Weekend Mirror 20-21 October 2018

Granger greeted by multiple protests outside Public Buildings SEE INSIDE 20-21 October, 2018 / Vol. 10 No. 43 / Price: $100

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

PAGE 24

– sugar workers call for severance – Rastafarians call for end to ‘oppression’

APNU, AFC officials unwilling to take responsibility for ‘hardship policies’ imposed on PAGE 11 Guyanese - Jagdeo Unlike 2016...

GECOM has not yet approved international, regional observers for 2018 Local Gov’t Elections PAGE 19

Taxpayers’ PAGE 24 monies used to host National Assembly sitting just for stump speech by Granger

2

WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 OCTOBER, 2018

More protestors at Granger’s ‘door-step’ At his latest campaign meeting held at Rose Hall, Region 6, President David Granger was yet again met by protestors. Armed with placards, the protestors called attention to everything from a failing economy to the Granger-led government’s incompetence. Granger failed to meet with the protestors.

3

WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 OCTOBER, 2018

GECOM Secretariat persisting with push for new house-to-house registration

S

ome $4B has been requested for the conduct of a national house-to-house registration by the Secretariat of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), which is headed by the Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield.

The $4B figure was disclosed during a meeting of the Commission on Tuesday (October 16, 2018).

And all of this is happening, even as the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) nominated GECOM Commissioners have expressed concern about a possible delay of the next General and Regional Elections, constitutionally due in 2020.

PPP General Secretary and Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, has publicly voiced similar concerns and warned about “huge dangers” if GECOM pushes ahead with the move.

The Opposition Leader referred to 1990, stating that elections should have been held that year but because the voters’ list prepared by the Elections

Commission was flawed, the elections were postponed for two years because the PPP agreed to it. “Well we are not going to agree to anything now,” he said.

Jagdeo added, “The moment that the constitutional period expires for this government, we’re in no man’s land – constitutional crisis. Parliament would be dissolved. Spending would cease and any contracts signed in that period could be subject to review by the new government…the Parliament is automatically dissolved…we would not have a Government that is valid.”

If the purpose is the clean up the voters’ list, he said, there are other ways in which the list can be cleaned up and the PPP can work with GECOM on it. He further opined that the Secretariat is “running ahead of the commission.”

Jagdeo reiterated that the Guyana Register Office (GRO) can prepare a list of the thousands of persons who would have died since

“The moment that the constitutional period expires for this government, we’re in no man’s land – constitutional crisis.

Parliament would be dissolved. Spending would cease and any contracts signed in that period could be subject to review by the new government…the Parliament is automatically dissolved… we would not have a Government that is valid.” –PPP General Secretary and Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo the last house-to-house registration, but remain on the voters’ list. The GRO can supply this information to GECOM, which, in turn, can share it with the political parties.

In response to the claim that house-to-house registration could be done in six months, Jagdeo said, this is questionable. “It is opening the door for a process that is potentially fraudulent,” he charged. He expressed the fear that enumerators would deliberately not go into PPP strongholds on the coastland or in hinterland and riverain areas and so

deny them the right to vote.

With the current “machinery in place” at GECOM, he said, he was also fearful about the inputting of data and that the final list of voters would be significantly flawed.

Notably, the PPP had recommended that houseto-house registration be done in 2015, but the Commission refused and pursued two cycles of continuous registration. Jagdeo contends that if a new house-to-house registration was done in 2015, the possibility of a delay of the 2020 General and Regional

Elections would not have been great.

Meanwhile, in April 2018, the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), the largest party in the coalition government, called for house-to-house registration to clean up the voters’ list. PNCR General Secretary Amna Ally had suggested that a registration should begin as soon as possible. The People’s Progressive Party (PPP), in a statement in response to Ally, had said it did not support the PNCR’s call for new house-to-house registration, while stating that

it preferred to contest the local and general elections with the existing voters’ list.

Jagdeo said, “We believe that doing house-tohouse registration at this late stage within the constitutional deadline for holding general elections could be used as a pretext for delaying the elections.”

The last house-to-house registration, in which persons 14 years and older were registered, was conducted in 2008. The voter’ list has since been updated through continuous registration cycles.

Request for names of former APNU, PNCR MPs who breached Integrity Commission laws continues to be ignored I t has been months since the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) moved forward on expressed intentions to file private criminal charges against People’s National Congress Reform (PNRC) and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Parliamentarians, who have breached the laws of Guyana by not submitting declarations to the Integrity Commission.

To date the request for information has been ignored.

A letter written to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of the Presidency, Abeena Moore, dated June 21, 2017, requested the names of the delinquent PNCR Parliamentarians, of the 8th and 9th Parliament, who failed to submit declaration for the years 2001-2006 and 2006-2011.

The same is requested for APNU Parliamentarians who served in the 10th Parliament for the years 2011-2015.

The letter was submitted

by People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Parliamentarian, Juan Edghill, on behalf of the Party. The request was made under provisions of the Access to Information Act of 2011. The letter states that, “The above requested information is intended to be used in the pursuit of private criminal charges against the identified delinquents in accordance with section 22 of the Integrity Commission Act 1997.”

INTEGRITY COMMISSION DISMANTLED Notably, Moore, at a meeting of the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC), admitted that the Secretariat of the Integrity Commission was dismantled under the current Coalition government between 2015 and 2018. According to her, there is only one staffer remaining at the Integrity

Commission Secretariat.

Meanwhile, at a prior news conference, Opposition Leader, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, noted that Integrity Commission has already been disbanded, with the staff sent home and the office earmarked for other uses. Concerns about the years of documentation – specifically the declarations officials in public life are supposed to make to the Commission by law – were reiterated by Jagdeo. “They took and have all the documents that should be with the constitutional body,” he said.

Under the law, passed in 2000, certain categories of public officials are required to declare their assets to the Integrity Commission or face criminal charges for not doing so.

Jagdeo also pointed to the fact that it was the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) that made a move

to in the National Assembly address the issue of greater accountability for persons in public life, via a motion.

The motion by the PPP/C called for all MPs make their tax returns, as well as their asset declarations, public. The APNU+AFC

Coalition Government voted against this.

Earlier this year, President David Granger finally swore in the Commissioners of the Integrity Commission. However, the new Chairman, a self-proclaimed ‘friend’ of the Government,

has said that he will not ask for declarations to be made for 2017, 2016 and 2017 – rather he will only deal with 2018. This is despite the fact that the Chairman has to power to call for back-dated declarations to be made to the Integrity Commission.

PSC calls on Jordan to back up his talk about ‘drug economy’ T he Private Sector Commission (PSC) has called out Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, over his comments about the impact of the proceeds of drugs on the economy.

And the PSC, in a letter, has called on Jordan to substantiate his comments.

Jordan, in a letter to the press on October 9, 2018, said, “Lest we forget, too, that economy thrived on rampant drug trafficking, money laundering.”

The Commission in response said, “In an effort to understand the empirical

evidence relied upon by the Honourable Minister, the Commission has sought to obtain a briefing by him and, to this end, has dispatched the attached letter to the Minister.”

The PSC letter, signed

by Chairman, Deodat Indar, said: “The Private Sector Commission has noted several public pronouncements by you regarding the impact of proceeds of drug trafficking on the economy pre and post May 2015.

“We shall be grateful to be briefed by you on the assertions made that the

economy pre May 2015 was heavily based on proceeds of the drug trade and that the current economy post May 2015 is no longer affected by such proceeds.

“As businesses it is important for us to understand the underlying structure of the economy and the various elements that contribute or inhibit its growth.

“We look forward to such a brief so that we could better understand the empirical evidence supporting your assertions.

Jordan has not responded to date.

4

WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 OCTOBER, 2018

Guest

EDITORIAL

Remembering Comrade Janet Jagan and her support for women at local gov’t and other levels

By Indra Chanderpaul

I

t is often said that a single act of defiance by one person or the actions of a group can change the outcome of history. Such was the situation in former British Guiana when Janet Jagan penned an article in the Argosy paper of August 1944, just a mere nine months after she arrived calling for women in Guyana to take their rightful place alongside men in the development of the country.

This call was reinforced in 1946 and later in May 1953 where once again women were encouraged to participate in elections, which were held for the first time under adult suffrage.

Not only were women encouraged to vote, but they were also encouraged to send their girl child to school since most of them never went to a school or some had to quit at a very early to take care of their siblings while their parents worked.

That was some 65 years ago.

In reflecting from where we came as a country, it is necessary to trace the developments, which have brought us to this juncture of our history. Adult suffrage provided the impetus for all citizens to participate in elections and to choose the government of their choice. When that franchise was exercised the PPP swept the poll by winning 18 out of 24 seats under British rule.

This trend continued until today, even though all types of gerrymandering were used to change the rules of the game to deprive the PPP of victory.

Throughout this period we have seen women who have been supporters of the PPP, who were considered meek, mild and submissive coming out in large numbers to take up their rightful place in society by joining with the men in the PPP to work for the development of the party and country. The call that was made in 1944 was heard and our women have taken up the challenge not only to become involved; but also to educate themselves and their daughters in the transformation of our country.

We must debunk the notion that women are tokens and that they are not equipped to sit at the table where decisions are taken, whether at the level of communities or in Parliaments. And as we reflect on the much hyped up phrase of “women breaking the glass ceiling” we need to admit that “yes indeed women in this country have broken that ceiling and there is no mountain that is so high that they cannot climb”.

The PPP and successive PPP/C governments, in all the periods, paid special attention to the needs of women and her family. The Party ensured that the social sectors were provided with the necessary resources to ensure that the girl child health and education were not neglected and many incentives were provided to make it attractive for them not only to attend school but to move on to tertiary education. Women are excelling in all areas of endeavor because they are taking advantage of the opportunities which exist.

However, there is still a need for women to become more involved in all aspects of work to ensure that our right to vote is not denied or taken away, or even having someone else voting for us or arriving at the polling station to find our names are not there. There is need for vigilance and it must start from you the citizen. The time for complacency is over and we must remember Martin Carter “All are involved all are consumed.”

Local Government Elections are weeks away and the Party has women who are going to contest in those elections

Bulkan’s nitpicking will not absolve him from the inefficiency, incompetence of his Ministry and his Government Dear Editor,

I

must thank the Honorable Minister Bulkan taken time-off from his ‘busy’ schedule to address my letter which he described as ‘misleading conjectures’.

However, this will not invalidate the veracity of the content therein.

Editor allow me to informed the Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan that whenever I give my views it is my personal views and not the views of the PPP, the only person who speaks on behalf of the PPP is the General Secretary Comrade Bharrat Jagdeo.

I spoke of ‘change’ since this is the mantra of Bulkan’s Government hence when I asked the rhetorical question: What differences have local government elections and governance made to your lives and communities? I was alluding to that change which was promised. We expected to see vast improvements and progress above what is already achieved by these NDCs. It was in this context that I have said that: ‘I am absolutely sure that nothing much has changed in your communities or lives.’ Where is the ‘good life’ Mr Bulkan?

Mr Bulkan boasted about the increase of subvention from $3 million to $4 million, a mere 25% over a three year period. One million cannot even repair one street in an NDC area. How can NDCs be empowered when they desperately lack resources? No amount of training can empower anyone without resources and this Government has been very selective in allocating the resources. For instance, the Fyrish NDC which is controlled by Bulkan’s Party was gifted a brand new long boom

Hymac to remain in that NDC whilst the neighboring NDC , which is controlled by the PPP was given a small Hymac which was taken away months ago and sent to Georgetown under the pretext of repairs. Why is it that a Hymac in operable condition was sent for repairs in Georgetown?

Mr Bulkan also boasted about the return of Local Government Elections after two decades but he has failed to mention the gerrymandering which he has done to obtain for his Party a political advantage in future elections.

This is in addition to the many electoral frauds aided by GECOM which is being perpetrated by his Party and the AFC. Is this the restoration of local democracy by this Government? No! It is the restoration of the electoral fraud which the PNC is adept at.

Furthermore, this Government’s link of taxes to economic development is stupefying and gross insanity. This Government believes that the NDCs should implement an increase in rates and taxes and only this can empower the NDC to carry out developmental works.

I have stated in my letter that even in NDCs and municipalities controlled by the APNU and where they imposed 100% taxes, nothing has changed. I said that Government needs to pump more resources into the LAAs. Already the residents are faced with an increase in their cost of living by skyrocketing increases in more than 200 taxes, closure of estates, dismissal of thousands on sugar workers, the decline in rice production and many other negative variables so it will be disastrous to bleed these people any further. Mr Bukan and

his colleagues are enjoying their humongous salary increases, perks and other benefits so what do they care about the common man.

Is Bulkan trying to postulate that LAAs should generate all the resources needed to efficiently run them? This is totally asinine! LAAs can only do so much for their respective communities, it is the Central Government which must make up for the deficit in the budgets of these entities and ensure development is taking place. How many communities have Bulkan visited to see what is needed and what can be done? This Government feels that the holding of LGE is the panacea for all the ills facing our communities. It is time that this Government gives realistic subventions which can be used to do tangible development in the LAAs and at the same time take up the slack to ensure that all the LAAs are developed evenly regardless of perceived political affiliations.

Lastly, Bulkan should also reply to me as to the reason why subventions are still to be disbursed to many of the NDCs, his selective nitpicking of my letter will not absolve him from the inefficiency and incompetence of his Ministry and his Government.

This is clearly an attempt to make the 75% PPP controlled NDCs look bad before the upcoming LGE.Guyanese is conscious that Minister Bulkhan government and his party is squeezing guyanese to extract money that the don't have that is like "squeezing stone to extract blood ".

Yours Sincerely, Zamal Hussain

Any attack on the press must be denounced by all Dear Editor,

T

he recent missive written by Finance Minister Winston Jordan in response to an editorial of October 7 in the media requires response. Any attack on the press must be defended by all who care for our freedom of speech. Jordan begins by stating that the description of the A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Administration as a “bumbling, incompetent Government that rules over us” is “lazy”, ironic, given that Minister Jordan was too incompetent to understand that a press conference should be the professional method to debunk such a serious and influential editorial.

Sad, given that the entire Cabinet is facing an investigation from the Spe-

cial Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) for breaking the law (Public Procurement Act); delusional in that the APNU/AFC bumbling began at the Inauguration ceremonies (plural) which have never been accounted for, and includes self-awarded exorbitant salary raises; the D’Urban Park fiasco; the $325 million rental paid for a $25 million building with the pharmacy bond contract between the Public Health Ministry and the Linden Holding Company; the payout of $3.37 billion to RUDISA which was a direct result of APNU/AFC’s (while in Opposition) refusal to assent to corrective legislation proposed by the then People’s Progressive Party Administration, bumbling before they were elected! Editor, these are mere highlights of the long list of incompetent acts of the APNU/AFC.

as a Constituency Candidates, as well as contest Proportional Representation (PR) seats.

This election must be treated with all the seriousness it deserves, so that the PPP/C comes out with a resounding success.

All Guyanese must guard zealously those rights, which

Editor, no doubt Comrade Jordan thinks himself clever with his attack on the newspaper; a classic ‘blame the messenger’ move, however, given his patent lack of credibility due to his denying the existence of a ‘signing bonus’ from the oil company as a “figment of the imagination”, Jordan has no leg to stand on for this assault. Interestingly, as it now further emerges, the $18 million had to be ‘reconstituted’ for deposit into the Central Bank, Minister Jordan has gone on the attack of the Auditor General. Bluster will not aid the cause in future SOCU and State Assets Recovery Agency investigations and to quote America’s best-known expert on lying, Pamela Meyer, “When a pointed question is beaten back with an attack (Turn to page 5)

were won by sacrifice, hard work and dedication.

As we celebrate Comrade Janet Jagan 98th birth anniversary, all must remember her call for women to become involved and for her to educate her daughters. May her memory and legacy continue to inspire us to achieve even greater heights.

5

WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 OCTOBER, 2018

More trickery from APNU+AFC being foisted on Berbicians Dear Editor,

T

he burgeoning insanity continues, here comes tidings of misery, compliment of APNU+AFC - the tolls on the Berbice River Bridge are to be doubled by November. It is an early Christmas assault by the APNU+AFC Grinch. A car, for example, that presently pays $1,900, will now have to pay $4,040.

They play games with people's lives.

That is their modus operandi (MO). Not a day goes by in Guyana without APNU+AFC engaged in skullduggery and tricks to make lives harder for ordinary Guyanese working class citizens, but at the same time pretending they are appalled.

