Weekend Mirror 6-7 October 2018

6-7 October, 2018 / Vol. 10 No. 41 / Price: $100

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

Granger must account to the Guyanese people for his government’s policies – Jagdeo PAGE 11

PPP/C 2018 LGE campaign kicks off in Bartica with massive public meeting

SEE INSIDE

PPP court challenge on ‘gerrymandering’ of boundaries to come up for next hearing next PAGE 23 Wednesday

Auditor PAGE 10 General should probe wasteful spending in Hinterland communities

PPP files legal action against GECOM over fake LGE list – court action names over 40 persons fraudulently included on AFC lists PAGE 26

Albion PAGE 18 Estate sugar workers' wages cut by 75%

PPP/C MP questions move to spend more on controversial D’Urban Park PAGE 22

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WEEKEND MIRROR 6-7 OCTOBER, 2018

Granger greeted by protestors in Corriverton

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n one of his few visits to meet with Guyanese, President David Granger and Leader of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) attempted to make a bid for his Party ahead of the 2018 Local Government Elections (LGE) in Corriverton on Wednesday (October 3, 2018). He was greeted by dozens of protestors who made clear their rejection of the APNU+AFC Coalition Government.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 6-7 OCTOBER, 2018

City Hall cannot account for over $70M from gov’t restoration subventions

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ccording to the Auditor General’s Office, the city administration has still not accounted for $70.48 million of a total of $500 million allocated to it by Central Government for the restoration of Georgetown in 2015 and 2016.

Audit Manager, Dhanraj Persaud, has disclosed that the Audit Office has continuously faced difficulty in accessing financial documents from the city.

By law, he noted, the accounts of the council should be submitted within 120 days of the close of the financial year but the Audit Office is still to be provided with supporting documents for the year 2005 as well as for the period 2012 to 2015.

Persaud noted that the city is unable to account for large sums allocated for restoration initiatives to facilitate environmental improvement and improved health and well-being.

According to Persaud, a special audit into this subvention from the Ministry of Communities has found City Hall unable to account for $70.48 million of the $500 million allocated over the two years of 2015 and 2016. $300 million was allocated in 2015 and $200 in 2016.

Persaud explained that a report of the Audit Office’s

findings was presented to City Hall for a response within 30 days, as required by law, but to date no response has been received.

“One July 3rd, we received a letter, dated June 30th, asking for a 30-day extension… [then] they tried to reach out to us on August 13th, but I was out of the jurisdiction.

On my return, we tried to reach them but couldn’t until they reached out again on September 24th,” Persaud told Commissioner Cecil Kennard.

cepted accounting principles.

“We cannot issue an opinion on financial statements that are not prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting

ber 22nd, 2016, the M&CC submitted a report on capital works, with expenditure amounting to $173.505 million, $26.495 million less.

Specifically, $173.505

“For 2005, no documents were provided, just financial statements, while for 2012 damaged documents were provided.” – Audit Manager, Dhanraj Persaud

KING RESPONSIBLE He explained that though Town Clerk Royston King has only held the post since July, 2015, his office is still legally responsible for providing the required information as is the Office of the City Treasurer, though that office holder has changed over the years.

“For 2005, no documents were provided, just financial statements, while for 2012 damaged documents were provided,” he said, while stressing that the financial statements provided by the city were not prepared in accordance with generally ac-

principles,” he said about requests that were made for the Audit Office to make pronouncements on the quality of financial management at City Hall.

NO RECORDS Notably, Auditor General Deodat Sharma, earlier this year, told the Public Accounts Committee that his office had not been afforded enough access to the City Council’s records to judge whether its accounts are “clean.”

In his 2016 report, Sharma noted that the budgeted $200 million for Georgetown restoration initiatives was spent at December 31st, 2016. However, on Decem-

million was spent on five projects and $42.123 million for the purchase of office equipment and furniture.

The five projects covered by the allocation were the Kitty Market reconstruction, for which $60 million was spent; the Constabulary Training School, on which $23 million was spent; the City Engineer’s building, on which $13 million was spent; the Constabulary Building (headquarters), on which $12 million was spent; and the Albouystown clinic, on

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be held on November 12, 2018. “The APNU candidate is also a major fuel supplier to the Administration of the Regional Democratic Council, Region 1,” he said.

However, according to the MP, the residents are even more upset about the treatment of the native Amerindians living in the Region, specifically, the Warrau Amerindians.

“Residents are also upset that the poor Warrau Amerindian people of the area had their boat with six drums of fuel held up by the authorities in Mabaru-

ma whilst the businessperson is allowed to conduct their business without any hassle.”

Notably, under the PPP/C Administration fuel and certain other items entering Region One did not attract VAT, once the items did not pass certain boundaries. This practice was allowed by former President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo.

However in 2017, the Guyana Revenue Authority visited and established an office in Region one and residents have been complaining about harassment and extortion ever since.

town could not be determined due to the unavailability of supporting documents.

As a result, it could not be determined whether proper transparency and accountability were exercised in the awarding of the contracts.

The Audit Office examined 212 payment vouchers and pinpointed discrepancies, including 167 instances where there was no evidence of the vouchers being certified by the accountant or any other authorised officer; 140 vouchers, totalling $143.683 million, which had not been approved by the treasurer; and 58 payments, totalling $48.404 million, which had not been approved by the Finance Committee.

Additionally, there was no evidence of receipt or payee acknowledgement for a payment of $750,000 to a contractor.

The Audit Office has repeatedly recommended that the ministry ensure that the Council locate all contracts and related documentation and capital items purchased and inform the Audit Office in order to facilitate audit verification.

Months later...

APNU+AFC gov’t still silent on ‘government corruption’ highlighted in US report

PPP/C MP cites ‘unsavory’ practices by T gov’t officials in Region 1

eople’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Member of Parliament (MP), Nigel Dharamlall, residents of Mabaruma, Region 1 are upset about the unfair and unsavory practices by Government officials in the Region.

Dharamlall spoke specifically about the fuel handling practices in the Region between the Coast Guard and a popular businessman. According to him, the businessman is also a constituency candidate for the APNU in the upcoming Local Government Elections, which will

which $21 million was spent.

“Although some of the capital projects were completed, contract documents and the related payment vouchers were still not presented for audit examination,” the report added.

In his 2015 report, the Auditor General had also raised concerns about the manner in which the administration of Georgetown spent a $300 million government subvention, also for restoration initiatives, environmental improvement and improved health and well-being. $6.2 million of the sum was spent on the purchase of a double cab pickup for the City Constabulary, $52.163 million for the de-bushing of the Le Repentir Cemetery and $241.637 million for the restoration of Georgetown.

According to Sharma, the basis of the award of several contracts for the weeding of parapets, desilting of drains and cutting down trees in various areas around George-

he 2018 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR), produced by the United States of America’s (USA) State Department, cites “government corruption” as a major source of money laundering – marking the first time in contemporary history that this has happened.

However, the APNU+AFC Coalition Government continues to remain silent on this matter. Not one government minister or official has addressed this matter.

Commenting on the report, General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Bharrat Jagdeo, stressed that the Government has been curiously silent on the US State Department’s report.

Jagdeo added too that many of the personalities and groups that took such re-

ports as “gospel” during the PPP/C tenure in office, but have now, also, gone silent.

“Where is Goolsarran?” he questioned, noting that former Auditor General, Anand Goolsarran, was outspoken about what he believed was corruption under the former PPP/C government.

Goolsarran had been one of the persons hired by the Coalition government to conduct forensic audits, which were supposed to prove corruption. A massive $133M of taxpayers’ money was spent on about 45 audits. The Coalition government has been criticised for the manner in which the audits were commissioned, since many supporters of APNU+AFC were given contracts – including Goolsarran. Goolsarran received four contracts totaling over $6M, with the largest contract sum being $2.3M. An-

other $8M was paid to Christopher Ram’s company, Ram and McRae, for the audit of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

In total Ram’s company was tasked with eight contracts totaling over $37M. How much remaining five audits cost – a total of 50 having been cited by government as intended pursuits – remains unknown.

According to Jagdeo, the US officials “clearly saw something” that made it necessary for the words “government corruption” to be included in the 2018 report.

The Opposition Leader made clear that given the numerous breaches of financial laws, the Procurement Act, etc. – and the many underhand dealings that have been exposed, the APNU+AFC Coalition government is one of “the most corrupt” Guyana has seen.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 6-7 OCTOBER, 2018

Another demonstration of how badly the affairs of the country are addressed by the Granger Administration Dear Editor,

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he GAWU was taken aback after the Union listened to Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder, seeming outburst on the Safe TV 2 Headline News newscast of September 26, 2018 regarding the $30B aimed at securing and revitalizing the operations of the three (3) remaining GuySuCo estates.

The newscast reported that the Minister is clueless about the monies that were borrowed.

The Minister said “…so they have now apparently secured some $30B bond, which GuySuCo management has not seen, which the Minister of Agriculture has not seen, and

frankly speaking don’t really want to see.”. Minister Holder went on saying “…am I don’t understand, I am like you, I can’t understand why you got $30B, pay 4 per cent interest, sit on it and don’t hand it over to who supposed to use it”.

It seems to us that apparently Minister Holder is out of the loop regarding the monies that have been borrowed which are backed by a sovereign Government guarantee and secured by the assets of NICIL – which incidentally belong to the people of Guyana. The Minister’s tirade, as it were, is yet another demonstration of how the affairs of the country are addressed by the Granger Administration. It also, once more, brings into focus the Administration’s more than con-

More evidence of PNC’s party paramountcy ideals Dear Editors,

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visited the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs at Quamina and Thomas streets on the afternoon of Monday 24th September, 2018 to help a high school student conduct research for a school project. The staff of the Ministry was very helpful and we were able to get the information we needed.

As we were leaving the Ministry feeling very satisfied, we saw a bundle of newspapers set on the floor by the entrance to the Ministry. We thought for sure the newspapers were a production of the Ministry or of the Amerindian people and would be great for further research. We asked the Receptionist if we could take a copy, and we were given permission.

It turns out that the newspaper was the New Nation, a production of the PNCR, Congress Place, Sophia. If we needed further evidence that we are running a cake shop, cowboy, third world government, lacking in principle, this is just some more.

The Minister within the Ministry, Valerie Garrido-Lowe, who is described on the Min-

istry’s website as having a long political career spanning the United Force and the AFC, was very much present in the building. While Paramountcy of Party is a product of a PNC mentality, it seems as if the smaller parties in the Coalition have no ability to influence change or they have just fallen into line to enjoy the power trip.

Much like the painting of important buildings in the colours of the ruling party, the presence of partisan political publications in Government Ministries is evidence of a delusional Government out of touch with principles of good governance.

These acts can only occur with the consent of the political leadership and it is a reflection of the anti-democratic state of mind of that class of individuals.

The Ministers in the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs need to account to the Guyanese public for the distribution of PNCR official publications from a publicly funded Ministry.

Yours faithfully, S. Khan

fused approach to the sugar industry generally.

