; • No final declaration of the elections results after 115 days; • The attempt to steal the election came from within the body tasked with overseeing the elections.

It is only under the PNC governments that we make firsts like this – firsts that we are ashamed of as a nation: having rigged elections 1968, 1973, 1980, 1985 and one referendum 1978; and being the country with the largest single event of civilian deaths in a non-conflict situation, with 900 souls being massacred at Jonestown in 1978, until September 11, 2001 attack on the New York World Trade Towers.

No longer must we be recognized as a country and

people for such firsts. We want to be recognized as a people who overcame these challenges and conspiracies to steal our voice our vote and we won.

The master-minds of the conspiracy were the APNU+AFC cabal, supported by a few rogue elements in the GECOM Secretariat. They failed. In a sense Granger-led APNU+AFC did not recognize that much had changed since the 1980s and they miscalculated the power of the democratic will of the Guyanese people, the broad based democratic forces (previously silent) and new and young pro-democracy voices coupled with international and regional support.

In this equation, the PPP/C leadership – under its PPP General Secretary and former President, Bharrat Jagdeo – demonstrated the formidable capacity of the party’s machinery, leaders and members across the country.

LESSONS LEARNT There are many lessons that we have learnt in in the last 115-plus days; a number of critical lessons that we should not forget: 1. The struggle to preserve our democracy is a perpetual one and that it is the civic duty of each of us

as citizens to protect and defend it.

2. The power of our young emerging democracy, and the very real threat to it, brought together the PPP/C, the new and small opposition parties, civil society, civic-minded and democracy lovers, with international and regional organizations as never been seen before and this must be guarded.

3. We are stronger together; we can build on this and work consciously to close the divisions caused by ethnic insecurities.

4. The young generation showed their resoluteness, resilience and courage to defend this democracy and must have a rightful place.

5. The international community is less tolerant than in the 1970s and 80s to watch and sit idly by while a country slips from the global democratic fold of global nations.

6. The social media and the media houses played a critical role in informing and exposing the many attempts to derail the elections and committed electoral thievery.

As we move forward together, the overarching fact that we must me mindful of is that we are stronger together as one people, in one nation, with a common destiny.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 JULY, 2022

Elections CoI team crafting ToR to guide investigation

17

WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 JULY, 2022

President Ali leads gov’t team on successful... and sanitation (including technologies and infrastructure); and agriculture.

President Ali committed to working “aggressively” and “proactively” in pursuit of the full realisation of the MoU while ensuring that all parties emerge as “winners”.

PRUDENT MANAGEMENT OF OIL RESOURCES The money Guyana receives from its burgeoning oil and gas sector is arms-length away from any political body, according to President Ali. In fact, the robust monitoring mechanism in place ensures transparency to the people of Guyana, holds the Minister of Finance accountable for guaranteeing the timely sharing of information on revenues earned, and significantly reduces the sitting government’s reach into the fund.

The Guyanese leader relayed the principles in place to effectively manage proceeds from the industry. “In addressing transparency, one of the key aspects in oil and gas management is the reach and involvement of politicians,” he said.

Ali added, “…ensuring transparency and accountability is ensuring the population has access to information.

There can be no secrets, the population must be aware of what is coming in. The second issue is addressing transparency, one of the key aspects in the oil and gas sector is the reach and level of involvement of politicians in the government, so that is another issue. three, a clear approach to how revenues are utilised and developed for the transformation of the country and the type of oversight that is given to that approach.”

He explained that whenever revenue comes in, there is a defined time where the finance minister must make the information of that income public. “It must be published.

If he fails to do that, there is a jail term of 10 years. There is an independent board that is arms-length from the government. On that board we have international people…

No political reach in terms of the board of directors. There is an investment committee that works with the central bank to determine how investments are made. So, we have removed the political hand that is a major international issue in the process,” he said.

Dr. Ali said money spent from the revenue must go through a parliamentary process since it has to be in the national budget. For him, that is the greatest level of scrutiny since the national budget is subjected to parliamentary debate and approval. “So, the resources coming to be invested in the country and the transformation of the country, pass through the parliamentary process, pass through the approval process, because the national budget has to be

approved. So, the parliamentary oversight is there,” he maintained.

He said “a very simple formula” exists which ensures the ordinary Guyanese understands what revenue goes into the development of the economy.

The amended Natural Resource Fund Act 2021 – No. 19 of 2021, was passed in the National Assembly in December 2021, repealing clauses imposed by the previous APNU+AFC Administration. In June, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) commended Guyana for the amendments made to the National Resource Act 2019, which now ensure the prudent, transparent and accountable management of the country’s oil funds.

CLIMATE CHANGE Further, Ali noted that Guyana’s biodiversity and environmental wealth is well documented. The forest stores 19.5 gigatons of carbon. The standing value of the forests is over US $500 billion. Additionally, the forest has the potential of earning in excess of US $100 million in carbon credit annually.

The Local Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030, according to him, will ensure Guyana develops in a sustainable manner, while safeguarding the economy.

“We have expanded the strategy taking into consideration the new area of development… the new sector of oil and gas [sector], and we have now developed a strategy through a consultative mechanism,” President Ali stated.

He noted that while the strategy was conceptulised by the State, it includes the view of local and international stakeholders.

Dr. Ali said the approach takes into consideration Guyana’s natural assets, as he referenced the forest that can be deployed to bring economic benefits to the country. This, the Guyanese leader contended, will uplift the social infrastructure and financial life of Guyana, thus lending significant support to the world on climate change issues.

He stressed that in the holistic development strategies of Guyana, there is full commitment to ensuring the forest remains in tack and sustainable. “…in a way that speaks to the transformative agenda of the government, where we are focusing on how we will achieve human resource transformation, how we will build a mechanism in the education sector… health, housing… and the social sectors, to support the infrastructure and economic transformation that will take place,” Dr. Ali added.

