Weekend Mirror 15-16 April 2023

Norton rebuked for attempt to distort sports into a race issue

No disparity in gov’t investments

– President Ali reaffirms

Weeks later….

PNCR silent on proof that Burnham was on CIA’s payroll, rigged every election it contested

PNCR-led

Coalition has no plan, capacity, track record to lead Guyana’s transformation – Jagdeo GECOM invites applications for Local Observers ahead of LGE 2023

More central government resources for local democratic organs

ICJ rejects Venezuela’s preliminary objections in border case

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in a 14 to one vote, and based in large part on the 1966 Geneva Agreement, has ruled that the United Kingdom cannot be considered an indispensable party in the Guyana/Venezuela border controversy case, as the agreement indicates that the UK was no longer a participant in any other engagements regarding the case.

President of the International Court of Justice, Judge Joan E. Donoghue read the Court’s judgement on April 6, 2023 at a sitting of the Court in Hague.

Judge Donoghue said, “While article one of the agreement describes the dispute as one existing between the United Kingdom and Venezuela, article Two provides no role for the United

Kingdom in the initial stage of the dispute settlement process. Rather, it places the responsibility for appointment of the representatives to the mixed commission on British Guiana and Venezuela. The court notes that the reference to British Guiana contained in article two, which can be distinguished from references to the United Kingdom contained elsewhere in the treaty

and particularly in article one supports the interpretation that the parties to the Geneva agreement intended for Venezuela and British Guiana to have the sole role in the settlement of the dispute through the mechanism of the mixed Commission.”

The court will now proceed to evaluate Guyana’s application with regards to the validity of the 1899 Arbitral

Award.

MOVE TO COURT

Under the United Nations Charter and the Court’s own rules, final judgments from the ICJ both on jurisdiction and the merits will be legally binding on Guyana and Venezuela, whether or not Venezuela participates in the proceedings.

Efforts over more than half-a-century, including a four-year Mixed Commission (1966-1970), a twelve-year moratorium (1970-1982), a seven-year process of consultations on a means of settlement (1983-1990), and a twenty-seven-year Good Offices Process under the UN Secretary-General’s authority (1990-2017), all failed to end the border controversy.

The move to the ICJ was advanced there was no success with a further attempt, using the United Nations’ Good Offices process, to resolve the matter of Venezuela’s renewed claim to Guyana’s territory, the Essequibo County.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, in 2015, charged that the signing of the 1966 Geneva Agreement rendered the 1899 Arbitral Award null and void.

On 30 January 2018, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, acting under the authority bestowed upon him by the Geneva Agreement, chose adjudication by the Court as the means for resolving the controversy with finality. Guyana commenced proceedings before the Court on 29 March 2018 in accordance with the Secretary-General’s decision.

ICJ CASE

The Hague-based International Court of Justice last held public hearings on the question of the Court’s jurisdiction in the case concerning the Arbitral Award of 3 October 1899 (Guyana v. Venezuela) on June 30, 2020. The ICJ had postponed the long-anticipated hearing of the Guyana/Venezuela border dispute case that was scheduled to begin on March 23, 2020, citing the coronavirus pandemic.

Guyana is seeking to obtain from the Court a final and binding judgment that confirms that the 1899 Arbitral Award, which established the location of the land boundary between then-British Guiana and Venezuela, remains valid and binding, and that Guyana’s Essequibo region belongs to Guyana, and not Venezuela.

Guyana took its case to the Court following the decision by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, in January 2018, that the controversy between Guyana and Venezuela should be decided by the International Court of Justice. In taking his decision, the Sec-

retary-General was exercising the power vested in him in the 1966 Geneva Agreement between Guyana, Venezuela and the United Kingdom to decide how the controversy should be settled.

In a shift in position, Venezuela has since opted to advance oral pleadings before the ICJ, with the first pleadings presented to the court on November 17, 2022.

The ICJ on December 18, 2020 delivered its Judgment in the case concerning the Arbitral Award of 3 October 1899 (Guyana v. Venezuela) – relative to the question of the Court’s jurisdiction. The court ruled that it has jurisdiction to hear Guyana’s case seeking the validation of the 1899 arbitral award establishing the boundary with Venezuela. Venezuela did not take part in the proceedings. The judgment found that both Guyana and Venezuela had conferred authority on the UN Secretary General under Article 4, paragraph two of the February 17th 1966 Geneva Agreement. That agreement allowed the Secretary General to choose a means of settlement under Article 33 of the Charter of the United Nations which included judicial settlement.

Guyana is represented in the case before the Court by: Sir Shridath Ramphal, OE, OCC, KC, Co-Agent and Counsel; Mr. Paul S. Reichler, Attorney-at-Law, Foley Hoag LLP, member of the Bars of the United States Supreme Court and the District of Columbia; Mr. Alain Pellet, Professor Emeritus of the University Paris Nanterre, former Chairman of the International Law Commission, member of the Institut de droit international; Professor Philippe Sands KC, Professor of International Law at University College London, 11 King’s Bench Walk, London; Mr. Payam Akhavan, LLM, SJD (Harvard University), Professor of International Law, Senior Fellow, Massey College, University, of Toronto, member of the Bar of New York and the Law Society of Ontario, member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration; Professor Pierre d’Argent, Professor ordinaire, Université Catholique de Louvain, member of the Institut de Droit International, Foley Hoag LLP, member of the Bar of Brussels; Ms. Christina L. Beharry, Foley Hoag LLP, member of the Bars of the District of Columbia, the State of New York, England and Wales, and the Law Society of Ontario; Mr. Edward Craven, Barrister, Matrix Chambers, London; Mr. Juan Pablo Hugues Arthur, Foley Hoag LLP, member of the Bar of the State of New York; and Ms. Isabella F. Uria, Attorney –at-Law, Foley Hoag LLP, member of the Bar of the District of Columbia.

PNCR-led Coalition has no plan, capacity, track record to lead Guyana’s transformation – Jagdeo

Comments

from the leader of the PNCR and the APNU+AFC Coalition, Aubrey Norton, on national development has been repeatedly exposed as gaffe, backed by no sound financial philosophy, capacity, or track record to deliver for Guyanese, according to Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo.

During a news conference on Thursday (April 13, 2023), he charged that Norton has commented on so called plans, but the PNCRled is incapable of leading the transformation of Guyana, as was evidenced during the 2015-2020 period.

According to him, the Coalition’s approach to poli-

cy making has also centered on consumption. Jagdeo had noted the APNU+AFC Coalition embraces a policy that is consumption-based, which focuses on taxation and spending in areas that did not support long term national growth and development.

On the other hand, the PPP/C policy’s is focused on positioning the country for the future, with capital spending – spending on roads, bridges, power plant, etc. – which will equate to long term growth and development.

“After 28 years in office the result was that Guyana was one of the poorest countries in the world. And then in five years that they resumed

office, they started the downward trend again – borrowing, spending on the capital side, spending less in each of the 5 years than the 2014 period, so no building for the future. Nothing about future. Consuming…if you look at the recurring spending in budgets under the PPP, you will see that the recurring expenditure has grown, but the capital budget has more than tripled. That is building for the future. It is building the capital stock and the social stock that’s both an economic nature and a social nature- the capital stock of the country to deliver better healthcare, better education, supportive infrastructure for

Guyana leads Caribbean in economic growth, GDP estimated at 37.2 per cent by year end – IMF

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reported Guyana as the leading Caribbean nation in economic growth, with a projected growth of 37.2 per cent in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by year end.

Under the leadership of President Dr Irfaan Ali and the booming oil and gas industry, the IMF also projected that the economy would see growth of 45.3 per cent by the end of 2024.

The announcement comes a few days after the World Bank made a similar prediction.

These expected figures are due to the PPP/C Government’s policies which are focused on supporting growth in all sectors.

The booming oil and gas industry has been one of the main contributors to the

advancement of the country with some 380,000 barrels of oil currently being produced daily.

Further, the construction sector recorded intensified infrastructural activities in both the public and private sectors, including improved roads, bridges, housing projects, and educational and health facilities.

As the global economy grappled with the pressures triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the government implemented a suite of fiscal measures to cushion the impact of imported inflation.

The administration lowered the excise tax rate for petroleum imports and extended the application of the freight cost adjustment to pre-pandemic levels for the

calculation of import taxes, among other measures.

Additionally, the country’s agriculture sector has historically been a major contributor to its economy and continues to play an important role in the nation’s GDP.

The government has also been working to promote agriculture and provide support to farmers, including funding for land preparation, drainage and irrigation, and other agricultural inputs.

Meanwhile, in 2022, the IMF applauded the country’s transformative infrastructural projects and noted that those investments will support sustainable growth.

With careful planning and management, Guyana has the potential to become a model for economic development in the region and beyond.

expansion of the economy diversification. All you have to do is to check the budget. It is the macro….the Coalition believes you can wish a sector, when you talk diversification, you can wish a sector into being. You can’t. It requires multiple years of hard work to get it going and consistent work and the right environment. And you would see one of the reasons why we had a reversal of economic fortune is because they were not clear with what they were doing,” Jagdeo had said.

In terms of capacity, the Vice President noted that Norton has presided over a period where the Parliamentary Opposition is “losing people in droves” because of poor leadership. “People are fleeing in droves because they are uninspired by his leadership,” Jagdeo said.

The Vice President added too that the track record of the PPP/C compared to the PNCR-led APNU+AFC Coalition is far superior.

The PPP/C has remained faithful to the promises, on which it campaigned, and this has been true under the current PPP/C administration, as well as past PPP/C governments, according to him. “We are very proud of our track record, and our dedication to the manifesto promises made to the people of the country, historically, and in the last elections… you can understand my sense

of pride when I say we have remained faithful to the promises we campaigned on,” he said during a recent news conference….we have a track record. When we are in office, all of the people benefit from the PPP/C stewardship. The whole country makes progress, and we work for all of our people. That’s the philosophy of this party,” he has said at a prior news conference.

of progress slow to get the message

Guyanese people will not risk our collective property, the future our of nation, or the future of our children. This is the message that the detractors of progress and prosperity must come to terms with.

Development’s detractors are not only found in the political arena, but behind Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) and behind the labels of ‘expert’ and ‘social media commentators’.

Of the latter, the vilest spew hatred and unashamedly sow division among Guyanese from quarters on another continent. United States-based Guyanese Rickford Burke, who is aligned to the APNU+AFC Coalition, has been vocal, calling for agitation against the PPP/C Government and for Guyana to be divided along ethnic lines. Among the vilest of his comments are him saying: “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.” These, and other comments, led to a Wanted Bulletin being issued by the Guyana Police Force, for several offences, including: 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]; 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)]; 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]; Seditious Libel [offence at common law. It is 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 message sent here was the rule of law will prevail and

Further, the NGO, the Amerindian Peoples Association (APA), with a complaint, has triggered the grievance process with the Architecture for REDD+ Transactions (ART) Secretariat, as it relates to the issuance of Guyana's ART-TREES credits for the period 2016-2020 and has called for the suspension of Guyana’s credits. The PPP/C Government has made clear that it will defend itself against the APA’s distortions. The message sent here was that Guyana’s development trajectory, under the PPP/C, will not be derailed.

Meanwhile, the misinformation and blatantly false information continues to be confronted. The PPP General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo, has recently stressed that the track record of the PPP/C government stands the test of time and is backed by facts. He has said: “We are very proud of our track record, and our dedication to the manifesto promises made to the people of the country, historically, and in the last elections…you can understand my sense of pride when I say we have remained faithful to the promises we campaigned on.”

The PPP/C has not always done a good job of representing the work it has done to advance the development of Guyana and the Guyanese people. However, that is clearly no longer the order of the day. The message sent here is that the efforts distort the record of the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) will not go unchallenged.

The detractors of progress seem slow to grasp the message. However, what is clear is that the PPP/C Government will defend itself, all Guyanese and our transformational development trajectory.

President’s approach is working

Dear Editor,

Iknow the current administration is quite capable of successfully mounting its own defense against the tabloid-styled reportage in certain sections of the media.

Nonetheless, I wish to address the patently false narrative that the publication continues to foist on Guyanese on a daily basis with regard to the relationship between the Government, citizens, and the media.

I have found that the current administration has greatly facilitated and successfully engaged both the media and the public.

For instance, there are by far more press conferences facilitated by President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali when compared to former President David Grainger. I can still recall the bold headlines in the press complaining about the lack of press conferences by the former president.

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has taken a similar approach when it comes to hosting press conferences. He has even appeared on the Glenn Lall Show.

Other Ministers of Government are accessible to the media at public events and are often times quoted in media articles as being contacted for comment.

We are witnessing a dedicated focus

by the President to engage with Guyanese directly using social media and in recent months by taking the Office of the President to the people in various communities.

From all reports, the President’s approach is working.

Therefore, one is led to believe that there is a concerted attempt to dismantle and detract from the successful engagements based on the reportage from a news outlet.