But apart from that, the Minister’s venting is a serious indictment on him and his performance. The GAWU would want to believe that as a responsible leader of our country, entrusted with overseeing one of the largest sectors of the country, he would have sought to get to the bottom of where the borrowed monies were and seek to channel it to the industry which requires it urgently. We saw the new GuySuCo Chairman, Mr John Dow, in the September 27 Guyana Times, being quoted as saying “…you cannot get increases in production without spending money in getting that infrastructure and equipment up to scratch”. But in contrast to the GuySuCo Chairman, the goodly Minister Holder is saying he doesn’t want to see the monies borrowed. We wonder how more incredulous can the Agriculture Minister get.

Minister Holder’s stewardship of sugar and some can say of the entire agricultural industry, has been, by many standards, less than acceptable. The GAWU recalls the Minister’s quick abrogation of responsibility for the sugar industry when the nation learnt, the Granger Administration like thieves in the night, transferred GuySuCo to the auspices of NICIL. It seems that the Minister is least bothered, apparently, by doing the best he can do and has simply resigned himself to escape responsibility as best as he can.

This lethargic approach from a Senior Minister who has such weighty responsibilities is a disservice to our country’s people and is, certainly, no encouragement to a main productive sector of our economy.

Yours faithfully, Seepaul Narine, GAWU General Secretary

Gov’t has money to spent on ‘sports bar’, yet cannot find money to pay severance Dear Editor,

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othing this government does surprises me anymore. They borrowed $30 billion from Republic Bank to allegedly spend on refurbishing the closed estates so as to ready them for sale. This is, perhaps, the largest single domestic borrowing in the history of this country. This decision by itself is quite disconcerting.

Why spend scarce financial resources to refurbish assets that you intend to sell as only the purchaser will benefit from the improvements? In any event, no sensible details were made public in relation to what exactly will be refurbished.

Moreover, $17 billion of this $30 billion dollars was disbursed over two months ago and is lying idle in a NICIL bank account attracting interest at a rate of millions of dollars per month. As far as we are aware, not a cent has been expended for the purpose for which it was borrowed. Republic Bank, the lender, had cause to publicly complain that the monies are being used to liquidate existing liabilities with other commercial banks and not for the purpose for which it was borrowed.

Then, the Minister of Agriculture, under whose responsibility GuySuCo falls, in an uncharacteristic outburst to the press pleaded his genuine ignorance about why this $30 billion was borrowed in the first place and claims that he knows nothing about where it is and for what use it will be put!

As if this is not bizarre enough, we now learn that millions of dollars have been spent in the construction of a modern relaxation and recreation facility at LBI Estate Compound, known as ‘The Estate Lounge’.

So money can be found to build a well-appointed, air-conditioned rum shop for the elitists to wine and dine, but monies cannot be found to pay the 7,000 workers, whose families have been placed on the breadline, their severance pay to which they are lawfully entitled. And this recreational joint is built in the Estate’s compound within the clear sight of the workers and their suffering families who wonder daily from where the next meal will come!

This must be one of the most inconsiderate, insensitive and callous governments ever!

Yours faithfully, Mohabir Anil Nandlall, PPP/C MP

Neglect visible in every area as a result of APNU+AFC failures Dear Editor,

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mmediately after the APNU+AFC won the last general election, we witnessed the country embarking on a massive clean-up exercise. The younger generation particularly, was on the lookout for the return of a green Guyana, more so, Georgetown reclaiming its lost name ‘The Garden City’.

Many stakeholders and ambitious opportunists assisted in whatever way they could.

As allegations of corruption, incompetence, mismanagement etc., started to rise against this present government, the adrenaline slowly seemed to ebb away from those responsible for helping to clean up. Today, we witness the city slowly surrendering itself to its given name ‘The Garbage City’.

In addition, downsizing and unemploy-

ment are increasing, and conflicts could be seen all over, especially amongst the young people trying to make a decent living by vending. One of my favourite spots to hang out is at the various parks around the Stabroek area. Most times, I would purchase my drinks from the vendors and I would sometimes witness clashes between the constables and the vendors. Sometimes you would witness vendors in tears as their items are seized and they are forced to pay an unconscionable fine.

Many constables have a routine and hassle the vendors at least two times a week for bribes.

Noticeable to me and many others, most vendors have a particular spot that they vend on, and that spot is usually maintained by them and would be kept clean throughout the period they sell every day. They would even pay people to clean it further. Why don’t

the authorities reach an agreement with the vendors? The last time I checked, there is a scarcity of jobs and these vendors are only selling water and drinks for a living. Some even have their children with them and not in school.

Editor, visiting the Guyana Zoological Park, and Promenade Gardens, major neglect could be seen at these tourist sites. In the zoo, many cages are empty and a tremendous amount of neglect could be observed. What is comical is that signs are present informing you to look closely for the animals and not to feed them. These signs are visible but the signs to display the details of the animals are mostly unreadable. With the huge amount of wildlife available that are being exported and rescued, the zoo could have been properly populated. There are so many animals

available and many persons do not have knowledge about them. Some people don’t even know the various types of snake around, even the dangerous types that reside around the environs where people live.

There are many interesting facts about the various wildlife available but no one seems interested in investigating and documenting these. These are all jobs that could be created.

The persons doing these jobs but allowing a decline in management/maintenance should be replaced if they don’t have a recovery plan.

There is too much neglect occurring and even though huge amounts of money are being invested, we are not seeing any results, only embarrassment.

Yours faithfully, S. Bates

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WEEKEND MIRROR 6-7 OCTOBER, 2018

Where is the vision to lead our country forward?

Persons in the electoral cycles Dear Editor, Minister Noel Holder’s unbemust be held accountable for Agriculture lievably frank admission of ignorance made in the media on September 26, 2018, may have shocked many “…so they have now any electoral fraud apparently secured some $30 billion bond, Dear Editor,

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lectoral fraud is the illegal interference with the process of an election. It can occur at any stage of the electoral cycle, sometimes even in the pre-electoral stages, where some Governments interfere with the planning process of the elections.

In a narrow election, a small amount of fraud may be enough to change the election results. Even if the outcome is not affected, the revelation of fraud can have a damaging effect if not punished, as it can reduce voters’ confidence in democracy.

At a recent press conference, the General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party, Bharrat Jagdeo, emphasised the importance of strengthening electoral laws to prevent electoral fraud from political parties and GECOM. The deterrence of such practices can be achieved through consistent and effective prosecution. Elections can help despots shore up their grip on power.

Holding flawed polls can enable embattled Governments to secure access to valuable economic resources, like foreign

aid, oil deals etc. While the APNU+AFC Coalition Government appear to be in their death throes, they would use the ballot box to re-establish their political dominance.

That is when democracy is going to be turned into a tool of oppression to satisfy this Government.

As Guyanese, we cannot allow the Government and GECOM to undermine the ideals of democracy and turn elections into empty rituals wherein the Government always win, as was evident before 1992, the PNC era of rigged elections in Guyana.

As the electorate, we must insist that the APNU+AFC Government, the Opposition, and GECOM move immediately to ensure that electoral laws are being strengthened and implemented, so that persons in the electoral cycles must be held accountable for any electoral fraud in Guyana.

The fiasco of Lowenfield’s disappearance recently, the Returning Officers’ disappearance, fake statements of poll etc, must never recur.

Sincerely, Zamal Hussain

Unacceptable behaviour from Bartica Mayor Dear Editor,

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n October 1st 2018, the Mayor of the township of Bartica Gifford Marshall posted on his Facebook page a deliberately edited screenshot WhatsApp status of a young lady with a caption on same spreading hate and racism which caused the young lady's image to be tarnished.

This was very distasteful for a leader of the community to manipulate someone’s Facebook in order to incite racism. All Barticians and Guyanese should condemn this.

On Monday October 1st 2018, Mayor Gifford Marshall published an article in the Guyana Chronicle newspapers which said "Bartica Mayor rejects Jagdeo tirades" after which members and supporters of the People's Progressive Party Civic went on social media, specifically Facebook, and shared pictures and videos displaying the warm welcome and love which was shown to the Opposition Leader by all races. One of those pictures the young woman in question posted on her WhatsApp status, which the Mayor subsequently screenshot from her WhatsApp and added in a racial line.

The APNU camp were clearly shaken up by this demonstration of love by the people of Bartica for the Opposition Leader, and thus Mr. Mayor went on social media venting, accusing Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo of inciting racism by saying "us versus them".

My question is how was the Opposition Leader inciting racial division when he was comparing Guyana ECONOMIC situation from the time of the PPP/C government and now under the APNUAFC govern-

ment? Mr. Jagdeo never said us versus them; he pointed out cold hard facts of how the APNUAFC government is damaging the country, the economy by bad polices that are hurting the people and the country and in contrast pointed out what the PPP/C had done in the economy and social programmes to better the lives of the people.

The Mayor could not refute these facts and he and his colleagues in the APNU became fearful of the PPP/C being victorious at this upcoming LGE. Mr. Mayor was totally out of order for publicizing a screenshot status which included the young lady's name and image on his Facebook page which he edited and inserted words she never used. He then watched as his cronies bashed her and the PPP/C mercilessly on race.

We recognise that in their desperation all the PNC/APNU/AFC has left is race to call on.

We in Bartica will not allow these calls to race to divide us; we want a better Town Council that will consult and represent the interests and needs of the Barticians.

After three years of the APNU+AFC controlled government, RDC and Town Council, and unfulfilled promises, we know only the PPP/C can offer us improvement and a better life.

Sincerely, Tamana Thomas, Young businesswoman, Member of the People's Progressive Party and the Progressive Youth Organization, Bartica

which the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) management has not seen, which the Agriculture Minister has not seen, and frankly speaking doesn’t really want to see,” but not those who have been paying attention to the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) maladministration of our country.

Editor, our nation expends enormous amounts of money and energy to elect an Executive President and his/her Administration; in 2015 we elected Head of State David Granger to serve in this Executive capacity, his first act was to establish a Ministry of the Presidency to handle all the Executive parts of his job. Granger undertook no sector of our economy, social aspect of life or other area as his personal responsibility, he created new Vice Presidents, new Ministries, new Ministers within old Ministries, new departments and chose to chair Cabinet without holding any portfolio.

President Granger has effectively assigned himself the role of ‘ceremonial President”; he had tea with the Queen of England, attends heads of anything conferences and of late, is available to cut ribbons locally.

The Head of State also held his third annual press conference where it emerged that he had not read the ExxonMobil Production Sharing Agreement contract as of August 2018, he was “awaiting a briefing next month” – the single most important document to ever affect our nation since independence in 1966 and our President had not read it.

Quo Vadis?

Editor, the old adage of ‘actions have consequences’ is being borne out three years plus into this maladministration. Ministers ig-

norant of critical matters under their portfolio is the new norm; the action of hiring a crony to a top position and then hiring an expert to do the crony’s job has now duplicated itself at many Ministries and departments, most recently in the Department of Energy. How much longer can we, the taxpayers, carry this as our burden? This type of bureaucracy come with a hefty price tag, over 60 billion in new revenue collected by the GRA per annum and yet we cannot pay our teachers a much deserved increase in salary or our hard working GuySuCo employees their lawful severance.