Another component of the strategy is to achieve sustainable and resilient development in the continuously changing world. And with climate change also being a sore issue, the administration

continues to implement workable measures to improve the livelihood of citizens.

Climate change is a factor that threatens food security thereby causing unprecedented flooding, extreme heat, and economic loss. The Caribbean region, home to several developing countries, stand to face the impact of climate change due to the lack of financing.

The President said, “We are pursuing an energy path that seeks to balance our newfound natural resource of oil and gas, but we are not doing that at the detriment of our credentials on environment and climate change. As you rightfully pointed out, our forests stores 19.5 kilotons of carbon. We are a net zero country.

FOOD SECURITY Food production plays a critical part in the development trajectory of Guyana, the president pointed out.

He said the development mix which includes infrastructure, and economic transformation among other things, require the human resource transformation.

(From page 8)

“That’s is why we are investing health in health and education and we are using the best who are good at this.

Whether is the overhaul of the management system for our healthcare, ensuring that we have an education system that just does not deliver academic education, but one that position our education output into areas that the future economy would require, whether it’s robotics, software engineering, software development, coding, these are all areas in which we want our human resource potential to be positioned to take advantage of,’ Dr. Ali stated.

According to him, Guyana has all the natural assets to be a leading food producer in the region. He said, “Food production today must be backed by appropriate technology and investment in infrastructure that will ensure the agriculture is sustainable and resilient to climate change and the effects of climate change,” he noted, while stating that such an achievement requires capital.

The President added, “… and this is one example of how the revenues from oil

and gas can be deployed to position Guyana, not only for the benefit of Guyana, but the position Guyana to contribute significantly to the food security of the region as a whole.”

GUYANA IS A STRATEGIC PARTNER Meanwhile, in his remarks, the US Secretary of State said that Guyana has been a very strong partner for the United States and is in many ways a global leader.

The two countries, he added, will continue to advance discussions and collaboration in areas for cooperation.

Blinken said, “We’re working together in our region and beyond to try to find solutions to urgent challenges, to include climate, to include food security, energy security. We’re working on issues together, and I think coming out of the Summit of the Americas in particular, there is a lot more energy in those efforts, including some things that we’re working on very actively right now that I know we’ll be sharing in the weeks ahead.”

The United States, he

emphasised, is “very eager to continue to deepen and strengthen the partnership,” which will also redound to the benefit of the region given the fact that Georgetown, the country’s capital, is also the seat of CARICOM. Blinken said, “This for us is a very important and vital institution, one with which President Biden, Vice President Harris had, I think, a very significant and important engagement at the Summit of the Americas.

So I look forward to continuing the conversations that we all started there and to deepening the work that we’ve already begun between our countries.”

During the US visit President Ali was also a guest speaker at several events hosted by the Atlantic Council and will meet with US business leaders. He has also been invited to speak at the Woodrow Wilson Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Council of the Americas roundtable, among other events.

The President and his delegation also met with Guyanese living in Washington.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 JULY, 2022

ExxonMobil makes two more oil finds, total discoveries offshore Guyana stand at 38 O

il giant ExxonMobil has made two new discoveries in the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana. The two new finds bring the total discoveries in the Stabroek Block to 33.

ExxonMobil subsidiary Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) announced the discoveries of oil at its Seabob and Kiru-Kiru wells on Tuesday (July 26, 2022).

The Seabob-1 well encountered approximately 131 feet (40 meters) of high-quality hydrocarbon-bearing sandstone and was drilled in 4,660 feet (1,421 meters) of water by the Stena Carron drill ship. The Kiru-Kiru-1 well encountered approximately 98 feet (30 meters) of high-quality hydrocarbon-bearing sandstone and was drilled by the Stena DrillMAX in 5,760 feet (1,756 meters) of water. Drilling operations at Kiru-Kiru are ongoing.

The discoveries at Seabob and Kiru-Kiru

are the sixth and seventh in Guyana for 2022.

Currently, two floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels operating offshore Guyana — Liza Destiny and Liza Unity — have exceeded their initial combined production target of 340,000 barrels of oil per day.

A third project, Payara, is expected to produce 220,000 barrels per day. Construction on its production vessel, the Prosperity FPSO, is approximately five months ahead of schedule with start-up likely before year-end 2023.

The fourth project, Yellowtail, is expected to produce 250,000 barrels per day when the ONE GUYANA FPSO comes online in 2025.

The Stabroek Block is estimated to contain resources of about 11 billion oil-equivalent barrels. ExxonMobil affiliate Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited is operator and holds 45% interest. Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd. holds 30% interest

and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited holds 25% interest. The Stabroek block is 6.6 million acres (26,800 square kilometers).

WELCOMED Meanwhile, Government has welcomed the latest oil discoveries announced by ExxonMobil, which, Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, said, will further translate into improved living standards for Guyanese.

Bharrat noted the discovery adds to the already discovered 11 billion barrels of oil in Guyana and will also increase production.

He affirmed that Guyanese will benefit from the money accrued from the oil and gas sector. “This obviously will lead to our longterm plan of having 10 FPSOs in the next 10 years. We already signed to other production licences, Pyara and Yellow-tail. Definitely, these resources now discovered will add to the other developments. So, it’s something that the Government of Guyana welcomes and we look forward for even more positive results as we continue exploration activities offshore.”

Minister Bharrat is eager for oil discovery in other blocks. “We will be happy to have discoveries made outside of the Stabroek Block as well too, because that will bring development to different parts of the country.

For example, in the Corentyne Block, should we have another discovery move to a development, it simply means more development for Region Six, Region Five and those areas.

They will probably see development that is taking place in Regions Three and Four, right now, based on the Stabroek Block.”

Minister Bharrat committed to enhancing the framework to better manage the sector.