APNU+AFC carefully orchestrates every terrible decision, every despicable action that reeks hardships on the lives of people. As part of this shameful APNU+AFC MO, the inevitable has happened. The Berbice River Bridge tolls are being doubled as of November this year, despite the vigorous pre-election 2015 promise that APNU+AFC will lower the toll. Imagine this, there are a number of persons who drive across the bridge to work every day and will now have to pay about $100,000 per month to go to work. This includes students attending UG, teachers, doctors, nurses, lawyers etc. They will now be forced to give up driving and the traffic across the bridge will diminish, reeking even more havoc on the bridge operation.

People using taxis and buses will have to pay more, increasing cost of living, in an area where cost of living is already unbearable.

The promise to lower tolls was immortalized in the APNU+AFC 2015 Manifesto, promising this as one of their flagship actions within the first 100 days. They implied before Election 2015 not only will they reduce the toll, but will make it equitable with the Demerara River Bridge. Fair is fair, they proclaimed, and asked why must people using the Berbice Bridge pay several times what people pay for the Demerara River Bridge. But the first one-hundred days came and went, with a whimper, as the toll remained unchanged. A year after, under pressure to honor their promise, they made a big splash of reducing the toll, by a mere $300 across the board, forcing the Berbice River Bridge into cost-saving at the expense of maintenance.

That small reduction was a "snow-job", a con game, to pretend they were keeping their promise. They knew all along that the Board will be unable to operate with the tolls as they were. APNU+AFC was merely setting it up to demonstrate that increased toll, in contrast to the promised

lowered tolls, was the wickedness of a Board driven by brazen, glutton owners of the bridge. The plan all along was to paint a picture of private owners being unreasonable sharks who wanted to squeeze blood from the people.

But this is yet another broken promise, another betrayal of the Guyanese people, particularly the people of Berbice, Regions 5 and 6. This is an egregious action that is squarely the vindictive action of APNU+AFC. They carefully set it up, pretending they remain resolutely against any increase. APNU+AFC is insisting that the increase in tolls was a decision of the Board of the Berbice River Bridge Corporation headed by their own-handpicked Dr. Surendra Persaud. APNU+AFC has masterly played the game so that they can blame Dr. Persaud, his Board and the private owners of the Bridge.

The people of Berbice and the people of Guyana, however, are no fools. They know the MO, they know the game, they know that the decision was skillfully authored by APNU+AFC. Who among us believe that Dr. Persaud is driving this decision without the secret approval of the Minister and his Cabinet colleagues? Who among us believe that the President, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Infrastructure and none of the Cabinet members knew before hand of this dastardly act?

The original tolls were structured to replace the ferry fees and be cost-neutral for vehicles. The original tolls were designed the expected traffic for efficient operation of the bridge. The PPP had promised that should operation costs necessitated an increase of tolls, the government would provide a subsidy to prevent an increase of tolls. The PPP had agreed that should traffic across the bridge rises to levels that could allow a lowering of the tolls, it would insist that the tolls be lowered.

APNU+AFC aggressively chastised the PPP for the tolls, refusing to accept that a cost-neutral arrangement equal to the cost to cross with the ferry was a fair and equitable arrangement. They, in fact, alleged that the PPP agreed to the toll structure to allow gluttonous profit-making for the private investors. So what has changed now?

Why is it they cannot sustain operation with a toll that is almost the same as they inherited? Why is it that they now are lying to people? Who do they think they are fooling? The people in Berbice and across Guyana have an opportunity in November to stand up and reject this callous and brazen increase in the tolls with their vote.

Regards, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy

Revealing comments

by AFC leader Dear Editor,

I

was utterly bemused at the statements made

by David Patterson at the AFC’s Candidates Expo at their headquarters at the Kitty Railway Embankment. He clearly extolled the ‘accomplishments’ of the Coalition Government in the Public Telecommunications Ministry and the Public Infrastructure as belonging solely to the AFC Ministers but failed to recount the dismal failures.

In his uncharacteristic vitriolic and egocentric speech, he said that, ‘People complaining that the AFC ministers are going into regions and saying that the community projects that Government done, we are claiming (them) as our contribution. Any road I build, you tell them is David Patterson from AFC build it, and we have to walk the walk. We are too modest to take our credit.’ I wish to draw Patterson’s attention to the fact that on more than one occasion, it was highlighted at the RDC meeting that an AFC Executive member is going around promising residents in various communities the installation of streetlights building and repairing of roads and taking credit for the works done by the RDC. This is to garner votes at the upcoming LGE. I must remind him also that residents were asked to place their signatures to request these infrastructures, which were later used to support the AFC candidates on the backers form.

Moreover, I want to ask him to also take full credit for the numerous instances of reported cases of corruption and substandard works on ‘his roads’. The East Bank Berbice Road is a prime example. This road’s foundation is in constant digging, refilling and re-digging and each time, the expensive road filling stuffs removed are transported by the MoPI lorry to the fill the yards of AFC members. Please check opposite the Albion Police station your executive member has his yard filled with the stuff and the yard of the other AFC TV star in Canje. Moreover, it is alleged that crusher run and other road building materials are sold to private contractors. It would seem that this is a deliberate and corrupt act since in the first place the MoPI should have realized that the engineering design was faulty. This faulty area is from Edinburg to Glasgow Village. In addition to this, the MoPI is using a defective asphalt spreader, which was purchased to do this East Bank Road which is leaving more waves on the road than the nearby Berbice River!

This road should have been done at a cost of $1.2 billion and according to the engineering design of the IDB but it is now

clear that this design was not followed and from all indications, this allocation will not be enough to bring that road to completion since the corruption is galloping in all directions. Can the Minister say what sums have already been spent and when this project will be completed? I am sure that more money will have to be ‘spread’ on this road! This Minister should also take full credit for the breach of the Procurement Act in the award of the new Demerara Harbour Bridge Project study. He illegally gave contractors $148 million dollars to do that study.

The Minister of Public Security could not have bragged about his achievements in that Sector so he directed his full focus on the PPP. He went further than what he said on a TV station in Berbice. He advised his paltry gathering of AFC candidates that if they are ‘harassed’ by the PPP members, then they should call him on his cell phone and he will get the police to deal with them. It seems that this minister is now in charge of the operations of the GPF and not only the formulation of policies! Should this minister then not give each and every citizen his personal number so that they can call him when their homes and businesses are pillaged by bandits? Already in four days of this week, Berbice is assaulted by four daring and brutal robberies. In addition, should he not also call on the GPF to investigate the numerous instances of electoral fraud perpetrated by his Party?

The ‘Champion’ of the sugar workers and the subject Minister also failed to take credit for the AFC’s handiwork in the sugar industry and the corruption and retrogression of the rice industry. The Panama rice fiasco is threatening that lucrative market. We are now importing rice to keep our foreign markets alive. The drastic reduction of the contribution of Agriculture to the GDP was spared the agony of being mentioned at this ‘fit and proppa’ gathering!

Lastly, Patterson’s advice to his membership should be heeded with some concern.

He vehemently told his membership that, ‘If war break, defend yourself at all times. I don’t believe in turning the next cheek’. Is this his version of ‘slow fyah mo fyah’? Is this the speech of a responsible Minister of Government, a Campaign Manager and the General Secretary of his Party? The AFC’s ghost sure knows how to scare! The AFC’s campaign is so ‘fit and proppa’ that they have now withdrawn from contesting over 10 NDC areas!

Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf

Any attack on the press must... (From page 4) or threat of, ‘How dare you…’ it’s a reliable signal that deception is involved.”

Editor, Jordan delves into the realm of sophistry with his personal interpretation of various reports of international monetary agencies, and while he concludes quite rightly “that (they) are increasingly viewing Guyana as a stable, well-managed country with bright prospects that is ripe for sustainable development” he has used the wrong premise.

Guyana has become a ripe target for those interested in exploitation of our oil and other

assets because our nation’s interests are being poorly represented by the mooks in the APNU/AFC Administration. Editor, recently a Guyanese won the $246 million Powerball Lottery in the USA, he had simple words for those looking to exploit him ““If I didn’t know them two weeks ago, I don’t know them today.” A timely reminder that not all of us are as easily duped as our Government.

Respectfully, Robin Singh

6

Jordan wrong on multiple counts Dear Editor,

I

would like to respond to a letter by the Hon. Minister of Finance, entitled `Guyana is increasingly seen as a stable, well-managed country with bright prospects for sustainable development’, published in the October 9, 2018 edition of SN. The letter, inter alia, sought to pin the current mediocre economic performance to the past regime.

In doing so, I will address some of the statements by the author.

NON-PERFORMING LOANS (NPL) INCREASED TO 13.2% Indeed NPL increased significantly from 2014 to 2017. In fact, during the 3-year period, average non-performing loans increased from 7% to 13.2%.

Specifically, NPL in the business enterprise and household sector increased by more than 58% or $7.1 billion, and 65% or $3.1 billion, respectively. In the commercial banking sector, return on equity for the six major commercial banks fell from an average of 22.3% in 2014 to 2.9% in 2017. The cause, clearly is attributed to reduced disposable income, as consumption falls due to higher taxes.

Thus, from 2014 to 2017, aggregate private consumption contracted by more than

$196 billion. Within the first year in office, economic uncertainty coupled with the introduction of a slew of incoherent policies led to a dip in private consumption by more than $79 billion. Compounding this outcome, in 2016, the government introduced more than 200 new tax measures on ordinary Guyanese including VAT on electricity and water. In response, private consumption contracted by another $85 billion. According to the latest confirmed actual figure of private consumption, as of 2017, the level is still below 2014 actuals by more than $32 billion. What this tells us is that, on average, from 2014-2017, each household in Guyana has cut back on spending by more than $1.1 million or $30,500 monthly. Given the dismissal of over 7,000 sugar workers, 2,000 Amerindian CSOs, and a number of public servants, the $30,500 per month becomes more of a conservative estimate.

On the investment side, credit to central government, within 2014-2018, increased by more than 242%, while the private sector saw a mere 11.3% growth. Moreover, in 2017, lending to the manufacturing sector contracted by more than $4.2 billion or 14.6%, when compared to 2015. In mid-2018 the decline gathered momentum and the manufacturing sector, once again, contracted by another 5.7% to $26.0 billion. Specifically, credit to the

WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 OCTOBER, 2018 beverages, food and tobacco industry, and for other construction and engineering decreased by $2.6 billion (39 %) and $1.8 billion (15 %), respectively. The decline, however, is of grave economic concern. It confirms the fact that Guyana is about to embark on a path of premature deindustrialization, an economic phenomenon which exposes the core of the economy to exogenous shocks. Exacerbating this outcome, is the combination of the resource windfall into the formula. A feeble manufacturing sector has proven to be the principal cause of the “resource curse”.

DEBT TO GDP RATIO IS WELL To a certain point this might be true, and the PPP/C government must be credited for salvaging one of the most indebted and poorest countries in the world when it took over the reins of the economy, in 1992.

The then government was able to reduce a debt-to-GDP ratio from 600% to one of the lowest in the Caribbean, just around 50% by 2014. To date, however, the government seems to have rekindled its infatuation with public debt. In 2018, the debt to GDP ratio is expected to increase to 54.2%.

During the second half of the year, the country has witnessed an increase in both foreign and domestic debts. Recently, the government signed a US$36.4M loan agreement with China, following by another US$20M with the Islamic Development Bank. Domestically, taxpayers have become the buttress of a $30 billion syndicated bond for GUYSUCO, which to date, authorities have failed to justify the real purpose.

The impact, thus far, has been an increase in debt service payment in 2017 by more than 70% or US$35.3 million, to US$85.3 million, when compared to 2014.

GOVERNMENT HAS REDUCED THE VALUE ADDED TAX (VAT) FROM 16% TO 14% Indeed, however, revenue collection by

central government has increased by more than $47 billion, and is projected to increase by another $10 billion by the end of 2018.

On a per capita basis, from 2014-2017, each Guyanese has paid an additional $63,500 in tax. The cause is directly linked to broadening of the tax base.

Given the strong elasticity of demand for the majority of the goods that now attract VAT, tax revenue would undoubtedly increase.

Hence, overall the effective tax rate increased by more than 7%.

CENTRAL GOVERNMENT DEFICIT HAILED A SUCCESS Wrong! The deficit in the Central Government increased from $9.3B in 2015 to $34B or 277% by end 2017 and is expected to increase by another $9B by end 2018, to $43 billion.

Moreover, public enterprises moved from producing a surplus of $8B in 2015, to a deficit of $12.8B at the end of 2017.

In 2018, the deficit is anticipated to further increase by another $10 billion, to 22.8 billion.

To fund this deficit, central government has become increasingly reliant on domestic credit, thus, in the process outstripping credit to the private sector. From 2013 to 2017, domestic borrowing to help fund the budget deficit increased from $11.3 billion to $23 billion, an increase of 110%. Notably, in 2018, this sum is expected to increase by another $11 billion, to $34 billion.

PRUDENCE TOWARDS EXTERNAL BORROWING Wrong! The IMF 2018 country report on Guyana cautioned the government on “continued expansionary fiscal policies”, a phenomenon that may likely increase the country’s public debt before the start of oil production.

To date, the government seems to jump at every opportunity to borrow more.

Yours faithfully, Mohamed Irfaan Ali, PPP/C MP

Finance Minister blaming others for his Government’s carelessness Dear Editor,

T

he Honourable Finance Minister, Winston Jordan in a letter to the media on October 9, 2018, took time from his duties to respond to a media house’s editorial of October 7, regarding his stewardship of the economy. The Minister, in his letter, addressed several matters and sought ignominiously to cast blame on others for his Government’s carelessness in managing the affairs of the State. Minister Jordan in his letter, apparently using a basket to fetch water, among other things, referred to the sugar industry.

The Minister says “…our Government has provided a bailout for [Guyana Sugar Corporation] GuySuCo – a whopping $37 billion to date”. But what the Finance Minister didn’t say is that the Government, of which he is a leading member, installed the Hanoman-led Interim Management Committee, which collected the billions he referred to, but which oversaw the diminution of the industry. In Minister Jordan’s stint, so far, as Finance Minister, sugar production fell by over 40 per cent; sugar foreign exchange earnings fell by a whopping 38 per cent, and the sugar labour force contracted by some 7000 employees in the period.

Interestingly, prior to the Minister taking up the helm of the Finance Ministry and having direct responsibility for our nation’s economic state of affairs, the sugar industry, with smaller allocations, was able to sustain seven estates and 17,000 workers. In the three years prior to Minister Jordan’s leadership as Finance Minister, the sugar industry received from the Treasury aggregately $15.36 billion. In that period, the Corporation was able to approve pay rises for its hard-working workers and it respected workers benefit and conditions. Interestingly, under Minister Jordan’s Government the only increases went to what is deemed “Key Management Personnel” with expenditure to this group of a handful of the industry’s echelon

rising by 43 per cent between 2013 and 2016.

But while the Minister harps about the State support provided to the industry, which we must add is not unusual globally, he ignores what those sums meant to the wider economy.

Employment costs associated at now closed Skeldon, Rose Hall, East Demerara and Wales Estates totalled GY$11.941 billion in 2014, according to the Sugar Commission of Inquiry report. It is estimated that workers, conservatively, utilised about 85 per cent of their earnings on the purchase of goods and services.

In other words, directly shopkeepers, market vendors, fisher folk, transportation providers, etc, have lost $10.15 billion. Indirectly, using the income multiplier formula, a further $70 billion has been removed from the economy.

This is a massive and substantial hit and one which many, especially in rural Guyana, may not be able to recover from. Looking at the industry as a whole, using the 2014 data, we have estimated that the sugar industry generated GY$118.3 billion in economic activity.

Without a doubt, the Government, through tax receipts, was recouping the support it was providing.

The Minister then says, unbelievably, the Government has to find “…$5.7 billion severance payment for workers”. But it was the Government in the first place that decided to send the workers home. It, therefore, follows that the Administration has an obligation to meet the workers entitlements which we must reiterate are being paid contrary to our nation’s laws. For the Minister to seemingly complain about the repercussion of a decision he would have had a hand in is simply disbelieving and seems to give even more credence to the editorial.

We saw too the Minister, seemingly, lamenting “…the transfer to Central Government of expenditure previously borne by GuySuCo, including D&I and community centres…” This is a most incredulous state-

ment by the Minister. The admission by the Minister nevertheless is revealing and seems to demonstrate that the Government hadn’t fully considered the ramifications of its misguided adventure in the sugar industry. Certainly, had a thorough examination been done, as was suggested, then Minister Jordan and his colleagues would have known about what he is now seemingly decrying.

From the Minister’s reflection on sugar, he has served, no doubt, to demonstrate how important the industry was, not only to its workers and their dependents, but to the wider

economy. It also glaringly illustrates how nonchalantly the Administration approached the sugar industry in spite of several warnings not to proceed in the direction it ultimately went.