Editor, President Granger’s only meaningful actions have been his unilateral appointment of a chair for GECOM; his signing of the Cybercrime Bill of 2018 with clause 18.1 intact into law; his selective, costly and mostly unnecessary Commission of Inquiries (CoI); his refusal to hold a necessary CoI into the mysterious operation that led to the death of Guyana Defence Force Officer Pyle, as he chased People’s Progressive Party MP Charles Ramson Jr’s terrified wife through the streets of Georgetown and his policy suggestion that the ‘Carter Formula’ has outlived its usefulness and calling it a “recipe for disaster” – all of these actions point to a care for retention of political power.

Editor, I must ask where is the vision to lead our country forward? Where are the policy documents, statements, speeches, indications?

When asked about plans for GuySuCo, Minister Holder referred to a State paper presented in Parliament. Editor, this paper is long on rhetoric and bereft of detail, sadly it is a characteristic of all APNU/AFC Ministries and departments. This is no way to run a country.

For I would much rather ‘Quo Vadis’ apply to comrade Granger than to our dear land of Guyana.

Respectfully, Robin Singh

More evidence of ‘facilitated’ fuel smuggling Dear Editor,

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he Mabaruma residents of Region 1 (Barima-Waini) claim that they do need to know who really is in charge of Morowhanna, which has become a hotspot for lawlessness.

They are claiming that even the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Coast Guards are engaged in fuel smuggling.

My understanding is that the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) took over the management of Morowhanna from a private citizen and promised to install pure water systems electricity and build mechanisms to control flooding.

The GRA has failed miserably in this regard even to provide transportation for schoolchildren as they have promised.

The GDF Coast Guards are engaged in the smuggling of fuel at Morowhanna.

On 24th September, 2018, I saw this

myself as a fast moving speedboat drove past the Morowhanna check point for the collection of duties and headed for Kumaka.

The fast moving boat with GDF Coast Guards had about seven big drums of smuggled fuel, which moored at the stelling of a popular businessman at 17:30 hrs on Monday 24th September, 2018.

It was brought to my attention also that the GDF Coast Guards without the permission of the Smith Creek Toshao and Council entered the community to be with the wives of Amerindian men when they are not at home.

Mabaruma residents are appealing for the intervention of President David Granger and the Commissioner-General of the GRA at Morowhanna so that the current lawlessness can be put to an end.

Sincerely, Peter Persaud

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WEEKEND MIRROR 6-7 OCTOBER, 2018

City Hall CoI revelations merely the tip of the iceberg Dear Editor,

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he recent hubbub that has surfaced about the contentious leasing of a Sussex Street Wharf by the Town Clerk to a shipping company whilst the municipality is not the bona fide owner of that property speaks to the exploitation, duplicity and bullyism that occurs on a daily basis at City Hall and is the mere tip of the Iceberg of many such improprieties that exist within that institution.

Remember the parking meter fiasco when the Town Clerk handed over streets in the City, that did not belong to the municipality but rather to the Ministry of Public Infrastructure to the parking meter company, had parking meter spaces marked out, meters planted and were illegally collecting fees from motorists until that scandalous initiative was halted? Remember they had parking spaces marked out less than 15 feet from the corner and in other places where the traffic laws did not permit.

But this waterfront area is not the only one that should be investigated, checks should be made on the area aback of the City Constabulary Training School (formerly the House Service Department) on Water Street, that the City Council did not officially approve being farmed out to anyone and the wharf that upper Robb Street runs into.

The reserve lands that run alongside the

Lamaha Canal behind the residences located on Jacaranda and Lama Avenues in Bel Air Park which belong to the Guyana Water Inc and not the municipality is another classic example of illegal squatting facilitated by the Council who did not only give them permission to carry back their rear fences all the way to the canal taking in acres of land and making it part of their private estates, but the Council allowed them to put up buildings, put down swimming pools, tennis courts and other structures illegally.

One can only hope that with these revelations of land grabbing, of illegal seizure and distribution and misrepresentation of true ownership and control would cause an investigation to be launched into the tract of land that runs contiguous to Aubrey Barker Road and some places is to the south of Nelson Mandela Road which is a designated open space which has been farmed out by the Council unlawfully in many instances to friends and relatives of office holders of the Council.

Attention should also be paid to the plot of reserve land located on the South-eastern side of Francois and Sheriff Streets for which the owner of a party services company is being courted by a prominent member of Council for the illegitimate transfer of same.

Sincerely, S. Singh

Bartica Mayor attempted to defend the indefensible Dear Editor,

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live in Bartica and l attended the PPP/C public meeting along with hundreds of fellow Barticians on Saturday September 29th.

I listened to the General Secretary and Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, as he explained what is going on in the economy, why the major sectors such as gold, forestry, construction, sugar, rice and bauxite are on the decline and what is responsible for this- bad anti-people policies of the APNUAFC government, 200 new tax measures strangling people and business, incompetence of the President and his government to act in the people’s and nation’s interest.

All of this spoke to us Barticians. We are a town dependent on the fortunes of mining and forestry. Jobs have disappeared from a township that three years ago was moving forward and progressing. If one comes to Bartica you will see the number of half completed buildings, empty modern buildings that businessmen invested in 3-4 years ago under the PPP/C government as there was hope and optimism that the economy was expanding and there were more jobs for people.

Mr. Mayor in the October 1, 2018 Guyana Chronicle tried his utmost to defend his and his government’s miserable record.

Although he was upset about the GS calling the President “useless” the Mayor avoided answering any of the instances Mr. Jagdeo gave to support his opinion- such as the treatment of the sugar sector and sugar workers, the teachers’ demand for a salary increase, the $30 Billion loan, the Exxon Agreement etc.,. The Mayor’s response could only try rekindle fears of the “Bartica massacre” to frighten people.

Marshall put his foot in his mouth when

boasted “that the new Transport and Harbours facility which is almost completed, will offer a state-of-the-art port of entry into Bartica….Jagdeo arrived at this very facility and walked comfortably to his vehicle parked on the wharf. Before 2015, he would have had to hop, skip and jump.”. Really Mr. Mayor there were over 40 people who saw Jagdeo and the PPP/C delegation come off the boat at the old and original wharf. The state of the art facility has not even started being built and has already cost the taxpayers millions of dollars.

So too the Boulevard and 2 recreational parks under his tenure costing over $100M, while the roads in the township are in deplorable condition and there are no jobs. Just like the chicken farm in Agatash, a Community Development Project requested and approved under the PPP/C government and taken over by the PNC/APNUAFC town councilor and chairman of the Agatash Community Council where millions have been spent and not one chicken in the pens. Just like the bus for the Agatash school children given to the community under the PPP/C government and without notice or consultation the RDC after it took office took it away from the community. The Agatash children have long distances to traverse every day to come out for school on a bad road costing their parents money which is in very short supply.

Marshall is so ashamed of the APNUAFC cabal’s track record he cannot defend these cases of an uncaring, wasteful and incompetent administration. All he has left is to attack the GS of the PPP/C but the Barticians know that Jagdeo spoke the truth.

Sincerely Ewrin Ward

If GECOM has silently given approval to these fraudulent lists, what can we expect during the electoral process?

Dear Editor,

I

n March this year, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) made an incredibly bold and outlandish statement in a vain attempt to remove the fear and dishonesty which is inherent in the People’s National Congress (PNC)-run elections from the minds of the Guyanese people, especially the voting population. A Department of Public Information release had stated that GECOM has as one of its priorities the “tightening up on the slippage that would cause the elections process” to be perceived as flawed in the past.

This past is still fresh in the minds of the Guyanese populace and the fear still relevant since the fake Statements of Poll of the 2015 General Election are yet to be determined.

Many Guyanese can vividly recall the blatant and barefaced rigging of the General Elections under the PNC from 1968 to 1985.

These rigged elections were in 1968, 1973, 1980 and 1985 and there was the massively rigged Referendum in 1978, all of which bear testimony to the innate ability of the PNC to hold fraudulent elections fully backed by GECOM. In addition, the ascension of retired Justice

Patterson to the chairmanship of GECOM is also done by a ‘rigged process’; likewise the employment discrimination of the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of GECOM which can be seen as a further step to set the stage for the rigging of elections in this country. Let us now look at the electoral process leading to the Local Government Elections (LGE) to be held on November 12.

There has been evidence surfacing in many People’s Progressive Party supported areas of fraudulent activities by the Alliance For Change (AFC) and the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and this is not about gerrymandering, it is the use of faked and forged signatures to support the nominations of their candidates.

It was reported that areas affected were Crabwood Creek, Corriverton, Fifty One Good Hope, Whim, Bloomfield, Number 63, Berbice; and La Grange, La Jalousie and Canal Polder, West Bank Demerara. Some blatant cases occurred at Number 51/Good Hope and Whim Village – the birth place of Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo. At Whim Village 51 persons disputed that they signed the backers list and swore to affidavits attesting that fact. At Number 51/Good Hope,

18 persons claimed they never signed the AFC’s backers list, nine persons lived abroad, one woman is dead and one could not read and write but yet purportedly signed the list, affidavits were also signed to that effect. In Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) alone, 151 disputed persons’ names appeared on various backers’ lists. What is supposed to be GECOM’s role in the above scenario?

Should GECOM allow these candidates who were fraudulently backed to contest the LGE in their constituencies?

Instead of GECOM decisively addressing the case of the fraudulent lists a farcical comedy played out. The CEO, Keith Lowenfield, had stated that once affidavits for each individual was produced, the fraudulent ‘errors’ will be corrected.

However, the DECO, Roxanne Myers, had issued instructions to the Returning Officers that the persons should bring the affidavits in person, contrary to the original statement that the leader or deputy leader of the List can submit the sworn affidavits. It was claimed that the CEO never passed on this instruction in writing to the Returning Officers. Conveniently, at the 11th hour, the CEO went missing in action! Is this not a

clear indication that GECOM is not acting in the best interest of the electorate but in the interest of the ruling party?

It was only last Monday that Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo revealed there were already several instances of electoral fraud for the 2018 LGE and he cited that as many as 42 out of 80 Local Authority Areas were affected by these fraudulent backers’ lists.

It is imperative to note that the Carter Centre Election Report had recommended that Government must continue to strengthen the professionalism and independence of GECOM to ensure the integrity of the electoral process. Unfortunately, from what has transpired and the fact that the coalition Government has remained deafeningly silent, is a clear indication that this recommendation has been aborted like so many others and will never see the light of day.

A final question: If GECOM has silently given approval to these fraudulent lists, what can we expect during the electoral process?

The LGE electoral process is already ‘perceived as flawed’ Chairman!