Already, government established the Natural Resource Fund, which ensures greater accountability and transparency in the spending of the revenues accrued from the sale of crude oil.

TOTAL FINDS The discoveries to date include at the

Stabroek Block by Exxon Mobil, include: 1. Liza-1 (May 9, 2015) 2. Liza Deep (January 9, 2017) 3. Payara-1 (January 9, 2017) 4. Snoek-1 (March 30, 2017) 5. Turbot-1 (October 11, 2017) 6. Ranger-1 (January 5, 2018) 7. Pacora (March 5, 2018) 8. Longtail-1 (June 20, 2018) 9. Hammerhead-1 (August 30, 2018) 10. Pluma -1 (December 3, 2018) 11. Tilapia-1 (February 4, 2019) 12. Haimara-1 (February 4, 2019) 13. Yellowtail-1 (April 16, 2019) 14. Tripletail-1 (September 16, 2019) 15. Mako-1 (December 20, 2019) 16. Uaru-1 (January 23, 2020) 17. Yellowtail-2 (July 29, 2020) 18. Redtail-1 (September 7, 2020) 19. Hassa-1 (March 23, 2021) 20. Uaru-2 (April 28, 2021) 21. Longtail-3 (June 8, 2021) 22. Whiptail-1 (July 26, 2021) 23. Whiptail-2 (July 26, 2021) 24. Turbot-2 (September 9, 2021) 25. Pinktail-1 (September 9, 2021) 26. Cataback-1 (October 6, 2021) 27. Fangtooth-1 (January 5, 2022) 28. Lau Lau-1 (January 5, 2022) 29. Barreleye-1 (April 25, 2022) 30. Lukanani-1 (April 25, 2022) 31. Patwa-1 (April 25, 2022) 32. Seabob-1 (July 26, 2022) 33. Kiru Kiru-1 (July 26, 2022) So far, these 33 wells in the Stabroek Block have yielded positive results for oil extraction, which takes the total to 38 oil discoveries offshore Guyana.

Of the 38 finds: 33 were made by ExxonMobil in the Stabroek Block; One at the Kaieteur Block – Tanager-1 (November 16, 2020); Two at the Orinduik block – Jethro-1 (August 28, 2019) and Joe-1 (September 23, 2019); One at the Kanuku block – Carapa-1 (January 1, 2020); and One at the Corentyne block – Kawa-1 (March 16, 2022).

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WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 JULY, 2022

Farmers to begin receiving fertiliser... persons who are entitled receive and receive what they deserve. Hopefully, before the week is out the contract for the fertilizers will be awarded to suppliers. Once this is done, farmers will receive their vouchers and can begin collecting fertilizers from those suppliers,” he noted.

While going through the lists submitted by the committee for the various regions for acres sown to date, Minister Mustapha disclosed that Region Two had recorded some 31,884 acres sown, Region Three had recorded some 14,370 acres sown, Region Four

had recorded some 7,440 acres sown, Region Five had recorded some 58,062 acres sown, and Region Six had recorded some 57,270 acres sown.

Referencing the issues faced during the flood relief exercise, Minister Mustapha urged the committee members to ensure the lists were transparent and accurately reflected the activities in the various regions. “We do not want to end up in a situation where people point fingers at the end of the exercise saying that people who lost did not receive relief and people

who did not lose received relief as was and still is the case with the flood relief exercise. I want us to have a clean and transparent list. A list that reflects what is taking place right now in the country in terms of persons who cultivated this crop,” he said.

Since taking office, the government has announced several relief initiatives targeting various categories of Guyanese in a bid to ease the rising cost of living. Minister Mustapha said that given the impact of the global pandemic and the war in Ukraine, the government

(From page 7)

has been making sizable budgetary allocations to fund its various relief and assistance initiatives.

“We know that persons in the industry needed help.

Fertilizer prices were going up. Rice is an important commodity for us. It earns the country a lot of revenue. This is why the government is giving assistance to these sectors; these are productive sectors,” the minister said.

Farmers also raised concerns about the quality of fertilizer currently on the market, noting that they are now forced to use 50% more on their

crops. Minister Mustapha informed them that the ministry’s Pesticide and Toxic Chemicals Control Board (PTCCB) now has the capacity to test those inputs to ensure they meet the standard required for their intended purposes.

President Ali had announced that the government will be purchasing and distributing, free of c o s t , $ 1 b i l l i o n i n f e rtilisers to both cash crop and rice farmers all across Guyana as a means of absorbing the rising global costs for the commodity and to prevent the costs from being passed on to

consumers at the market.

The $1 billion will be drawn from the $5 billion the government had set aside in the 2022 national budget to implement measures to ease the cost of living for citizens, which is caused by the external economic shocks from the COVID-19 pandemic and the war between Russia and Ukraine. Of the $1 billion announced, $900 million will go towards the procurement of fertilizer for the rice industry, while the remaining $100 million will be given to persons cultivating cash crops.

20

WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 JULY, 2022

Gov’t to commence training laboratory PNC should free itself of adversarial staff to... (From page 6) politics and... (From page 5) dress any possible instance of the virus being identified here.

Symptoms of Monkeypox include fever, headache, muscle aches and backache, swollen lymph nodes, exhaustion, and rashes that can look like pimples or blisters that appear on the

face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body.

Dr. Anthony noted previously that symptoms of the disease can appear about five days after a person is infected. The virus is not only spread through contact with monkeys but rodents and infected persons.

Persons can be immunised against monkeypox with the vaccines used for small pox, which has shown promising results.

Currently, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recorded an estimate of 16,000 cases in 75 countries.

state of affairs in which the country found itself.