Further, the newspaper appears unhappy with the fact that its principals cannot dictate to the Government how to conduct the affairs of the country. The publication may not like the answers that the PPP/C leaders are giving or the fact that the Government is defending its policies and decision-making. However, this does not give the media entity and others carte blanche to continue the unscrupulous coverage of Government events. The Leonora press conference is a prime example. KN made the false claim that supporters were heckling and intimidating its reporters at the state-sponsored Presidential outreach. This lie was concocted to fit the publication’s anti-Government narrative. What scientific method was adopted by the agents of the newspaper to determine that residents attending the press conference were actually PPP

supporters? Then entity enlisted in its scheme, the President of the Guyana Press Association (GPA), Nazima Raghubir. Raghubir is no doubt trying to secure her own re-election as head of the GPA at its upcoming election. In her haste to attribute equal political blame, she equated the Leonora press conference to a previously held press conference at Congress Place, the PNC’s headquarters, where a group of confirmed PNC party members led by the infamous Carol Joseph heckled reporters.

The two incidents are not the same. The President’s press conference was not a PPP/C event. The media engagement was called by the President to provide information to the country following two days of meetings with residents of Region 3.

When an examination of the issue is done, one can conclude that the true intentions of the newspaper and the GPA’s President were to deflect from the successful Presidential outreach to Leonora where residents from all ethnicities and political persuasions had the opportunity to meet with the President and his team to have their long-standing issues resolved.

Regards, Erin Northe

Service to nation and society is what really matters

Dear Editor,

Ithink it was Mahatma Gandhi who said words to the effect that ‘service is your duty, reward not your business’. I thought of this exhortation as a way of reminding ourselves that it is service to nation

and society that in the final analysis really matters. One should not look for recognition. Recognition has a way of coming naturally as leaves would to a plant.

Society has a unique way of knowing and recognizing those who contribute to its best interests. This is

true of politics as it is for arts, sports and culture. The important thing is to continue to serve society in whatever way you can and to the best of your ability.

Sincerely, Hydar Ally

would cause a deleterious effect on their party.

Dear Editor, S

elf-destruction, as defined by the Oxford and Cambridge Press, reads thus: “It is the behaviour of a person – in this case an organization – that is likely to make them fail.” It is tantamount to suicide, and the PNC have done it all by themselves. They were already on the verge of collapse when the coalition of sorts was torn apart by the Charrandas no-confidence motion, as other members in that grouping began soul-searching as to their role in a party that never really cared for the masses.

Instead of turning the searchlight inwards and looking into the core issues that Charrandass raised in his no-confidence appeal, the PNC became more locked in their ways to vindictively ostracise all dissenters from their midst. It was a brutal move; subtle at first, but

then became openly obvious thereafter when the mouth-foremost, educated idiot David Hinds came lashing out. He repeatedly affirmed that the new political union of PNC/WPA will continue to hold strongly to their Black Supremacist views, irrespective of Indians and those of moderate Blacks in the party.

Hinds and Ogunseye have been relentless on this theme, never letting up ever since. They were adamant that they are going forward with that setup of the Black Republic in Guyana. In this regard, they set about in that passive-aggressive mode of theirs, playing the victim at times, when they would claim that every Black person who died met their demise due to some ghastly deed of the PPP/C party. On other occasions, they would preach race hate and glorify criminals. These guys never stop to think that these statements

Norton, as Leader of the Opposition, never chided nor disassociated himself from the utterances of the political pests around him; rather, he supported those utterances, cheerleading them on that destructive path of division and backwardness. This was the final nail in the PNC’s coffin, as races from all across the Guyanese society begin walking away from that party. Persons began to see the party for who they really are, and did not want to be mentioned with that political union.

So, come the next Local Government Election, there would be great surprises for the party. I predict that there will be huge inroads made in the PNC strongholds. Many areas that were considered impregnable would fall. I would again return to this topic when the time is right.

Respectfully, Neil Adams

The PNC has self-destructed

Detractors

Growing prevalence of misinformation must be challenged

Dear Editor,

TheDemerara Waves on April 3, 2023, published a news report headlined: 'Aneal Giddings unlikely to get unanimous support for Deputy Chief Elections Officer post’. The headline revealed the position the APNU+AFC representatives will take (and did take) at GECOM in support of Ms. Melanie Marshall to fill the vacancy for Deputy Chief Elections Officer (DCEO) at GECOM.

The DCEO is the second highest position at the level of GECOM’s Secretariat headed by CEO Vishnu Persaud. The DCEO is vested with enormous responsibilities such as ‘ensuring that all aspects of the registration, identification and election of candidates at national, regional and local government elections, are conducted in a free, fair and transparent manner’. Furthermore, the DCEO is required to ‘play the key leadership role in the Secretariat of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), with responsibility for implementing all aspects of its operations, and ensuring that results achieved are consistent with the laws of Guyana and the policies determined

by the Commission, through the Office of the Chief Election Officer. The DCEO is also responsible for ensuring that a comprehensive Voters Education Programme is conducted towards facilitating all eligible and registered persons exercising their vote. The Internal Audit function also resides in the Office of the DCEO who is the Deputy Accounting Officer of GECOM and is responsible for monitoring the review of the accounting, financial management and administrative operations of the Secretariat.

That Ms. Melanie Marshall was the preferred candidate of opposition Commission members did not come as a surprise, it was the same Ms. Marshall who was their preferred nominee for the post of Assistant Chief Elections Officer (ACEO) when the position was up for consideration at GECOM. She was unsuccessful in her bid. In respect to her application for the position of DCEO, Ms.Marshall was one of four applicants for that position again, she was unsuccessful.

As a new member of the Commission at the time when applicants for the position of ACEO were being considered I was afforded

the opportunity to interview Marshall on August 24, 2022. My questions to Ms Marshall at that interview focused on her qualifications and experience as a GECOM official; her upward mobility within the structure of the organization, her role during the 2011 and 2015, and 2018 LGE and General and Regional Election as well as her knowledge of Guyana’s electoral laws and regulations. Essentially the same questions were put by me to Ms. Marshall nine months later during the recent interviews for applicants for the DCEO position.

According to Demerara Waves, ‘Mr Trotman, was “very concerned” by People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Elections Commissioner Clement Rohee questioning Ms Marshall about whether or not her promotions were linked to her qualifications. “I took the opportunity to rebut and said to the Commission that I’m angry at Rohee’s statement and I do believe they tried to besmirch the woman’s character,” he said’ Mr Trotman is in no position to talk about besmirching peoples’ character even though his claim about “besmirching the woman’s character” is spurious and a total fabrication aimed at stirring controversy. In an emotional outburst and bad behavior displayed by Trotman while interviewing Giddings, he sought to besmirch the professionalism of Mr Giddings accusing him of committing a crime while at the Ashmin’s building on March 5, 2020 during the APNU+AFC’s attempt to tamper with the election results. Trotman’s behavior should be considered symptomatic of his misplaced appreciation of how interviews ought to be conducted with highly qualified professional/technical persons seeking promotion to high office. Apparently, Trotman’s approach to such applicants is in sync with the adage ‘if you’re not with me you’re against me.’ I reminded Ms. Marshall that at the interview with me for

the position of ACEO she admitted that she was selected to act in the position of Voter Registration Manager (VRM). Her response was that she cannot recall but did not object. At the interview for the position of DCEO, Ms Marshall was asked once again whether she considered her selection to act in the post of VRM was based on her experience and qualifications. She answered in the affirmative. Ms. Marshall would neither confirm nor deny the view held by the parliamentary opposition that the voters list is bloated. And though she could say what should happen to ensure a free and fair election she could not say what should not happen to hold a free and fair election, I ended my interview with Ms Marshall by asking her since she was not successful in her bid for the ACEO job, why does she feel she would be successful for the position of DCEO? Trotman’s interpretation of my questions to Ms. Marshall is deeply flawed, sick, even. His reference to inference is not only mistaken but is also being used to jump to a conclusion that is irrevocably misplaced and is a reflection of a peculiar form of mental activity.

Guyanese are becoming increasingly aware of the growing prevalence of misinformation, conspiracies, epistemic bubbles and echo chambers in this country. These scourges are symptomatic of the WPA’s DNA. Many Guyanese know that after the attempt to steal the election in March 2020, the WPA as an integral part of the APNU has absolutely no leg stand on when it comes to matters of political morality. Mr Trotman’s ‘Achilles heel’ is that at every statutory meeting of GECOM he refuses to accept the new Guyanese reality in general and at GECOM in particular. His problem is his pretense that he already knows what he needs to know.

Yours faithfully

Clement J. Rohee

Quality LGE must serve to unite our people and influence a rejection of racism and hate-related politics

Dear Editor,

Since its re-election to the Government in August 2020, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) has increasingly adopted approaches to neutralise racial volatility and promote inclusiveness on one side of our political paradigm. The Party continuously supports this commitment through an open, tangible development push in communities nationwide.

But on the other side of the paradigm, the main Opposition forces depend on the unpopular and malignant stigmatic overtones of the racial divide to remain relevant. Although stigmatist influence of the Opposition has been more impacting around election time, the PPP/C has always sustained the use of improving citizens’ wellbeing and inclusiveness over racial division.

The PPP/C’s preparedness in soliciting citizens heading into these LGEs is targeting citizens’ national conscience and development focus on supporting its recommended teams of candidates. The generality of such an approach strengthens a position from which the interest of all could be incrementally addressed or accelerated, and should reject or dent the Opposition’s hostilities and unproductive schematics.

When one considers the mentioned extant framework, a realistic measure of “Quality Elections” must be addressed within the context of the Guyana Elections Commission’s preparedness and delivery, together with contesting candidates’ quality, character and commitment. This year,

with the quality of candidates chosen for the LGEs, there will be greater inclusiveness and stronger people’s participation at the grassroots level. Candidates as potential councillors, including prominent people in business and influential community leaders as competitors, have put their hands up, which augers well for strengthening our local democracy.

Therefore, we must ensure the streamlining of constructive and objective support to select a team to advance an appropriate agenda for service and development, thereby providing the avenue for our people to work and live together in peace and harmony.

The criterion and clear mindset of the People’s Progressive Party is to develop Guyana and unite our people. This focus is the central driver of President Irfaan Ali’s “One Guyana” motto as a realistic endeavour. With togetherness and quality leadership, this noble commitment to working together for a better Guyana will end petty corruption, and lead to a better life for our people.

It establishes a meaningful counter to the typical PNC clandestine agenda, as politics should never be used as an “any means necessary” game for creating hardships for our citizens. Therefore, the PNC’s favoured practices must be dispelled, including its tool of advancing convenient delays, election rigging, and promoting racial hostility.

Recognising the preceding, we must continue a united action in the current setting, as this is critical to achieving plural gains as “One Guyana”. Significantly, we must recall that most Guyanese were united

in 1992 in the battle against “rigged” elections, and reunited again in 2020 to prevent the APNU/PNC/AFC from stealing the Government. So now is the best time for our people to unite and build a better Guyana, to live better with quality leadership and genuine respect for the Government’s development programme.

While the Government is making tremendous progress at the national level, the time is now for us to have greater collaboration and togetherness at the village level, in order to promote development. The root causes of petty corruption and slow movement at the NDCs will be removed with solid councillors willing to see growth in their communities. Mature councillors will put development in the communities first, and not personal interest.

Editor, the PNC/APNU Commissioners have been incessantly irrational in their attempts to derail the progress of GECOM. With their increasing attacks on Chairwoman Justice (retired) Claudette Singh, they continue the demonstration of lacking objectivity. The situation demands that GECOM be vigilant and more aggressive in its approach to the preparation for the holding of these LGEs.

The latest commotion stems from the majority decision at the Commission meeting to appoint a Deputy Chief Election Officer (DCEO) against their favourite recommendation. Alexander and his cabal are trying to make a case to favour the strategic placement of a former controversial Region 4 Registration Officer, whose previous record has signalled alarming considerations and solid public complaints. GECOM must

never consider the employment of such highly questionable characters.

As Registration Officer, Ms Marshall was at the centre of many issues surrounding the broadsheet introduction in 2015, and refused a recount requested by the PPP/C counting agent. There was excuse after excuse! She was never available at the critical time of an inquiry, and her office was often closed. With all the ‘jiggery-pokery’ that took place, it would seem her role was part of the elaborate plan to ensure the recount requested by the PPPC would not be carried out. The Peoples’ lawyers would have thoroughly examined this matter if the PPPC’s petition to the Court had been called.

In 2016 and 2018, the condemned former CEO Keith Lowenfield proposed Ms. Marshall as Registration Officer for Region #4, which the PPPC vehemently opposed. This resulted in a move to shelter her from further public scrutiny through substitution. In 2020, the PNC/Lowenfield cabal again tried to put her as RO in Region #4, but she was not appointed, given the objections and protests. Consequently, Lowenfield catapulted the ‘rigger’ Mingo into the position, and eventually she was appointed Voter Registration Manager. Albeit the laden baggage of improprieties and suspicion of some people on the GECOM staff must be thoroughly examined.