So while Minister Jordan is upset by the licks he is getting from several quarters, they are not unjustified and it clearly tells us that given the current trajectory, the future could be one filled with great difficulty and upset.

Yours faithfully, Seepaul Narine, GAWU General Secretary

Why is the Integrity Commission Chairman making excuses for the Coalition gov’t?

Dear Editor,

T

he Kaieteur News report on Tuesday, October 16, 2018, said that the “Integrity Commission does not intend to pursue declaration of assets and liabilities from public officials which should have been made before 2018.” This report is very telling and forces you to question the integrity of the Integrity Commission.

This is not the first time that the integrity of the Integrity Commission has come into question. In March this year when the Integrity Commission Chairman, Kumar Doraisami, was sworn in to his position, he said he was never interested in the position until his friend, Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo, called him and then he decided to take up the offer. So what were Guyanese people supposed to think?

Now we read that there will be no declaration of assets of public officials for the years 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Why is Mr. Doraisami not pushing for the declaration of assets to be made to the Integrity Commission for those three years?

It seems as if Mr. Doraisami is making excuses for public officials, especially the Coalition Government Ministers, when he talks about there not being an Integrity Commission Secretariat in place from 2015.

But who disbanded the Secretariat? It was the Coalition Government who fired all the people working at the Secretariat.

Even so, Mr. Doraisami has a responsibility to the Guyanese people. There is nothing preventing him from requesting that all public officials make their declarations to the Integrity Commission for 2015 straight through to 2018. He has the power to do so.

If Mr. Doraisami fails to act it would be an indictment on his own integrity.

Regards, Attiya Baksh

7

WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 OCTOBER, 2018

Ramjattan rejected sound policies he inherited from the previous PPP/C administration Dear Editor,

G

uyanese recently woke up to the news of another jailbreak. Three dangerous criminals are on the run. The Lusignan Prison is once again the focus of attention by concerned, law abiding Guyanese.

Compounding the situation, even more, is the shooting of eight inmates who were protesting the abominable conditions at the prison. Reports are that rubber bullets and live rounds and tear gas were used to quell the unrest. Water tenders belonging to the Guyana Fire Service had to be called in to extinguish fires lit by angry prisoners.

The situation is reminiscent of the disaster that befell the nation on July 2017 when the Georgetown Prisons went up in flames.

To date, no warning or danger alert with phone numbers has been issued by law enforcement calling on citizens to be on the lookout and to report any sightings of the escapees.

Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan has portfolio responsibility for the Guyana Prison Service but it is becoming increasingly obvious to Guyanese that the Minister continues to be at his wits end, if not clueless insofar as solutions to problems that continue to plague the prison system of Guyana are concerned.

On assuming office, Mr. Ramjattan rejected the sound policies he inherited from the previous PPP/C administration that kept the four prison locations secure and habitable with far less resources.

Mr. Ramjattan pretending to know it all, dispensed with the security policies of the PPP/C administration and replaced them with adhocracy and a set of hodgepodge directives handed down to him resulting in the current crisis gripping Guyana’s prison system.

All the talk about setting up a Commission of Inquiry into the 2017 fiery debacle at the Georgetown Prisons has come to naught.

In fact, there was never any intention to do so As far as the APNU + AFC government was concerned the COI held in connection with the horrific events in 2016 was enough.

Ramjattan abdicated his responsibility by not pressing for a COI into the destruction of the Georgetown Prisons deemed the worst disaster ever in the history of the Guyana Prison Service.

Once again, deception became the handmaiden of intransigence and administrative laziness on the part of the APNU+ AFC Coalition administration.

Talk about dereliction of duty by a cabinet headed by a president that likes show off his knowledge about security matters, failure to establish a COI in 2017 is an excellent example of gross negligence by the government over which he presides.

From all appearances, COIs are established as a means to an end, especially when Mr. Granger wants to get rid of those he dislikes and undesirables holding key positions within an organization which forms part of the disciplined services.

Make no mistake. The COIs into the attempted assassination of the president and the Lindo Creek massacre were masquerades aimed at getting rid of certain senior ranks in the Guyana Police Force and Guyana Defence Force and to put in place ranks with whom the CIC was comfortable.

The strategic plan for the Guyana Prison Service aimed at transforming the Guyana Prison Service into a correctional service remains on paper and the civilian unit established to oversee implementation of the plan been reduced to a virtual arm of the Prison Service.

The Unit is denied the necessary human and financial resources by the National Security Council chaired by the President himself.

We seem to be captivated by a sleepy and hollow syndrome characteristic of those who are responsible for keeping the nation and its populace safe and sound but who chose to spend their time looking out for opportunities to enrich themselves.

Citizens should not be surprised if one morning or evening they were to be confronted in their yard or in their place of residence by one or two or all three of the escapees.

The threat to life, limb and property is real and must not be taken for granted nor underestimated. The much touted National Security Strategy continues to be held hostage by the Granger administration.

The President has a habit of trotting out deceptive and misleading assurances to the public. As recent as September this year he promised that the Combe Report on Security Sector Reform will be released; “I have instructed that he (Jagdeo) be sent a copy of the of the Report by Colonel Combe and during the month of October after the recess it will be made available to the National Assembly.”

In August, President Granger declared that the report would be “made public once it is presented to the National Assembly.”

Apparently, the security reform plan is still being “studied” by the sub-set of seat warming security experts ensconced at Cabinet.

In the meantime, the crime situation is in a mess and the prisons system continues to rock from crisis to crisis. The citizenry has lost all respect for the Minister of Public Security and the Government in which he serves despite assurances.

Calls for Ramjattan’s dismissal have been made time and again, however, President Granger is shackled by the Cummings-

burg Accord. No AFC Cabinet Minister can be removed from office lest the Coalition Administration falls apart.

Guyanese must be like Banwarie and ‘bear their chafe.’ 2O20 is the only way out.

In the meanwhile, more and more drugs, improvised weapons and other illegal items are pouring into the prisons. Bribable and corruptible Prison Officers are complicit.

Mr. Granger in an interview in September this year was quoted as saying; “… at the heart of the problem are of course the quality of manpower; I believe the Minister of Public Security is working on… and recruiting suitable type persons that would not be susceptible to bribery and corruption.”

This statement is a clear indication that Mr. Granger is sailing while Mr. Ramjattan is sleeping. They are both oblivious to the fact that the security situation in the country is becoming more and more unmanageable.

In the wider society, despite assurances when in opposition, that they would snuff out criminal networks engaging in human trafficking, gun running and drug smuggling, on a daily basis massive amounts of cocaine are found in lumber, vegetables and in the bowels of swallowers.

But even more disturbing was the ‘breaking news’ that ecstasy is in great demand in our schools while heroin and crystal methamphetamine are penetrating the borders of our country only to endanger the lives of our young people.

Constant bellyaching by the government claiming there is no money to implement the 2016 COI recommendations aimed at

addressing the deplorable conditions at the Lusignan and other prison locations is hypocritical to say the least, especially when huge amounts are being spent on wasteful, non-essential projects.

The loud-mouthed commitments made over the years that government will find the resources to finance the security sector rings hollow.

With approximately 558 inmates belonging to the Georgetown Prisons being held in hellish holding bays at the Lusignan prison and another 300 belonging to the Lusignan Prison itself, it is not surprising that the escape of prisoners and protests actions at Lusignan took place.

The APNU+AFC Coalition Administration must cease its pretence at being a fountain of knowledge on security matters.

It must be more inclusive and transparent in its management and administration of the prisons system.

To constantly harp on the claim that it was worse under the PPP/C and to ask the perennial question, ‘why didn’t you, meaning the PPP/C do these things when you were there, is not good enough.

The APNU+AFC campaigned on the platform of time for change. An APNU+AFC coalition is in government now; they must make the changes they promised the nation or resign.

2020 beckons!

Clement J. Rohee, PPP/C MP

Another Minister wants to pat himself on the back, while failing to account for government’s failed policies Dear Editor,

I

n the October 15 Stabroek News, the attention of the GAWU was drawn to report which stated that Vice President, Minister of Public Security and Alliance for Change (AFC) Chairman, Khemraj Ramjattan in his address to a meeting in New Amsterdam on October 13, among other things, spoke to the sugar industry.

Based on the report the public meeting described as the launching of the AFC’s LGE 2018 campaign attracted some 30 persons and we gathered that the Vice President told those in attendance “…good governments, when confronted with hard decisions, make them while considering the betterment of the entire country, not just one sector…”. We ask what betterment has the so-called “hard decisions” brought about? It is putting people out from paying jobs on to the breadline? Is it denying persons adequate and healthy meals? Is it preventing people from being unable to pay their bills? Is it to curtail the education of children?

Is it increased anti-social behaviour? Is it family breakups and separation? We are at a loss to find this “betterment” the AFC Chairman refers to. It seems more like increased impoverishment to us. We recall that the Minister has several foot-in-the-mouth episodes to his credit, and this seems to add to an ever expanding list of such occurrences.

The Vice President referring to the

Treasury’s assistance to the sugar industry told his audience “…wah you go take all the money from the treasury now and just give one section”.

We wish to remind the Minister that in the life of the APNU+AFC Government, allocations to sugar represented 3.98 per cent of the $968B that have been approved for spending across the four (4) budgets of the Coalition Government.

Certainly, when one looks at the tens of thousands of Guyanese who depend on the sugar industry; or the services the industry provided to the nation, which the Finance Minister lamented in his letter to the media last week the State must now foot; or the economic activity generated by the industry; or the foreign exchange the industry garnered; the loss of thousands of workers contributions to the NIS and the GRA, apart from the other social factors, the Treasury’s investment was more than worthwhile.

So while Minister Ramjattan wants to pat himself on the back for a job well done and offer quick-sand like defenses for the Government’s callous approach to the sugar industry, there has been, as far as we see, no credible reason or any justification for the misery-filled life that the workers and their families now face.

Yours faithfully, GAWU

STRAIGHT TALK 8

WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 OCTOBER, 2018

(This is part of Dr. Cheddi Jagan’s speech when he was sworn in as President of Guyana on October 9, 1992. Its re-printing is among several activities being undertaken during 2018 to mark the 100th birth anniversary – March 22, 2018 – of the founder of the People’s Progressive Party, Dr Cheddi Jagan.)

‘We the people have won’

By Dr. Cheddi Jagan

A

fter I had been declared the winner of the Central Demerara Constituency at the 1947 General Elections, I said: "We, the People, have won!" Forty-Five years later I can now say once again: "The People have won."

In 1948, after the shooting of the Enmore Martyrs, I pledged to dedicate my life to fighting against exploitation and bondage.

In 1953, after struggling for and attaining universal adult suffrage, we won an overwhelming victory of 18 out of 24 seats. That was

an expression of national, racial-ethnic and working people's unity.

After Guyana gained independence, I wrote in 1966 at the end of my book, The West on Trial: "The struggle will be long and hard, sacrifices there will be many, but time and history are on our side, and win we shall."

We have been vindicated, as the results of the October 5 Elections prove, that victory was inevitable.

We will once again build national, racial-ethnic and working people's unity. The unity of our entire nation is our goal. We went to the elections with the slogan:

"Time for Change: Time to Rebuild." We have attained the first objective of a change in government.

Jordan's propaganda cannot fool sugar workers Dear Editor,

T

he Guyana Agricultural and General Workers (GAWU) saw in October 18 dailies a full page advertisement by the Ministry of Finance informing that the Minister Winston Jordan would be seeking Parliamentary approval for monies to settle the outstanding severance payments to the thousands of sugar workers the Government laid off since it came to office. Such an advertisement we

gather is an expensive venture and is yet another demonstration of how our people’s monies are used now-a-days.

Minister Jordan who, it seems, is smiling from ear to ear tells workers not to be fooled and that they would soon be paid. While the GAWU is happy, even at this very late stage, that the workers, who desperately need their monies, will be paid expectedly with interest.

At the same time, we feel constrained to point out that the effort is coming along at a time

Now, all of us together, whatever our party, political affiliation, whatever our race or ethnicity, whatever our creed, must put our shoulders to the wheel.

It is time to embrace each other and work arm in arm to rebuild our beloved Guyana.

And we can do so now that confidence is being restored, as witnessed by the dramatic fall in the exchange rate just today.

We must move forward together and make into reality our motto: "One People One Nation, One Destiny".

In this exciting adventure, I expect the fullest co-operation not only of our

many friendly countries and our overseas brothers and sisters, but also all progressive minded personalities and organizations: investors, experts and advisers.

We do so without rancour, without recrimination, without victimization, without in any way trying to cast blame.

In this regard I hope to develop a constructive relationship with Mr. Desmond Hoyte and the leadership of all parties in order to deepen our democratic process, and accelerate our economic development.

Allow me to congratulate the Commissioner of Police

close to the November 12 Local Government elections and additionally we wish to note that the Minister is not doing the workers any favours as he wants to make it seem. The fact that the Government is moving to secure funds to settle its indebtedness to the workers is not because of magnanimity but because of a sustained struggle which kept the matter in the air. Over the last months, the nation has been moved by the sad situations workers and their families now find themselves in.

The workers themselves have taken part in picketing exercises and marches. The Union has sought judicial intervention to having the Government respect the laws of our land, which, we cannot fail to re-collect the attorneys representing GuySuCo sought to have dismissed on frivolous grounds. Fraternal union bodies abroad have also condemned the Government’s actions with UNIFOR’s International Director, just weeks ago, telling the media that in Canada such acts would have seen the perpetrators behind bars. Also, we cannot forget that several allies who, on many occasions, have drawn attention to what can

and the Chief of Staff and their forces for firmly maintaining law and order at this challenging time. I want to assure them that they can always count on the full cooperation and support of my government in the exercise of their constitutional duties.

As true patriots and genuine internationalists, we hope to play a vibrant role not only in rebuilding Guyana but also in establishing a democratic and humane world order - an order based on the rule of law, the eradication of poverty and human development.

Long Live National Unity. Long Live Guyana.

only be described as a shameful crime against the workers and their families.

So while the Minister wants to appear to beat his own drum, he and his colleagues have committed one of the gravest assaults on the workers, first putting them out of a job and then denying them their lawful payments for a prolonged period contrary to our country’s laws. At the end of the day, had the Government not been denounced as it deserves, in our view, the machinations and the face-saving maneuvers now being employed would have not been pursued at this time. Today, while the Administration seeks to redeem itself in the eyes of the sugar workers and come into their good graces, after creating painful wounds and then rubbing pepper in them, we wish to tell the Minister and the Government that it cannot fool the workers as it ignominiously seeks to do now with advertisements, flyers and other propaganda material.

Yours faithfully, S. Narine

What has Holland and the APNU leadership done for Region 10?

Dear Editor,

C

arwyn Holland missive which found its way into the Guyana’s Chronicle October 15th under the caption ‘Is Guyana your property Jagdeo?’ reveals the panic and desperation that exist among the APNU/AFC and surrogates in the run-up to the November 12, 2018 Local Government Election.

Mr Holland who allowed his name and signature to be used as a part of the current propaganda apparatus seems to be punching out of his league. As a former boxing promoter he ought to know that someone who could not survive one year as Mayor of Linden where he was rejected by his own APNU/AFC councilors, should not seek to pick a fight with someone like President Jagdeo who served twelve

years as Executive President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana. President Jagdeo can be described as the architect of modern Guyana, who has spent his entire life in Public Services to Guyana and the Guyanese people .

Mr. Holland barely survived as Mayor in Linden for less than a year. It is Linden and Region #10 that bears the footprints and marks of President Jagdeo. It was under President Jagdeo that the physical infrastructure in Linden including “Burnham Drive” was rehabilitated, the new Linden Hospital Complex was built, the water treatment plants both in Amelia’s Ward and Wismar were erected, the LEAP program and its successor LEN were initiated, with its business incubator constructed.

BOSAI and RUSAL as foreign inves-

tors brought to Guyana to save Bauxite and ensure Lindeners and people in the Berbice River livelihoods were maintained and even improved.

Community forest concessions were given out to communities throughout Region #10.

The most expansive housing development at Amelia’s Ward and Block 22 in Wismar were initiated with resulted in thousands of homes today. New schools and health centres were built in the Demerara River, Berbice River, Number 47 and Number 58 Mabura Road.

Hundreds of Lindeners trained and equipped with skills though the BIT (Board of Industrial Training).

It must have been quite an upsetting scene for the PNC types like Carwyn Holland and the Congress Place cabal with their AFC hand-

maidens to listen to the profound presentation of a visionary leader President Jagdeo who is still making his contributions for Guyana’s development at Saturday October 13, 2018 night Kitty meeting and to realize this former president who is not running for public office is investing his time and energy to ensure the best team is put in place to govern Guyana and restore the path to prosperity for all Guyanese.