Be that as it may, the PNC still remains the largest political opposition in the country and therefore has a role to play both at the constitutional and political levels to lift this country to greater heights. The image of Guyana is already changing as an important player on the international stage, as recently manifested in high-level exchanges between President Irfaan Ali and high-ranking officials of the United States government, including Secretary of State, Antony Blinken. The country is doing well economically and is now ranked as among the fastest- growing economies in the world, thanks to the impact of oil and gas. However, such

developments must be buttressed by the fostering of a politically stable and harmonious society based on full adherence to democratic norms and the rule of law.

The PNC as a major political party has to come on board and join in the quest for the creation of a new Guyana based on the ‘One Guyana’ vision as articulated by President Ali. In a few days time, Guyanese will celebrate Emancipation Day, but unless we free ourselves from the shackles of adversarial politics, the dreams and aspirations of our ancestors and their offspring for a strong, united and prosperous Guyana would not be fully realised.

Yours sincerely, Hydar Ally

21

WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 JULY, 2022 CO-OPERATIVE REPUBLIC OF GUYANA

Ministry of Public Works

The Ministry of Public Works invites sealed bids for the procurement of the following Works: MISCELLANEOUS ROADS, REGION 3 & 4 (PHASE 10)

Lot 249

Lot 250

Lot 251

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Road Network, Greenwich Park New Housing Scheme, East Bank Essequibo Region # 3 Main Access Road, Tuschen New Housing Scheme-Phase 1, East Bank Essequibo, Region # 3 (Phase 2), Region #3 Road Network 1, West Section (Section #3), Tuschen New Housing SchemePhase 1, EBE, Region # 3 Road Network 1, Tuschen New Housing Scheme-Phase 2, EBE, Region # 3

$83,000,000

$124,000,000

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Lot 253

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Road Network 2, Tuschen New Housing Scheme-Phase 2, EBE, Region # 3

$87,000,000

Lot 254

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Road Network 3, Tuschen New Housing Scheme-Phase 2, EBE, Region # 3

$64,000,000

Lot 255

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Lot 256

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Lot 257

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Lot 258

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Lot 259

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Lot 260

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Lot 261

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Lot 262

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Lot 263

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Lot 264

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Lot 265

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Lot 266

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Lot 267

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Lot 268

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Lot 269

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

$69,000,000

$76,000,000 $171,000,000 $89,000,000 $28,000,000 $104,000,000 $100,000,000 $42,000,000

Lot 281

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Lot 282

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Lot 283

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Lot 284

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Lot 285

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Lot 286

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Lot 287

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Lot 288

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Lot 289

Lot 291 Lot 292 Lot 293 Lot 294

Lot 5

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Lot 11

Rehabilitation of:

$25,000,000

Lot 12

Rehabilitation of:

$40,000,000

Lot 13

Rehabilitation of:

$16,000,000

Lot 14 Lot 15

Rehabilitation of: Rehabilitation of:

$24,000,000 $18,000,000

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Lot 271

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Somerset Court 2nd Street, Herstelling / Little Diamond,Region # 4

$12,000,000

Lot 272

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Hajjie Street (East – West), Herstelling / Little Diamond, Region # 4

$12,000,000

Lot 273

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Hajjie Street to Creek Dam, Herstelling / Little Diamond, Region # 4

$25,000,000

Lot 274

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Lot 275

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Lot 276

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Lot 277

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Lot 278

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Lot 279

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

$21,000,000

$19,000,000 $54,000,000 $58,000,000 $206,000,000 $25,000,000 $29,000,000

Grove East Bank Demerara Post Office Street, Region # 4 Kaneville Main Access Road, Region # 4 Kaneville, 3rd Field inter link corners, Region # 4 4th Field First corner and inter link corners, Diamond Place / Golden Grove, Region # 4 Third & Fourth Street, Good Success, Region # 4 GAC Old Road, Soesdyke/Huist’ Coverden, Region # 4

$7,000,000 $206,000,000 $38,000,000 $39,000,000 $24,000,000 $167,000,000

Cemetery Road Timehri, Region # 4 Farm Track, Soesdyke/Huist’ Coverden, Region # 4

First Back Road from Crosbie Road to Van Sertima Road, Region # 4 Centre Road, Soesdyke/Huist’ Coverden, Rehabilitation/Construction of: Region # 4 Thomas Road-E.P.R. D-Coverden, Rehabilitation/Construction of: Region # 4 JP Patterson Street, Lamaha / Rehabilitation/Construction of: Yarrowkabra, Region # 4 Seven Day Adventist Street, Lamaha / Rehabilitation/Construction of: Yarrowkabra, Region # 4 Ferrier's Drive, Hauraruni/ Yarrowkabra, Rehabilitation/Construction of: Region # 4 Pilot Street and Middle Street, Rehabilitation/Construction of: Hauraruni/ Yarrowkabra, Region # 4 URBAN ROADS - RETENDERED

$30,000,000

$25,000,000

Engineer's Estimate (GY$)

Church Street, Danielstown, Reg 2

PUBLIC AND MAIN ACCESS ROADS

$74,000,000

Lot 270

Aqueduct Corner, North to South and Internal links, Region # 4

Rehabilitation/Construction of:

Lot 290

Prospect to Little Diamond Second Street (North – South), Region # 4

Guysuco First Street (North – South), Herstelling / Little Diamond, Region # 4 Barnwell Road, Mocha/Arcadia, Region #4 Cemetery Road, Mocha/Arcadia, Region #4 Diamond New Scheme 6th and 7th Avenue, Region # 4 Grove New Scheme, 2nd Bridge North to South Corner, Region # 4