Yours sincerely, H. Yusuf

7

WEEKEND MIRROR 6-7 OCTOBER, 2018

More questions about Sittlington’s role at SOCU, positions taken by British High Commissioner Dear Editor,

M

y attention was drawn to an article published in the Stabroek News, October 3, 2018, headlined “Too much time being wasted on prepping criminal case files- -SOCU adviser tells investigators, prosecutors.” This article followed an earlier article in Kaieteur News on August 15, 2018 entitled “UK getting “value for money” in SOCU’s operation – British envoy’.

The recent report stated that the “Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) adviser Dr. Sam Sittlington yesterday told investigators and prosecutors that too much time is being wasted on preparing criminal case files, which fail to hold up in court.” Rather an odd statement to make, one would think.

What was the gravamen here?

Dr. Sittlington expanded by saying that “…..we see a lot of cases getting to court and failing at court. We’ve seen failings when the file would go to the DPP [Director of Public Prosecutions]. We don’t want files to come back to us with amendments and corrections. We want one file, one time, going to the DPP and that file being referred to charges. It’s a lot of time wasting and we don’t need that.” Was Dr. Sittlington saying that too much time was being wasted on preparing criminal cases or was it that time was being wasted when cases failed to hold up in court?

One would assume that thoroughly and well prepared cases backed with solid evidence, even if it took time to do so, was preferable instead of hastily putting politically directed charges against PPP/C leaders and former Cabinet members as those laid against former Minister of Finance Dr. Ashni Singh and Winston Brassington, SOCU has been given “a basket full of holes to fetch water.” But Sittlington is ploughing on with an agenda only few seem to know while ensuring that his resume looks good. He

certainly feels obliged to provide some rationale to explain his failure to bring 30 “good cases” against former Cabinet members that he publicly announced would be brought over a year ago.

One would have thought that Sittlington would have instead of playing the blame game, he would ensure that law enforcement agencies/officers were upholding the rule of law and do proper investigations based on evidence in order to make winnable cases.

He no doubt is aware that the present rushed and poorly prepared cases are being directed by a political agenda, and in any democratic

Is he privy to matters that are considered outside of the remit of a foreign diplomat in Guyana’s internal affairs? Worse yet what is the role of a foreign diplomat in SOCU, an investigative arm, which falls under the Guyana Police Force? I am doubtful if the previous Commissioner of Police or maybe even the new one is as informed as the High Commissioner on the number of “good” cases being brought. I wonder whether the Minister of Foreign Affairs is comfortable with these statements by a foreign diplomat on internal matters of the state. nation, this would be considered reckless and a threat to human rights. Certainly the fall out would be to undermine public confidence in the Guyanese civilian law enforcement agencies.

Furthermore, was Dr. Sittlington expressing some dissatisfaction with the Office of the DPP? Or worse yet was he sending a dog whistle to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions , a constitutional body, that it should not make amendments and corrections once S.O.C.U or other law enforcement agencies brought their criminal cases to it? Even more disturbing was Dr. Sittlington also signaling to the judiciary, another constitutional body, some dissatisfaction with the number of cases which are failing in the courts?

SOCU has to make a serious attempt to fulfill its important mandate Dear Editor,

I

was amused to hear British High Commissioner to Guyana. Mr. Greg Quinn speaking about training to ‘improve’ the quality of DPP prosecutions.

Mr. Quinn and the UK’s paid advisor to the Special Organized Crime Unit of the GPF, Sam Sittlington, have actively participated in the perversion of SOCU’s mandate to assist the Financial Intelligence Unit in seeking out money launderers, drug dealers and unexplainable

Just as worrying is that these comments by the SOCU adviser, appear to be in direct contradiction with what the British High Commissioner , H.E. Quinn, is reported to have said in the August 15th Kaieteur News article. The High Commissioner is quoted as saying, “That sort of investigative side, I think is working well…but then the next step, which is not one that we [UK] are involved in. The next step is out of our control in many ways. All SOCU can do is put forward good cases that can be looked at and considered for prosecution,” he noted. The cases now being put forward by SOCU are “good”, “so SOCU is doing its job,” said the High Commissioner.”

So which one is it Dr. Sittlington – “good cases being put forward “or “too much time being wasted on prepping criminal cases which fail to hold up in the courts”? You cannot have it both ways.

With regard to the earlier statement by the High Commissioner, one has to wonder.

How would a foreign diplomat know whether the cases being put forward as he says are “good” or not? How is he classifying “good

wealth in our society Sittlington was caught actively participating in SOCU operations in March 2017 that targeted members of the political opposition.

Following the first day of that operation, High Commissioner Quinn and members of his staff joined Minister of National Security , Hon. Khemraj Ramjattan, SOCU officials and Sittlington at the Oasis Café for ‘celebratory’ drinks on March 9, 2017.

Now, as those thinly disguised fabricated charges are failing for lack of evidence, the UK

cases”? Generally such a reference to a “good” case means that they are winnable in a court of law; how would the High Commissioner know that?

Is he privy to matters that are considered outside of the remit of a foreign diplomat in Guyana’s internal affairs? Worse yet what is the role of a foreign diplomat in SOCU, an investigative arm, which falls under the Guyana Police Force? I am doubtful if the previous Commissioner of Police or maybe even the new one is as informed as the High Commissioner on the number of “good” cases being brought. I wonder whether the Minister of Foreign Affairs is comfortable with these statements by a foreign diplomat on internal matters of the state.

Furthermore, having submitted all informen are claiming that lack of training coupled with poor and ineffective coordination among state agencies are responsible for those failures.

The participants (and our nation) at the State Assets Recovery and Anti-Money Laundering training exercise, at the Police Officer’s Training Academy on October 2 would have been better served by advice to base charges on evidence and not directions of local or foreign political powers.

The discerning public knows well of the UK’s history of harmful interference in Guyana’s internal affairs and has not failed to notice that SOCU’S “Pradoville 2” investigation is used as a convenient distraction whenever APNU+AFC bungles, be it in a parking lot in Providence or contract negotiations in Texas.

Organizations such as SOCU form an important part of Guyana’s fight against corruption and money laundering, High Commissioner Quinn’s close involvement and assistance by way of continued support of Sittlington have

mation, including the Public Procurement Commission report on its findings on the award of contract for the New Demerara Harbour Bridge as well as my official statement to the S.O.C.U., it would be interesting to know if this will be classified as good case. l am patiently waiting to see what happens next.

At least one of the purposes of the High Commissioner’s August press conference was to blow the UK’s proverbial government’s trumpet of “getting value for money as it relates to the operation of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), under the guidance of Financial Investigations Advisor, Dr. Sam Sittlington.” One wonders, however, what were the criteria used to come up with that conclusion. Is there some target set for the number of cases to be brought as part of the conditions for the UK’s funding?

Neither the public nor the National Assembly know how much of the UK taxpayers money is being expended by either the UK government or the High Commission on the provision of Dr. Sittlington’s services to the S.O.C.U, nor do we know what are his terms of reference. What l have heard is that he is being paid an exorbitant salary, no exaggeration.

Again the Guyanese people are none the wiser with regard to the fate of the Security Sector Reform report which was prepared by another British Adviser on Security, Russell Combe, and submitted to the government since May 2018. Yet the High Commissioner stated on October 2, 2018 that that course “is part of the latest round of training for Guyanese law enforcement, which is part of the broader support from the United Kingdom for the security sector reform”.

Isn’t it time that we learn from the Guyanese heads of law enforcement agencies as to what is taking place than these snippets from foreign advisers or diplomats?

Isn’t it more important for the Guyanese public to have some sense of confidence in the SOCU< an investigative body, and in fact, all civilian law enforcement agencies, as being professional and free from political interference, whether internal or external to our borders?

Regards, Gail Teixeira, M.P., Parliamentary Opposition Chief Whip Chairperson of the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Foreign Relations diluted its effectiveness and public confidence in its integrity.

SOCU has an enormous budget, with a large staffing component; hundreds of millions of taxpayers’ dollars have been spent to pursue political persecutions. SOCU is yet to secure a criminal or other conviction to justify this level of funding.

Sam Sittlington now sits in back rooms and heavily tinted vehicles during SOCU operations, and can now claim he is only an ‘advisor’. The beleaguered agency must shake off this malodorous foreign infection and make a serious attempt to fulfill its important mandate and regain respect and integrity lost.

The ‘massas’ have already declared them (SOCU) a failure. Who in the agency will find the courage to lead the reform and plot a pathway to success?

Respectfully, R. Singh

STRAIGHT TALK 8

WEEKEND MIRROR 6-7 OCTOBER, 2018

(These views were made public on November 19, 1985, before an election scheduled for December 9, 1985. 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.)

Without democracy there can be no progress

By Dr. Cheddi Jagan

O

n December 9, you will be exercising your right to vote – a right which was won for you by the PPP in the early 1950s.

One of the first battles we fought was for the right of every Guyanese to vote.

Universal adult suffrage was and is for us a fundamental question. Without that, there can be no democracy. And without democracy, there can be no progress.

The right to vote should permit you to elect the government of your choice. But

for some time now it has been seriously imperilled and has resulted in a skewed, truncated system, what some call an administrative dictatorship. Consequently, you are excluded from meaningful involvement in the process of decision-making and nation-building.

Lack of democracy has taken its toll. Coupled with incorrect economic planning strategy, wrong priorities, political and racial discrimination, extravagance end corruption, it has put a brake, on production and productivity.

That’s why production of our main exports is stagnating even below levels reached two decades ago.

With real people’s democracy, our country would have been producing about three times what is being done now. That would have given the government more money, and so enable it to pay decent wages and salaries, maintain subsidies and improve social services.

Increased exports would have earned more foreign currency to import goods for production and consumption,

including wheaten flour, split peas, and so on.

And the small man would have become the real man, and the nation would have been fed, clothed and housed as the PNC had proclaimed in 1972. Indeed, our country would have become the Caribbean bread-basket and showpiece.

Therefore, we must struggle for democracy. It will not come as a gift. At the social level, we must fight for the genuine organisations of the people to be recognised and respected by the state; at the industrial level, for bona-fide trade unions to have a real voice in management and decision-making; and at the political level, for representative national, regional, district and municipal governments. Local elections, overdue since 1970, were probably not held now because they would have necessitated counting at the place of poll, and this would have applied also for the regional and national elections.

We make no apologies for calling on you to engage in all peaceful forms

of struggle for free and fair elections and a political solution. The constitution guarantees peaceful methods such as strikes, demonstrations, marches, vigils and picketing. Those who distort our call for such methods of struggle as advocacy of violence seem bent on army intervention, hijacking of, and tampering with, ballot boxes.

So far, you, fellow Guyanese, have scored a partial victory. You have got postal voting abolished and overseas and proxy voting restricted. You have to continue your fight for an independent election machinery, non-involvement of the army, clean voters’ lists and counting of the ballots at the place of poll.

President Hoyte has said that opposition parties’ agents would be allowed to accompany the ballot boxes.

This must be fulfilled in a meaningful way. We must be able to keep our eyes constantly on the ballot boxes from the beginning of voting to the beginning of counting.