With the date for LGE drawing closer, all hands must be on board for free and fair elections.

Sincerely, Neil Kumar

Discerning and overcoming barriers to development

Dear Editor,

The first step in development is indeed to enact and enforce open transparent systems. A second, no less essential, step is to work for similar high levels of participation (bidding) and success of all groups so as to give substance to our aspiration of ‘One Guyana’. For a society to stay together the necessary standards should not be seen and approached as hurdles to fail and exclude many, but as standards to which many, if not all, are to be trained and could be trained ( by various methods and paths) to attain.

I commend also other reports on training to achieve required standards in smaller infrastructural works and the acceptance of the alternative concrete roads which in terms of capital needs, experience and expertise, pose lesser hurdles (than asphalt roads) to small contractors; and thereby putting persons in

the street to work. Development must get on to a path of putting our people to work in their own development by doing, working and learning the work and learning about working; getting better each day: and in that process developing ourselves, our surroundings and our country and arriving in time at a developed state.

We could be on the road of that development. The faces in the picture of a section of the potential contractors were full of attention, and in which I thought I discerned at the same time a great desire and some anxiety about doing well and being successful. And though a small number of faces, eleven, it was a good representation of who, we who are Guyanese are, in race and gender.

Without doubt my sensitivity to this issue of “Development” this morning, has been heightened by my attendance yesterday afternoon at the “Presentation of the World Bank’s

Review for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)” by Mr. Bill Maloney, Chief Economist for the Region. It was a challenging and inspiring presentation. On many measures, we of LAC as a whole, are not doing well: a projected average growth rate of 1.4% compared with 2.1% for the whole World. Yes, averages often obscure wide variations around the average – two brighter spots were the Dominican Republic which has been doing especially well in diversifying their economy, and good prospects for Guyana in developing their young, rapidly growing oil sector.

The Chief Economist posed some tantalizing questions ‘on the run”. “About 100 years ago, Chile was number 1 in production of copper in the world, and Mexico was number one in silver – and who was number 2? – Japan. How was it that Japan developed a diversified economy from its number two position and Chile and Mexico did not from their number one position? I said tantalizing questions, because I think the Chief Economist knew the answer that I would venture. A lot depends on how we see each other and if we see worth, purpose and a valued end in working for the good of each other: being comfortable to approach and discuss with each other how we

may better ourselves and country. And so as Chief Economist hinted, in Japan the work and income in copper and silver could in the number of ways required, be the base of and lead on to ever widening economic activities. Japan was already or nearly already one Japan, whilst many of our Countries in the LAC are still to become ‘One Country’. In Chavez in Venezuela, Evo Morales in Bolivia, Pedro Castillo in Peru and even Lula in Brazil, we see made evident the conflicts, contradictions and struggles still to be resolved, reconciled and synthesized across race, class, and the urban/rural gaps remaining from the colonizing era set loose by Columbus. As is evident here, often, when answers cannot be found to issues in the sector being studied, one may have to look into other very different sectors to discern and open any barriers. Evidently the nature and quantity of development in our LAC Region is still largely socio-politically constrained. We probably have to resolve those constraints before we hit the periods of high sustained growth rates for which many Asian countries have been known; or if we hit those rates we would have resolved our socio-political problems unknowingly.

The Chief

TURN TO PAGE 13 →

PNCR silent on proof that Burnham was on CIA’s payroll, rigged every election it contested

General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Dr Bharrat Jagdeo in taking up a challenge by PNC member and former Georgetown Mayor, Hamilton Green, referenced a declassified US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) document that shows that former PNC founder Forbes Burnham was on its payroll, even while serving as Guyana’s Prime Minister.

However, despite providing the proof Green called for, both him and the PNCR

has remained silent on the issue.

The declassified May 23, 1969, memorandum for the 303 Committee, , said,

“Prime Minister Forbes Burnham of Guyana, who has previously received covert assistance from CIA, requested that the agency provide $10,000 a month for two years to support his efforts to build his party, the People’s National Congress, into an effective, permanently organised political party.” The documents further stated

that Ambassador Delmar Carlson recommended approval of this request in the amount of $5,000 per month for two years, with the understanding that Burnham be aware that the subsidy would be reviewed at the end of the first year and could be terminated, “if the PNC had not made satisfactory progress.”

“I wonder what they will say now about this?” Jagdeo had questioned.

RIGGING EFFORTS FROM 1964-1992

In 1992, Guyana has it first free and fair General and Regional Elections in over two decades.

Documents from the United States of America’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), which were declassified on September 4, 2008, showed that the PNC, un -

der Forbes Burnham, rigged elections with CIA assistance from 1964 to 1968 – from the first election that the PNC ever recorded a win.

The document, dated May 23, 1969, on page 4 said, “…CIA was instructed to support the UF and the PNC in the 1964 elections.”

Page 5 of the same document said, “There was no exposure of the United States Government or CIA involvement in the 1964 and 1968 elections.”

The document referred to two reports produced by World in Action, includ -

Woman charged with threatening language, attempt to incite hostility, ill-will

Zalena Ali, called Kim Ali, a 59-year-old housewife of Lot 140 Section 'A' Block 'Y' Golden Grove, East Bank Demerara, who was arrested on Sunday (April 9, 2023), was charged on Thursday (April 13, 2023) for threats

made against the President, Dr. Irfaan Ali.

The Defendant appeared at the Diamond/Golden Grove Magistrate’s Court #1 before Magistrate Sunil Scarce where the following two charges were read to her:

1. Threatening Language, Contrary to Section 141(a) of the SJOA Chapter 8:02, committed on the President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali.

2. Attempt to Excite Hos-

tility or Ill-will, Contrary to section 2(3) of the Racial Hostility Act, Chapter 23:01, committed on Raynard Sobers.

Ali pleaded guilty to the charge of Attempt to Excite Hostility or Ill-will and was fined $75,000. She pleaded not guilty to the charge of Threatening Language and was placed on $25 000 bail. The matter was adjourned to May 18, 2023.

Paruima, Jawalla, Waramadong to get micro solar farms

Paruima, Waramadong and Jawalla – Amerindian communities located in Upper Mazaruni, Region Seven will soon benefit from a clean and reliable energy source.

These communities usually depend on fossil fuel for power generation and the cost of diesel in these settlements can be up to three times the cost in Georgetown.

Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips while responding to the Chairman of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) of Region Seven, Kenneth Williams, said these farms will be delivered to the people in the next two months. “I wish to inform you, regional chairman and the peo-

ple of Bartica that by the end of May 2023… at Waramadong, Jawalla and Paruima, you will have similar solar projects delivered to the people,” the senior government official disclosed.

Prime Minister Brigadier Retired Mark Phillips speaking at a solar farm’s commissioning

The farms, however, will be executed on a smaller scale due to the size of the populations in these communities. “It’s a solar project that is designed and delivered to fit the needs of the small population in those areas. And there are similar projects that will be delivered throughout Guyana,” PM Philips explained. The government is aiming to deliver 19 such projects to all

ten administrative regions in 2023. Also, the construction of mini hydropower projects in the villages of Kumu and Moco-Moco in Region Nine is ongoing.

To this end, he reemphasised the government’s commitment to bridging the gaps in energy, ICT and development. Phillips said, “We are developing Guyana in an even manner because the people in their villages want electricity, through embracing renewable energy, we’re delivering energy to those villages, one after the other.”

The implementation of those solar PV projects in the hinterland will support the development of a larger programme to electrify all hinterland villages.

now benefitting from reliable,

as $625M Daag Point solar farm

Residents of Bartica and surrounding communities are now benefitting from reliable and clean energy with the commissioning of the $625 million 1.5 megawatts (MW) Solar PV Farm in Daag Point, Region Seven.

This will significantly cut operational costs for the Guyana Power and Light Incorporated (GPL) and provide economic benefits to businesses and households. It forms part of Guyana’s energy mix, which is in keeping with the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030.

At its full potential, the system will generate and supply to the grid a total of 1,988 MWh resulting in an estimated annual reduction of 4,500 drums of diesel consumption. It will have an annual reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of 1.5 million kilogrammes.

Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, who commissioned the facility, said, “It has the potential of increasing up to just under two megawatts. That’s a

tremendous growth in power for Bartica. It means that in many of the areas that don’t have electricity in Bartica and close by, we can now provide electricity for them. It means that many of the industries that people wanted to invest in or establish in Bartica or nearby, they can now do that because you have an increased energy supply. So, things are happening for you.”

The Senior government official noted that similar projects will be undertaken in all regions, indicating the government’s commitment to providing equitable services.

“More and more, we’ll have solar projects throughout Guyana. More and more, we’ll have hydro projects throughout Guyana. This is just one of many,” PM Phillips assured.

Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer (ag) of GPL, Renford Homer highlighted that the project will help the company save $210 million annually. “What does that mean in terms of money

or reducing the burden on the company’s finances?

… It means that two and a half million, pretty much allows for us to import 15,000 barrels of heavy fuel oil for the generation that still requires that,” Homer pointed out.

The project falls under the renewable energy solutions for the hinterland, which is one of the major components under the Energy Matrix Diversification and Strengthening of the Department of Energy programme funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

Country Representative (ag) of the IDB Lorena Solórzano – Salazar said the IDB will continue to support the government’s effort in realising the energy mix.

Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Energy Agency, Mahender Sharma, Chairman of the Regional Democratic Council, Kenneth Williams and Managing Director of Farfan & Mendes, Andrew Mendes whose company constructed the farm also delivered remarks.

Over 3,000

clean energy

FACTSHEET: Know your Local Authority Areas

Eligible voters in Guyana’s 80 Local Authority Areas (LAAs) will be heading to the polls for the 20203 Local Government Elections. Unlike, the General and Regional Elections, only voters in these 80 areas will be participating in the 2023 LGE.

REGION 5

43. Joe Hook / Farm (Region 5)

44. Hamlet/Chance (Region 5)

45. Mahaicony / Abary (Region 5)

46. Profit/Rising Sun (Region 5)

47. Seafield/Tempe (Region 5)

48. Union/Naarstigheid (Region 5)

49. Bath/Woodley Park (Region 5)

50. Woodlands/Bel Air (Region 5)

51. Zeelust-Rosignol (Region 5)

52. Blairmont/Gelderland (Region 5)

REGION 6

53. Plegt Anker/Kortberaad (Region 6)

54. Wyburg/Caracas (Region 6)

55. Enfield/New Doe Park (Region 6)

56. Municipality Of New Amsterdam (Region 6)

57. Gibraltar/Fyrish (Region 6)

58. Ordnance Fort Lands/No. 38 (Region 6)

59. Canefield/Enterprise (Region 6)

60. Kintyre/Borlam (Region 6)

61. Kilcoy/Hampshire (Region 6)

62. Municipality Of Rose Hall (Region 6)

63. Port Mourant/Johns (Region 6)

64. Bloomfield/Whim (Region 6)

65. Lancaster/Hogstye (Region 6)

66. Adventure/No. 28 (Bush Lot) (Region 6)

67. Maida/Tarlogie (Region 6)

68. Black Bush Polder (Region 6)

69. Macedonia/Joppa (Region 6)

70. Good Hope/No. 51 (Region 6)

71. No. 52/No. 63 (Region 6)

72. No. 64/No. 74 (Region 6)

73. Crabwood Creek/Moleson Creek (Region

6)

ELECTION WATCH: LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS

GECOM invites applications for Local Observers ahead of LGE 2023

TheGuyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on Wednesday (April 12, 2023) issued a call for applications to accredit local/ domestic Election Observes.

The Commission, in a statement, said, “Local/domestic Organisations/Groups that are desirous of observing the elections to apply for accreditation to observe the Local Government Elections, 2023.”

All Local Observer Groups would be required to fulfil the following minimum standards:

• Familiarity and experience with electoral laws and procedures;

• Previous experience of election monitoring and/or other relevant experience or knowhow and specific training, national and/or international;

• Interpersonal skills (e.g. capacity of balanced judge-

ment, ability to work in teams, ability to cope with difficult situations, respect for diverse attitudes, good communication skills, readiness to work in a multi-cultural environment);

• Ability to maintain professional independence and strict impartiality in the conduct of duties;

• Demonstrated commitment to democracy and human rights;

Application for accreditation as Local Observers must contain the following information:

1. Name, address and contact details of the eligible organisation or group.

2. Name of the head of the eligible organisation or group and evidence of similar past experiences.

3. The type of activity covered by the organisation or group and evidence of similar

past experiences.