Lot 280

$118,000,000

Lot 252

Road Network 1, East Section, Tuschen North, EBE, Region # 3 Main Access Road (Brother Dam), Zeelugt North, East Bank Essequibo, Region # 3 Fisher Dam Last Cross Street West Section Road Network, Zeelugt North, EBE, Region # 3 Bald Head Street U-Shaped Bypass Road, Zeelugt North, East Bank Essequibo, Region # 3 Western Road Network, Zeelugt Housing Scheme-Phase 1, East Bank Essequibo, Region # 3 Eastern Road Network, Zeelugt Housing Scheme-Phase 1, East Bank Essequibo, Region # 3 Eastern Perimeter Road, Zeelugt Housing Scheme-Phase 2, East Bank Essequibo Region # 3 Northern Section Road Network, Zeelugt Housing Scheme-Phase 3, East Bank Essequibo, Region # 3 Road Network, Area K (South), LBI, ECD, Region #4 Second Cross Street (South), LBI, ECD, Region #4 Middle Street (South), LBI, ECD, Region #4 Seventh Cross Street (South), LBI, ECD, Region #4 Third Cross Street (South), LBI, ECD, Region #4 Sixth Street, Cummings Lodge, Georgetown, Region #4 Coldigen Dam, ECD, Region #4

MISCELLANEOUS ROADS, REGION 3 & 4 (PHASE 10)

Engineer's Estimate (GY$)

Sections of Black Bush Polder (Yakusari), Region 6 Sections of Black Bush Polder (Joanna), Region 6 Sections of Burma Road, Mahaicony, Region 5 Sections of Canal No.1, Region 3 Sections of Canal No.2, Region 3

$28,000,000 $53,000,000

$67,000,000 $30,000,000 $26,000,000 $93,000,000 $69,000,000 $89,000,000 $77,000,000 Engineer's Estimate (GY$) $44,000,000 Engineer's Estimate (GY$) $200,000,000 $100,000,000 $105,000,000 $105,000,000 $105,000,000

1. Bidding will be conducted through the National Competitive Bidding procedure specified in the Procurement Act 2003.

2. Interested Bidders may obtain further information from, inspect the Bidding Document, and purchase a complete set of Bidding Documents at the Ministry of Public Works (address (1) below) from Thursday, July 7, 2022. Bids can be purchased from 09:00hrs to 16:30hrs, Mondays to Thursdays, and on Fridays from 09:00 to 15:00 hours.

3. A complete set of the bidding documents, in English, may be purchased by interested Bidders at address (1) below upon payment of a non-refundable fee of Five Thousand Guyana Dollars (GY$5,000.00). The method of payment will be cash, or by manager’s cheque payable to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Public Works, Guyana.

4. Qualifications requirements include but are not limited to: Bidders registered in Guyana must submit valid Certificates of Compliance from the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and National Insurance Scheme (NIS).

5. Bids shall be valid during One Hundred and Twenty (120) days of the date of bid opening.

6. Bids will be opened in the presence of Bidders’ representatives and anyone who chooses to attend at the address (2) below on Tuesday, August 2, 2022, at 09:00hrs.

Address (1) - Purchase and Inspection of Document: The Accounts Department, Flat Building, Ministry of Public Works Fort Street, Kingston, Georgetown, Guyana.

Tel: (592) 223 1847 (592) 223 6070 E-mail: procurementwsg@gmail.com

Address (2) - Submission and Opening of Bids:

The Chairman, National Procurement and Board, Ministry of Finance, Main & Urquhart Streets, Georgetown, Guyana.

Tender Administration

22

WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 JULY, 2022

COM M ENTARY

PPP/C leaders making waves at home and abroad

By Dr. Leslie Ramsammy

G

uyana’s presence on the world stage since August 2020 has increasingly grown by leaps and bounds. Our presence on the world stage today is a positive presence, bringing pride to our country and people, exciting the world.

The American Government invited the Guyanese leaders to Washington. They laid out the red carpet for PPP/C Leaders – President Irfaan Ali and Vice President Bharat Jagdeo and others.

The US Vice President, Kamala Harris, the US Secretary of State and other US leaders gave warm embrace to the Guyanese delegation. In the end, Guyana signed an agreement with the EXIM Bank of the US for access to $US2B. This is what President Ali and VP Jagdeo have achieved for Guyana. These two leaders have led our government and the PPP and Guyana to a place where Guyana is now one of the most-talked about country in the world.

Our leaders have ensured that Guyana is one of the most respected countries in the world. The attention paid to Guyana in Washington this past week is the kind of red-carpet treatment reserved for countries like Israel.

It is not like this is the first time Guyana is on the world stage, but in the past, we were there for all the wrong reasons. Between March and August 2020, we were on the world stage, but it was because the world was watching Guyana where one of history’s most brazen and clumsy attempt to rig an election was taking place, even in front of regional heads of

states, the whole Diplomatic Corp and internationally certified observers. Previously we owned the global stage because of the Jim Jones story. We also owned the global stage because at one time, by 1992, we became one of the most indebted countries on earth. Since 2020, our negative presence on the world stage has been transformed; we are now a glowing example of a country transforming how we look, how we feel and a country on a steep trajectory to prosperity.

But a set of sour people, whose wish for Guyana is that we fail, want Guyanese to believe that the Americans summoned our leaders to scold them. Even as the result of the Americans’ excitement to see our leaders manifested itself for the world to see, the opposition naysayers insulted the intelligence of the Guyanese people by insisting that America summoned our leaders to scold them. This same group of sore losers not so long ago tried to convince their few supporters left that the Americans will remove the PPP from government within six months.

Well, now the Americans want to support rapid development in infrastructure, energy, communications and food security. They do not want to support these developments with just consultants, they want to do so with their money. Guyana has become one of America’s most valued friends. That is what President Ali and VP Jagdeo have achieved for Guyana.

In the meanwhile, opposition leader, Aubrey Norton, has gone missing in action.

It is a really bad time for Norton and his band of sy-

cophants. They have been forced to watch President Ali and VP Jagdeo being toasted in Washington, embraced in Buxton, serenaded in Linden.