We must fight for this because in the past leading PPP members like Ram Karran, Isahak Basir, Gail Teixeira and others had been prevented at gun point from accompanying and observing the ballot boxes. There was no question of shortage of personnel to accompany the boxes.

The PPP is committed to free and fair elections, democracy and a plural political system. We feel that these must be coupled with a socialist-oriented programme and a broad-based National Patriotic Front Government of all left and democratic forces.

To achieve development, racial and cultural cohesion and national defence, such a government is absolutely necessary. Further, we say, give the genuine organisations of workers, farmers, businessmen, professional

and religious people a voice in parliament.

This is in line with the PPP’s democratic tradition, its national-patriotic position and winner-does-not-take-all politics. Often, we have stated, that even though we can win a free and fair election, we alone will not form the government; we will include other progressive forces.

In the early 1960’s, we had offered the PNC half of the government. If they had accepted, you won’t be experiencing hardships and difficulties now.

Again an opportunity came to the PNC in 197677 when the economy was going into a serious crisis.

But, instead of heeding the call of the TUC and others for a broad-based government and implementing the very favourable agreement made in April 1978 with the Soviet Union, it postponed the elections and embraced the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

We warned them against the IMF. But they praised it and rammed down your throats its prescriptions.

The IMF medicine has been bitter for you and our nation. You have been brought to a point of desperation through IMF impositions — devaluation, wage freeze and wage restraint, dismissals, cuts in social services, removal of price controls, removal of subsidies on food, cuts in imports leading to shortages, and black-market prices.

Incidentally, had the Guyana-Soviet agreement been implemented, the 1,700 bauxite workers, nearly a third of the work force, would probably not have been dismissed.

Our country has also been bankrupted, the good name of our nation sullied, and our people insulted and humiliated wherever they go.

Our warnings have proved correct. By 1982,

even the PNC became critical of the IMF. Its new prescriptions, including a 66 to 100 percent devaluation, were described by the late President Burnham as “a recipe to riot”.

But now, the dominant conservative section of the PNC sees a new deal with the IMF as the only way to maintain positions and privileges. This new deal is likely to mean another devaluation of our dollar by about 25 per cent. How are you going to exist with such a devaluation in the face of a miserly wage increase of 4 percent or 5 percent.

All Guyanese want a change. The present hybrid system of bureaucratic-state and parasitic capitalism, which is masquerading as socialism, has proven a failure.

But what the IMF, the imperialists and their local agents want is even worse.

Look at Latin America.

There, the free enterprise, dependent/distorted system of capitalism led to a sea of problems for the people and to revolutionary upheavals, as in Cuba and Nicaragua in the past, and in El Salvador today.

Jamaica is a good example of the bankruptcy of this type of capitalism.

A rapid decline in living standards led to spontaneous demonstrations, riots and barricades; eleven persons were killed by the Jamaican military in February this year.

Yes, we must have change, but not just any change. We want to get out of the PNC frying pan, but not to fall into the imperialist/ rightist fire.

Guyana needs real, meaningful change: change to the left, in a democratic and socialist oriented direction, as in some non-aligned countries. This is the only way forward. This is the PPP way to real peace and social progress.

On December 9, vote PPP. Vote for the Cup.

9

WEEKEND MIRROR 6-7 OCTOBER, 2018

Actions of Bartica Mayor ‘mobilise ethnic insecurities’, ERC called on to investigate

A

cting on behalf of the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C), Opposition Chief Whip and PPP Executive Member, Gail Teixeira, has written to the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) calling for an urgent investigation of a matter involving Bartica Mayor, Gifford Marshall.

The letter said, “I am calling on the ERC to urgently investigate this matter and to act with alacrity in order to stem any such future efforts to sow racial and ethnic insecurities especially at this time of the 2018 Local Government Elections.

“Furthermore, I wish to call on the Commission to take an active role, as provided for under the Constitution, to monitor the Local Government Elections throughout the campaign period, including Election day November 12th and its aftermath, to ensure that efforts to incite racism and racial violence are exposed and stopped speedily by the Commission.”

The letter came after a social media post

by Marshall that was meant to “mislead and mobilise ethnic insecurities,” according to the PPP/C complaint to the ERC. BELOW IS THE FULL LETTER: Chairman, Ethnic Relations Commission, Peter Rose and Anira Streets, Queenstown Georgetown Guyana October 3, 2018 Formal Complaint Dear Sir, On September 29-30th, 2018 the Leader of the Opposition and General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party, Hon. Bharrat Jagdeo, former President, visited Bartica to launch the PPP/C Bartica Election Team for the November 12th Local Government Elections. He was accompanied by Members of Parliament and Executive Committee members of the People’s Progressive Party, Mrs. Pauline Campbell-Sukhai and yours truly, Gail Teixeira.

On arrival he did a walk about in the Bartica township where he was warmly welcomed by people of all races and all walks of life, and, on that same evening the PPP/C held a public meeting which was attended by hundreds of people. There are photographs and videos taken of these events which can be produced.

On Monday October 1st 2018, Mayor Gifford Marshall published an article in the Guyana Chronicle newspapers which was entitled "Bartica Mayor rejects Jagdeo tirades" after which members and supporters of the People's Progressive Party/ Civic went on social media, specifically Facebook, and shared pictures and videos displaying the warm welcome which was shown to the Opposition Leader by all races.

One of those pictures a young woman, named Tyra Ketwaroo, posted on her WhatsApp in her response to what the Mayor had said in the article. The photograph was one taken at the Dagg Point Heritage Village Celebration on Sunday September 30th when Mr. Jagdeo was walking around and greeting the crowd. Just before that photograph was taken others were also taken which included those when he greeted Mayor Marshall and former Chairman of the Regional Democratic Council for Region 7, Mr. Knights, who were attending the same event.

On the same day, October 1st 2018, the said Mayor, Mr. Gifford Marshall posted on his Facebook page "Mayor Gifford: 2018" a deliberately edited screenshot version of the WhatsApp status of this young lady with an inclusion of a caption on same spreading hate and racism. The caption read “LMAO WALK PAST THEM LIKE A BOSS WHEN YOU BLACK YOU GOTTA STAY AT THE BACK”.

The Mayor in both the Chronicle article and on the social media attacked Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo stating that he incited racism by referring to "us versus them".

In fact, the Opposition Leader never spoke of “us versus them”. He spent time in his speech at the public meeting on the Saturday evening providing hard core facts comparing the economic situation in the country under the PPP/C administration versus what pertains today under the present APNUAFC Coalition government. He spoke of the incompetence of the government and bad policies that hurt the people, especially the poor, and the nation.

He also spoke about when the PPP/C got back into power in 2020 what would be APNUAFC policies and programmes it would have to change in order to quickly reverse the downward trend of Guyana. There is video footage of Dr. Jagdeo’s speech and of all the speakers at that public meeting, and, at no point was

any racial comment made nor any reference to “us versus them”.

The Mayor’s calculated posting was meant to mislead and mobilise ethnic insecurities. This reckless and irresponsible posting then created frenetic activity on the social media by his supporters attacking the young woman and anyone who attempted to defend her, and Mr. Jagdeo and the PPP. When he was contacted by the young lady on the night of October 1st, he asked that she call him back the next day. When she made contact with him once more he then said he would ask his supporters to discontinue. At the time of writing this letter the damage created by the Mayor has been done. He has not retracted what he did.

This action by the Mayor to manipulate this young woman’s post in order to mobilize his supporters and misled people in order to incite racial and ethnic insecurities against Mr. Jagdeo and the PPP/C and its supporters and to deliberately sow discord is reprehensible.

I believe the Mayor has committed several offenses under the Guyana Constitution on the fundamental rights of freedom of speech and association, the Cybercrime Act and the Racial Hostility Act. I am, therefore, calling on the Ethnic Relations Commission to urgently investigate this matter and to act with alacrity in order to stem any such future efforts to sow racial and ethnic insecurities especially at this time of the 2018 Local Government Elections.

Furthermore, I wish to call on the Commission to take an active role, as provided for under the Constitution, to monitor the Local Government Elections throughout the campaign period, including Election day November 12th and its aftermath, to ensure that efforts to incite racism and racial violence are exposed and stopped speedily by the Commission.

Sincerely yours, Gail Teixeira, M.P.,

Pricewaterhouse Coopers' valuation for closed sugar estates should be made public – Jagdeo D

espite being handed a two-year ban last week for allegedly overstating the earnings and assets of Indian software company Satyam Computer Services, the international audit firm Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) commenced the process of evaluating the assets of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) in

January 2018.

To date, the valuation report remains secret. And Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, during his Thursday (October 4, 2018) news conference, called for the document to be made public.

In 2017, under the National Industrial & Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), the APNU+AFC

Coalition Government set up a Special Purposes Unit (SPU) to oversee the divestment of assets owned by the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).

The divestment (sell-off) of GuySuCo assets was intended to be guided by the Pricewaterhouse Coopers valuation report.

“Where is the valuation?

Why don’t they release it?

They promised that there would be no privatisation of any estate until valuation done,” Jagdeo said.

The Opposition Leader also questioned the involvement of Pricewaterhouse Coopers in doing more than just a valuation. He said, “We have also heard that Pricewaterhouse Coopers

has been meeting with investors…they seems to be leading the process now… we don’t know what is being told to the investors.

Jagdeo also questioned if the SPU has ‘gone rogue’ yet again – as it did when it named a new Board of Directors for GuySuCo, without the approval of Cabinet.

He said, “We don’t know

what assurances are being given by Pricewaterhouse Coopers and the SPU and if those assurances are agreed to by the Cabinet….is the SPU running off on a tangent again?”

It is unclear if and when a completed Pricewaterhouse Coopers valuation report was submitted and considered by Cabinet.

10

WEEKEND MIRROR 6-7 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 Thursday (October 4, 2018), ranging from the recent interview given by President David Granger to the latest failures of the APNU+AFC Coalition Government.

Granger ‘may very well’ be behind impasse between his gov’t, GTU

P

resident David Granger could be subverting the ongoing arbitration issue between the Guyana Teacher’s Union (GTU) and the Labour Department causing it to remain at a standstill. This was the view of Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, when asked by the media if this was a possibility.

At his Thursday (October 4, 2018) news conference, he noted that it was Granger who initited the establishment of a High Level Task Force, but later rejected its report after the Task Force agreed with the majority of the Union’s demands. According to Jagdeo, the report was taken back to the President who found that it was not acceptable. As such, he proffered the view that Granger

“They (the GTU) went back in good faith, only now to be faced again with unilateral actions on the part of Government and it seems as though the Government is encouraging, baiting the teachers with their language, threatening them to lock people up etc. It’s like they want a confrontation with the teachers and then the Minister will go around at some schools and try to get the parents to blame the teacher’s again. But I hope that the parents are looking on.”

– Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo might be behind the entire impasse. “The President promised a Task Force of senior Government officials and then they come back to the President and he says that the report is not acceptable…he (President) may very well be behind this,” Jagdeo said.