I will like Mr Holland and the APNU leadership in region #10 to clearly identified what they have done to enhance and enrich the lives of young people in Linden and region #10 in general.

Believer of the facts Sincerely, David Adams

9

WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 OCTOBER, 2018

From the desk of Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo...

Guyana Under Review

Several issues were addressed a weekly news conference held by Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, on Wednesday (October 17, 2018), ranging from the election gimmick that is the proposed increases to the tolls at the Berbice River Bridge and concerns about Minister Cathy Hughes’ conflict of interest that could harm Guyana’s interests to President David Granger’s latest failures and Minister Khemraj Ramjattan’s incompetence.

Proposed toll increases at Berbice Bridge an ‘election gimmick’, not provided for in – Patterson called on to release contract signed by PPP/C contract, financial model T

he proposed toll increases at the Berbice Bridge are not only unconscionable, according to Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, but also unlawful. His comments came during his Wednesday (October 17, 2018) news conference, where he reiterated the Parliamentary Opposition’s non-support for the move. “The increase is not only unconscionable, it is criminal,” he said.

Jagdeo supported his comments by pointing to the fact that the contract does not provide for increases.

He added that the financial model on which the bridge’s operations were based shows clearly that from the time the Berbice Bridge was commissioned there would have been no increases in tolls; then there would have been a 6.4% increase in 2014 and a 17% increase in 2015 – the two years that debt repayment requirements would have kicked in – followed by a steep decline in the tolls, which by 2026 would have been less than half of the initial tolls. “You have it here:

According to him, the revenues being collected by the Berbice Bridge are actually higher than the projections in the financial model, which further shows that there is no need for an increase in tolls. “If anything this will obviate the need, not enhance the need for an increase,” he said.

Jagdeo has called on Government to release both the contract and financial model, noting that there is nothing confidential – as claimed by Government – that could harm the interests of any of the parties involved.

Jagdeo also put Public Infrastructure Minister, David Patterson, on blast for saying that he needed to get “legal advice” on the way forward, given the proposals made by the Berbice Bridge Company Inc. The Opposition Leader charged that no increases can be put in place unless it is signed off by the Government. Given Patterson’s comments, Jagdeo noted that it is clear that Patterson did not

2002 what it was and where it would end up in 2026. The only two years you would have increases were those two years and by 6.4 percent and then 17 percent…then from 2021 a steep decline,” Jagdeo said.

read the contract, nor did he read the financial model. He said, “The Berbice Bridge Act in section 3 under Toll Order states that the Maximum amount of toll to be charged during concession periods and any increase requires the Minster’s intervention and the Minster implements it through a toll order… the toll order specifies the rates and has to be signed by the Minister…this increase can’t happen without the Governments intervention. It’s easy for anyone who wants to get to the bottom of this matter to do so…this is purely a campaign gimmick.”

CAMPAIGN ISSUE That said, Jagdeo dubbed the almost 400% proposed increases as an election gimmick, likely pushed by the Alliance For Change (AFC) supporter and current Chairman of the Board of the Berbice Bridge Company Inc. to secure a campaign issue with which the AFC

Page 118 of the financial model which shows no massive projected increases in tolls

can return to Berbice, in a bid to get some support – more so given the poor response from Berbicians at recent public meetings held by the AFC in New Amsterdam and other places.

He said, “I am giving a position in relation to the decision of the Board…this is a Chairman, who I think instigated this sort of thing. This is their guy who is Chairman of the Board…I think they prevailed upon him to announce an increase….to make it so shocking that they will get a campaign issue to return to Berbice with…..to make Patterson look like a ‘knight in shining armour’ when he says ‘I will oppose any increase’…this is a gimmick in the campaign season…there is a huge desperation on their back…they cannot go back to Berbice.”

The Opposition Leader noted that the AFC, as well as the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), can no longer talk about: jobs – when under the Coalition Government some 11,000 jobs were lost in Berbice; corruption – when under the Coalition Government massive levels of corruption are being exposed; health care – when under the Coalition Government the quality of health care delivery is deteriorating in Berbice; infrastructure – when under the Coalition Government nothing major has been done in the past three years.

He added, “Now what do we have…this is to scare the people in Berbice….they have nothing to return with….they can’t campaign on anything else, so they are hoping to whip up sentiments.”

OPTIONS The Opposition Leader stated too that the APNU+AFC Coalition Government is not

without options. He explained that the $5.1B increase in spending on ‘wasteful’ items could be used to buy out private investors and the massive tax settlement with Demerara Distiller Limited (DDL), which has exposed the treasury to as much as $80B in liabilities, could have been used to build two Berbice Bridges.

“The government can take over the bridge.

It has the resources to do so,” he said.

COMMITMENT If there is inaction on government’s part and it “colludes” with the Berbice Bridge Company Inc. to allow an increase in tolls, Jagdeo assured that there will be a reversal come 2020, when the People’s Progressive Party/Civic is returned to office. He said, “All Government has to do is not sign the toll order. If they collude with the company to increase toll, we are committed to decreasing rates back to same level if we regain power.”

He reiterated that that the proposed increased cannot be justified, as it is not part of the contract signed.

Jagdeo said, “The PPP is opposed to any increase in the tolls, financially it cannot be justified, we believe that this increase is not part of the contract that we signed, we believe that the Minster must release the document which is a public document and toll order as well as contract because there is no secrecy about this. We urge the Minster to not sign toll order, if they persist in this which we believe is a ploy, PPP will reverse this. We believe that this is a part of a gimmick in the campaign season.”

The Opposition Leader said, “We urge the minister not to sign the toll order. We believe (Turn to page 12)

10

WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 OCTOBER, 2018

From the desk of Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo...

Guyana Under Review

Several issues were addressed a weekly news conference held by Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, on Wednesday (October 17, 2018), ranging from the election gimmick that is the proposed increases to the tolls at the Berbice River Bridge and concerns about Minister Cathy Hughes’ conflict of interest that could harm Guyana’s interests to President David Granger’s latest failures and Minister Khemraj Ramjattan’s incompetence.

Cathy Hughes’ actions in 2016 could be more ‘egregious and harmful to national interests’ than what was pointed out in 2018 E

ven as embattled Public Telecommunications Minister, Cathy Hughes, insists that there is no conflict of interest with her being a sitting Cabinet Minister and her husband, Nigel Hughes, engaging oil giant, ExxonMobil, with his company opening an office in Houston, Texas, USA – there are questions that remain unanswered.

Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, at this news conference, held at his office on Wednesday (October 17, 2018), noted Minister Hughes’ comments about declaring her interests to Cabinet on October 9, 2018 and to the Integrity Commission on July 14, 2018. However, he questioned if she declared her interests in 2016 while the renegotiation of the ExxonMobil contract was ongoing.

“If she only declared her interests in 2018, what happened in 2016?” he questioned.

Page 4 of the signed renegotiated ExxonMobil agreement showing the address of Nigel Hughes’ law office is listed as its registered office

In the signed renegotiated ExxonMobil agreement, on page 4, the address of Nigel Hughes’ law office is listed as the registered office – 62 Hadfield and Cross Streets, Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown – of the oil company.

Jagdeo noted that the

Minister’s “holier than thou” disposition must be criticised since she went after the local media corps for pointing on a problem, which could be much less egregious that what took place in 2016.

“What was done before (Cathy Hughes declared her

interests to Cabinet and the integrity Commission) could be even more egregious and harmful to national interests,” he said.

Notably, earlier today, the Minister disclosed that she would not participate in cabinet meetings whenever

oil and gas issues are discussed, pending advice from both Cabinet and her lawyer, who she has still not named.

Hughes has also remained silent about the 2016 happenings.

Meanwhile, Jagdeo has made it clear that Nigel Hughes, as a professional, has a right to work and earn.

He stressed that the issue is not with Nigel Hughes; rather it is with the actions of the Minister.

The Opposition Leader noted too that this is not the first time that Cathy Hughes has been embroiled in conflict of interest issues.

He cited the controversial Sussex Street drug bond issue. Cathy Hughes has rented property in Middle Street to the owner of the Sussex Street ‘drug bond’, Larry Singh. Singh later ‘became aware’ of the Health Ministry’s move to rent a drug bond and his ‘house’ on Sussex Street – in breach

of the procurement laws – was rented to the Ministry of Health. Cathy Hughes’ tenant made over $14M in less than three years from the controversial rental agreement with Ministry of Health.

There were other conflict of interest issues while Cathy Hughes was a Member of Parliament, before she became a Minister. As an executive Member of the AFC, which opposed the Amaila falls Project in the National Assembly, Cathy Hughes acted as the local Public Relations Officer for Sithe Global, the private company that was investing in the project – part of the Private Public Partnership Model. Meanwhile, her husband, Nigel Hughes, while being Chairman of the AFC, was the ‘Secretary’ of the Amaila Falls Hydro Inc., the Special Purpose Vehicle/ Company created for the development, construction and operation of the US$858M Hydro Power plant.

The report said, “He (Mr. Adams) stated that he had not signed the contract on behalf of the DHBC, but only because he was requested to do so by the Minister of Public Infrastructure.

The Parliamentary Opposition’s position is that the findings of the report evidence a flagrant breach of Guyana’s financial rules.

tutional body, has established that the law was broken,” he said.

Patterson had also stated that the PPP “never questioned the validity of the information we presented, there was never a question of the technical soundness or the competency of the consultancies, so we have good information.” In response to this, Jagdeo noted that this claim cannot be confirmed because Patterson blocked 22 companies from being involved in the procurement process.

Jagdeo said, “Patterson cannot explain away his corruption.”

Patterson cannot ‘explain away’ his illegal, corrupt act – Jagdeo T he Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MOPI) will be moving ahead with the New Demerara Harbour Bridge this year with the intention to begin actual work on the much need crossing in 2019, according to Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson. And he contends that the “recommendations” from the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) will be taken on board.

This disclosure saw him being put on blast by Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, during his Wednesday (October 17, 2018) news conference, where underscored the fact that the PPC did not make “recommendations” – what they did what pronounce on an illegality.

“It (the PPC report) is a damming report that requires prosecution…it is a report that finds Patterson in breach of our laws…Patterson thinks

that we, as a country, cannot see through this…(it is) pure nonsense,” Jagdeo declared.

PPC REPORT The PPC completed its investigation into the award of the contract for a feasibility study on a new Demerara River and handed its report over on August 7, 2018.

The report noted that several companies bid for the project – to do the feasibility study and design for the new Demerara River bridge – and 12 companies were shortlisted. The report added that only two of the 12 companies made proposals.

As such the bidding process was annulled. It added that on November 12, 2016, the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) approved the move for the project to be re-tendered.

The project was not

re-tendered. Instead, a Dutch Company, LivenseCSO, was engaged by Patterson’s Ministry.

The report, on page 7, noted that the bid from LivenseCSO was “unsolicited” and added that Patterson then took the company’s proposal to Cabinet for approval. Cabinet granted its approval for the company to be engaged.

The report, on page 7, stated that monies to be spent on the project were taken from the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation (Asphalt Plant Accounts).

The report said, “The PPC noted that the Minster of Public Infrastructure, by memorandum dated November 18 2016, made a request to the Cabinet for Government seeking consideration and approval to use funds from the Demerara Harbor Bridge Corporation to fund

the feasibility study and to commence a contractual engagement with LievenseCSO as of the 1 Jan 2017. The PPC noted that this request to Cabinet was not forwarded through the NPTA but submitted directly by the Minister of Public Infrastructure. The PPC also noted that Cabinet considered the memorandum submitted by the Minister of Public Infrastructure and in November 2016 approved a total sum of $161, 514, 420 to be used from the Demerara Harbor Bridge Corporation to cover cost for the feasibility study for a new bridge across the Demerara river.”

Notably, the General Manager of the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation, according to the PPC report, disclosed that the Board of the Corporation was not involved in the decision to spend its monies.

EXPEDITIOUS Patterson in trying to ‘explain away’ the illegalities highlighted in the PPC report – his breach of the procurement laws and Cabinet’s illegal; approval of a contract – said only that the procurement ‘process’ he used was the most expeditious one Jagdeo charged that Patterson’s explanation amounts to absurdity. “According to Patterson, you can be corrupt, once it is done expeditiously, quickly….the PPC, a consti-

SOCU MATTER Additionally, last month, the PPC report was sent to the Special Organised Crimes Unit (SOCU) by the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (Turn to page 12)

11

WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 OCTOBER, 2018

From the desk of Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo...

Guyana Under Review

Several issues were addressed a weekly news conference held by Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, on Wednesday (October 17, 2018), ranging from the election gimmick that is the proposed increases to the tolls at the Berbice River Bridge and concerns about Minister Cathy Hughes’ conflict of interest that could harm Guyana’s interests to President David Granger’s latest failures and Minister Khemraj Ramjattan’s incompetence.

NIS ‘in a hole’ because of APNU+AFC gov’t actions S

uggestions coming from government quarters that the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) was in financial difficulties because of its investment in the Berbice River Bridge project was rubbished by Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, on Wednesday (October 17, 2018), during his weejly news conference.

“NIS got a healthy return on its primary investment,” he said, adding that NIS is “in a hole” because of the

actions taken by the APNU+AFC Coalition Government.

“What has happened since is that this Government has fired 7000 sugar workers, many others. Let’s say maybe 20,000 more have lost their jobs. Take of the 20,000, just take another 8000 who were paying NIS, so those are people who are not contributing to NIS… this translates to decreased inflows for NIS, while it still has to pay out monies.”

Jagdeo also rubbished the idea proposed to NIS by Finance Minister Winston Jordan to consider issuing unemployment benefits, stating that it was not only unrealistic but had the potential to cause a collapse of the Scheme. At a recent event to mark NIS’s 49th anniversary, the Minister urged the NIS Board to consider the proposal and have it implemented for a short period of at least six months.

He said it could help address

the country’s social and unemployment problems. But Jagdeo has said that the idea did not take into account the current financial status of the Scheme and its ability to meet its current obligations.

He noted that the last actuarial report recommended that focus be placed on building the reserve to avoid a deficit.

“We are already in a deficit, getting worse and then the Minister says pay unemployment benefits. This would cause the Scheme

to collapse immediately.

Because if you have to pay unemployment benefits now on top of your routine obligations to individuals, which would cause a collapse of the NIS and every single Guyanese who are making contributions will be at risk,” he said.

Jagdeo charged that Minister Jordan was not too concerned about increasing the intake at NIS to make it more viable, but was suggesting spending

more. “This Government is generating a significant part of the unemployment…Jordan could spend $1.6 billion increase on dietary (food) rather than putting that towards NIS,” he said.

Notably, it was disclosed in that report that the life of the Scheme should come to an end in 2021/22 unless strategic plans for revenue earnings and expansion of the investment portfolio were effectively implemented.

APNU, AFC officials unwilling to take responsibility for ‘hardship policies’ imposed on Guyanese

W

hile propaganda continues to be spewed by the APNU+AFC Coalition government, its officials are still unwilling to take responsibility for the hardship policies it has imposed on the Guyanese people, according to Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo.

At his Wednesday (October 17, 2018) news conference, he noted that AFC Executive, David Patterson’s comments at a Local Government Elections campaign event. “Any road I build, you tell them is David Patterson from AFC build it,” Patterson said. Jagdeo noted that Patterson’s claim is curious since it is taxpayers’ monies that were used to execute works.

The Opposition Leader questioned if APNU and AFC officials will account for its hardship policies. “I want to know when they go to places like Mabaruma and answer questions about the $1.2B more they are collect-

ing from residents in Region One now...none of them want to take credit for that…they must bear responsibility for their policies.”

Earlier this month, Jagdeo noted Granger’s interview with the Stabroek News – an interview where Granger complained about being criticised by the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C).

The Opposition Leader said, “He has to account for the policies that his government is pursuing. So it’s not because we hate President Granger, as an individual… we have to point out the deficiencies of his government…. “…he sees this (criticisms) as personal when I come to press conferences or elsewhere and I say that the President is not giving leadership and the whole country is in chaos…we have nothing personal against the President but we have to get answers to these issues. I will be ab-

dicating my responsibility as Leader of the Opposition if I did not raise these issues. “….bringing these things (issues) to the attention of the President is not personally disparaging him. The attention that we bring to the public and to him on these matters is to basically ask him to account for his policies. “…it is what he has done about those issues that are affecting the nation and if he has done nothing about them although they are affecting the lives of hundreds of thousands of our people all across Guyana, then we have to be critical of him.”