The Americans have no time for Norton, the Buxtonians and Lindeners have largely ignored Norton. It is rough times for Aubrey Norton.

Whether they are leading Guyana forward at home or they are meeting international leaders abroad, the dynamic pair of President Irfaan Ali and Bharat Jagdeo are creating excitement and making waves at home and abroad. It is their visionary leadership that has brought international investors to our shores in droves, with annual investment in in the billions of US dollars. Even their most ardent naysayers are gradually coming to the same conclusion as the majority of Guyanese who have for a long time now known that these two Guyanese leaders have become global leaders and rock stars.

This past week, President Ali and Vice President Bharat Jagdeo led a powerful PPP/C Government team to Washington. They met several high-ranking American cabinet and administrative officials. They even spoke at some prestigious events.

Watching them, listening to them and seeing how the Guyanese leaders are being given the royal treatment in Washington bring pride to Guyanese here and in the diaspora. Guyanese everywhere are beaming with pride.

The small group of naysayers and grouches cannot and will not accept that Guyana is now the country that every other country wants

to be friends with, want to be an ally with. It is not just because of Guyana’s bonanza oil resources that every other country wants to be our friend; it is because they see leaders who are transforming Guyana into a booming country. They see strong, competent and visionary leaders.

But the small group of naysayers find everything to diminish the achievements of our leaders and our country.

They started to scream as our leaders left Guyana for Washington that President Ali and VP Jagdeo were summoned to America to be scolded. Some of them even went as far on social media to say that Bharat Jagdeo will be arrested once he arrives in Washington. Yet, to the naysayers’ utter chagrin and horror, far from summoning the Guyanese leaders, the American government leaders were themselves excited that our President and our Vice President accepted their invitation to visit Washington.

The Americans not only provided a welcome to Guyanese leaders, they signed agreements to work with Guyana on our country’s exciting journey towards developed country status. Whether Guyana will be a developed country is no longer a question; it is now only when will Guyana become a developed country. For example, the Americans have agreed to work with Guyana to develop many areas of institutional strengthening, including in security. In addition, the American EXIM Bank has agreed to provide access to $US2B ($G400B). Never has the American EXIM Bank made available that kind of resources to Guyana. If this

was summoning for scolding purposes, then Guyana should try to be summoned every single day to Washington. The fact is that Guyana was invited so that American financial institutions could begin to compete with other financial institutions, such as the Chinese and Indian EXIM Banks and the Islamic Development Bank, as well as the IDB, World Bank and the CDB. During the Budget 2022 debate when Ashni Singh read the budget and the PPP Cabinet defended it in Parliament, the opposition MPs berated the government MPs for predicting a 47% GDP growth. The opposition insisted that Guyana the predicted 47% GDP growth was fairy tale, no matter how much OIL contributes.

With more than half of 2022 gone, the new international prediction for GDP growth in Guyana is 57% growth.

Confused that President Irfaan Ali’s government is not merely achieving Budget 2022 prediction of 47%, but significantly exceeding it, one of the opposition’s main spokesperson, Winston Jordon, the failed former Finance Minister, now says that the 57% predicted growth is nothing but a mirage.

The truth is that the opposition and the naysayers are in denial. They cannot believe that PPP leaders have transformed Guyana into the country that is leading the way for global development today. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) in its latest World Economic Outlook published last Tuesday predicted that in 2022 Guyana will be leading the pack with its 57% GDP growth.

The IMF lifted Guyana’s 2022 GDP growth that it predicted at the beginning of the year. At the same time, the IMF predicted that the rest of the world will only experience a GDP growth of 3.2%, lower than the 3.8% the IMF predicted for the global economy in January.

The IMF is already predicting also that Guyana will lead the world again in 2023, with a forecasted growth of more than 34%.

This is why America wants to be close with Guyana. This is why the EXIM Bank wants now to be part of the Guyanese story. As the Americans, as the US EXIM Banks’ executive, as the world watched last week’s International Building EXPO, they knew that Guyana is on a roll and that Guyana is on the fast-track to developed country status.

Those of us who use to dream that Guyana could be a developed country one day never believed that Guyana could get there in our lifetime. But now the dream is becoming reality and we might very well get an opportunity to be living in a Guyana that is a developed country. Certainly, most Guyanese living today will definitely see Guyana getting to this mark. Not so long ago, Guyana would have been in the last place of CARICOM countries likely to reach the status of developed country.

Irfaan Ali and Bharat Jagdeo, the dynamic duo, have brought Guyana to a place where it is now first-in-line in CARICOM to reach the holy grail of developed country status. These are truly awesome leaders and we are proud of them.

‘Collective vulgarity’ of PNCR-led Coalition will... (From back page) happens when you don’t want to obey the law and you don’t want to accept procedures.”

INCIDENT ON DECEMBER 29, 2021 In an effort derail the debating and passing of the Natural Resources Fund Bill, the Parliamentary Opposition hijacked the sitting – blowing whistles and chanting – while its MPs, Ferguson and Jordan, attempted to seize this ceremonial symbol. Other Opposition MPs attempted to do the same too, in the presence of the entire National Assembly.

Also, Opposition MPs ambushed the control room of

the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) and wildly unplugged the connections in the electrical systems room, which led to an internet disconnection and audio failures. Members of Parliament who had joined processions virtually were even disconnected from the feed as a consequence of this. The Coalition’s Saraboo-Halley was named as responsible for this.

Further, a parliament staffer, Ean McPherson, was assaulted. He has since moved to the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) with a complaint. McPherson, in prior interview, explained that in his attempts to protect

the mace, not only was he verbally abused by members of the Opposition, but he was also physically assaulted. “I held on to the mace and it was fling to the floor… and I overheard people screaming.