Jagdeo added that he had pleaded with the President to get directly involved to address the impasse between his Government’s Ministry of Ed-

ucation and Department of Labour and the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) – more so since the situation is now at a “frustrating” point – to no avail.

He said, “I pleaded with the President to get involved directly, people weren’t happy when I said that he should do something about the mouth of Keith Scott, but really I was just expressing a similar frustration that the teachers are experiencing.

Little movement of trade, seizure of bus used to transport school children among concerns from Region 7

T

he APNU+AFC Coalition Government seems permanently lost in its own rhetoric, according to Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo.

During his Thursday (October 4, 2018) news conference, he noted that his recent visit to Bartica and nearby communities saw several concerns being raised by residents.

Among the concerns in Bartica, according to him, are no investments, loss of jobs and sloth in the economy. Jagdeo pointed out that retail trade, which was heightened on Saturdays, have now been downscaled.

“There is very little movement of trade,” he said.

He added, “…I spoke to miners, they complained about the promises that were made and broken.”

In Agatash, Jagdeo charged that residents complained about the seizure of a minibus that was given to the community by the former People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration to assist in transporting children to school.

Value for money, he stated, is another major issue. “They complained that nearly $5M was spent on a chicken farm project, which has huge problems with ac-

countability,” he said.

Jagdeo also disclosed that there were complaints about delayed holding of elections for members of the Community Development Councils (CDCs). “There seems to be a pattern, in some areas where it seems like there is a pro-PPP orientation there is a rush to hold re-elections; whereas in others, the elections are delayed,” he said.

The Opposition Leader charged that across the country, similar situations are replicated – Guyanese have serious concerns, but the Coalition Government remains unresponsive.

“They (the GTU) went back in good faith, only now to be faced again with unilateral actions on the part of Government and it seems as though the Government is encouraging, baiting the teachers with their language, threatening them to lock people up etc.

It’s like they want a confrontation with the teachers and then the Minister will go around at some schools and try to get the parents to blame the teacher’s again.

But I hope that the parents are looking on.”

Meanwhile, GTU’s President Mark Lyte on Wednesday (October 3, 2018) called on its members to be on standby as it gears for another round of strike action; this time on a larger scale if the arbitration process does

not pull through. This decision came following many failed talks between the Union and Labour Department, the most recent being Government’s move to unilaterally appoint as Chairman of the arbitration panel, University of G u y a n a D e a n , D r L e yland Lucas even though the Union was in the process of putting fourth their nominees for the position.

According to the Union, it is also prepared to take the Education Ministry, and more so, the Government to court, if any action is taken against teachers who will be going on strike.

In the first week of September 2018, thousands of teachers across the country proceeded on strike. The strike action followed a series of failures on the part of the APNU+AFC Coalition Government to respond to the concerns of teachers.

In December 2015, the Guyana Teachers Union submitted its multi-year proposal to the Ministry of Education. After almost two years of in-action by the APNU+AFC Coalition Government, the Union

threatened strike action on October 26, 2017. President David Granger only met with Union officials after strike action was threatened.

Meanwhile, on October 29, 2017, a high-level task force was established to investigate and present a report with recommendations on the education sector. On April 6, 2018, the report from that Task Force was handed to the Ministry of Education. No action was taken based on the report.

One of the recommendations of the Task Force was a 40 per cent increase on 2015 salaries and a five percent increase for the years 2016, 2017, 2018 – a recommendation that the GTU supports.

With no action taken on the Task Force’s report, there were more talks between the Union and the Ministry of Education.

However, when these broke down, the Union informed the Ministry of Labour that it was proceeding on strike action.

When the strike action ended, it was agreed that there would be moves to set up an arbitration panel – a move that is now stalled.

Auditor General should probe wasteful spending in Hinterland communities

M

illions of dollars are being spent on projects across hinterland communities, where there are questions about value for money.

And Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, during his Thursday (October 4, 2018) news conference, charged that this is one issue that the Auditor General should

probe.

He explained that there seems to be a pattern where contracts are given to activists from the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and, in some cases, the Alliance For Change (AFC); the monies are spent; and the hinterland communities that should see the benefits of the spending are left raising

value for money questions.

“The Auditor General should pay attention to the tens of millions being spent in the hinterland…the communities do not get value for money,” Jagdeo said.

Notably, the APNU+AFC Coalition Government has come in for strong criticisms about its spending policies since taking office.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 6-7 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 Thursday (October 4, 2018), ranging from the recent interview given by President David Granger to the latest failures of the APNU+AFC Coalition Government.

Granger must account to the Guyanese people for his government’s policies

“L

et me make it clear, President (David) Granger enjoys my respect as a Guyanese, as would every other Guyanese…. in spite of our concerns about the last elections (the 2015 General and Regional Elections), he is the President and we must all respect that,” declared Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo. However, he made clear that this does not preclude the President from being criticised for his Government’s failures.

Jagdeo’s comments were made at his Thursday (October 4, 2018) news conference, where he noted Granger’s interview with the Sta-

broek 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 person-

al against the President but we have to get answers to these issues. I will be abdicating 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 productive 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.

Why is Granger unwilling to commission a comprehensive crime wave CoI?

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resident David Granger’s comments regarding his intention to ‘find out’ what took place during the crime wave of the 2000’s was questioned by Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, who charged that to date there has been no word on when there will be a comprehensive Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the matter.

On Thursday (October 4, 2018), Jagdeo recalled that the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) had indicated its willingness to sit with the Granger-led government to develop the Terms of Reference (TORs) for the comprehensive Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the crime wave, as well as work together to select apolitical and impartial Commissioners – to no avail.

Meanwhile, the APNU+AFC Coalition Government insists that action will be taken relative to the recommendations made by the Lindo Creek Commission

of Inquiry (CoI).

In the past, Jagdeo has decried Granger’s decision to “cherry pick” incidents for investigation, as was done with the Lindo Creek CoI. Jagdeo said the comprehensive Commission of Inquiry into the crime wave should start with the escape of prisoners in 2002 and also seeks to inquire about the political players in incidents subsequent to the jailbreak, as well as seek to ascertain how army weapons ended up in the hands of criminals.

“They can also look at the role of drug dealers and whether the drug dealers had links to the government,” he had said, referring to the criticism repeated by members of the PNC-led Coalition Government, regarding Roger Khan.

Jagdeo added, “…it (a comprehensive CoI) is not going to happen because some of the players are now huge in the current Government.”

The Opposition Leader added that if there was a “real” CoI – a comprehensive review of the crime wave – several persons in the Coalition government, including Government Ministers, would be “really” uncomfortable.

Additionally, Chairman of the Commission of Inquiry, Justice (Ret’d) Justice Trotman, handed over the report to President David Granger in August 2018, following a six-month investigation into the killing of eight miners at Lindo Creek in the Upper Berbice River, Region 10, back in June 2008.

After the June 2008 deaths of eight miners - Dax Arokium, Cedric Arokium, Compton Speirs, Horace Drakes, Clifton Wong, Lancelot Lee, Bonny Harry and Nigel Torres – the security forces were accused of the killings by Leonard Arokium, who discovered the burnt remains were discovered on June 21, 2008,

at the Lindo Creek mining camp. The security forces denied those charges. Rondell Rawlins, called Fine Man, and his gang were identified as the parties responsible for the murders. Also, a witness in another case, Dwane Williams, implicated the ‘Fine Man gang’ and made

clear that it was responsible for not only the killings at Lindo Creek, but also for the 2008 massacres at Bartica and Lusignan. Rawlins was killed in a shootout on August 28, 2008, during an almost seven-hour-long police operation, which started at Timehri.

Chairman of the Lindo Creek CoI, however, charged, in his findings, among other things, that the security forces were responsible for the deaths. Notably, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has rejected the findings as an attack on the security forces.

will receive their severance payments.

“He goee to Corriverton and hands out 50 bicycles and does not address the issue of severance, or the loss of jobs…don’t our people have a right to answers?” The Opposition Leader asked.

Some 7,000 sugar workers were dismissed on December 29, 2017, without severance being paid “on termination” as required by the law to all of them. Severance was paid in part to over 4,000 of the 7,000 sacked

sugar workers.

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

Granger visits community in ‘sugar belt’, fails to address severance for sugar workers

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resident David Granger’s promise that severance owed to sacked sugar workers is still to be fulfilled. And Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, on Thursday (October 4, 2018) charged that thousands are facing hardships in the meanwhile.

He rapped Granger for visiting Corriverton, a community in the ‘sugar belt’, as part of his Party’s Local Government Elections’ campaign, and failing to address the hot-button issue of when the sacked sugar workers

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WEEKEND MIRROR 6-7 OCTOBER, 2018

PPP leaders join Dagg Point residents for Heritage Day celebrations

13

WEEKEND MIRROR 6-7 OCTOBER, 2018

MEET THE PPP/C CANDIDATES LGE 2018...

TOWN OF LETHEM

FREDERICKS JOHN (MOCO COCO NANARII-CULVERT CITY)

KING DEBRA EVANDNE (MOCO MOCO -NAMARITABATINGA-OVER THE CREEK)

MARCEDO JOHN THEOPHILLUS (MOCO MOCO MANARI -TABTINGA-BRIDGE TO THIRD STREET)

THOMOS MEGAN (MOCO MOCO-MANARI-THIRD STREET TO WIND MILL ROAD)

WILSON JASON ANTHONY (MOCO MOCO-MANARI-WINDMILL ROAD TO T-M RESTAURANT)

HINDS PATRICA GWENETTE

LUTHER HAZLEN

MILLER ORIN JAMAL

TOWN OF LINDEN

BLAIR AKANNI AKINTUNDE ADEDEJI

FYFFE JAMES SHERRY CASSANDRA

RAZACK MONA VANESSA

SMARTT MICHEAL AMOS

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WEEKEND MIRROR 6-7 OCTOBER, 2018

MEET THE PPP/C CANDIDATES LGE 2018...

TOWN OF PORT KAITUMA/MATTERS RIDGE/ARAKAKA

CREAME FAYE (COMPOUND-ORONOQUEMCDOOM)

FLORES DAVID (ARAKAKA)

JOSEPH CELESTINA (GARRISON HILL-HELL HILL)

LAMBERT MARGARET ELIZABETH (CANAL BANKCITRUL GROVE)

LARA BERNANDINE (HEAVEN HILL-PAKERA)

TOWN OF CHARITY/URASARA

MENDONCA ROHILDA (COMPOUND-ORONQUEMCDOOM)

Rooplall Kaisho

Bisir Magbool

Shakti Kellawan

Kishore Puresh Kishore

Singh Collene Clare

Koomar Karran

Tilak Deo Ramdial

Persaud Drupattie

Toolsie Homadevi

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WEEKEND MIRROR 6-7 OCTOBER, 2018

MEET THE PPP/C CANDIDATES LGE 2018...