4. Name and contact details for proposed observers.

5. Official/registration documents etc.

6. The proposed Local Authority Area(s) to observe.

GECOM said, “Applications by Local Observer Groups must be in a prescribed form (Observer Application Form) which is available at GECOM website (www.gecom.org.gy). This form must be submitted to the Chief Election Officer no later than Friday, May 12, 2023.”

The move is pursuant to the provision of Section 145 B of the Local Authorities (Elections) Act, Chapter 28:03, and in order to enhance transparency, credibility and impartiality in the conduct of the Local Government Elections which will be held in Guyana on 12th June, 2023.

May 11, 2023 has been set at the date for a ruling in the case filed by APNU’s Chief Scrutineer, Carol Smith-Joseph, who moved to the court to challenge the method use by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) in the compilation of the Voters’ List that will be used in the Local Government Elections, scheduled for June 12, 2023.

74. Municipality Of Corriverton (Region 6)

REGION 7

75. Municipality of Bartica (Region 7)

REGION 8

76. Municipality of Mahdia

REGION 9

77. Municipality Of Lethem (Region 9)

78. Aranaputa/Upper Burro Burro (Region 9)

REGION 10

79. Municipality of Linden

80. Kwakwani

The ruling, from acting Chief Justice Roxane George, in the case filed by Smith-Joseph in December 2022, follows hearings of arguments from legal reps in the case, including GECOM’s Attorney, Kurt DaSilva

Joseph is asking the court for a number of orders, including a declaration that GECOM violated the Local Authorities Act by failing to compile the preliminary list of voters for local government elections and that the Chief Election Officer and/or the Commissioner of National Registration's action in extracting a list of electors in response to GECOM's order was improperly prepared in accordance with Section 5 (6) of the Elections

Law (Amendment) Act. The Chief Scrutineer contends that GECOM did not follow the law's and the constitution's mission when it created the present voters list. She claims that the registration of voters did not follow the act's guidelines in this claim. The filing states that: “The process employed by the Commission to prepare a Register of Voters for use at the next Local Government Elections has deprived the Electors and or voters of the opportunity to object to persons on the Register of Voters in the manner provided for in and contemplated by Local Authorities (Elections) Act Cap. 28:03,” one of the grounds on which she is arguing the case states. Additionally, she argued that the electoral authority had broken Sections 12, 13, 19, 20, 22 and 23 of the Local Government Elections Act. This, she argued in her application, cannot be the justification for GECOM issuing a final voters list in accordance with the Local Government Elections Act, that is, a list that was subjected to the statutory procedures outlined in the aforemen -

tioned Sections, most importantly and significantly a claims and objections period.

Smith-Joseph’s filing states that: “By failing to comply with the aforesaid provision of the Local Authorities Elections (Amendment) Act Cap. 28:03, the Commission has acted in dereliction of its duty under the said Act, and moreover in dereliction of its constitutional duty to ensure that registration of Electors are conducted in accordance with law,” it further stated. In addition, the Court is being sought to order GECOM to create a voter list in accordance with Article 162 of the Constitution, which imposes and/or implies an obligation to create a voter list that is trustworthy and fairly accurate. She further requests that the court rule that the Register of Voters that was extracted for use at LGE is not fairly accurate or reliable, rendering it invalid, illegal, null, and void, and having no legal significance.

Smith-Joseph’s fixed date application was filed by her attorney, Roysdale Forde, and seeks 21 declarations from the High Court.

Date set for ruling in Coalition’s case challenging Voters’ List for LGE 2023

General Secretary engages members, supporters

People's Progressive Party General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo met with party members and supporters at Windsor Forest and Leonora, West Coast De -

merara, on Tuesday (April 11, 2023).

Notably, Jagdeo has made clear that the PPP continues to work with members and supporters as prepara -

tions to the 2023 Local Government Elections continue.

“We have practically completed in every area except one NDC (Neighbourhood Democratic Council) where

I have to go on the ground and personally meet people. I can only do that on the ground. Except for that one area, I think we have finalised our list for all of the

areas across the country,” Jagdeo disclosed recently.

LGE 2023 is scheduled for June 12, 2023. Confident of its track record, the PPP/C is promising a robust cam-

paign at this year’s elections. The PPP has also made clear that it plans to contest in all of the 80 Local Authority Areas (LAA) across the country.

Positions from PPP General

Coalition’s attacks on Afro-Guyanese geared to maintain ‘jaundiced talk’ of discrimination – Jagdeo

Afro-Guyanese who are benefiting from the policies, programmes and initiatives of the PPP/C Government, as well as those who have come out publicly to support the PPP/C have come under attack by the PNCRled Coalition.

And PPP General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo, reasoned that the attacks are clearly intended to maintain the Opposition’s “jaundiced talk” about discrimination.

During his Thursday (April 13, 2023) news conference, Jagdeo referred to comments by the leader of the PNCR and the APNU+AFC Coalition, Aubrey Norton, who made snide reference to Aubrey ‘Shanghai’ Major and Kashif Muhammed – two of the principals of St8ment Investment Inc, which recently secured a $346 million for the construction of a primary school at Bamia/Amelia’s Ward, Linden.

Jagdeo noted that “Norton’s beef” with ‘Kashif’ and ‘Shanghai’ is a private matter, but the public nature of the Opposition Leader’s comments on the matter expose his thinking.

The PPP General Secre-

Norton rebuked for attempt to distort sports in a race issue

“First of all they say we are not giving Afro-Guyanese contracts. But if an Afro-Guyanese gets a contract, suddenly they are stooges of the PPP. If they (Afro-Guyanese) chose, like the people in New Amsterdam did – a number of people chose – to switch sides and become candidates for the PPP, they are stooges. So, his (Norton’s) problem is a bigger issue. He doesn’t want Afro-Guyanese to progress in this country, so that it can fit his jaundiced narrative of discrimination.”

– PPP General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo

tary said, “First of all they say we are not giving Afro-Guyanese contracts. But if an Afro-Guyanese gets a contract, suddenly they are stooges of the PPP.

“If they (Afro-Guyanese) chose, like the people in New Amsterdam did – a number of people chose – to switch sides and become candidates for the PPP, they are stooges.

“So, his (Norton’s) problem is a bigger issue. He doesn’t want Afro-Guyanese to progress in this country, so that it can fit his jaundiced narrative of discrimination. So they will come out hard against any bright progressive Afro-Guyanese

because they disprove their (APNU+AFC’s) theory that the PPP/C is racist party. Because you can make progress, as an Afro-Guyanese, under a PPP government. And that is the problem he has here.”

Jagdeo rubbished the PNCR-led Coalition’s rationale of wanting Afro-Guyanese not to make progress in life in order to score political points and fuel their campaign of division. “For the simple reason, that they (APNU+AFC) can go an campaign that the PPP is discriminatory, they would prefer that Afro-Guyanese not make progress in this country,” he charged.

APNU+AFC prefers to have Guyanese pay rent all their lives – Jagdeo

Opposition leader, Aubrey Norton has once again come in for major flak for his criticism of the PPP/C Government’s housing policy, which has seen thousands of Guyanese benefitting over the past two and half years from home and land ownership.

In fact, more house lots have been allocated under this administration in just under three years in comparison to the APNU+AFC’s five years in office. This was reiterated by General Secretary of the PPP, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo during his weekly press conference at Freedom House, Georgetown.

Dr Jagdeo said the PPP has made housing one of the most vibrant sectors in the economy. “Guyanese now have homeownership,

land ownership… because of the policies of the PPP and as recent as the 2015 to the 2020 period, they [APNU+AFC] did very little to enhance that,” he said.

He noted the audacity of Norton, that with such a track record, “he comes to criticise the PPP about its housing policy and how visionless can you be if you don’t want people to own things, you just want them to rent all their lives, but he sees a virtue and in this.

“Clearly, he has nothing to do, and his advisers should tell him to stay away from this issue because it can’t win his party any sympathy in the Guyanese populace at large.”

Norton at a recent press conference said the APNU+AFC would assist Guy-

Thenarrative of the PNCR-led APNU+AFC Coalition, without fail, attempt to redirect focus of Guyanese from the transformational development taking place across the country to its ill-advised campaign of division, according to General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party, Bharrat Jagdeo.

He noted that the latest attempt was visible in the “not so subtle attempt by leader of the PNCR and the Coalition, Aubrey Norton, to distort a commitment to have International Cricket Council (ICC) standard lights at the sports facility at Mackenzie, Linden, Region 10, as a race issue. Norton waxed lyrical about Linden being interested in football more than cricket.

Jagdeo said, “When they spoke about a seemingly innocent issue of what’s happening in Region 10. So Norton said Linden plays football and they want a ground up to FIFA standard

rather than ICC standard…. he’s implying that people in Linden they play football – Afro-Guyanese play football and Indo-Guyanese play cricket and cricket is not of any major importance to the people of Region 10, particularly Linden.

“…Norton is ill advised. And he sees race in every single issue. He does no research whatsoever…our plans for our country is clearly outlined in manifesto…we promised a multi-purpose facility in every region. This is a promise made in our manifesto to upgrade facilities right across the country and we are busy implementing those promises.”

Some $250 million is earmarked for ground enhancement across the country in the 2023 budget.

Detailing the facts, Jagdeo explained that works are ongoing to upgrade the facility at Mackenzie, as well as a facility at Bayrock, Linden, and Retrieve, Linden. At the Mackenzie facility, under -

ground pipes and a catchment basin for flood drainage were built last month. Work continues at the $179 million Bayrock facility to realize the completion of a synthetic track. He noted that the Mackenzie will be upgraded ICC standard and will remain a multipurpose facility, while the facility at Bayrock, Linden, where a synthetic track is currently being installed, fit for track and field events, and will also feature a FIFA standard football field. “Linden will have both a FIFA and ICC standard ground to play both cricket and football,” Jagdeo said, adding that upgrades at Retrieve will allow for three nearby schools to have access to sporting activities – access that has been unavailable for decades.

“These are the facts…. for the first time, we are developing three grounds in the town of Linden that will allow us to play international cricket and football,” Jagdeo added.

Jagdeo blasts “political rabble-rousers” posing as media personnel

anese with rent, a notion dismissed by the general secretary as ‘divorced from reality’.

He reminded that Norton comes from a party, which has a terrible track record as it relates to housing. “This a leader who comes from a party with a track record that since Forbes Burnham died, that they never had a housing programme and led to a massive backlog of people living in very terrible conditions and not having the dignity of ownership, even closing down the Ministry of Housing,” Jagdeo said.

The PPP in its manifesto promised to provide 50,000 house lots during its first five years in office. The lots allocated to date total some 22,500.

General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has made a call for media houses in Guyana to report on matters of national importance in a fair, transparent and accurate manner, instead of pursuing a particular political agenda, which results in sensational, inaccurate information being disseminated to the public.

Speaking during his weekly press conference at Freedom House , Dr Jagdeo exposed sections of the media that continue to deliberately twist information, pointing out several glaring instances where he was misquoted and deliberately taken out of context.

While restating the PPP’s firm stance on transparency, he noted the administration’s willingness to provide clarification where necessary, and its openness to constructive criticism on issues of

public interest. “We want to ensure that at least when an issue is raised in the public domain that we respond comprehensively so that, in the future, people can’t claim ignorance. Sometimes it is this ignorance that leads to some of these articles being written by the media,” Jagdeo said.

He added that, in many cases, some of these misleading articles are not caused by ignorance, rather they are the workings of those with a political agenda.

According to the general secretary, many of these columns in local newspapers appear to be written by politicians posing as media personnel.

These political rabble-rousers, he said, continue to hide behind anonymous letters and editorials to distort the truth and misinform the public. Jagdeo said,

“They use these anonymous platforms to reinforce the lie. And that is not journalism, and that has no level of professionalism. It is a politician at work. I see in the major newspapers around the world, for transparency’s sake they would say who the guest editor is. Many newspapers here don’t do that. So, you can go and say whatever you want, but you don’t have to be held accountable, and I think people should be held accountable. I would like to see who the guest editors are, and what views they express.”

The foundation of journalism and media ethics dictate that information should be disseminated fairly and objectively, taking into account the importance of openness and accountability.

This is crucial, considering the role that media plays in shaping the opinions of the public.

Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo

Transparent attempt to ‘block LGE 2023’ – PPP GS

Themove to the APNU’s Chief Scrutineer, Carol Smith-Joseph, to the High Court to challenge the compilation of the Voters’ List that will be used in the Local Government Elections, scheduled for June 12, 2023, is an attempt to block the holding of elections.

This is according to PPP General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo, who, at his Thursday (April 13, 2023) news conference, said, “They are hoping for a ruling in their favour to block the Local Government Elections.”

The last LGE was held in 2018.

Nationally, results for the 2018 LGE showed the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) has almost doubled the margin of votes between the Party and APNU and AFC combined – moving from about 24,000 at the 2016 Local Government Elections to over 45,000 at this year’s Local Government Elections. The difference of votes between the PPP/C and the AFC was a

whopping 113,000 votes. Between the PPP/C and the APNU, the difference of votes was over 50,000.