Jagdeo noted that among the issues raised both publicly and in meetings with Granger – issues that affect thousands of Guyanese – are: • The $60B increase in tax collection in 2018, compared to 2014 tax collection levels under the former PPP/C government; • The taxes on the produc-

tive sector; • Billions of taxpayers’ dollars being wastefully spent; • The unsustainable levels of borrowing; • The unnecessary borrowing of the $30B bond by NICIL; • The inaction by the

Granger-governemnt on the issue of land titling for Amerindian communities; • Specific cases of corruption under the Granger-government, including the controversial ‘drug bond’ that cost Guyanese taxpayers over $300M

in less than three years, among others.

Jagdeo made it clear that as Guyana’s Executive President, Granger has a responsibility to account to the Guyanese people for his government’s actions and policies.

12

WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 OCTOBER, 2018

From the desk of Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo...

Guyana Under Review

Several issues were addressed a weekly news conference held by Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, on Wednesday (October 17, 2018), ranging from the election gimmick that is the proposed increases to the tolls at the Berbice River Bridge and concerns about Minister Cathy Hughes’ conflict of interest that could harm Guyana’s interests to President David Granger’s latest failures and Minister Khemraj Ramjattan’s incompetence.

Where is the crackdown on Ramjattan’s incompetence seems drug traffickers, money to know no bounds launderers if that is is what kept Monday (October 15, created this moral hazard by In March 2016, the 2 0 1 4 8 ) m o r n i n g ’ s their own acts.”

Camp Street Prisons were jailbreak and the riot that The escapees include: razed when prisoners started economy going pre-May 2015? followed at the Lusignan Sudesh Dyal, a 23-year-old rioting under similar cir-

W

eeks out from the Local Government Elections, slated for November 12, 2018, rhetoric that featured on the campaign trail of APNU+AFC Coalition in 2015 has resurfaced. The latest effort to revive old and unsubstantiated campaign rhetoric came from Finance Minister, Winston Jordan, who talked about Guyana’s economic performance, preMay 2015, being bolstered by ‘drug money’ and money laundering.

Jordan, in a letter to the press on October 9, 2018, said, “Lest we forget, too, that economy thrived on rampant drug trafficking, money laundering.”

Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, put Jordan on blast for his comment

on Wednesday (October 17, 2018) during his weekly news conference, noting that Jordan is playing politics.

“When has this Government seen them find a single case… so much money laundering and drug trafficking… have you ever seen them charge a single money launderer or drug trafficking or illegal proceeds?” Jagdeo questioned. He stressed that there is no evidence that Jordan has to back up his comments.

He added, “…this a minister of finance says drug proceeds and money laundering were the primary source of financing of many business in Guyana and the buoyance… the buoyancy of the economy had to do with several things, a growing set of economic

activities, a growing tax base, larger deposits and more people borrowing and investing.

All of that led to the buoyancy we saw. The conserve ills we see now…bad loans, new no investments.”

Jagdeo said while the Special Organised Crimes Unit (SOCU) is mandated to go after money launderers and other white collar criminals, they have not managed to do so. “SOCU (Special Organised Crime Unit) still running behind Pradoville and a few of us,” Jagdeo referring to former PPP/C government members.

All considered, Jagdeo charged that he is of the firm view that the Minister would not be able to give such an explanation because he has no such evidence.

There must be a new feasibility study if the design for a new Demerara River Bridge has been changed

O

pposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, on Wednesday (October 17, 2018) questioned, again, why the APNU+AFC Coalition Government is not pursuing a new feasibility study for a bridge across the Demerara River.

His comments came in light of statements by Finance Minister, Winston Jordan, about a change to the original model envisaged by the current administration – a model on which the controversial and ‘illegal’ contract, as determined by the Public Procurement Commission, was awarded to a company tasked with doing a feasibility study.

Jordan, in mid-June 2018, said that the Coalition Government scrapped their plans to build a new three-lane bridge across the Demerara Bridge and has instead decid-

ed to ask for fresh proposals from contractors to construct a fixed four-lane bridge Jagdeo had said then that there is clearly no effort being made to approach such a massive project from a position of preparedness.

“This is ill-conceived and will leave us with a huge burden in the future,” he had said. Being prepared, according to him, means ensuring that there are clear thought out plans on what the Government wants, plans on how to secure financing for the project, plans to ensure that the Guyanese taxpayers are not unnecessarily burdened once the project is completed and a decision on whether the project will be a Public Private Partnership (PPP) undertaking.

Jagdeo said, “I said before all of those things need to be pre-determined… I pointed

out the with the Berbice Bridge, there were about 2000 pages of studies… a prospectus was developed… legislation passed to support public private partnership… and only then did the company solicit bids...what we are seeing now is that the Government didn’t do any of these things. They just said we’re putting out the tender, the contractors will tell us what they want…now they have scrapped that.”

Today (Wednesday, October 17, 2018) Jagdeo repeated his concerns.

He noted that once the model is changed, there must be a new feasibility study that has to be done. “We have heard nothing about this to date…yet (Minister David) Patterson is talking about pushing ahead with the project…how can you push ahead?”

Prison is more evidence of the incompetence of Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan, according to Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo.

“Ramjattan’s incompetence knows no limit. So we have had another fiasco at the prison. We warned about this…but he is impervious to criticism. This is no doubt when he goes into his stupor; he is impervious to what people say. He has underperformed in every single area of his responsibility, crime is on the rampage, and he has made a mess of the prison system,” he said, during his Wednesday (October 17, 2018) news conference.

Jagdeo added, “…they used to say we are weak on law and order, and almost three years you had some burning of the prison and loss of life etc., because of the incompetence…they

prisoner remanded for Break and Enter and Larceny and Escape from Custody;, Dextroy Pollard, a 29-year-old prisoner of Wales Village on remand for Break and Enter and Larceny; and Travis Evans, a 23-year-old prisoner of ‘C’ Field Sophia, who was in prison for murder. On Monday evening, there was a riot at the Lusignan Prison.

Eight prisoners were injured during the riot.

In early July 2017, a number of prisoners escaped from the Camp Street Prison, which was destroyed by fire.

Director of Prisons, Gladwin Samuels has said that the fire was a “distraction” for the jailbreak.

Also, in the latter part of July 2017, there was a jailbreak at the Lusignan facility and 13 prisoners escaped.

Two escapees – Paul Goriah and Cobena Stephens – are still on the run.

Patterson cannot...

(PPP/C) – with a call for an investigation.

Last month, SOCU Head, Sydney James, when pressed, indicated that the complaint filed by the PPP/C, in relation to the illegally approved contract for the feasibility study on a new Demerara River, is being investigated.

“I asked whether SOCU was proceeding with the case against Patterson and the answer was yes,” Jag-

cumstances. This saw 17 inmates dying because of burns, smoke inhalation and injuries received during the unrest in 2016.

Jagdeo recalled that the APNU+AFC Coalition government was warned about its actions after March 2016, as it relates to the fact that after the prisoners set fire to the City jail they secured a meeting with a member of the Executive. “They created a moral hazard there…where does it end?” he questioned, noting that prisoners have been give the impression that if they resort to riotous actions their demands will be met. “In the long term, their actions will affect us,” he said.

Jagdeo added, “…we have to be extremely cautious about our approach [with the release of prisoners] and not sow the seed for another crisis in the future.”

(From page 10)

deo had said. According to him, James disclosed too that Minister Patterson has sent a statement to SOCU and will be called into the SOCU office next week for questioning.

Jagdeo added that James assured that Cabinet Ministers will also be questioned, given their involvement. “I was told that he (Patterson) will be called here (to SOCU’s office). And that oth-

er members of the Cabinet will be invited to SOCU, so we are very pleased about that; that the same standard will be used. So hopefully from next week, you will start seeing members of the Government coming here to answer for the contract that was awarded illegally, with the complicity of Cabinet,” he said.

To date there is no update from SOCU on the matter.

Proposed toll increases at Berbice Bridge...

(From page 9)

this is a ploy. The PPP will reverse this. It’s a gimmick in the campaign season.”

Asked whether his position on the construction of the Berbice Bridge, Jagdeo said, “I’m proud of the fact that I passed this law and signed an agreement and built the bridge without burdening taxpayers. The toll was similar to what people were paying to cross on the

ferry. We are proud of that fact. We are proud also that the fares would have remained constant and that it would eventually have decreased until it is handed to the Government. This bridge has been transformational for Berbice and I am being blamed. But I want to say that in my tenure, the airport was started, and the stadium was built in my tenure

and the swimming pool (the aquatic center), convention centre, many tactical institutions, Linden hospital and water treatment plant, the Skeldon factory, the Leonora Track. “…contrast that with what they are doing, practically nothing. Since the sixties they talked about building that bridge and nothing so we built it.”

13

WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 OCTOBER, 2018

MEET THE PPP/C CANDIDATES LGE 2018...

LEGUAN ISLAND

GANGARAM MUNIA LALL (CONSTITUENCY #1)

RUNDOLPH JAGROOP (CONSTITUENCY #6)

JAINARINE SINGH (CONSTITUENCY #2)

FARANAZ KHAN (CONSTITUENCY #9)

CHRISTNA KUMAR (CONSTITUENCY #3)

BALGOBIN MANGAN (CONSTITUENCY #4)

KALYAN PERSAUD SHARMA (CONSTITUENCY #10)

DHAN SHAM RAMNARIE (CONSTITUENCY #11)

LAMAHA / YAROWKABRA

CHARLES PHILIP WHYTE (CONSTITUENCY #1)

NAZEAR ABDOULLA MUHAMMAD BARNWELL (CONSTITUENCY #2)

TASLEEM REHAD DREPAUL (CONSTITUENCY #3)

FINTON RAGONAUTH (CONSTITUENCY #4)

DEOMATTIE RAMROOP (CONSTITUENCY #5)

14

WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 OCTOBER, 2018

LGE 2018...

MEET THE PPP/C CANDIDATES STEWARTVILLE / CORNELIA IDA

YASSIM ALI (CONSTITUENCY #1)

POORAN.P.HINDS (CONSTITUENCY #2)

AMELIA ALI (CONSTITUENCY #3)

JAINARINE NARINE (CONSTITUENCY #4)

RAMESH KANHAI (CONSTITUENCY #5)

RASUL LOINEL WESLEY ALYAR KHAN (CONSTITUENCY #6)

ADRIAN BERNARD (CONSTITUENCY #7)

ABDOOL FAZEEL (CONSTITUENCY #8)

NEIL CHAND RAMHARAKH (CONSTITUENCY #9)

SURESH DASRATH (CONSTITUENCY #10)

VOILET JOHNSON (CONSTITUENCY #3)

ASKARI AMBAKISYE FERRIER (CONSTITUENCY #4)

HAURARUNI / YAROWKABRA

ANDREW ANTHONY CLENKIAN (CONSTITUENCY #1)

CASANDRA MALECA PILLAY (CONSTITUENCY #2)

15

WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 OCTOBER, 2018

MEET THE PPP/C CANDIDATES LGE 2018...

BEST / KLIEN POUDEROYEN

VINODE PERSAUD (CONSTITUENCY #1)

DESMOND PERSAUD (CONSTITUENCY #2)

JAI PRAKASH DHANASAR (CONSTITUENCY #3)

INDERA PERSAUD (CONSTITUENCY #4)

MADESHWAR RAMNARACE (CONSTITUENCY #5)

MOHAN CHANDRA RAGNAUTH (CONSTITUENCY #6)

PRAKASH MAHADEO (CONSTITUENCY #7)

NASEEMA ALOMA JUMAN (CONSTITUENCY #8)

FARIDA SHAMEEZA BACCHUS (CONSTITUENCY #9)

LORETTA SINGH (CONSTITUENCY #10)

ANNASTACY EVANS (CONSTITUENCY #3)

SURUJDAI RAMDIN (CONSTITUENCY #4)

KITTY / PROVIDENCE

SHANTIL SEENARINE (CONSTITUENCY #1)

SCEEW BHARRAT (CONSTITUENCY #2)

16

WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 OCTOBER, 2018

LGE 2018...

MEET THE PPP/C CANDIDATES MALGRE TOUT / MEER ZORGEN

PARMANAND BASDOO CONSTITUENCY #1

SOOWCHAN SOOKDEO CONSTITUENCY #2

DERYCK APPLE CONSTITUENCY #3

CHRISTOPHER DEEN GURDYAL CONSTITUENCY #4

RATENDRA SAMAROO CONSTITUENCY #5

MORA / PARIKA

PREEMRAJ PERSAUD CONSTITUENCY #6

MELVIN SINGH CONSTITUENCY #4

HERAMAN ETWAROO CONSTITUENCY #7

RAMBALLI CHANDERBALLI CONSTITUENCY #5

GHANSHAM PERSAUD CONSTITUENCY #1

EUTEZAM MUDEEM HUSAIN CONSTITUENCY #6

HAIMWANTIE DEVI SUKUL CONSTITUENCY #2

DANIEL NARINE CONSTITUENCY #7

RAMGOBIN PERSAUD CONSTITUENCY #3

YOSESHWER RAMKISHUR CONSTITUENCY #8

17

WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 OCTOBER, 2018

Positions from Freedom House this week (A look at the latest statements made by the People’s Progressive Party)

AFC desperately searching for campaign issue to take to Berbicians but failing to do so

T

he People’s Progressive Party (PPP) advanced the construction of a bridge across the Berbice River with no additional burden to Guyanese taxpayers.

Here are some facts: 1. The people of Berbice have had use of the Berbice Bridge for 11 years and have seen the transformational benefits of the bridge – crossing at a toll that was equivalent to the cost of using the ferry.

2. Had the APNU+AFC Coalition Government pursued the financial model used by the former People’s Progressive Party/Civic

(PPP/C) administration, there would have been no proposed increases of this magnitude. The bridge was built around a financial model that did not envisage such massive increases in tolls; rather minimal increases were envisaged – followed by a steep decline in tolls – until the Berbice Bridge was handed over to the State. Since July 2018, the PPP General Secretary and Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, questioned whether the current Administration tinkered with the financial model. To date this question remains unanswered.

3. The Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, has in his possession both the financial model and contract documents for the Berbice Bridge. These can be released. The Minister, instead, is trying to absolve himself of responsibility by claiming that there is a confidentiality clause preventing the documents’ release – there is none.

4. It was the Coalition Government that promised a reduction in tolls, but the incompetence, which has marked most all of its actions, has come back to

haunt the Administration.

The APNU+AFC Coalition holds office and must bear the responsibility of ensuring that there are no further impositions of hardship measures on Guyanese people. They have to address this issue. Clearly, there is no ‘bribe to be collected’ on this bridge, like with the Demerara River Bridge, so insufficient attention is being given to this issue to ensure that there is a resolution.

Additionally, like with everything else, the PPP is being blamed for the current state of affairs. Blaming the PPP seems to be a tactic of the AFC – with Patterson

himself admitting that the Chairman of the Berbice Bridge is a close personal friend of his and a supporter of the AFC – to secure for itself a campaign issue with which it can return to Berbice. Minister Patterson, as campaign manager for the AFC, seems to have forgotten that the AFC is part of the current Government.

The PPP is categorically opposed to any increase in tolls at the Berbice Bridge.

We do not support an increase in the tolls at this particular time, given what is happening in Berbice – the loss of jobs for thousands, the loss of income and the

general decline in economic activity – as a result of the policies of the APNU+AFC Coalition Government. The Government should take measures to prevent the increase in tolls, given the hardship policies it has imposed on our people.

If there is any move by the APNU+AFC Coalition Government to sign a toll order to bring into effect the proposed increases, the People’s Progressive Party commits to reversing the increase after the 2020 General and Regional Elections.

(SEE PAGE 11 FOR ADDITIONAL REPORTING ON THIS ISSUE)

Severance is not paid because of Granger’s PPP will not sit silent and allow APNU+AFC sympathizers to misled Guyanese benevolence, it is what the law demands

F

or 22 months the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has called on the APNU+AFC Coalition Government to adhere to Guyana’s laws and fully pay severance owed to thousands of sugar workers – calls that fell on the deaf ears of a demonstratively callous and uncaring Administration.

The PPP General Secretary and Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, has made multiple calls for workers to be fully paid their severance at several news conferences.

At a one-day conference on sugar held in September 2018, where Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, was present, he repeated this call. Prior to that, the issue of ensuring full payment of severance was raised with President David Granger, himself, by the PPP General Secretary, during a meeting on August 30, 2018, where the President assured that a decision was taken by his Cabinet to comply with the law and pay the sacked sugar workers.

The Termination of Employment and Severance Pay Act stipulates that workers who are made redundant must be paid severance upon termination. The law states clearly that: “On termination of his employment, an employee whose severance or redundancy has completed one year or more years of continuous employment with allowance, an

employee shall be entitled to be paid by such an employer a severance or redundancy allowance equivalent to.”