TOWN OF GOOD HOPE/POMONA

CHINANDANEE SEERAM CONSTITUENCY #1

KIRTI SAHADEO CONSTITUENCY #2

ABDUL RAHMAN CONSTITUENCY #3

FAIZUL ALLI CONSTITUENCY #4

ROSHINIE DEVI NARINE CONSTITUENCY #6

HAIMCHAND PRASHAD CONSTITUENCY #7

RAJIV GOVINDA NARAYAN CONSTITUENCY #8

JOSEPH RUDOLPH MENDES CONSTITUENCY #9

TOWN OF MORUKA/PHEONIX PARK

BOYAN STEPHEN LEATON (HEATHFIELD-PHOENIX PARK)

CULPERPER ALFRED GODFREY (MORUCA-ENMORE)

WILLIAMS WILFRED AUGUSTUS (RELIEF-ABERDEEN)

HANSRAJ CONSTITUENCY #5

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WEEKEND MIRROR 6-7 OCTOBER, 2018

MEET THE PPP/C CANDIDATES LGE 2018...

TOWN OF EVERGREEN/PARADISE

AHAMAD MOHAMED AL FAYED CONSTITUENCY #1

PERMAN SINGH CALVIN ISHWAR CONSTITUENCY #2

NANDALALL SINGH CONSTITUENCY #3

MARLYN SABITA FEATHERSON CONSTITUENCY #4

BURKLEY BALCOM MARKS CONSTITUENCY #5

TOWN OF ABERDEEN/ ZORG-EN-VLYGY

ENA CORNETTE CONSTITUENCY #6

EYON GAVIN MARKS (DAGERAAD-NORTH)

INEZ GRANT CONSTITUENCY #7

GHANSHAM PERSAUD

JOWAKEERLALL KISSOODAI LALL CONSTITUENCY #8

HAIMLALL PERSAUD (DAGERAAD-SOUTH)

NATASHA INDRAMATTIE BRIDGEMOHAN (LITTLE ALLIANCE-WEST FIELD)

SUNDAR PERSAUD (TAYMOUTH MANOR)

KUMAR RAMDEO (ZORG-EN-VLYGT)

ROHAN BUDHRAM (ABERDEEN-COLUMBIA)

STEPHEN SAMUEL VAUGH (MOCHA)

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WEEKEND MIRROR 6-7 OCTOBER, 2018

Corruption, breach of financial laws, spending irregularities and more….

APNU+AFC gov’t has racked up over 55 scandals since taking office

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he Parliamentary Opposition has been monitoring the APNU+AFC Coalition government’s use of public funds and the levels of transparency and accountability. From June 10, 2015 to date, over 55 scandals have been uncovered – an average of one scandal for each month – some of which are listed below:

1. The cost of the inauguration ceremonies at the Parliament Buildings and, more particularly, the one at the National Stadium has never been revealed.

2. The removal of 8 containers containing steel by BK International from the Ministry of Public Health’s compound worth millions of dollars - in the first week after government changed - in violation of a court order. The government did nothing to retrieve the containers and has been silent.

3. The dismissal of 1,972 Amerindian community service officers at “one stroke of the pen” with no cause by the third (3rd) Vice-President and Minister of Indigenous Affairs.

Despite a promise by VP Allicock in the National Assembly, during the 2015 Budget debate t ha t the g o ver n m e n t w o u l d create a new programme to hire Amerindian youths, they instead replaced this programme with the Hinterland Entrepreneurial Youth Skills Programme (HEYs). HEYS is a sixmonth training programme with no entrepreneurial or employment component, which is under severe duress as there are complaints that the facilitators and students have not received their stipends despite the budgetary provision of $1Billion.

4. The appointment of 33 foreign honourary advisors to assist the government and the appointment of a top heavy bureaucracy of Presidential and Ministerial advisors, which have only been partially disclosed in the National Assembly in response to questions to Ministers in 2016. The total numbers are approximated to be nearing 100 advisors (local and foreign) at a huge cost to the taxpayers.

5. India/GoG funded Speciality Hospital – the government

gave a contract to Fedders Lloyd (VP Ramjattan was its lawyer) without going to tender at a price yet unknown and in violation of the procurement laws. Despite public outcry, the government refused to terminate the contract for the Speciality Hospital. The company was delisted by the IDB and the Indian government and Eximbank withdrew the money for the loan. There has been no disclosure as to how much Fedders Lloyd was paid and what work had been done when the company was delisted and the project halted.

6. The first act of the government was to give themselves enormous salary increases between 50 -100 % of what the former government ministers received. This was quietly done in September 2015 and the parliamentary opposition had to wage a struggle in Parliament to bring a motion to reverse this. When the motion was finally heard in December, it was defeated by the government’s one-seat majority.

It should be remembered that the media, having leaked the fact that the government was embarking on increasing the salaries of the President, VPs and Ministers, Minister Trotman, on behalf of the government, denied that the government was contemplating any salary increases for the Ministers. This was also denied during the debate on the 2015 Budget in August 2015. Having gone into recess mid-September, the government stealthily published Order No. 6 of 2015 in the Official Gazette, dated September 25th, 2015, increasing their salaries and making it retroactive to July 1, 2015. Contrast this act with the government’s refusal to increase the salaries of the public servants in accordance with their campaign promises.

7. Durban Park Development Project for the Jubilee celebrations - The government has refused to provide information on the “private company,” which was in charge of the preparations of the Durban Park prior to the Ministry of Public Infrastructure’s “take over” of the project on the orders of the President. It is

estimated that the costs, when finally exposed, will be close to $1Billion - for a one-day event.

8. The President pardoned over 100 convicted felons in 2015 and stated that this would be done annually. He promised that these would be felons with non-violent crimes and juvenile offenders. In fact, this was not true. A number of these persons had been sentenced for violent crimes and a number of them are back in prison.

9. The Rudisa case at the CCJ and the pay out to Rudisa The APNU and AFC, while in Opposition, twice caused the defeat in the 10th Parliament of attempts by the PPPC government to amend the Customs Act in order to pre-empt the case going to the CCJ and save the country millions of US dollars. The APNU+AFC Coalition government settled to repay the entire amount of the Rudisa USD$16M claim without any negotiations for a debt repayment schedule and despite the fact that the company owed and appears to still owe millions of dollars in taxes to Guyana. The first payment was made late last year and the second budgeted for in the 2016 Budget.

10. Hundreds of millions of dollars spent by the Government and the Georgetown Mayor and City Council on the “Clean Up Campaign” in the city with no public tendering and handpicked companies.

In some cases, new companies were created with no experience to facilitate this corruption. There has been no accountability of the amount of monies spent and the Mayor and Town Clerk have rebuffed efforts to allow the Auditor General’s office to do a forensic audit.

11. The write off of debts owed to the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the nation

by DDL worth billions of dollars (April 2016). If DDL had not issued a press release announcing the write off, this would not have been known.

12. Other write-off of debts by the GRA for other companies

who financed the APNU+AFC Coalition electoral campaign, worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Minister Trotman said these companies have to be compensated for their financial investment.

13. Following the March 18, 2016 Local Government Elections, Minister Bulkan in violation of the statutes governing the local government system, appointed the Mayor and Deputy Mayor, and the 5 Chairpersons and vice chairperson of the 5 NDCs in the 6 tied LAAs. All of these persons were APNU, although there was a plurality of votes in 3 of the 6 tied LAAs for the PPP and 3 for the APNU+AFC. 14. W r i t e - o f f s b y t h e APNU+AFC dominated Georgetown Municipal Council to many companies for millions of dollars owed in rates and taxes for undisclosed amounts. This is a City Council that is now cash-strapped and cannot pay contractors for garbage collection nor timely payment of salaries of its employees. The cost to the Treasury of these write offs by the GRA, the Georgetown City Council and other Local Authority Areas alone earmarked in this list of scandals is estimated to be between 23% to 36 % of the total 2016 Budget.

15. Parking meters contract with no public tendering, no involvement of the Georgetown City Council, no consultation with the citizens – the scandal deepens, even as the APNU+AFC Georgetown Mayor is being advised to do some damage control by attempting to amend the 49-year contract and make it less embarrassing for the government.

16. The three-year Pharmacy Bond contract between the Ministry of Public Health and the Linden Holding Company was not tendered for by Minister Dr Norton’s own admission on the floor of the National Assembly. The PPP/C will be submitting its motion of privilege, calling for the Speaker to send the Minister of Public Health to the Privilege Committee for wilfully misleading the National Assembly and the nation.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 6-7 OCTOBER, 2018

The Bottom Line – A look at issues affecting cost of living in Guyana

Albion Estate sugar workers' wages cut by 75%

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group of enraged workers attached to the Albion Sugar Estate in Berbice on Wednesday (October 3, 2018) protested their employer, the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) for its decision to reduce their earnings for canal cleaning by some 75 per cent. The workers expressed great frustration over the wages, having observed that to clean a four-foot canal, they are being paid $56 to clean each rod.

One of the operators, Gopaul Singh, disclosed that the workers are being offered less money even though they are cleaning wider canals. “The rate before was $225 per rod and somebody came from the office in Georgetown and set that rate down. They cut it by 75 per cent without saying one word to us that they paying you that; no consultation,” Singh said.

Singh added that management at the Estate prom-

ised that there would be full consultation in the future.

However, the workers staged a two-day strike on Monday and Tuesday and when they informed management that they were going to resume work on Wednesday; they were reportedly told that the Estate had no work for them.

“We are contending that they should pay the $225 until they have such matters resolved as to a rate they want to pay,” Singh stressed.

Another worker, Nazir

Hussain told this publication that what was done to workers was us unfair. “They did not ask us anything. They just came to a conclusion at $56, which is wrong and we and management tried to discuss it but it going in a circle,” he said.

Meanwhile, security at the Albion Estate called in the Police when this publication met with the aggrieved workers. The security personal also allegedly threatened a private poultry

farmer that they will stop him from using the estate dam if he allowed this news entity to use his private land to access the area.

The APNU+AFC Coalition Government after assuming office has implemented several austerity measures including the closure of several estates – Wales, East Demerara, Skeldon and Rose Hall.

However, many of thousands of workers who lost employment say they have

been finding great difficulty in garnering alternative employment.

For those who remain, they have been complaining about not seeing wage increases or Annual Production Incentives (API).

The three estates that remain in operation are Uitvlugt, Albion and Blairmont. The others which were closed over the last two years have ceased operations to attract investors.

Skeldon workers continue protest after over non-payment of severance D

ozens of workers from the Skeldon Estate staged a picketing outside of the their former workplace – the Estate’s Administrative Office – to call on GuySuCo and the Government to honour, without any further delay, their outstanding severance payments.

It has been over 273 days since Skeldon, Rose Hall and East Demerara Estates were closed, and 638 days since Wales Estate met a similar fate.

According to the workers’ Union, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), the thousands who have been affected have found it difficult to secure jobs in the area.

The Union said, “The worker were quick to point out in the per chance instance when they manage to find a job, the pay is hardly sufficient and it is only for a short period. This, they said, had forced them to utilize the first half of their severance to meet their expenses and obligations.