The results showed that the PPP/C won in 52 of the 80 Local Authority Areas (LAAs) and tied five others at the 2018 Local Government Elections. The PPP/C increased its win from 48 LAAs in 2016 to 52 LAAs in 2018 Local Government Elections.

In the 10 towns the PPP/C, secured big wins in five of Guyana’s 10 towns: winning all the seats in Anna Regina, Rose Hall (12 of 16 seats), Corriverton (14 of the 16 seats), Lethem (6 of the 10 seats) and Mabaruma (eight of the 12 seats). The Party was successful in taking control of the Town Councils in Lethem and Mabaruma.

Meanwhile, in the 70 NDCs, the Party was successful in not only holding on to its support base, but also saw an increase in votes in areas that were seen as the traditional support bases of

APA moves to block Guyana from accessing millions via carbon credit sales

parties like the APNU. The PPP/C won the Buxton/ Foulis NDC, Region 4. Also, the Whim/Bloomfield NDC, Region 6, was another notable win. It was none other than AFC’s Moses Nagamootoo who declared that “there is a straight contest” between the PPP/C and the AFC in this NDC. The PPP/C secured almost 90 per cent of the votes and 13 out of 14 seats in the Whim/Bloomfield NDC. The AFC had less votes in the NDC than the number of candidates and individuals on the Nominators’ List (backers’ list) that they submitted to GECOM, proving our point that they had to compile fraudulent lists.

Acting Chief Justice Roxane George has set May 11, 2023 at the date for a ruling in the case. The ruling will come after April 17, 2023, which is set as Nomination Day – the day on which political parties, groups, etc. submit their Lists of Candidates to the Guyana Elections Commission.

KN called out for continued publication of false information

Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo, contend that Kaieteur News had started a campaign against the PPP/C administration – as evidenced by the regular publication of false information.

Referring to a publication headlined ‘Govt. pussyfooting on correcting repeated skullduggery committed at State agencies’, he noted that the contents of the article are patently false.

The embattled media house claimed that the PPP/C Government failed to “adhere to the parliamentary standing orders which stipulates that recommendations to help address those irregularities are to be made via a treasury memorandum which laid in the parliament by the Minister of Finance.”

Jagdeo explained that on November 30, 2022, the Report of the Public Accounts

Committee on its examination of the Public Accounts Committee for Guyana for the year 2016 was adopted by the House. Based on this move, the Ministry of Finance, issued a Treasury Memorandum, based on the resolution, and 100 copies of the Treasury Memorandum were handed over the Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, on February 24, 2023.

Parliamentary Standing Order 82 (3) specifies that within 90 days of the presentation of a report from the Public Accounts

The Amerindian Peoples Association (APA), with a complaint, has triggered the grievance process with the Architecture for REDD+ Transactions (ART) Secretariat, as it relates to the issuance of Guyana's ART-TREES credits for the period 2016-2020 and has called for the suspension of Guyana’s credits.

The disclosure was made by Vice President and PPP General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo, who decried the move that puts at risk hundreds of millions that could fund development initiatives across Guyana.

He noted that the APA’s contentions are premised on distortions.

ART, in December 2022, issued the world’s first TREES credits to Guyana. This marked a milestone as it is the first time a country has been issued carbon credits specifically designed for the voluntary and compliance carbon markets for successfully preventing forest loss and degradation -- a process known as jurisdictional REDD+.

ART is a standalone, independent program that develops and administers standardized procedures for crediting emission reductions and removals from na-

tional and large sub-national REDD+ programmes. ART is governed by a Board of globally recognized experts and operated by an independent Secretariat, hosted by Winrock International. ART’s standard for the measurement, monitoring, reporting and verification of emission reductions and removals from the forest sector — The REDD+ Environmental Excellence Standard, known as TREES — represents the next step in the evolution of global efforts to protect and restore tropical forests. TREES supports transformational climate action at scale, while upholding rigorous social and environmental integrity.

Following completion of an independent validation and verification process and approval by the ART Board of Directors, ART has issued 33.47 million TREES credits to Guyana for the five-year period from 2016 to 2020. These serialized credits, listed on ART’s public registry, are available to buyers on the global carbon market, including for use by airlines for compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organization’s global emission reduction program, CORSIA, as well as for use toward

voluntary corporate climate commitments.

Guyana’s completion of the ART process paves the way for other governments that are looking to receive carbon market finance for success in protecting and restoring forests. Currently, 14 other countries and large sub-national jurisdictions are working toward their own issuances of TREES credits.

Guyana has since moved ahead with the first sale of carbon credits certified under the Architecture for REDD+ Transactions. Guyana signed the first agreement for a sale of 2.5million carbon credits to Hess Corporation – an annual agreement that runs until 2032 that will see a payment of a minimum US$750M coming to Guyana, depending on market changes.

Jagdeo explained that with 70 per cent of the carbon credits up for sale, APA’s move puts at risk future revenues.

Guyana has 18.4 million hectares of pristine forest, covering more than 87 per cent of the country’s landmass. The forests store in excess of 19 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent and remove over 150 million tonnes of carbon per annum.

Discerning and overcoming...

Committee (PAC), the Government shall table its Treasury Memorandum with the recommendations.

Kaieteur New claimed that, “It has been 117 days since the adoption of the report and the Government is yet to table its Treasury Memorandum for that report.”

However, this was proven as false. Publisher of the newspaper, Glenn Lall, who was present at Jagdeo’s Thursday (April 13, 2023) news conference, remained silent was the false nature of the report was exposed.

Economist perhaps with an eye to the future put another puzzle to us. In a named area in Mexico there is a similar concentration of electronic firms as in South Korea – How is it that we have had a Samsung (and an LG) emerging in South Korea and none similar as yet in Mexico? These are not fanciful considerations – they are recognized in business studies as “the mind of the business” beyond earning enough profits. Indeed, we can and should ask of any organization, what is its mind? its world view? the kind of world it is seeking to fashion?

For us in Guyana, and still so for us of the PPPC, Cheddi Jagan and his period of study in the USA has been a great boon to our people and country. The America he lived in of 1936 to 43, was still then revolutionary in a number of ways, still suspicious of Old Europe holding on to its Empires, and still the place where the small men had the best chance to become big men; and where the view of each other as toiling workers was still widespread. No doubt Cheddi’s American experience (enrolling himself in and successfully completing an American Liberal Arts Course at a YMCA college) inspired him and fortified him to establish UG (whose

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sixtieth anniversary we are in the midst of celebrating) through the taunts of “Jagan’s night school”. Cheddi wanted to bring an American Liberal Arts Tertiary education within the reach of every one of us in Guyana.

The Chief Economist threw some other difficult questions before us of the Caribbean. “You have been working at Integration/ Federation for decades now without success should you still retain the idea? (if not rethink it fundamentally). And referring to migration and subsequent remittances, he questioned one Ambassador- ” Imagine you were a young person thinking you could make a name in Nuclear Engineering, would you not emigrate to North America?

Our Economic development, requires our Socio-Political development to become One Guyana , One Guyanese People against the background in which Cheddi found sustenance- One World, One Human Race in all our diversities of physiological appearances, languages, religions, cultures, histories.

Regards, Samuel A A Hinds, Former Prime Minister, Former President, Ambassador to the USA

POSITIONS FROM THE PRESIDENT

Development institutions can play greater role in addressing regional food insecurity – President Ali

Asthe Caribbean Community (CARICOM) progresses in its 25 per cent reduction of the food import bill by 2025 initiative, international developmental entities can play a more active role in the implementation of policy initiatives to address the issue of food insecurity.

In his virtual address at the CAWI’s Caribbean Leaders’ Open Dialogue on Tuesday (April 22, 2023), President, Dr. Irfaan Ali stressed that more technical support can be offered by institutions such as the World Bank. “The adaptation cost for the developing world annually is estimated at US$150 million to US$ 300 million. We are not asking you to meet any adaptation costs. But, if you are talking about food security in a climate resilient environment, then how are you going to help us to acquire the technology and to modernise the agricultural system to address the very issues we have raised?” the president questioned.

He said issues, such as labour shortages, climate change and the development of new planting materials, require an aggressive, collaborative effort. The head of state explained, “We don’t want the World Bank to tell us that they are going to do studies. We have enough

studies on the table. We have enough data. The development agencies need to get out of this initial reaction of being study-oriented organisations. I see a great role for the World Bank, but that must not be an evaluation role or a report production role. That role has to be one that fits into the solution.”

The head of state added that while government encourages further involvement of these entities in the CARICOM 25 by 2025 initiative, Guyana will continue to recognise and utilise its capabilities in advancing this agenda, as opposed to relying on assistance or coaching from external parties. “We have to use the solutions available to make it work for us,” he added.

Technology is necessary to enhance productivity, and this is something that the government is committed to advancing. “We’re working on many different initiatives to see how we can advance this agenda in a very rapid way,” the president remarked while noting that the region is committed to playing its part in finding solutions to the issues of food insecurity.

To this end, the country has seen an aggressive approach being taken to strengthen and build capacity in the agriculture sector,

PPP/C Gov’t committed to health sector modernisation

as well as in incorporating technology in its processes.

Earlier this year, President Ali announced that the bilateral relationship between India and Guyana will see the development of a regional agri-tech campus to support the regional food hub. This campus is expected to deal with the technological aspect, research and development, training and improvement in policies that will lead to greater yields and productivity.

Recognising the transient nature of the oil resource, the PPP/C Government has remained steadfast in its charge to achieving self-sufficiency and sustainability, meticulously crafting policies that are geared towards strengthening and preserving the country’s non-oil sectors to promote diversity.

The Caribbean Association of the World Bank Group and IMF Staff (CAWI) Caribbean Leaders Open Dialogue consisted of a panel of Caribbean leaders and experts in the field addressing issues relating to food insecurity in the Caribbean, such as the management of accelerating food prices, food production adaptation amid climate change, and the role of policymakers in addressing the food insecurity crisis.

No disparity in gov’t investments – President Ali reaffirms

The President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali-led government has been painstakingly contemplating models through which every Guyanese family can get involved in some aspect of the burgeoning oil and gas sector.

President Ali, during a recent live statement, reaffirmed his government’s commitment to ensuring that every citizen be given access to opportunities for development.

He also reiterated the PPP/C government’s commitment to building and maintaining a modern and democratic society.

President Ali said Guyanese will benefit regardless of race, ethnicity, class, religion, or any other distinctions.

The opposition’s continued weaponisation of its racism rhetoric to sow seeds of conflict and distrust, has no place in a modern Guyana,

and has seen government accelerating and strengthening its efforts to engage all communities directly. “That is why this government led by myself as President, will work with the people directly. I am going to take my message directly to the people, go to the communities and embrace the people, embrace their problems…And find solutions with them, and enhance trust on a community level,” President Ali asserted.

The Head of State added, “We’re going to build communities stronger. We’re going to build communities working with each other. We’re going to cement the gains of democracy by bringing people together,”

The Opposition, the president pointed out adopted the tactic of rehashing falsehoods in order to gain sympathy from the people, to bring rele-

Guyana joined the rest of the world in observing ‘World Health Day 2023’ on April 7, 2023, under the theme ‘Health For All’, and President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali underscored the importance of promoting greater access and equity in healthcare.

It was highlighted that achieving greater equity in the sector is a primary objective of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic Government.

It is for this reason investments are being made to expand and improve primary healthcare for Guyanese in the ten administrative regions and partnerships are being forged with local and international bodies to ensure better outcomes and improved management in the sector.

“As part of the transformation of the local health sector, Guyanese can look forward to continued improvements in equity and healthcare, whether you reside in the deep reaches of the hinterland or the coastland, my government is working to narrow health gaps and to bring health quality closer to every citizen,” the Head of state reaffirmed

in his message to commemorate World Health Day 2023.

The ultimate goal is to ensure that all Guyanese regardless of their economic status enjoy the ‘best’ care in the country. To this end, investments are being made to undertake major upgrades to regional and district hospitals and all health clinics across the regions.

Seven regional hospitals are being constructed in De Kinderen Region Three, Enmore and Diamond in Region Four (4), Bath in Region Five, and Number 75 Village, Region Six, while a new hospital is being constructed in Bartica, Region Seven.

In addition, a $12.4 billion Paediatric and Maternal Hospital is being constructed at Ogle on the East Coast Demerara, which will offer specialised care.

“As we improve our health infrastructure, we are also boosting the human resources of the health sector including through expanded training of nurses and other health personnel. World Health 2023 Day provides hope and optimism. The Covid-19 pandemic is receding, global health coop-

eration is now recognised as indispensable towards ensuring the health of the world’s citizens, the world is becoming more vigilant and more watchful in respect of future challenges,” he expressed.