The Government’s inaction also persisted despite the international attention that its unconscionable action has received. Only last month, Canada’s largest private sector trade union, UNIFOR, expressed deep c o n c e r n s o v e r G o v e r nment’s handling of the sugar industry, particularly when it comes to ensuring that dismissed sugar workers are given their severance package in full. Director for Human Rights and International Department at UNIFOR, Mohamad Alsadi, in a public comment on the matter said: “I have never seen a Government that does something like taking someone’s severance, especially after losing their jobs. So, for us, this is a big issue. I mean if this was in Canada, I can assure that they could have gone to jail.”

Thousands of sugar workers in Regions 4, 5 and 6 have been waiting for almost a year to be fully paid their severance. The ex-sugar workers at the now closed Wales Sugar Estate have been waiting on their severance payments since December 2016. The inaction of the APNU+AFC Coalition Government has forced these sugar workers to resort to court action.

The APNU+AFC Coali-

tion government instead of honouring their obligation, sought to get the courts to dismiss the case.

It is in light of all this that the Party notes the attempts by the state-owned Guyana Chronicle to portray the view that the decision to pay severance emanated from a meeting between President David Granger and protesting ex-sugar workers at Rose Hall while he was there for an APNU elections campaign meeting – a meeting that did not occur.

The President should not take credit for complying with the laws of Guyana.

The payment of severance is not something that is done because of the President’s benevolence, it is a legal requirement. What he failed to address in Corriverton, Rose Hall and other government-funded APNU campaign meetings in Berbice, is the loss of jobs and the other hardships facing sugar workers, who have families to maintain. Read the placards carefully, Mr. President!

The PPP continues to call on the APNU+AFC Coalition Government to ensure, not only that the thousands of sugar workers fired in December 2017 are fully paid, but to ensure that the same is done for the sacked sugar workers from the now closed Wales sugar estate.

T

he People’s Progressive Party (PPP) notes the Friday (October 12, 2018) Kaieteur News report, relating to declarations to the Integrity Commission, and the misleading impression it conveys.

The Party wishes to point out that the Kaieteur News reporter raised the issue at the Thursday (October 11, 2018) news conference hosted by Opposition Leader and PPP General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo, in the context of comments made by the Chairman of the Integrity Commission, who had stated that over 80 per cent of those, who were required to, had not filed returns with the Commission by the June 30, 2018 deadline.

The reporter asked whether all current PPP/C Parliamentarians had filed returns – to which the PPP General Secretary responded that he was not aware of how many persons had filed, but assured that checks would be made. The reporter also asked the PPP General Secretary if he had personally filed – to which he responded no, but committed to do so. On Thursday (October 11, 2018) he said clearly: “We will get it done because it is something that we believe in. When we were in office, we made sure that every Minister did up to 2014.”

Further, the PPP General Secretary, at the same news conference, stated that returns must be filed by all Parliamentarians and Ministers, not only for 2018, but for the three years during which the Integrity Commission Secretariat was disbanded by the APNU+AFC Coalition Government. The PPP

General Secretary was clear on multiple occasions in his condemnation of that action.

The Party notes too that the Kaieteur News has not, until now, raised queries with the President, Prime Minister or any other APNU+AFC government official, many of whom have not filed returns with the Integrity Commission for the past 10 years.

The Party notes that with elections in the air, the Kaieteur News has reverted focus to its anti-PPP agenda; quite possibly because of “benefits‟ being accessed by the newspaper’s principal, Glenn Lall. Only, yesterday (Thursday, October 18, 2018), the PPP General Secretary questioned the inaction of the APNU+AFC Coalition Government to fully collect on a $3.8B judgment handed down by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) against Guyana Stores Limited – a company to which Lall is closely linked. Additionally, recent queries were raised in the local media about Mr. Lall’s ‘man of business’ being back in business after being hired as an investigator at the Special Organised Crimes Unit – ironically, after he was dismissed multiple times by government agencies for corrupt acts. These are just two examples of some of the factors that have likely influenced the favourable reporting on the APNU+AFC Coalition Government coming from Saffron Street.

Additionally, to date, the PPP/C is still awaiting information on the non-compliant former Parliamentarians, some of whom are current

Ministers in the APNU+AFC Coalition Government, to proceed with filing of private criminal charges. The PPP/C on June 21, 2017, sent a letter to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of the Presidency, Abeena Moore, requesting the names of the delinquent PNCR Parliamentarians, of the 8th and 9th Parliament, who failed to submit declarations for the years 2001-2006 and 2006-2011.

The same was requested for APNU Parliamentarians who served in the 10th Parliament for the years 2011-2015. To date there has been no response.

Guyanese would recall that in July 2016, the PPP/C moved to the National Assembly to address the issue of greater accountability for persons in public life, via a motion. The motion called for all Parliamentarians to make their tax returns, as well as their asset declarations to the Integrity Commission, public for the last 10 years.

This was voted against by the APNU+AFC Parliamentarians at the time.

These issues, relative to the APNU+AFC Coalition Government’s sordid lack of accountability, have been totally ignored by the Kaieteur News.

The Party has been, and remains, committed to transparency and accountability – unlike the APNU+AFC Coalition Government, for which these words have become empty rhetoric.

The Kaieteur News misled Guyanese for many years.

The PPP will not sit silent and allow them to do so again.

18

WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 OCTOBER, 2018

2018 Local Government Elections Happenings

GECOM Musings (A weekly feature that provides first hand updates from the weekly statutory meetings of the Guyana Elections Commission)

GECOM Chairman appoints himself ‘procurement officer’, still no information on critical matters ahead of 2018 LGE

BY BIBI SHADDICK (PPP-NOMINATED GECOM

COMMISSIONER)

A

nother Tuesday (October 16, 2018), another statutory meeting of the Guyana Elections Commission - it never fails to amaze me during these weekly discourses, how determined efforts are made to kafuffle those of us who try to unravel yet more brazen efforts at obfuscation and material non-disclosure of decisions made and acted upon “between meetings”.

UNSATISFACTORY ANSWERS Just before the meeting, information was shared via e-mail about the Voter Education activities promised to us last week. The information included a matrix of PR and other multi - media outfits, which apparently sent quotations for several activities including infomercials and flyers.

Questions were asked and it turns out that none of this procurement of services was publicly advertised, no information was available as to how the entities were chosen to send in quotes, and how the various activities were even disaggregated!

For instance activities such as the voting process; stamping

ballot paper; voting without an ID; eligibility to vote; voter rights and responsibility; voting by proxy and election offences are all listed separately for 60 sec infomercials costing between $65,000 and $160,000. The basis for this listing remained unexplained and the impression I got was that the whole thing is contract splitting to benefit select outfits. As usual, the excuse for no public tender or anything resembling a transparent process was sacrificed at the altar of ‘not enough time and statutory deadlines to meet in a great hurry’.

Then, the would - be pacifist, Commissioner Alexander, laments the absence of a procurement manual which would disallow such underhand practices, yet that manual remains elusive.

LEGAL CHALLENGE At this meeting, the Chairman, to the consternation of the meeting, announced that he had written Mr Ashton Chase S.C. to provide ‘further and better particulars’ and that it was his own deliberate decision that payment to Mr Chase be deferred even though the matter, which was brought against GECOM since 2011 when Mr Chase was retained, with no advance or deposit on fees.

The matter was first decided in the High Court in GECOM’s favour, then on appeal was again, in August, 2018, decided in GECOM’s favour, and no legal fees had been demanded or paid throughout the whole process from 2011 to 2018!

Compare the invoice sent by Mr Chase S.C. for the princely sum of $950,000 - $450,000 for the High Court and $500,000 for the Court of Appeal representation, to invoices sent by Roysdale Forde, Attorney for the CEO, in the sums of $6 million plus $960,000 VAT for representation

in the matter of the Elections Petition filed by Ganga Persaud, which is yet to be heard, and a deposit on fees for $2 million dollars plus $280,000 VAT for representation in the application for Judicial Review filed by me, which is in the process of being heard.

And the Chairman, without any discussion or recourse to any input from the Commission decides that Mr Chase S.C. will not yet be paid!

While on the subject of legal fees, the CEO reported that he has not yet received an invoice from Mr Teni Housty for representation in the Judicial Review matter filed in Berbice. The CEO said that the Chairman is in charge of getting that invoice since it was the Chairman who had procured Mr Housty’s services.

The Chairman is now procurement Officer for Legal Services!!

LGE DEVELOPMENTS This meeting was informed that the printing of ballot papers for the LGE was complete and that the two Commissioners Gunraj and Corbin are to oversee the sealing for shipment on Wednesday (October 17, 2018) and return to Guyana on Thursday (October 18, 2018) and Sunday (October 21, 2018) respectively.

All this while, there are outstanding requests by at least 4 candidates for withdrawal with no action by the CEO to affect their withdrawals and no decision on the deletion of nominators’ names from lists even though persons had submitted affidavits and requests for withdrawal of names and that such withdrawals could and would affect the validity of the inclusion of some candidates.

Asked about reports in the press that the AFC Campaign Manager had announced that the AFC was withdrawing from contesting between 10 and 15 areas

for which they has submitted candidates, the CEO claimed that he had not been informed by the AFC of any such thing and all the ballots have been printed. This now seems that the AFC made that public announcement, to detract from its candidates’ submission of lists with fraudulent or forged signatures of nominators, and to gain some sympathy from the electors!

What a tangled web we weave…!

NEW HOUSE TO HOUSE REGISTRATION On the issue of House to house registration, to the tune of nearly $4B in the 2019 budget proposals, while those of us on the north side (PPP-nominated Commissioners) of the table maintain that at this time that will only serve to try to delay the 2020 elections, those on the south side (PNC-nominated Commissioners) staunchly maintain that the decision had been made eons ago to have such registrations done every seven years, the last having been done in 2008 another has been due since 2015!

Never mind the fact that budget proposals to do one in 2016 was slashed in 2016, they are adamant that House to House registration can be done in 2019! We just as staunchly disagreed, and I reminded of my comment, when the proposals for 2019 were being made, that ‘if the Minister of Finance can find the fiscal space to accommodate the sum of $4 billion dollars in the 2019 budget then the question I have will be answered’.

There is no fiscal space to pay persons a living wage, or to pay the sacked sugar workers their severance, or to do so any other things necessary for a decent life, let alone ‘the good life’, so to find the fiscal space for $4B for new House to House Registration for

the 2020 elections, will reveal clear intent, would it not?

NO FINANCE REPORT The report of the Finance Subcommittee still has not been incorporated as part of the minutes, so there could be no discussion about the very real issues surrounding the attendance of the Legal Officer at courses in the United Kingdom, to the tune of more than $4M, on the sole approval of the Chairman acting on his own without discussion or recourse to the Commission.

The recommendation of Commissioner Alexander, member of the said Subcommittee, that the Chairman be ‘admonished’, and the recommendation of Commissioner Benn that the Chairman be surcharged, is a battle for another day.

DISCIPLINED SERVICES VOTING Arrangements for ranks of the Disciplined Services to vote on November 2, 2018, remain elusive.

No ballot stations have yet been identified or shared, no lists have been published or shared so no stakeholder can make preparations for their agents to observe voting on D-day.

The CEO keeps making promises he seems unable to keep while time is fast becoming shorter and shorter.

The CEO also reported that there was no application by any observer groups in response to the advertisement for local elections observers. Apparently, the GPSU, the US Embassy and the PSC had indicated their intention to field observers, but this was before the ad was placed.

The October 16, 2018 meeting was shortened when it lost a quorum, after I had to leave due to personal matters. Until next week when I hope more will be revealed.

19

WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 OCTOBER, 2018

2018 Local Government Elections Happenings Unlike 2016…

GECOM has not yet approved international, regional observers for 2018 Local Gov’t Elections

W

ith the Local Government Elections (LGE) 2018 weeks away, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has so far not approved any regional or international observers.

GECOM’s Public Relations Officer, Yolanda Warde, has admitted to this.

She said, “The Commission has not approved the regional and international observers…I can’t say whether the Commission has completely ruled out the

possibility of international and regional observers.”

She added, “…I think in the past international groups would have expressed an interest, which was subject to the approval of the Commission. I can’t say whether the process was done by just a way of a letter or whether there was an advertisement. “…if the Commission makes the determination on the possible inclusion of international observers, then

I’m sure they will also provide guidance in terms of the methodology, whether they will advertise or they will write the international and regional groups to indicate their interest.”

Meanwhile, a few local observers have been approved; however, it is unclear who they are.

The last time Local Government Elections were held in 2016, the US embassy and the British and Canadian High Commissions had

fielded observer teams.

LGE will be held in all municipalities and NDCs in Guyana using a mixed electoral system of Proportional Representation (PR) and First Past the Post (FPTP).

The PR electoral system is one in which parties’ gain seats in proportion to the number of votes cast for them in a municipality or NDC. For someone to be elected under the Proportional Representation system, they must be on a party

list or voluntary group list.

Individuals cannot contest as the PR system.

Meanwhile, the FPTP system is one in which an individual gains control by the number of cast for him or her. These candidates can come from a party, voluntary group or as an independent.

Fifty per cent of Councillors for each municipality and NDC are elected through the Proportional Representation component,

while the other half comes from FPTP component of the electoral system. Under the FPTP system, an individual candidate can contest for only one seat in a single constituency in which he or she is registered and resides. Candidates can only be nominated for one group for the PR and FPTP list.

The People’s Progressive Party is fielding over 3,000 candidates and 20,000 backers in all 80 Local Authority Areas (LAAs).

High Court throws out Basil Williams’ challenge in case on ‘gerrymandering’ of LAA boundaries A

head of the overall case regarding Bibi Shaddick’s disputation of Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan’s changes to several Local Authority Areas (LAAs), High Court Judge Justice Gino Persaud has dismissed Attorney General (AG) Basil Williams’s jurisdiction challenge on Monday (October 15, 2018).

The Judge observed that the AG’s argument that the matter should be heard via an elections petition after the November 12 Local Government Elections (LGE) are held “was not a relevant enough issue”.

“The question on whether someone has been elected as a Councillor is not relevant to the issue raised by the applicant,” Justice Persaud pointed out.

Williams had observed that Shaddick’s application amounted to allegations of irregularities and illegalities challenging the validity of the LGE, which have been gazetted to be held on November 12. However, in his ruling, Justice Persaud noted that no Councillor has been elected, as the case has not passed the elections stage. As such, the judge determined that the court has jurisdiction to hear “the merits of the applicant’s case”.

Following the ruling, the AG signalled that he would be looking at appealing the jurisdiction ruling, saying that Justice Persaud focused on certain legal arguments that were not in keeping with his case.

“I will have to appeal his decision, so I could know whether he had dealt with those cases or not,” Williams told the press.

In response, Nandlall, speaking with members of the media subsequently, brushed aside the AG’s intimation to appeal, saying

that the court has not ruled on the substantive merits of the case. He reiterated that there could be moves to delay the case. “I have no doubt that in addition to the incompetent arguments that are being advanced, there is an agenda to stall and dilate the matter,” he stressed.

However, Monday’s ruling on the preliminary matters to Shaddick’s legal suit was two-fold in nature, as Justice Persaud treated with Nandlall’s submission that the respondent, the Minister, was barred from challenging jurisdiction, since Solicitor General Kym Kyte-Thomas had “submitted to the court’s jurisdiction. Nandall harped on the fact that Kyte-Thomas agreed to the court’s timelines for the fixed-date application (FDA) hearing.

Hwever, with several legal citations, Justice Persaud opined that the court recognises the urgency of the case, and called the matter within four days of the case’s filing.

“This is not a regular occurrence, and (is) probably without precedent,” the judge stressed.

Justice Persaud reminded that FDA cases have to be heard within 28 days, and noted that the AG’s jurisdiction challenge he filed on behalf of Bulkan was within that time frame. On this basis, the Judge was of the view that Nandlall’s submission on the Solicitor General already submitting to jurisdiction was “fallacious, without merit, and cannot be sustained”.

After the pretrial determinations, Justice Persaud ordered that the AG must file an affidavit in defence on or before October 22. The Court further ordered that both parties file written submissions on or before October 29. “I will fix a date for decision after being in receipt of

all the written arguments; no orders for costs,” Justice Persaud stated.

COURT ORDERS In the writ, the Applicant, Shaddick, is seeking a several orders which seek to bring the Communities Minister’s alterations into the conformity with Local Democratic Organs Act, Chapter 28:09.

The applicant is also petitioning the court to have Bulkan’s orders declared null and void. The Applicant made an application for an Order or Writ of Certiorari to quash Bulkan’s order of holding elections of seven NDCs without first issuing an Order under the Local Democratic Organs Act, to identify the NDCs by name, boundaries, and number of members. These NDCs are Moruka/Phoenix Park; Kitty/ Providence; Nile/Cozier; Lamaha/ Yarrowkabra; Hauraruni/Yarrowkabra; Plegt Anker/Kortberaad; and Wyburg/Caracas.