“Kick he! Lash He! Drag He! Let’s Throw he over the rail. All I said, was throw me over the rails because I know when I’m going over the rail, I am going with the mace,” he said. “They throw me on the ground, they kicked me, they dragged me outside and then Ms. Philidelphia, Member of Parliament start to abuse me with a series of words like ‘House Salve’, but the one that caught me and I don’t

know how I become a ‘House Negro’. So, I prepared a letter and I dropped it upstairs and I showed my concern about how I was treated,” McPherson added. In addition to Philadelphia, the Coalition’s Singh-Lewis was also named as being responsible.

The Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, on January 24, 2022, had moved the motion in the House, which also called for the Privileges Committee to act with “alacrity” on the matter and report to the House within one month.

Minister Teixeira’s in her motion had made clear that the actions represented

“gross disorderly conduct” and “contempt and breaches of privilege” by Opposition Parliamentarians, and such abhorrent actions cannot be condoned.

The Parliamentary Sessional Select Committee of Privileges is one of four Sessional Select Committees that the National Assembly establishes at the commencement of each Session of the National Assembly. Standing Order 88 expressly provides for the establishment of this Committee and all of the Sessional Select Committees.

Standing Order 91 states ''There shall be referred to this Committee any matter

which appears to affect the powers and privileges of the Assembly. It shall be the duty of the Committee to consider any matter so referred, and to report thereon to the Assembly." The Committee, in keeping with its mandate, met to consider the following: “(i) Whether the named Members committed to the Committee of Privileges, have violated any of the Standing Orders, Customs, Practices, and or Conventions of the National Assembly,· and (ii) To determine the sanctions available that the National Assembly of Guyana can apply and make recommendations on the application thereof.”

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WEEKEND MIRROR 30-31 JULY, 2022

Gov’t begins installation of oxygen plant at Infectious Diseases hospital ‒ COVID monitoring activities continue countrywide

T

he new oxygen plant is now being installed at the Ocean View Infectious Diseases Hospital, Lilliendaal which will meet the hospital’s increased demand for oxygen in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and other infectious diseases.

The plant, which was donated by the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) and Sewa to the government and people of Guyana, will help cut the cost of oxygen cylinders at the hospital.

Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony said Indian engineers are expected to visit Guyana soon to complete the process. “Once that plant is installed then we would be able to manufacture oxygen on the site of the hospital and as you can imagine, that will substantially help the oxygen bill that we have a t the hospital,” he said.

The plant is designed to concentrate oxygen at a large scale with output varying from two normal meter cube to about 200-meter cube per hour.

However, the plant sourced by the Indian company is expected to supply 800 litres of oxygen supplying 50 patients with oxygen at any one time.

The minister noted that the oxygen plant function 24/7 to facilitate patients at the hospital which currently has 198 beds, with another 52 with ventilators in the ICU. Further, Dr. Anthony continues to encourage citizens to get tested, especially now that symptoms are less severe and taking the form of a flu. “People are not getting severe breathing difficulties or shortness of breath. The clinical signs people are getting resembles that of a flu but because these are relatively mild symptoms most people don’t come to the hospital and therefore, we are not able to diagnose them. So, that is why these numbers are relatively low, but again we have to keep monitoring and those persons who would’ve tested positive, it is important that they isolate,” he said.

Persons are encouraged to get their booster shots to ward against the virus especially after exceeding 6 months of being vaccinated.

To date the ministry has administered over 70,000 booster shots. Across the country over 444,000 adults received their first dose amounting to over 86 per cent of the adult population while over 344,000 doses received their second dose, representing over 67 per cent of the adult population.

In addition, over 35,000 adolescents from ages 1217 received their first dose amounting to over 48 per cent of that age cohort. Another 25,000-plus have received their second dose, representing over 35 per cent of that age cohort.

Some 5,955 which is 5.8 percent of the 5-11 population received their first dose and 1,285 received their second dose which is 1.3 percent.

The ministry is currently administering Sinopharm, Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

New studies agree that animals sold at Wuhan market are most likely what started Covid-19 pandemic (CNN) In June, the World Health Organization recommended that scientists continue to research all possible origins of the Covid-19 pandemic, including a lab leak. Two newly published studies take totally different approaches but arrive at the same conclusion: The Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, China, was most likely the epicenter for the coronavirus.

The studies were posted online as preprints in February but have now undergone peer review and were published Tuesday (July 26, 2022) in the journal Science.

In one, scientists from around the world used mapping tools and social media reports to do a spatial and environmental analysis.

They suggest that although the "exact circumstances remain obscure," the virus was probably present in live animals sold at the market in late 2019. The animals were held close together and could easily have exchanged germs. However, the study does not determine which animals may have been sick.

T h e r e s e a r c h e r s d etermined that the earliest Covid-19 cases were centered at the market among

vendors who sold these live animals or people who shopped there. They believe that there were two separate viruses circulating in the animals that spilled over into people.

"All eight COVID-19 cases detected prior to 20 December were from the western side of the market, where mammal species were also sold," the study says.

The proximity to five stalls that sold live or recently butchered animals was predictive of human cases.

"The clustering is very, very specific," study co-author Kristian Andersen, a professor in the Department of Immunology and Microbiology at Scripps Research, said Tuesday (July 26, 2022).

The "extraordinary" pattern that emerged from mapping these cases was very clear, said another co-author, Michael Worobey, department head of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona. The researchers mapped the earliest cases that had no connection to the market, Worobey noted, and those people lived or worked in close proximity to the market. "This is an indication that the virus started spreading in people

who worked at the market but then started that spread ... into the surrounding local community as vendors went into local shops, infected people who worked in those shops," Worobey said.

SECOND STUDY The other study takes a molecular approach and seems to determine when the first coronavirus infections crossed from animals to humans.

The earliest version of the coronavirus, this research shows, probably came in different forms that the scientists call A and B. The lineages were the result of at least two cross-species transmission events into humans.