Meanwhile, the Guyanese leader congratulated the World Health Organisation (WHO) on the occasion of its 75th Anniversary. “I take this opportunity to record my country’s appreciation for the invaluable role which the WHO has played and continues to play in ensuring the health of the inhabitants of our planets,” he said.

Dr Ali applauded the work of the WHO for the past 75 years, which has transformed the global landscape and fostered global health cooperation. He said the WHO can be ‘‘justifiably described as a guardian for global health.” “On behalf of the government and people of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, I thank the WHO for its support for our local efforts at improving the health of all Guyanese. I wish the organisation continued success in the future,” the Head of state noted.

Statement by His Excellency, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana on the ICJ ruling

vance to its egregious claims. “We’re going beyond every single threshold to support every single community in every single region. That is what we do”, the Head of State said.

Dr Ali rejected outright the opposition’s line of rhetoric that there is discrimination taking place now. “There is absolutely no factual position that they can advance to show that any community is being discriminated against and left behind. We are going to build a society in which the voices of all will be heard, in which the prosperity of every citizen will be the prosperity of our country,”

President Ali reminded that government’s continued investments in all sectors show no indications of disparity. Rather, it speaks to a desire to foster advancement across all sectors.

Today in The Hague, the International Court of Justice handed down its ruling in the case between Guyana and Venezuela on Venezuela’s Objection to the Court’s Jurisdiction. The Court rejected Venezuela’s objection and upheld its jurisdiction to decide the case by a vote of 14 to 1.

This means the Court will now proceed to decide the dispute between the two States on the merits, and ultimately issue a final and binding determination on the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award that fixed the land boundary between Venezuela and then-British Guiana. Venezuela and the United Kingdom recognised the validity of that Arbitral Award and the resulting international boundary for more than 60 years. Upon its independence in 1966, Guyana also recognised the Award and the boundary, but Venezuela had changed its position and be-

gun claiming more than twothirds of Guyana’s territory west of the Essequibo River.

This is the second time the International Court has rejected jurisdictional objections raised by Venezuela. In December 2020, the Court overruled Venezuela’s objections by a vote of 12-4. In June 2022, Venezuela raised a new objection. Oral hearings were held in November 2022, during which both parties appeared and presented their arguments before the Court. Today’s ruling disposes of that objection, and will require Venezuela to submit its written pleadings on the merits of the case – that is, on the validity of the Arbitral Award and the international boundary that it established.

Guyana remains confident that its longstanding international boundary with Venezuela will be confirmed by the Court.

Guyana has always been fully committed to the peace-

ful resolution of the dispute with its neighbour and sister Republic in accordance with international law. That is why, after attempting unsuccessfully to achieve a diplomatic settlement through talks mediated by the United Nations Secretary-General over more than two decades, Guyana brought the matter to the International Court of Justice for a final and binding determination. All Member States of the United Nations, including Guyana and Venezuela, are obligated under the United Nations Charter to comply with the Court’s binding judgments.

I thank you and I take this opportunity to also thank our legal team, our agent, all the stakeholders, every Guyanese for the continued commitment and outstanding work as we proceed with this matter in the International Court of Justice. [SEE RE-

FOCUS ON GUYANA’S FIRST PEOPLE

Amerindian leaders urged to prepare economic plans to efficiently utilise LCDS funds

Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai has called on Amerindian communities to have economic plans prepared, to properly utilise the funds made available to them from the country’s carbon credit sales.

Minister Sukhai made the call during a visit to Santa Aratack on Wednesday, where she examined a number of completed projects in the village.

Following a pact the government signed with Hess Corporation, Guyana will be earning US $750 million between 2022 and 2032 to support the country’s efforts to protect the country’s vast forests. This means, through the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030, the government has ensured Guyana’s standing forest

earns for its people. Almost 90 per cent of the landmass in Guyana is forested.

Hess is paying for 30 per cent of the carbon the country’s forest traps. Fifteen per cent of the money paid to Guyana is being channeled to Amerindian communities, to create sustainable economic projects.

Minister Sukhai urged all Amerindian communities to ensure the economic plans are formed from consultations with villagers. “There will be significant revenues to do impactful projects that will benefit the lives of the people. If your desire is to make Santa Mission a tourism destination, put it in the plan; if you want to enhance youths and opportunities for youths, put it in the plan; if you want to focus on agriculture, put it in the plan; whatever you

Gov’t advancing efforts to increase access to potable water in hinterland regions

want to do to benefit your village, put it into the plan,” the minister urged.

Government has vowed to erase the divide between the hinterland and the coast, providing more opportunities to Amerindian and hinterland residents, including skills training.

Over the past two and a half years, Amerindians have been trained in the medical field, in computer literacy, as teachers, tractor operators, mechanics, tailors and seamstresses, among a myriad of other areas. “We are working to ensure that the commitments made during the campaigns are fulfilled. We must ensure that the tangible benefits are reaching the people to ensure that no one is left behind and that the policy of His Excellency is fulfilled,” the minister stressed.

Major boost for Santa Mission’s agriculture as gov’t delivers new tractor

Residents of Santa Mission can now expand their agriculture production, with a new tractor provided by government.

Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai, handed over the machine to the village, which will bring vast transformation to its economy.

While the tractor has multiple uses, it will be critical in expanding agriculture and will complement the existing two there.

As the government remains steadfast in growing more food locally to become self-sufficient and supply

the region, Minister Sukhai urged villagers to partake in more agriculture activities.

“Santa Mission should get more into agriculture. If we don’t get into agriculture, our food security will be at risk. When our oil is depleted, Guyana will be known for its agriculture,” she underscored.

Minister Sukhai also handed over a number of farming tools to the village council.

The village is set to receive $3 million to complete a cabin and another $5 million to repair the existing guest house, to enhance

tourism.

Government has been on overdrive in diversifying the economy, with a specific focus on the agriculture sector.

Many large projects have been launched, such as the cage fishing, black belly sheep and cut rose projects, as well as the shade house initiative, among others. Guyana is aiming to become the food basket of CARICOM, while greatly assisting in achieving the regional 25 by 25 target; to lessen its almost US $5 billion food import bill by 25 per cent by the year 2025.

New secondary school to be built in Jawalla,

Region Seven

TheMinistry of Education is taking another step towards achieving universal secondary education with the establishment of a new secondary school in Jawalla, Region Seven.

Education Minister, Priya Manickchand and other senior officers within the Ministry of Education on Tuesday visited the community to determine a possible location for the school.

Minister Manickchand said the new secondary school will be the second of its kind in the Upper Mazaruni District. It will help to ease the overcrowding

at the DC Caesar Fox Secondary School in Waramadong.

She noted that it will provide students in other communities such as Kamarang and Philipai with the opportunity to receive a sound secondary education. These students are currently either not receiving a secondary education or are being educated in primary tops, a secondary department in a primary school.

Minister Manickchand said that with the establishment of the secondary school, the Ministry of Education will be

Thegovernment through the Ministry of Housing and Water continues to make critical investments to increase access to potable water in Regions One, Seven, Eight and Nine.

A total of $1.4 billion will be expended this year to increase access in these hinterland communities.

Specifically in Region One (Barima-Waini), approximately 17 new wells will be drilled for 2023, as the ministry works to achieve 100 per cent water coverage by the end of this year. About $250 million is budgeted to execute these works.

The Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) is currently inviting bids for the drilling of new wells in communities across Region One, includ-

ing Haimacabra, Kamwatta, Waramuri, Mabaruma Settlement, and Black Water Savannah.

GWI is also inviting bids for a project that will see the installation of a new water supply system in Micobie, Region Eight (Potaro – Siparuni).

It is important to note that the GWI is also expanding access to clean water in Regions Seven, Eight, and Nine, as it works towards increasing water coverage to 89 per cent in 2023.

The aim is to achieve 100 per cent access to water services in all hinterland and riverine communities by 2025, which is in keeping with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number six.

The water company is

also inviting bids for the installation of High-density Polyethylene (HDPE) mains along Avenue of the Republic between Hadfield and Church Streets and High Street between Lamaha Street and Pegasus Hotel, Georgetown.

All bids must be deposited into the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board located at the Ministry of Finance, Main and Urquhart Streets, Georgetown, on or before Thursday, April 20, 2023 at 09:00 hours. According to the ministry, the bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders or bidders’ representatives who wish to attend.

Government has allocated some $17.7 billion in this year’s budget to expand water systems and management.

Gov’t commissions new ICT hub at Wowetta

Residents of Wowetta, Region Nine now have the service of a new Information and Communications Technology (ICT) hub, with the commissioning of the project on March 23, 2023.

Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai commissioned the new ICT hub as the village now awaits the installation of internet connectivity from the Office of the Prime Minister. Minister Sukhai underscored that “The ICT hub will ensure children

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able to close the primary tops in Phillipai, Wax Creek, Chinoweing, Imbaimadai, Jawala, Quebanang, Kako and Kamarang.

The school will house 500 students in the classroom and 400 students in the dormitories. Once completed, the new school will be equipped with Chemistry, Biology, Physics and Information Technology, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) laboratories, Home Economics room, library space and spacious classrooms.

Reconstruction of schools destroyed by fire remain high on govt’s agenda

Thereconstruction of several schools, that were destroyed remains an important part of the government’s efforts to ensure equitable access to education nationwide.

In this vein, the education ministry has invited bids for the reconstruction of the Christ Church Secondary. Since the school was destroyed by fire in January, the students have been placed at the Cyril Potter College of Education, Turkeyen. Over 500 students attend the school, along with 39 instructors and 9 support personnel. All bids must be delivered by Thursday, April 20, 2023, at 9:00 am or earlier to the Chairman, National Procurement and Tender

Administration Board, Ministry of Finance Compound, Main and Urquhart Streets, Georgetown. The bids must be accompanied by valid National Insurance Scheme and Guyana Revenue Authority Compliance certificates. All qualified contractors are welcome to participate in the bidding process, which will follow the National Competitive Bidding (NCB) guidelines outlined in the Procurement Act, 2003, and Regulations, 2004.

Meanwhile, the North Ruimveldt Multilateral Secondary School (NRMSS) which is being rebuilt will accommodate over 450 students, to the tune of $566.9 million, and will measure about 12,960 square feet. It

Open wheat trial in Santa Fe to commence shortly – Agri Minister

will have brand-new science labs, IT labs, brand-new and renovated classrooms, a staff area, a restroom block, and a contemporary exterior. The main section of NRMSS was engulfed by fire back in 2020.

In addition, St George’s High School, which was destroyed by fire of electrical origin in July 2022, will be rebuilt at its existing location in Georgetown. Students are being accommodated at other schools.

The administration, headed by President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali remains committed to enhancing access to education by ensuring that there are enough schools to accommodate all students.

Small businesses benefitting from procurement

training ‒ Gov’t committed to providing conducive environment for growth

The government through the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce is actively creating avenues to bolster small businesses to enrich the lives of citizens and the economy.

Several small business owners underwent a procurement training exercise organised by the Small Business Bureau (SBB) and Public Procurement Commission (PPC), at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) on April 3, 2023.

The one-day forum provided small business owners with the knowledge to grow their businesses.

Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond stressed the importance of small and micro businesses. She underscored the efforts made by the government through the Small Business Act, which allows small entrepreneurial ventures to thrive. “We re-

alised that the big businesses were crowding out small businesses. So, we made a carve-out in the Small Business Act for small businesses to be able to get incentives to be afforded grants. There is even a loan guarantee programme, all of it to help and support and to bolster our small businesses,” Minister Walrond disclosed.

The act recognises the significance of small businesses as a source of employment and a driver of the economy, particularly in their respective communities.

It also provides a legal and policy framework to support small businesses and ensure they have the necessary tools to succeed.

Meanwhile, Minister Walrond highlighted another significant initiative implemented by the government through the Public Procurement Law, which ensures that contracts are awarded

Todiversify the agriculture sector as well as increase food production locally, the Ministry of Agriculture will be commencing the open field trial for the cultivation of wheat in Santa Fe, North Rupununi, Region Nine (Upper Takutu – Upper Essequibo), shortly.

Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food

The indoor trial for the staple proved to be successful by the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) as well as the open trial in Paramakatoi, Region Eight (Potaro – Si-

paruni).

Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha made the disclosure while updating media personnel on several agricultural projects recently. “Now with Santa Fe, the Ministry of Agriculture and IICA…We are looking to start the trial that we said we’ll do at Santa Fe … in another month’s time now … Embrapa from Brazil and NAREI will collaborate and help us to get that experiment plot going,” Mustapha stated.

Initially, the trial was slated for September last year but due to inclement weather, this was not possible.

The Brazilian Agricul -

tural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA) will be conducting the trial in the North Rupununi where six varieties will be tested to see which can survive in Guyana’s climate.

In May last year, Guyana received 49 lines of wheat from the Government of Mexico to commence the trial phase.

Not only will the cultivation of wheat in Guyana increase food production, but also reduce the cost of flour locally.