The Applicant is also seeking two Orders of Certiorari against GECOM CEO Lowenfield. The first moves to quash the Commission CEO’s decision to fix the exterior boundaries in respect to the said seven NDCs, adding that the move was an abuse of power, illegal and constitutes a “usurpation of the statutory functions” of Minister Bulkan.

A second Certiorari order seeks to quash his decision to demarcate constituency boundaries within the said seven NDCs on grounds that his actions did not first involve the consultations of electors and stakeholders which include political parties. In this regard, Shadick views Lowenfield’s actions as irregular or improper exercise of discretion, in bad faith, or having cited irregular consideration, adding that it has no

legal effect since this would be a violation of Article 13 of Guyana’s Constitution.

Shadick is also seeking an Order or Writ of Mandamus to compel Minister Bulkan, under the Local Democratic Organs Act, to establish the boundaries and number of members in respect to the municipality of Mahdia and eight other LLAs so that elections could be held by November 12.

The Applicant is seeking another Order of Mandamus for Lowenfield to compel him to hold consultations with stakeholders on the establishment of constituency boundaries within the said Local Authority Areas. The Applicant’s final Order or Writ of Mandamus seeks to have Lowenfield also hold consultations in relation to the re-demarcation of constituency boundaries in Rose Hall and Rose Hall and 13 NDCs. Shadick is also seeking the State to pay her court costs in addition to seeking other orders, directions or writs as the court sees fit. The writ also outlines that the purported establishment of seven NDCs without complying with the provisions of the Local Democratic Organs Act is unlawful, ultra vires, null, void and of no effect. She said too that Lowenfield acted with authorisation in this regard, while adding that Minister Bulkan unilaterally made changes to the number of seats in 14 Local Authority Areas.

GERRYMANDERED BOUNDARIES The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has charged that the actions of the APNU+AFC Coalition Government, with the creation of 10 new Local Authority Areas (LAAs) and changes to 14 existing

LAAs point to “gerrymandering” of boundaries ahead of the November 12, 2018 Local Government Elections – all in an effort to increase its balance of votes.

The 10 new areas are: 1. Mahdia, which has been identified as that town for Region Eight 2. Moruka/Phoenix Park NDC 3. Kitty/Providence NDC 4. Nile/Cozier NDC 5. Lamaha/Yarrowkabra NDC 6. Hauraruni/Yarrowkabra NDC 7. Plegt Anker/Kortberaad NDC 8. Wyburg/Caracas NDC 9. Aranaputa/Upper Burro Burro NDC 10. Annai NDC Additionally, a review of the existing Local Authorities that have been tampered with, show that in total 16 constituencies have been removed from 14 Local Authorities Areas.

The number of seats has been reduced in: 1. Evergreen/ Paradise 2. Aberdeen/Zorge-en-vlygt 3. Malgre Tout/Meerzoergen 4. La Grange/Nismes 5. Toevlugt/Patentia 6. Caledonia/Good Success 7. Woodlands/Farm 8. Mahaicony/Abary 9. Zeelust/Rosignol 10. Blairmont/Gelberland 11. Ordnance Fortlands/No. 38 12. Adventure/Bushlot 13. No. 52-74 Village.

The 14th area that has been tampered with is the Municipality of Rose Hall, where the PPP/C won the proportional representation vote by one seat in 2016. Here the number of constituencies has been increased from seven to eight.

All of this was done without consultation.

20

WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 OCTOBER, 2018

2018 Local Government Elections Happenings

Party activists continue 2018 LGE ground-work in Regions 2, 10 and other communities

WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 OCTOBER, 2018

21

2018 Local Government Elections Happenings

22

WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 OCTOBER, 2018

2018 Local Government Elections Happenings

Investigators ‘dragging their feet’, deadline missed for report to be filed on fraudulent compilation of ‘backers’ lists’ by AFC

J

ustice Navendra Singh ordered the Guyana Police Force (GPF), specifically, ranks in Berbice to investigate allegations of the Alliance For Change (AFC) fraudulently and by forgery obtaining the names of 51 persons to be backers for their Candidates of the Whim/Bloomfield Local Authority Area. The names of the persons were included on the AFC Nominators’ Lists (backers’ lists).

Justice Singh ordered that the investigation should be completed before the October 17, 2018. The Judge also undertook to share this report with all the parties involved in the matter.

The investigation was triggered by a court action filed by a candidate for the PPP, who is seeking to have the listing of 50 names, including his, as official nominators of rival AFC candidates voided.

The case was filed against

Orlando Christopher Persaud, who is the Returning Officer (RO) at the Whim/ Bloomfield Local Authority Area and the Chief Elections Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM, Keith Lowenfield,

by People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Member of Parliament (MP) and attorney-at-law, Adrian Anamayah, who is representing the PPP candidate, Shafraz Beekham. and 49 other persons are seeking the removal of their names from the AFC list.

Anamayah told the Mirror Newspaper that the police investigations, which were supposed to be completed on October 17, 2018, in fact, only started on that day. “Only yesterday the investigations were started and some persons were interviewed. They are dragging their feet on this matter,” he said.

CASE In court documents, Anamayah is asking for the following reliefs: 1. A Writ of Certiorari directed to the first named Respondent quashing his decision to refuse to withdraw/remove/delete the Applicant’s name and the names of 49 other electors appearing on list of backers in support of the AFC Constituency Candidates submitted to the First Named Respondent on the 21st of September, 2018 in Whim Bloomfield Local Authority Area, for the Local Government Elections 2018, on the grounds that the said decision is unlawful, illegal, unreasonable, in bad faith, based on improper or irregular consideration in violation of the Local Authorities (Elections) Act, Cap. 28:03, in excess of jurisdiction, contrary to law, null, void and of no effect.

2. A Writ of Mandamus

directed to the First Named Respondent compelling the first named Respondent to withdraw/remove/delete the Applicant’s name and the names of 49 other electors appearing on list of backers in support of the AFC Constituency Candidates submitted to the First Named Defendant on the 21st of September, 2018 in Whim Bloomfield Local Authority Area for the Local Government Elections 2018.

3. Costs.

4. Such other orders, directions or writs as it considers, just and as the circumstances warrant.”

In a sworn affidavit Beekham said he were deliberately deceived into signing a document by an Alliance For Change representative, who fraudulently claimed that she was employed by GECOM. Beekham disclosed that he was told that he needed to sign a document to confirm that his name was on

the voter’s list. He said too that it was only after Nomination Day on September 21, 2018, that he learnt that the signature which was taken from him was unauthorisedly used as a nominator backing the AFC candidate in constituency Number 3.

According to him, at no time whatsoever was he or the other residents informed, or did they know that they were in fact signing a list of backers in support of the AFC candidate(s). Beekham added that on becoming aware of the fraud perpetuated against him and other electors, he immediately demanded that their names be withdrawn or deleted from the AFC lists.

Lowenfield and the Returning Officer, Orlando Christopher Persaud, are listed as the respondents in the court case advanced on Beekham’s behalf. The court document cites Persaud’s alleged refusal to withdraw Beekham’s name,

as well as that of the other 49 electors, from the fraudulent list.

The court documents state that unless the names are withdrawn, the election in the LAA would be tainted with “illegality and fraud.”

INTERFERENCE Meanwhile, former Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mohabir Anil Nandlall, is questioning whether there has been ministerial or governmental interference.

“To date, the police have not yet contacted anyone from the Whim/ Bloomfield area. I am now forced to question whether there has been ministerial/ governmental interference with and directions to the Guyana Police Force in relation to this matter,” he said.

The other attorneys in the case include Ian Anamayah.

2018 LGE the start of ‘a movement to take Guyana back from incompetent, corrupt APNU+AFC’ gov’t – Jagdeo T “You’re part of a movement not only to change he importance of the 2018 Local Government Elections (LGE) was stressed by People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary and Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, during a public meeting in Kitty, Georgetown, last Saturday (October 13, 2018).

He said, “These are Local Government Elections, this is about more that City Hall…this is the beginning of the fight to take back our country… you are part of a movement to take back Guyana from the incompetent APNU+AFC….even if you vote for them, if you are not of the same class, if you are not part of the elite, then they do not care about you. “…the tax collection from the Government going from $135 billion to $195

billion – $60 billion more per year they are collecting in taxation to finance this extravagance. So where do the taxes come from?

They come from poor people pocket because they have increased taxes on 46 food items. They have put taxes on electricity bills, water bills, on baby diapers. “…much is at stake… three years is enough…if the results of the last threeand-half years are anything to go by, then we have to get them out very early because this country will slide to the depths that we have never seen before if they continue with this approach to management. “…people have seen the true nature of this government, that they’re untrustworthy. They talk about

the area which you live in but you’re the beginning of a movement to take back Guyana from the hands of the APNU/AFC disaster that we have running our country now. That is what is at stake here, this is the beginning of that fight.”

- PPP General Secretary and Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo

cleaning up corruption. They can’t prove the corruption but they are mired neckdeep in corruption…. we have not seen any improvement in anything…they have sucked out the lifeblood of our country. “…you’re part of a movement. You’re part of a movement not only to change the area which you

live in but you’re the beginning of a movement to take back Guyana from the hands of the APNU/AFC disaster that we have running our country now. That is what is at stake here, this is the beginning of that fight. “….if we thrash them convincingly…if we win them convincingly now – and we can do so and that

depends on all of you here tonight, the turnout is important – if we do that, that’s a strong signal as to what will come when the national elections are held and that’s why you have to see this important link, that this is not just about City Hall.”

He explained that Government spending is supposed to boost the perfor-

mance of every sector, as well as making the lives of the ordinary citizens much easier; but despite the APNU+AFC Government spending so much, they are yet to make an impact. He noted that every sector of the economy is rapidly deteriorating, and citizens are overburdened by unnecessary taxes. Jagdeo noted too that during its short time in Government, the APNU+AFC Administration has introduced almost 200 new taxes in order to finance its extravagant spending. He accused the Administration of wasting taxpayers’ money on unnecessary projects such as repainting State House from white to green costing some $30 million as well as a green fence for the Ministry of the Presidency.

23

WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 OCTOBER, 2018

2018 Local Government Elections Happenings

PPP public meetings ahead of LGE continue Hundreds turned out for the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) public meeting at Owen Street, Kitty, over the weekend, as the Party’s campaign ahead of the 2018 Local Government Elections heats up. This is one in a series of meetings being held across the country.

AFC fails to attract support at campaign APNU tries to boost turnout at campaign events with bicycle distribution launch in New Amsterdam

B

illed as a massive rally, the Alliance For Change (AFC) failed to attract support from residents in New Amsterdam, when it launched its 2018 Local Government Elections campaign in the area last Saturday (October 13, 2018).

Despite the fact that there was only a handful of persons present, AFC Executive, Khemraj Ramjattan, spoke at length, where he promised help for sugar workers and defended the APNU+AFC Coalition government’s decision to fire over 7,000 sugar workers

by saying “good governments” have to sometimes make hard decisions.

Attacking the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Ramjattan also promised the handful of persons who turned up to the rally ‘credible and honest’ leadership from the AFC.

A

s he did in Corriverton and Rose Hall, Region 6, as well as in Anna Regina, Region 2, President David Granger on Wednesday (October 17, 2018) held a public meeting the Egbert Benjamin Conference Hall in s – as part of the 2018

Local Government Elections (LGE) campaign of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).

And in addition to the poor turnout, another trend at these APNU public meetings is the distribution of bicycles. Observers have noted

that the bicycle distribution may be an attempt to boost turnout at the APNU public meetings.

Only last week, the Parliamentary Opposition raised concerns about the ‘obscene’ abuse of taxpayers’ monies for such APNU event.

24

WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 OCTOBER, 2018

Hundreds of protestors greet Taxpayers’ monies used to host Granger outside public buildings – APNU Ministers ignore protestors National Assembly sitting just for stump speech by Granger

T

he use of taxpayers’ monies is once again in question, given that another sitting of the National Assembly was called on Thursday (October 18, 2018) – but not to deal with any substantive matter.

The sitting, instead, only

facilitated a 40-minute stump speech by President David Granger. At the end of his speech, Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo, adjourned the sitting to October 31, 2018.

At least three major issues raised by the People’s

Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) were ignored.

This is not the first time that the APNU+AFC Coalition Government has been criticised for ‘wasted’ sittings, where less than substantial matters are dealt with.

S

ugar workers turned out in their numbers today (October 18, 2018) to protest President Granger in front of Public Buildings (Parliament).

Additionally, a group of Rastafarians were also present, protesting the Government on their sloth in relation to the decriminalization of possession of small amounts of marijuana.

The Rastafarians’ protest was hijacked by supporters of the APNU, who turned up and staged a counter-protest.

Notably, Ministers of the APNU/AFC Government were seen greeting and chatting with the APNU protesters.

However, the Ministers refused to speak with the sugar workers. Volda Lawrence, Minister of Public Health, was seen conversing with the APNU protesters. She, however, did not speak to the sugar workers or provided them with any updates at to the Government's position on paying severance to the retrenched sugar workers.

Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, and other members of the Parliamentary Opposition engaged with all the protesters present.

Jagdeo informed the Rastafarian community of the People's Progressive Party's (PPP) position on the decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana. He noted that this was featured in the PPP's 2015 Manifesto.

He also met with sugar workers to assure them of efforts being made to advance representation on their behalf at the level of the legislature.

(SEE ADDITIONAL RELATED REPORTING ON PAGE 27)

25

WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 OCTOBER, 2018

Parliament Happenings

Speaker disallows motion that would have allowed sooner payment of severance to sugar workers – monies for Wales workers not provided for

O

ver 4,000 sugar workers are still to receive full severance, almost a year after being fired by the APNU+AFC Coalition Government.

And Finance Minister, Winston Jordan, promised full payment, once the National Assembly approves his request for an additional $7.5B to be spent from the treasury – a request made via a supplementary financial paper submitted to the House at Thursday’s sitting (October 18, 2018).

Additionally, on Thursday (October 18, 2018), a government advertisement, published in all the daily newspapers, says: “The Government assures you that you will receive the balance of your severance payments… once approved you will be paid shortly.” At the bottom of the advertisement, the

PPP/C motion calling for rebuttal to Granger's speeches ignored by Speaker A

motion on notice submitted by Opposition Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira, before Thursday’s sitting (October 18, 2018) of the National Assembly was ignored by House Speaker, Dr Barton Scotland.

The motion read: “Whereas it has been a parliamentary norm based on the British Parliament's precedence that the Address of the Head of State to the National Assembly is the subject of a motion for debate tabled by the Leader of the House; and whereas the President has addressed the National Assembly on several occasions in the 11th Parliament, thus far, but there has been only

one motion tabled which was never debated; be it resolved that the National Assembly by way of this motion considers and debates the Addresses of the President made to this National Assembly on November 2, 2017 and October 18, 2018.”

The motion, if allowed and passed, would have allowed for a debate on Granger’s address to the House – including a debate on the speech he delivered on Thursday (October 18, 2018).

After the sitting convened, President David Granger addressed the House. After he left, Prime Minister, Moses Naga-

mootoo, adjourned the sitting to October 31, 2018 – effectively disallowing any other business to be raised in the National Assembly.

Teixeira questioned the Speaker’s silence on the notice of motion. The Speaker maintained his silence on the matter and refused to rule on the issue.

The Opposition Chief Whip pointed to a precedent set by former House Speaker, Raphael Trotman, where he allowed then Opposition Leader, Granger, to respond to a speech made in the House by then President, Donald Ramotar.

The Speaker, despite this maintained his silence.

$7.5B figure was quoted.

However, when the supplementary financial paper was reviewed it was noted that only $2.5B of the $7.5B will be used to pay outstanding severance.

Moreover, no provision has been made to ensure that the sacked sugar workers from the now closed Wales Estate are paid their severance – despite the fact that these workers have been waiting since December 2016.

The Termination of Employment and Severance Pay Act stipulates that workers who are made redundant must be paid severance upon termination. The law states clearly that: “On termination of his employment, an employee whose severance or redundancy has completed one year or more years of continuous employment with allowance, an employee shall be entitled to be paid by such

an employer a severance or redundancy allowance equivalent to.”

MOTION DISALLOWED Meanwhile, House Speaker, Dr Barton Scotland, at Thursday’s sitting (October 18, 2018), rejected a suspension motion submitted by Opposition Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira, on behalf of the Parliamentary Opposition.

The motion called for the house to suspend the standing orders to allow a debate on Thursday itself on supplementary financial paper – rather than waiting until the next sitting, which is scheduled for October 31, 2018.