The researchers suggest that the first animal-to-human transmission probably happened around November 18, 2019, and it came from lineage B. They found the lineage B type only in people who had a direct connection to the Huanan market.

The authors believe that lineage A was introduced into humans from an animal within weeks or even days of the infection from lineage B. Lineage A was found in samples from humans who lived or stayed close to the

market.

"These findings indicate that it is unlikely that SARSCoV-2 circulated widely in humans prior to November 2019 and define the narrow window between when SARS-CoV-2 first jumped into humans and when the first cases of COVID-19 were reported," the study says. "As with other coronaviruses, SARS-CoV-2 emer-

gence likely resulted from multiple zoonotic events."

The likelihood that such a virus would emerge from two different events is low, acknowledged co-author Joel Wertheim, an associate adjunct professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego.

"Now, I realize it sounds like I just said that a once-in-a-generation event

happened twice in short succession, and pandemics are indeed rare, but once all the conditions are in place -- that is a zoonotic virus capable of both human infection and human transmission that is in close proximity to humans -- the barriers to spillover have been lowered such that multiple introductions, we believe, should actually be expected," Wertheim said.

‘Collective vulgarity’ of PNCR-led Coalition will not be tolerated – Teixeira

M

embers of the APNU+AFC Coalition, according to Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, displayed a worrying level of “collective vulgarity” at the December 29, 2022 sitting.

“They felt that might was right and they did not have to account to anyone – not the Privilege Committee, not the

National Assembly and not the people of our country,” she said.

Her comments came prior to the majority decision of the National Assembly in the early morning hours, approximately 01:00AM, on Friday (July 22, 2022), to sanction eight Opposition Parliamentarians for unparliamentarily behaviour.

Teixeira said, “At this point, I am the longest serving Member of Parliament, right now, from 1992 to now.

I have never witnessed any behaviour like this, as I saw on December 29, 2021. I used to also, come and sit in this House from 1977 to 1992 – sitting behind the Opposition seats, which were filled

by Dr. Cheddi Jagan, Janet

Jagan, Boysie Ramkarran, Ishak Bashir and a number of other people and I’ve never seen such behaviour and mayhem and gross disrespect for the Speaker and the National Assembly.

“I say this to try to explain that as younger MPs in the National Assembly, particularly those from the APNU+AFC, your political ca-

reer depends on your integrity and your behaviour and how you carry yourselves as leaders. If you want to last as long as I have in the House, maybe you would want to take some advice….as a Parliamentarian I am proud to have served my country as an elected member and I am proud as an Member of Parliament to carry myself with dignity even in the worst debates and the angriest debates and the worst situations. Therefore, December 29th was totally uncalled for, unnecessary and it revealed a level of disrespect for everything in our National Assembly. “….I hope you will not see this as just another battle to win, but to sit and think quietly – ‘Was it all worth it?’, ‘What badge of honour did you get out of this bad behaviour?’, and ‘What example have you given to Guyanese people and young people and the children who saw that tape?’”

The Coalition Parliamentarians suspended are: Christopher Jones, the Opposition Chief Whip; Ganesh Mahipaul; Sherod Duncan; Natasha Singh- Lewis; Annette Ferguson; Vinceroy Jordan; Tabitha Saraboo-Halley; and Maureen Philadelphia.

Noting that none of those sanctioned were contrite, she said, “The issue is of such great magnitude, what transpired in our Parliament on December 29th will go down as one of the worst images and reflection of the integrity and behaviour of our elected officials in the National Assembly….what happened cannot be treated lightly “…we can’t pretend in this House. All of us were present on December 29th, except one person, that is Mr. Norton. He was not a member of the House at the time…we were all witnesses to what happened. ….they were asked to show cause why disciplinary action should not be taken against them, they all denied.

The problem is that we are all members of the House. We all witnessed. Every member of the House cannot say that they did not see what they saw and what was captured by video and audio that day….the Committee felt that it could not condone such behaviour; that if it did not do something, it would allow for future events that could be worse than what happened on December 29th. “…this was a terrible reflection of the National Assembly of Guyana. It was a terrible example to the younger generation and this

was one that we had to, as a Committee, take seriously.”

REPORT The vote stemmed from a motion based on the 78-page report of the Parliamentary Privileges Committee, which found that eight APNU+AFC Coalition’s Members of Parliament “were in violation of the Standing Orders, established Customs and Practices regarding acceptable behaviour” of Members in the Assembly. “The Committee determined that an appropriate sanction available that the National Assembly can apply would be suspension from service in the House,” the report said page five.

The committee recommended the suspension of Ferguson and Jordan, Saraboo-Halley, Philadelphia for six consecutive sittings. It also recommended the suspension of Jones, Mahipaul, Duncan and Singh-Lewis for four consecutive sittings.

The Committee's findings were based on video recordings, statements by staff of the Parliament Office and the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, eyewitness accounts by other Members of the House, media reporters and the public, both locally and internationally.

The Committee met five times, on: Friday, 18th February, 2022; Tuesday, 1st March, 2022; Tuesday, 8th March, 2022; Friday, 3rd June, 2022; and Thursday, 9th June, 2022. Teixeira noted that the Opposition Parliamentarians on the Committee only attended the first three meetings.

BENEFITS LOST The suspension also carries a loss of monetary and other benefits associated with the role of a Parliamentarian.

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, on Tuesday (July 26, 2022), said, “Suspension carries with it certain consequences. They are not to be paid. So, how many months those four sittings last, they will not be paid; how many months the [six] sittings last, they will not be paid.

“They will also not participate in any committee business. They will not participate in any business of the National Assembly during the period of that suspension. So, all the trips that they wanted to go on overseas and all the other benefits that would’ve accrued to them as Parliamentarians are also forfeited during the period of the suspension. And that is what (Turn to page 22)

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