It will also assist Guyana in becoming self-sufficient and less dependent on imported wheat products.

Residents to benefit from $20M investment in Bina Hill Green Development Centre

Residents of Region Nine will soon benefit from more training opportunities to equip them to capitalise on the many opportunities in the various sectors.

based on merit and not on any other considerations such as political affiliations or personal connections.

“Contracts are not handed out to people based on what you look like [and] who you voted for. There is a public procurement system that is open and transparent, and there are a lot of laws that this government has instituted. What it does…it opens the playing field for every single Guyanese business to have the opportunity to be able to access all of these opportunities regardless of where you are,” she said.

Minister Walrond said the government is committed to strengthening small businesses by creating a conducive environment for their growth and development.

The PPP/C Government has developed a procurement portal where businesses can access opportunities and submit bids.

Millions in D&I works for farming areas in Regions Two, Three, Six, Eight

The Ministry of Agriculture, through the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), continues to make critical interventions in farming communities, to aid the mitigation of flooding.

This is critical as Guyana takes the lead in CARICOM achieving food security as part of its vision to lessen the almost $5 billion food import bill by 25

per cent by the year 2025. Only recently the NDIA signed over $500 million in contracts to aid in flood mitigation and improve the drainage and irrigation system in several areas.

More drainage works are expected to be undertaken in several communities

The NDIA is currently inviting bids for the empoldering of farmlands in Bethany Creek

in Region Two with an engineer’s estimated cost of over $25 million.

In addition, bids are being invited for the rehabilitation of drainage channels at Aliki and Beribissibali, East Bank Essequibo (EBE), Region Three with an engineer’s estimated cost of over $91 million.

Also, a new pump station

18 →

Some $20 million will be expended to develop the Bina Hill Institute in the region to provide persons with technical and vocational skillsets through the Board of Industrial Training (BIT).

During a graduation ceremony in the region recently, Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton reaffirmed government’s commitment to providing these training programmes.

The Bina Hill Green Development Centre will be outfitted with various amenities to serve the residents.

“I can assure you that not so long before now, you will have a full-fledged IT lab, IT centre at the Bina Hill Institute to serve the people in Region Nine. We will establish a full-fledged welding and fabrication centre, a joinery centre will be established at Bina Hill, a culinary centre that also will be utilised to do agro-processing,” Minister Hamilton informed.

The ministry signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Bina Hill Institute and the North Rupununi Development Association.

Meanwhile, the Labour Minister disclosed that the Mayor and Town Council have made available a building that will be devel-

oped as a training centre to provide BIT programmes in Lethem. He added that, “Already we have earmarked $1.5 million to make that building somewhat comfortable by putting in ceiling and air condition.”

Some 171 residents graduated recently from several technical and vocational training programmes through BIT in the region. The training programmes include a community development element that enables participants to showcase and apply their community building abilities. BIT continues to roll out its technical and vocational training courses to ensure every citizen has equitable access to opportunities across the country.

As government invests in building the infrastructure for the health sector, emphasis is also being placed on upskilling the human resource.

The aim is to complement the seven regional hospitals that are being constructed in various parts of the country, as well as the Maternal and Paediatric Hospital that is being constructed at Ogle, East Coast Demerara.

Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony said the training of over 3,000 nursing specialists will match the infrastructural development in the sector.

A Registered Nursing

Programme is expected to be launched soon and will cater for the first 1,000 persons.

“I can assure you that everyone who is interested in doing this now, we will have a space for you on this programme… So, over a threeyear period, we are hoping to attract at least 3,000 persons to come and do nursing with us,” Minister Anthony stated.

The enrolment process will be done online and interested persons, with a minimum of five Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) subjects, including Mathematics and English are being urged to apply.

“When you have finished

the programme, you’re guaranteed a job with the Ministry of Health…it’s not a problem. You will get training. You’ll get a job and you will get a better salary,” Dr Anthony assured.

The government plans to build regional hospitals in Anna Regina, Region Two; De Kinderen, Region Three; Bath, Region Five; Number 75 Village, Region Six; and one at Diamond and another at Enmore in Region Four, to increase access to quality healthcare. There will also be one in Bartica, Region Seven.

Some $500 million was allocated to train medical personnel in 2023.

Over 3,000 Registered Nurses to be trained in three years

PPP/C DELIVERING ON ‘PLAN FOR PROSPERITY’

More central government resources for local democratic organs – Dharamlall

The Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development has committed to providing financial and other essential resources to every local democratic organ.

This was reemphasised by Minister, Nigel Dharamlall, as he handed over some $80 million in tractors, trailers and subventions to nine Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) along the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) on Wednesday at the Better Hope Community Centre.

The NDCs include Plai-

sance/Industry, Better Hope/ La Bonne Intention, Beterverwagting/Triumph, Mon Repos/La Reconnaissance, Buxton, Foulis, Enmore/ Hope, Haslington/Golden Grove, Unity/Vereeniging, and Cane/Grove.

The investments are part of the ongoing fulfilment of a commitment made by President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali.

During the handing over ceremony, Minister Dharamlall told residents that NDCs must work with the government, Regional Democratic Councils (RDCs) and

residents to ensure the environment remains at a high standard. “The heavy lifting that central government is doing in our NDC areas in terms of roads, bridges, health and education facilities, more particularly, shows our deep involvement in ensuring that the lives of people at the local level are improved. Over the next few months, we also expect that our councils are going to be very prevalent in communities, not because of Local Government Elections, but because more resources are coming your way,” he stated.

Minister Dharamlall, members of the local government ministry and members of the NDCs at the handing over ceremony on Wednesday

DEVELOPING HUMAN CAPACITY

In 2022, the government launched the part-time jobs initiative, allowing persons to work 10 days per month and earn $40,000.

Minister Dharamlall noted that the government has employed thousands of persons countrywide under the initiative, many of whom

will be placed in local government offices in Region Four. “I expect at least 12 persons to be placed… within the confines of the administration of each NDC. We expect that they are going to provide clerical, technical and operational support to each NDC. So, we wouldn’t have an issue where NDCs are still clamouring for staff, or that they are unable to provide upgraded and enhanced services for our communities,” he underscored.

The local government minister pointed out that different persons employed

under the programme would have varying skills, which could help the NDCs to be managed better. “We would like people to be out as rangers in communities, so that we will reduce the number of complaints, in terms of quality of work…[and] quality of life, and in this case, garbage collection, waste management [and] disposal,” he said.

The local government ministry has procured 120 tractors to assist village offices in the maintenance of their communities. Thus far, 30 NDCs have benefitted.

Inputs donated to Buxton Farmers’ group to encourage youth involvement in agriculture

Guyana continues to make major strides in the fisheries sector with the implementation of various initiatives aimed to expand productivity.

The production of prawns and the lucrative marine cage project are expected to further boost the country’s aquaculture sector significantly, since they will be expanded countrywide.

Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha recently explained that the government has had many successes over the last two years in the aquaculture sector.

He noted that the government will continue to work aggressively to transform the sector. Mustapha said that, “We have rolled out the cage culture that the President spoke about. This year, we will be setting up, approximately, another 50 cages around the country. That means that we have to

enhance our areas like at the Satyadeow Sawh aquaculture station so that we can have these fingerlings to supply to those cages and produce our fingerlings…In the aquaculture area, we are looking to build an industry.”

A popular and financially successful method of producing marketable fish currently is fish cultivation in cages. Cage fishing was first introduced last year in Mainstay/ Whyaka, Region Two.

Minister Mustapha emphasised that this year, the production of prawns will be conducted in Regions Five and Six. Government is already in the process of constructing the ponds for this project. In addition, production has also increased massively for the brackish water shrimp from 10,000 to 90,000 kilogrammes. “We are about 80 to 85 per cent of the project so far. I am hoping at the end of the proj-

ect, we can reach the target that we planned now about 120,000 kilogrammes monthly… With those projects that we have in Region Six, of course, people across the country are looking forward …They need help too to start that kind of shrimp production in areas like Regions Five and Two. So, we will be working with the farmers,” the agriculture minister underlined.

Approximately $500 million was expended last year in the fisheries sector, especially for the brackish water shrimp production.

President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali made several commitments during his visits to the landing sites where enhancement work will be done including lights, sheds, and washroom facilities, among others. So far, approximately 75 landing sites have been improved throughout the country.

Representatives from the Buxton-Friendship Farmers’ Group received a number of inputs and farming implements from the Ministry of Agriculture to further encourage youth involvement in the agriculture sector.

to offer additional support to this group especially since it has young people actively involved. We’ve also, through our agencies, offered training and other technical support and we’ll continue to do so,” the minister explained.

He also noted that a number of drainage and irrigation works were done and are still ongoing to ensure infrastructure is in place to minimise flooding and provide sufficient irrigation.

Linden

youths

benefit from empowerment workshop

Youths of Victory Valley, Linden, Region 10 were, recently, exposed to a youth Empowerment workshop, conducted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in collaboration with the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security and other partners.

The initiative is part of the government’s efforts to improve the livelihood of residents especially the youths.

Minister, Hugh Todd reiterated the government’s commitment to fostering development. “We want to

Agriculture Minister, Hon Zulfikar Mustapha while offering brief remarks during the handing over exercise said that he has been working with the group since he became minister to develop agriculture in the villages. “When I became Minister of Agriculture, I visited the village and met with farmers and members of the group. The ministry has since been working with the farmers to improve the D&I infrastructure as well as providing assistance in the form of farming inputs, planting materials, and implements.

Today, I am happy to be able

Chairman of the group, Leroy Hamer said that the tools will be used to assist young farmers as the group is now working to promote intercropping. “We’ve now focusing on young people and these tools will help them because even though they are farming they have to get tools. These tools will contribute to that and help us to develop ourselves. Because we are doing long-term

and short-term crops, these tools will really help,” he noted. He further stated that farmers in the village benefitted from training on best practices for coconut cultivation from the ministry’s National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) in collaboration with the Caribbean Agriculture Research and Development Institute (CARDI). As a result, the group is now looking to expand its farming practices to include coconut cultivation.

Minister Mustapha also committed to assisting the group with planting materials to commence and develop their coconut cultivation.

The items included fertilizers, a mechanical tiller, forks, rakes, garden hoes, shovels, cutlasses, and files. The group comprises approximately 60 farmers, 30 of whom are young people.

Prawn production, cage fishing to be expanded countrywide

Millions in D&I works for...

is expected to be constructed at Letter Kenny/Bloomfield outfall channel, Corentyne, Region Six, at an engineer’s estimated cost of over $936 million.

The agency is also seeking contractors for the supply of irrigation pipers for Uruberu Road, Paramakatoi, Region Eight at an estimated cost of

over $8 million. All bids must be deposited into the tender box at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) located at the Ministry of Finance, Main and Urquhart Streets, Georgetown, on or before Thursday, April 13, 2023, at 09:00 hours.

According to the ministry, bids will be opened in the presence of those bidders or their representatives who choose to attend at 09:00 hours on April 13 in the boardroom of NPTAB. A whopping $19.7 billion was set aside in budget 2023 for critical drainage and irrigation works in several areas countrywide.

ing one documentary, ‘The Making of a Prime Minister’, which exposed the rigged elections of 1968. The declassified CIA report, on page 5, said, “The only significant adverse publicity arising from the 1968 elections was aired on two television programmes in Britain in December 1968 and January 1968.”

Notably, World in Ac -

tion, produced another documentary, ‘Mr. Burnham does it again’, looked at how the 1973 elections were rigged, where it notes that Burnham was “helped to power by the CIA” in past elections. World in Action was a British investigative current affairs programme made by Britain’s Granada Television.

Importantly, the declas-

Gov’t commissions new ICT...

can do their School Based Assessments (SBAs). You should have a schedule of classes with children to use the equipment. The earlier we train these children to use the computers the better for the population.”

The residents are all elated to benefit from the building and accompanying equipment, that will foster learning.

Senior Councillor, Nowell

Domingo said, “I feel happier than before that we are getting the computers to reduce the handwriting work, so we can easily type. It also helps the education of children and teachers. It’s easier to contact the ministry. We could learn from the computers.”

The government is relentlessly ensuring that every hinterland community is equipped with an ICT hub

sified CIA document, dated May 23, 1969, on page 4 said, “Burnham would lose to (Dr. Cheddi) Jagan in an honest election.

Rigged elections continued until Guyanese went to the polls on October 5, 1992. The declassified documents can be accessed at the following link: https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1969-76ve10/d365

← FROM PAGE 15

and internet connectivity, recognising the importance of bridging the digital divide between the coast and hinterland.

The village invested $2 million to construct the ICT Hub, from its Presidential Grant award.

So far, 100 ICT hubs have been constructed, equipped with 20 laptops each, along with internet connectivity.