The suspension motion read: “Whereas 7,000 sugar workers were terminated between December 2016 and December 2017and their severance payments in accordance with the statutes have been outstanding; be it

resolved in accordance with Standing Order No. 112 that Standing Order No. 78 (1) (c) and Standing Order No. 76 (8) be suspended to allow for the debate of one subhead on the Financial Paper 3/2018 that treats with the appropriation of funds for the severance pay of sugar workers at this the 97th sitting on October 18, 2018.”

After thousands of sugar workers were fired in December 2017, the Government came to the National Assembly, on January 19, 2018, to secure approval for $1.931B to pay severance in part to the fired sugar workers.

These workers fired in December 2017, as well as those fired in December 2016, have lamented the hardships they have been facing since – cries that have not been responded to by the APNU+AFC Coalition Government.

Move to have MPs call on GECOM to correct ‘electoral transgressions’ blocked in National Assembly

A

n adjournment motion on a “Definite Matter of Urgent Public Importance” was submitted by Opposition Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira, at the Thursday sitting (October 18, 2018) of the National Assembly.

The motion called for the House, as a collective, to express its displeasure at the way in which the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is addressing these electoral transgressions, and, urges that it immediately correct these transgressions and uphold its constitutional mandate and right of the citizens to freely choose.

However, at the Thursday sitting, President David Granger delivered an address after which the sitting was called to an end.

Concerns expressed in the House by the Opposition Chief Whip about the silence from the Speaker, Dr Barton Scotland, on the adjournment

motion, were ignored.

The motion read: “Whereas Local Government Elections are scheduled to be held on November 12th in 80 Local Authority Areas; “And Whereas the Guyana Constitution enshrines the right of each voter to freely choose and mandates the Elections Commission as the custodian of the election machinery to safeguard and uphold the integrity of the management of all elections: “And Whereas almost 200 persons have made affidavits stating that they did not affix their signatures to the backers' lists for several APNU and AFC candidates in the Crab Wood Creek, Corriverton, 51/ Good Hope, 52/74 and Black Bush Polder Local Authority Areas in Region 6, and Tuschen /Uitvulgt, Best/Pouderoyen, La Grange/Nimes, Canals Polder, La Jalousie/Nouvelle Flander, Toevulgt/Patentia

Local Authority Areas in Region 3.

“And Whereas in some areas the GECOM Returning Officers refused to accept these affidavits whilst in others they accepted them but said they were too late; “And Whereas, to date, GECOM has not rectified these electoral transgressions on the basis that they cannot redress these wrongs due to an alleged administrative deadline; “And WHEREAS we believe that a constitutional right cannot be dismissed due to a deadline for administrative purposes.

“Be It Resolved that this National Assembly expresses its displeasure at the way in which the Guyana Elections Commission is addressing these electoral transgressions, and, urges that it immediately correct these transgressions and uphold its constitutional mandate and right of the citizens to freely chose.”

26

WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 OCTOBER, 2018

Three escapees from Lusignan Prison still on the run A manhunt is underwsay for three prisoners, who escaped from the Lusignan Prison in the wee hours of Monday morning (October 15, 2018).

The men reportedly scaled the perimeter fence about 04:30h.

The escapees are 23-year-old Travis Evans of C Field Sophia, Greater Georgetown; Sudesh Dyal, 23, of Wales Backdam and Dexroy Pollard, 29, of Wales Village. Evans is a murder

accused.

Acting Director of Prisons, Gladwin Samuels, explained that the escapees scaled the fence between towers three and four, which were equipped with security personnel.

He related that there were also five prison officers and Police ranks in close proximity to the area where the men escaped.

Nevertheless, he stated that about 06:25h on Monday, he received a telephone call

informing him that there was a prison break.

He noted that he immediately put into operation the Standard Operational Procedure (SOP), which is to review relevant Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) footage and to conduct a physical muster. It was while reviewing the footage, he came to the conclusion that the ranks on duty were not alert.

Samuels explained that the three men took a considerable amount of time to make

Eight injured during Lusignan Prison riot

M

ore than 12 hours after Monday’s (October 15, 2018) riots at Lusignan Prison, the Public Security Ministry finally issued a statement on the matter, which confirmed that eight persons were shot and injured, but only six had to seek medical attention at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Those injured are Cleveland Williams, Lester Joseph, Teaive Cush, Ray-

mond Jones, Corwyn Arthur, Anirudh Prashad, Lakeram Singh and Lexroy Rigby.

According to the Public Security Ministry, wardens resorted to discharging live rounds of ammunition of various calibres to calm the inmates after the rubber bullets did not work. At this time, the release stated, inmates were behaving in a riotous manner.

“The prisoners hurled hundreds of missiles direct-

ly at officers, damaged the inner Holding Bay fences and exited the confined area.

They then focused their attention on gaining access to the gate that allows exit from the location by using several items to hit the gate, but they were unsuccessful in their attempt,” the Ministry stated.

It also confirmed that at the time of the incident, there were 558 prisoners in the facility.

38 arrested during operation ‘Restore Order’

R

anks of the Guyana Police Force carried out several cordon-and-search exercises which resulted in the arrests of 38 persons and the recovery of suspected stolen items.

Under Operation “Restore Order”, the exercises were carried out in A (Georgetown-East Bank Demerara) and C (East Coast Demerara) Divisions during the hours of 03:30h and 08:30h on Saturday.

In A Division, the exercise was centred in the East La Penitence Station District, which includes Guyhoc Park and part of Sophia, Greater Georgetown. During the operation, three motorcycles – two with registration plates CG 8319 and CJ 570, 10 laptops, 42 cellular phones, a tablet, two Play Stations, a Pioneer auto digital timer, an X-box for Nintendo games, a quantity of computer and

phone accessories, as well as 72 grams of cannabis were found. Following the discoveries, seven persons, including a female, have been detained for offences ranging from receiving stolen property to possession of narcotics.

Meanwhile, in C Division, the search was concentrated in the Beterverwagting (BV) and Sophia, Greater Georgetown, areas. The exercise resulted in three motorcycles with registration plates CH 8675, CG 3395 and CH 8917; a car bumper; two car doors; a vacuum; a power washer; a grass cutting machine; three cellular phones; a television set, and a music set with three speakers as well as a quantity of small-sized ziplock bags being found. These discoveries resulted in 31 persons being detained for offences ranging from robbery under arms,

their way through the razor wire. “It is clear, especially taking into consideration the close proximity of the two towers and the number of ranks deployed in those two towers that those ranks were not alert,” the acting Prisons Director stated.

He added that together with the Police, search parties were deployed to several areas, including locales in Regions Three and Four.

The Lusignan Prison is located on the East Coast of

fence. The hole was about five feet in length and another five feet deep. Those who had escaped were murder accused Clive Forde, Pascal Smith, Kerry Cromwell, Odel Roberts, Kendell Skeet, Rayon Jones, Jason Howard, Shawn Harris, Paul Goriah and Jamal Forde, along with Teshawn McKenzie and Winston Long, who were incarcerated for armed robbery and Jamal Joseph, who was remanded on an attempted murder charge.

Soldiers implicated in Essequibo Coast rape/robbery

T

wo Guyana Defence Force (GDF) ranks who were implicated in a rape and robbery on the Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), will face charges.

Commander of G Division (Essequibo Coast and Islands), Khalid Pareshram, disclosed that the two men, both of whom were attached to the Sixth Infantry Battalion, Anna Regina, are still in custody.

According to the Commander, the woman who was raped is in her 20s while her boyfriend is 18.

Reports are the couple was at the Anna Regina Community Centre Ground, which is close to the GDF base, for an event and at

about 23:30 hours on Saturday (October 13, 2018) as they were enjoying an evening together, the two ranks attacked them.

The soldiers, reportedly, dealt the young man several blows about his body, took away his money and gold chain, and demanded that his girlfriend have sex with them or else they would rape him.

At first, this demand was shut down, but the two ranks severely beat the young man.

They then allegedly took turns raping the woman as she wept bitterly and asked them to stop.

The young man had no choice but to watch his girlfriend being sexually assaulted. After the ordeal, the young couple reported the

matter to the Police station.

At the Police station, the couple was told that there were no ranks available to search the area.

Family members then took it upon themselves to look for the two perpetrators.

Upon seeing the angry mob of residents, the two men escaped. The couple was taken to hospital where the young lady was admitted.

The Police subsequently took statements from the two traumatised young people and an investigation was launched. An identification parade was done on Monday (October 15, 2018) afternoon at the Suddie Police Station and the two perpetrators were positively identified by the victims.

ates Sue Mamoo Restaurant, said he was awakened by a loud crashing sound and noticed someone walking into his bedroom. According to him, men were already in the room by the time he jumped out of his bed. The businessman said that the men all wore dark clothing and demanded money from him, but he held out that he did not have any money. He said that this angered the men who then began to ransack the room, but did not find any valuables.

According to the restau-

rant owner, one of the men held on to him while the other two took turns punching him and they continued their demands for money.

He said that he eventually pulled a box from under his bed and handed it over to the gunmen. He said that the men were also given an additional $20,000 from a relative who was also in the house.

They then escaped via the same window by which they entered the premises.

An investigation has been launched.

Armed bandits beat, rob Chinese restaurant owner

T possession of stolen articles, trafficking and possession of narcotics, and setting fire to a building. Moreover, one of the detainees was identified as 36-year-old Desmond Junior Lewis of D Field Sophia, Greater Georgetown.

When profiled, he was found to have been sentenced in absentia for six years on two counts of armed robbery committed in A Division.

This is the second such exercise in the last month.

Demerara with more than 500 prisoners.

The Prison was used as a holding facility with several holding areas after the July 2017 fire at the Camp Street Prison. During that fire, several high-profile prisoners had escaped. The others were dispatched to correctional institutions across the country, including Lusignan.

However, in July 2017, some 13 prisoners had escaped from the facility by digging a hole under the perimeter

hree armed bandits beat and robbed a Corentyne, Berbice Chinese restaurant owner during a home invasion on Tuesday (October 16, 2018) morning.

Reports are that three masked men broke into a building where a Chinese restaurant is housed in the lower flat and confronted the owner, Su Zhi Yong, 45.

The bandits gained access to the Lot 264 Bush Lot Village, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) building by breaking a window.

Su Zhi Yong, who oper-

WEEKEND MIRROR 20-21 OCTOBER, 2018

27

Granger greeted by multiple protests outside Public Buildings – sugar workers call for severance – Rastafarians call for end to ‘oppression’

Appeal Court ruling on unilateral appointment of GECOM Chairman to be appealed at CCJ T

he Guyana Court of Appeal on Thursday (October 18, 2018) upheld a High Court ruling on President David Granger’s unilateral appointment of the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

And former Attorney General and PPP/C MP, Anil Nandlall, who filed the challenge on behalf of People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Executive Secretary, Zulfikar Mustapha, has since said that the ruling will be appealed at the level of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).

He said, “I am disap-

pointed but not surprise.

Once again, we have seen irrefutable evidence of a particular trend in judicial decisions that are crucially political. It demonstrates how far more we have to go as a nation to achieve a mature judiciary.

“No doubt we will now pursue an appeal at the CCJ as soon as is possible. We will impress upon that court to hear and determine this appeal with every convenient speed. So, we should have a date for the hearing of the appeal fixed by January of 2019, and we are hoping that

a decision can be handed down shortly after that.

“I have every confidence that the appeal will succeed.

Significantly, the CCJ will be invited to use the approach, which they adopted in the Cedric Richardson appeal in determining this case.”

In June 2018, Chief Justice (CJ) Roxanne George-Wiltshire, ruled that President Granger was in order when he unilaterally appointed 84-year-old Justice (rtd) James Patterson as the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission. That ruling led to an appeal being

filed with the Appeal Court.

Patterson was unilaterally appointed as Chairman on GECOM on October 19, 2017.

His appointment came after a meeting on the selection of a GECOM Chairperson, between Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, and President Granger, which only lasted five minutes. At that meeting the third list of nominees submitted by Jagdeo was rejected by Granger.

However, at a previous meeting on June 12, 2017 – the meeting before Granger made a unilateral appoint-

ment – there was an agreement on what would be the way forward, if the third list was rejected. The June 12, 2017 joint statement said: “It was also agreed that a high-level team would be assembled representing the President and the Leader of the Opposition which will begin to work immediately on exploring modalities to bring a resolution to this matter in the event that the list is rejected.”

Given that there was a joint agreement, the Parliamentary Opposition has argued that Granger acted

in bad faith when he unilaterally appointed a GECOM Chairman.

Article 161(2) provides for the appointment of a Chairman based on a consensual process in which a list of six persons, “not unacceptable to the President,” is submitted by the Opposition Leader. A proviso included in the law allows for the appointment to be made unilaterally, where the Opposition Leader fails to submit a list “as provided for” – but Jagdeo submitted three lists, which were all rejected by President Granger.

Court case to be file calling for Finance Minister to be jailed M oves are being made to initiate proceedings to commit Finance Minister, Winston Jordan, to prison due to the government’s failure to pay damages awarded by the court in a number of wrongful dismissal cases. This is according to former Attorney General, Anil Nandlall.

In a statement, he said, “We filed cases in 2015/2016 for former Advisor to the Minister of Local Government, Clinton Collymore, Zulfikar Mustapha, former Liaison Officer to the Office of the President for Region No. 6 and Ms. Anna Correia, who was employed by the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs. In all these

cases, the Plaintiffs sued for damages for wrongful dismissal/unlawful termination of their contracts of employment. “…after a trial of each of these cases, judgments were awarded to each of them in various sums as compensation along with interest and costs. The Attorney General was the Defendant in all of these cases. No appeal was filed against any of these decisions. Yet, the Attorney General has consistently refused to honour these judgments although we have made repeated written requests for him to do so.

“However, we note in some cases, judgments are quickly paid, taxes are writ-

ten off and in one case, a mere letter threatening litigation attracted the payment of approximately US$ 5.7 million.

“Needless to say, the relevant proceedings will be commenced shortly to commit the Minister of Finance to prison for non-payment of these judgments.”

LATEST CASE Nandlall’s disclosure came after winning a judgment in favour of former Guyana High Commissioner to Canada, Harry Narine Nawbatt, who was awarded over $24M for his wrongful dismissal by the APNU+AFC government. The judgment was handed down

on Monday (October 15, 2018).

Nawbatt, through his attorneys Nandlall, Manoj Narayan and Rajendra Jaigobin, sued the Attorney General in April 2016, claiming that his contract of employment was not lawfully terminated, thus he was seeking salaries, emoluments and other benefits owed to him.

Following the trial, Justice Insanally granted judgment to Nawbatt in the sum of $24,295,104 for “special damages”. She also awarded $500,000 for breach of contract, and court costs in the sum of $50,000. Additionally, the court ordered that interest on the said sums be

paid at the rate of 6 percent per annum from the date of filing to the date of judgment, and thereafter at the rate of 4 per cent per annum until fully paid.

Nawbatt, in his legal suit, was seeking over $49 million for wrongful dismissal and a breach of contract. He stated that his firing was enshrined in a letter dated June 8, 2015 when the Director General (ag) of the Foreign Affairs Ministry wrongfully, and “in repudiatory breach” of the above-mentioned contract, purported to terminate his employment, and therefore wrongfully dismissed him.

This letter had stated that his appointment would

end on August 31st, 2015 and that he should report to Georgetown.

The former ambassador had requested damages in excess of $25 million for breach of contract and “special” damage in the sum of $24,295,104, the latter of which was awarded.

Nawbatt’s contract would have expired on February 9 of 2016. Nawbatt would have been allowed to terminate his services, provided that a written notice of three months was given.

Likewise the Government would have had to give notice for the same time frame, or pay Nawbatt six months’ salary and station allowance if such notice was not given.

Cotonou Agreement. The previous round of the Political Dialogue took place in October, 2017.

The objectives of the Dialogue are to exchange information to foster mu-

tual understanding and to facilitate the establishment of agreed priorities and shared agendas, in particular by recognising the existing links between the different aspects of the re-

lations between the parties and the various areas of cooperation as laid down in the Cotonou Agreement.

The next round of dialogues is expected to occur with a year.

Parliamentary Opposition engages EU team

A

People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) team led by Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, engaged a team from the European Union on Monday (October 15, 2018).

The EU side was headed by the Ambassador of the European Union H.E.

Jernej Videtič and Ambassadors of the UK, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden.

The meeting is part of the Sixth Round of European Union-Guyana Political Dialogue in the framework of Article 8 of the ACP-EU

PUBLISHED BY NEW GUYANA Co. Ltd., 8 Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown, Guyana. Tel: 226-2473, 226-5875 Fax: 226-2472