COMMENTARY

The PPP/C gov’t in pursuit of health leadership in CARICOM

By Dr. Leslie Ramsammy

There can be no doubt that Guyana is on a transformative path. There are visible signs all around us. But we see it each day as more and more of the international community are paying attention.

Guyana’s First Lady, Mrs. Arya Ali, was last week presented with an award by the Dream Up, Speak Up, Stand Up (DUSUSU) Foundation for the role she is playing in making a difference in the areas of gender equality, women’s empowerment, and improving the lives of people of the country. The award was presented to the First Lady at State House by co-founder of the DUSUSU Foundation, Zuriel Oduwole, a 20-yearold filmmaker and education advocate. The Foundation is best known for it works on the advocacy for the education of girls in Africa. Other winners have been first ladies from Africa including the first ladies of Tanzania (2014), Kenya (2015), Namibia (2016), Senegal (2017), Mozambique (2018), Cabo Verde (2019), Sierra Leone (2020), Namibia (2021).

Even while our first lady was being awarded, the largest delegation from the US Congress visited Guyana last week. Such visits have become commonplace for Guyana, a recognition that we are highly regarded today around the world.

The week before, Guyana’s Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, was a guest speaker at an important energy conference in Houston, Texas, USA.

While roads, bridges, hotels and office buildings are going up, changing the landscape, President Irfaan Ali and the PPP/C government has made it pellucidly clear the transformation of the health sector is at the very epicentre for the transformative agenda in Guyana.

In our days of being a HIPC country (due to the PNC mismanagement of our country’s economy) during the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s, Guyana’s health sector virtually collapsed, with health indicators far below countries like Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica. We competed with Haiti for

the worse health indicators in the Region. Now that the vision and competence of successive PPP presidents and governments have brought Guyana into the high middle income countries designation, Guyana is in a hurry to catch up with CARICOM countries, with other high middle-income countries and we urgently want to reduce the gap between us and developed countries when it comes to our health indicators.

Our health agenda is clear. We want life expectancies at birth to be >75 by 2030. We want to significantly reduce child, particularly neonatal, mortality rates and maternal mortality rates. We want to walk together with developed countries to pronounce the end of HIV/ AIDS by 2030. We want to eliminate all the present neglected tropical diseases that still exist in Guyana, if not by 2025, certainly by 2030. We want to end malaria as a public health challenge, tame TB, and reduce and eliminate hospital- acquired infectious morbidity and mortality. We want to prevent premature deaths from the NCDs, such as cardiovascular and oncological diseases, diabetes and other NCDs. We want to prevent death from chronic kidney diseases, ensure 100% access to dialysis and ensure Guyana’s kidney transplant program is the # 1 in CARICOM. We want CARICOM’s #1 transplant program, with corneal (eye) and liver transplant leading the way in CARICOM. We want a globally recognized program to combat the global mental health scourge. We want to utilize better antibiotics in a way that help tackle the existential crisis of antimicrobial resistance. We want to be able to deal with new and emerging pathogens and to implement a strong, effective pandemic preparedness plan, based on a One Health approach, with Guyana being a One Health leader.

To support this ambitious agenda, we are rebuilding totally our physical and technological infrastructure, have embarked on an aggressive and robust human resource for health strategy never ever seen in our region and have begun the total digitalization of the health sector. Our health

political agenda is leading the transformative agenda in Guyana.

This ambitious agenda is not possible without hefty investment. By 1990, the shameful legacy left by the PNC dictatorship, Guyana’s per capita health investment was less than $US6 per capita. Today, it is almost $US 800 per capita, more than 150 times what Cheddi Jagan’s PPP inherited in 1992. This is testimony to the PPP’s commitment to long, disability-free lives for our people and to the new transformative health agenda that President Ali has promised as the epicenter for shifting Guyana towards developed country-status. By the 1990s, Guyana was only investing less than $US1 per capita in acquiring life-saving medicines, vaccines, diagnostic supplies, and tools. In 2023, we will be investing more than $US125 per capita in procuring medicines, vaccines and medical diagnostic tools and tools to improve clinical management in our hospitals and health centers. President Ali and the PPP/C government is revolutionizing public health investment.

More investments, better infrastructure, better and more human resources in the sector, however, will not bring Guyana to the health standard we desire. Despite more investments, accessing medicines, vaccines and diagnostic technologies remains an insurmountable hurdle. One of the several long-standing global challenges, recognized by both the MDGs and the SDGs, and which limited the COVID-19 response must be urgently confronted – equitable access to affordable medicines, vaccines, diagnostic supplies, and clinical technologies. Countries in the South, like Guyana, are at a distinct disadvantage. The challenge is to obtain affordable access to the medicines, vaccines, and technologies available globally today, where the rich, developed countries in the North dominate.

In this regard, President Ali, VP Jagdeo and the PPP/C government have embarked on a trajectory for local production of medicines, vaccines and diagnostic tools. Discussion have been ongoing with

countries in both the North and South to collaborate with Guyana to establish a robust regional manufacturing hub for medicines, vaccines, diagnostic tools. This is because our visionary government recognizes that unless we invest more in Science, Research and Technology, more local public health investment would not entirely bring relief in certain global challenges that limit us. President Ali has several times announced the creation of a Science, Research and Technology Council to help catalyze a local pharmaceutical, vaccine, and technology program and to bring new health intervention into our country.

There are the naysayers who insist that such endeavors are foolish and way beyond our capacity. The naysayers should reflect a little on the past achievements of the PPP government, under President Bharat Jagdeo. When confronted with the existential threat of HIV and AIDS, in 2002, Guyana started local production of HIV medicines at a fraction of the price we were forced to procure them for before. The first antiretroviral medicines used in Guyana on a large scale were manufactured right here in Guyana by the NGPC. The talk of a manufacturing hub for medicines, vaccines and diagnostic tools is not wild talk; we have travelled this road before. We simply are talking about a more ambitious manufacturing hub for medicines, vaccines, and

medical supplies.

During 2023, the GPHC will establish several new Centers of Excellence. We will create Centers of Excellence for Chronic Kidney Diseases (CKD), Transplant, Hepatobiliary Pancreatic Diseases, Cardiovascular Diseases, Cancers, and a Center for Orthopedics. We will work with international partners in Europe, North America, Cuba, Brazil, India, China and our colleagues in Africa to create the most dynamic medical programs that will not only provide the highest standard of care for our people, but will become a player in tourism, with an advanced medical tourism center.

The ambitious agenda is being supported by one of the world’s most aggressive physical infrastructure transformation. Already seven new hospitals are under construction. Regional hospitals are being constructed in #75 village (Region 6), Bath (Regional 5), Enmore (Region 4), Diamond (Region 4), DeKendren (Region 3) and Anna Regina (Region 2). The Caribbean first ever Children and Women Hospital is under construction in Ogle. These seven hospitals are being constructed at a cost of almost $US350M. A $US 97M project will see major upgrade of Linden Hospital bringing it closer to a level 5 hospital, and Regional hospitals in Moruca, Kamarang, Kato and Lethem are being built. Other hinterland hospitals in regions

Linden youths benefit from...

make sure that we are not here just to talk but to interact and to work with you here in the community,” Minister Todd said. He noted that last year following the resurfacing of the hard court, “We made a promise at that time, once completed we are not going to just move away, we are going to keep coming and we are going to keep engaging with the residents and the youths in the community because we want to have a long lasting partnership.”

Minister Todd also spoke of the President’s One Guyana initiative which aims to foster unity and inclusivity, where every citizen will be given equal opportunities and benefit from the country’s advancement. “You here in

1, 7, 8 and 9 will also be upgraded and rebuilt. Bartica will start soon. West Demerara, new Amsterdam and Georgetown will be major reconstruction soon, in the first term of President Ali’s tenure as President. It is likely that in this first terms, President Ali’s PPP government will invest more than $US1B in physical infrastructure. By 2025, Guyana’s landscape will definitely change, with hospital infrastructure leading the way in showing-off the new Guyana.

Guyana’s health technological infrastructure will also change. New equipment will allow the healthcare professionals to deliver high level care, including first-world surgeries and treatment never imagined before. But the health sector will be completely digitalized by 2025. Telemedicine will be commonplace across Guyana. Already four remote centers have been linked to GPHC. By August 2023, another fifteen remote health centers in Regions 1, 7, 8 and 9 will be linked to GPHC. Fourteen hospitals will be linked with their X-Rays to GPHC by August 2023. All patient records will be digitalized, and every patient will have a health passport with their records available in any health care center in Guyana, starting in 2023.

A Revolution in Health has started in Guyana. This is no longer a wild promise. The revolution is taking place in plain sight.

FROM PAGE 17

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Victory Valley, you are part of the One Guyana initiative because it covers the length and breadth of this country,” he reiterated.

The minister noted that emphasis is also being placed on the youths because they will be the future leaders.

“Because you have to be able to provide continuity for us, we would not be here perpetually or forever, I use to be a kid just like you, listening to people like myself, now I’m here doing the same thing, so there’s continuity in how we grow and develop as a nation and we have to invest in you, we have to, it’s important for us to invest in your education, invest in your healthcare and invest in community development. We

want to be continuous, we want to be friends, we want to be partners, we want to be here with you, to listen to you and to watch you grow and develop,” the minister said, “You can be anything you want to be once you work hard and you’re disciplined and you put your mind to it, you can do it, it doesn’t matter where you are coming from, it doesn’t matter your circumstances at this time, you can make it. We’ve all had our trials, we’ve all had our challenges and if we can make it, you can make it,”

Minister Todd encouraged. Chief Investment Officer of Guyana Invest, Dr. Peter Ramsaroop, and several others also

made presentations at the workshop.

Norton’s threats of ‘brute force, ignorance’ will be met by the ‘law’ – Jagdeo

Threats of “brute force and ignorance” by leader of the PNCR and the APNU+AFC Coalition, Aubrey Norton, if followed through, will be met with the full force of the law.

The declaration was made by General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party

(PPP) and Vice President of Guyana, Bharrat Jagdeo, during his Thursday (April 13, 2023) news conference, where he said, “That may have worked in the distant past. It will not work now.”

Norton’s comments came at a press engagement on Thursday (April 13, 2023)

morning, where he, complaining about the preparation by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) for the upcoming Local Government Elections (LGE), said, “The PPP is not a democratic government. And so nothing impacts (the PPP) except brute force and ignorance,

whether it's their action or their opponents.”

In response, Jagdeo made clear that old PNCR tactics will not be allowed to make a return to negatively impact Guyanese society. He said, “As we have come to expect, we have had a lot of gaffe, very poorly researched po-

sitions taken by the Leader of the Opposition. So he’s returned to the theme he is very familiar with – that is threatening the country and the People’s Progressive Party.

“…so he said the PPP understands only brute force and ignorance. We know that he can display that with a high degree of sophistication – brute force and ignorance. But let me say to Mr. Norton, we don’t feel threatened and that may have worked in the distant past, very very distant past, but we will never allow what happened in the past to go unanswered. His brute force and ignorance will be met with a strong response from the law of the country, should he seek to do that.”

Explaining why Norton’s comments amount to gaffe, the PPP General Secretary and Vice President charged that the embattled leader of the PNCR-led Coalition is humbugged by limited capacity to act. “His capacity to do so is limited, given people fleeing (the PNCR) in droves because they are uninspired by his leadership and by their future – they have no future whatsoever given the current posture of that party, which is one that seeks to divide our country on every single occasion and on every single issue along racial lines.”

The PNCR-led Coalition and elements aligned to it have been, for months, calling for the PPP/C Government to be undermined.

The first direct call was issued by David Hinds, in 2021, while he was addressing a small group of protestors at Victoria, East Coast Demerara. David Hinds, during that action, said: “In

whatever way you can undermine this (PPP/C) government. Undermine this government in whatever way you can. I can’t tell you how to do it, but ‘hint to Baniba mek Quashiba tek notice’ (Old African-Guyanese proverb meaning actions to hint something will result in awareness). Undermine this government!”

The PNC-led APNU+AFC Coalition’s expressed intentions to “undermine” the Dr. Irfaan Ali-led PPP/C Administration, according to Jagdeo, in prior comments, has not gone unnoticed. Jagdeo, in prior comments, had said, “People like David Hinds, who for decades misled people into thinking they represent Afro-Guyanese, had no interest in development for Guyana, much less development in the interest of Afro-Guyanese…they are parasitic… when they came into office, they had no intention of supporting Afro-Guyanese…he is smarting from the person loss of privileges that he and his family enjoyed…the bitterness stems from there.” Moving forward, Jagdeo noted that the APNU+AFC Coalition must drop racism as a tool and get on board with a national development agenda – all in the interest of all Guyanese across the entire country. “It is a dead end if they don’t drop the racism… there is room for inclusion, providing that you work for the people…you can’t bully people and you can’t lie to people….currently, we have an ineffective Opposition Leader…more often than not, he has a shallow understanding of crucial sectors,” he stressed.