Those monies have now

been exhausted and they are worried about how they will feed their families or send their children to school or keep the electricity on or pay their water bills, among other things. They said that they are facing troubling times and their outstanding monies will greatly assist them. “…today as workers have to picket to demand what they are lawfully entitled, workers of Trinidad and Tobago Petrotrin will receive their severance payments when due and those who are aged 55 and over will also receive their pensions. The severance package we understand from news reports may very well be enhanced recognizing the hardships they will face.

But added to that they will receive the assistance of the state to pay their electricity bills, to purchase food, to have access to health centres, among other things.

“For the 7,000 workers whom the Granger Administration has made jobless, they have not even heard from the Government to

even, at least, provide some moral support in this hard time of their lives. This black-and-white difference illustrates the scant concern the Coalition Government has for the workers in this country.”

The picketing followed another hearing of the severance pay matter yesterday (September 27, 2018) which is before Justice Fidela Corbin-Lincoln of the High Court. At the hearing, the Judge requested GAWU, GuySuCo and NICIL to present their arguments, in writing, within two (2) weeks and on October 29, 2018 she committed to making a ruling on the matter.

GuySuCo, through its Attorney-at-Law was seeking to have the matter dismissed. The Corporation has a legal obligation to settling the workers’ payments and the GAWU in fulfilling its responsibility, as the workers’ bargaining agent, as it has done on many occasions when it has exercised its right to take legal action in defence of the retrenched workers.

WEEKEND MIRROR 6-7 OCTOBER, 2018

The Bottom Line

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– A look at issues affecting cost of living in Guyana

Stabroek Wharf vendors placed on breadline, no help in sight M

ore than 80 vendors have been placed on the breadline after they would have been relocated from the Stabroek Market Wharf by the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) to facilitate construction work.

And in light of having to build new stalls to ply their trade, they are left without a place to operate, which is affecting their daily income.

For the rehabilitation of the Wharf, City Hall would

have asked the vendors to utilise a section of the Route 42 bus park which has been barricaded for many weeks.

But the Council contrarily decided that the vendors would have to construct their own stalls, which would cost approximately $400,000 each.

Presently, the area remains cordoned off with steel barriers and there is no access to vend. While reaching out to Guyana Times,

City Hall’s decision to relocate bus park hurting transport operators T he quantity of passengers who utilise the route 42 (Diamond-Grove) buses has diminished significantly. And according to drivers, it is due to the far distance that commuters have to walk to get to the Route 42 Bus Park, as well as the escalating crimes in the area where the Route 42 drivers were relocated.

Route 42 drivers have complained that they have not been able to make a proper daily earning since commuters are refusing to traverse the additional journey to reach the bus park.

Additionally, others are choosing to utilise taxis and other transportation which will get them to their destination faster than waiting for the buses to full.

Another major concern

of the drivers is the problem of crime. The prevalence of petty thieves is increasing in the nights, whereby commuters are constantly being relieved of the belongings, mostly phones, cash and jewellery.

Since August, the park was relocated to make accommodation for vendors of the Stabroek Wharf, until rehabilitative works are carried out.

Some have been placed on Bugle Street while the others are currently at Water Street.

Drivers are calling for the Town Council to look into the issue and hopefully provide another spot, which is not detached from the Stabroek Market and its adjoining transportation hub.

the vendors remained anonymous as they feared being victimised or having their stalls taken away by the Council.

At a recent statutory meeting chaired by Mayor Patricia Chase Greene, the Council presented a budget of $23M, which was used to erect barricades and groundwork. As such, it was determined that the Council could not stand the cost of constructing stalls for some

82 vendors.

It was decided that the vendors would be solely responsible for the construction, which the Council estimated would cost one vendor approximately $400,000 exclusive of electrical lighting.

The question was raised as to whether the Council could have taken up the mantle of producing the stalls. Town Clerk Royston King responded, “We don’t

have the money to do it.”

It is mandatory that the eight feet by ten feet structure with a maximum height of 13 feet be constructed with wood. The Councillors decided that six weeks after completion of the stalls, a sum of $85 per square foot per month would be collected for sanitation services and other facilities which would be provided by the Council.

The budget for the com-

plete refurbishment of the Wharf was slated at some $400 million. After the repairs, the section of the market that overlooks the Demerara River would be converted into a mall inclusive of a boardwalk and entertainment area.

It is estimated that over two years will be spent to complete this project, which dislocates the Route 42 buses and vendors during that time.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 6-7 OCTOBER, 2018

APNU+AFC gov’t forcing fictions on the Guyanese people

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fter three years since taking office, the APNU+AFC Coalition Government, published a list of 231 so called ‘achievements’ in May 2018.

However, a close look at the list, revealed Government’s desperation in trying to find ‘successes’. For example, the Government claimed “lower electricity rates” as an achievement, but listed this one point at least two times in the list of 231. A second example shows that the

1. FICTION: Four Budgets in three years FACT: All four budgets introduced policies that negatively impacted working class Guyanese and the productive sectors. Over 200 new taxes and fees were introduced. Others were increased astronomically.

4. FICTION: Youth skills training provided through BIT, HEYS FACT: The BIT is a PPP/C initiative. HEYS was introduced by the APNU+AFC Government, then the decision was made to scrap it.

Notably, HEYS had replaced the Youth Entrepreneurship and Apprenticeship Programme (YEAP), which was an initiative under the former PPP/C government. When the Coalition Government took power, the 1972 Amerindian community service officers who were part of the YEAP programme were fired.

7. FICTION: Created over 5000 jobs FACT: Since May 2015, over 25,000 Guyanese have lost their jobs. Government’s claim of creating over 5,000 jobs has been challenged. To date, the APNU+AFC Coalition Government has not responded and has not said where these 5,000 jobs were created.

10. FICTION: State Assets Recovery Unit set up FACT: SARA did not legally exist until May 2018.

The State Assets Recovery Act was only assented to by President David Granger on May 4, 2018 – over one year after it was passed in the National Assembly by a government majority, despite objections voiced by the Parliamentary Opposition.

As such, queries have been raised about SARA’s operations prior to Granger’s move to assent to the SARA Act – specifically as it relates to how monies were allocated to the State Assets Recovery Agency for the year 2018 Budget to acquire an office at Lot 56 Main and New Market Streets, SARA letterhead, staff, etc., prior to that date (May 4, 2018), when the agency did not legally exist?”

APNU+AFC Coalition claimed the work of private companies as their own success, when it listed “4G internet” in its list of 231. The work to bring better internet services to the Guyanese people was done by the private telecommunications companies.

This week, the Mirror, by simply looking at 30 of the Government’s claims, will expose the FICTIONS peddled by the APNU+AFC Coalition Government and will detail the actual facts.

2. FICTION: $50,000 Christmas Bonus in 2015 and $25,000 Christmas Bonus in 2016 FACT: No attention has been given to increasing the salaries of public servants – teachers, policemen, nurses, etc. since the APNU+AFC Government took office. The two bonuses were one-off payments for only two years.

5. FICTION: Sugar industry right-sized fo5r self sufficiency through diversification FACT: There have been no efforts in the direction of diversification. While government said it has “right-sized” the sugar industry, all it did was close down major sugar estates – leaving thousands of sugar workers on the breadline – in the worst mass firing in Guyana’s history.

3. FICTION: Training opportunities for GuySuCo workers FACT: No substantive support has been given to the 7000+ sugar workers who were fired by the APNU+AFC Coalition Government. Government’s unwillingness to support the sacked sugar workers has been evidence in the fact that the government broke the law and did not pay the workers their full severance. It was seen again when Government refused to say if was informing the sacked sugar workers that millions were available under the Sustainable Livelihood and Entrepreneurial Development (SLED) programme, which is supposed to provide financial support for entrepreneurial ventures and create income-generating opportunities, etc.

6. FICTION: Reduce the sugar industry dependence on the national coffers

FACT: There has been no move in this direction, not even the start of a feasibility study to assess such a plan.

FACT: The sugar industry’s dependence on the national coffers has not been reduced. In fact the national treasury is exposed with the borrowing of $30B, via bonds issued at 4.75 per cent, since the borrowing has been backed by a government-guarantee.

11. FICTION: Special organized Crime Unit operational

9. FICTION: Lower Electricity rates

FACT: Three years of being operations under the APNU+AFC Coalition Government, not a single case against money launderers has been advanced. SOCU has only been involved in cases filed against former government officials, one of which has already been thrown out of the courts. Also, in the case SOCU brought against GBTI, the expert witness fielded by the Unit was also rejected by courts, which ruled that the ‘expert’ was in fact ‘no expert’.

SOCU has been involved in a number of controversial operations. These include the high-profile car chase of the wife of a People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Member of Parliament (MP), which resulted in the death of Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Sergeant Robert Pyle and his wife Stacy, along with another civilian in a smash-up on Carifesta Avenue in December 2015 – an incident that remains the subject of many unanswered questions.

The Unit’s establishment was part of Guyana's international obligations to strengthen its Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) framework and was intended to support the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU). The mandate of the SOCU, as acknowledged in the protocols, is to address investigations, detection and preparation of criminal investigative reports and case files for prosecutions of financial crimes, including money laundering and the financing of terrorism. Little to nothing has been done by SOCU, under the current APNU+AFC Government, which fits the reason for SOCU’s establishment.

FACT: Electricity rates were subject to Value Added Tax (VAT) in 2017, meaning that electricity costs were increased, not lowered.

8. FICTION: Plans to bridge Essequibo River

12. FICTION: Outstanding court settlement paid FACT: Court settlements have been subject to intense questioning, as it relates to the how these settlements were reached. The last big court settlement related to the Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) matter. The sum owed by DDL, according to the GRA assessment, was $5.392B from 2001 to 2006. The settlement saw DDL paying only $1.5B and also writes off all possible liabilities in respect of Excise Tax up to March 9, 2016. Since then, Banks DIH has filed a case against the Coalition government, saying that DDL was given special treatment. In the meantime, several questions asked about the DDL settlement remain unanswered. The questions asked include: Was an assessment of DDL’s liabilities in respect of Excise Tax for the period 2006 to 2016 done and what was the sum of that liability?; Who negotiated the settlement?; Is it legal? Was the settlement approved by Cabinet or the Board of the GRA?; On what principles was the sum of $1.5B arrive at? And How many other deals have been concluded or are being negotiated?

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WEEKEND MIRROR 6-7 OCTOBER, 2018

APNU+AFC gov’t forcing fictions on the Guyanese people 13. FICTION: New Guyana Election Chairman appointed FACT: The 84-year-old GECOM Chairman was unilaterally and un-constitutionally appointed, in breach of 25 years of practice and common understanding of the constitutional procedures that have to be followed for such an appointment to be made.

14. FICTION: The establishment of three new towns FACT: The towns were established without consultation and in some cases encroached on titled Amerindian Lands in breach of laws --and showing that the APNU+AFC Coalition Government has no qualms about breaking the laws of Guyana.

15. FICTION: Improved education attainment FACT: The 2017 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Guyana – released by the United States of America’s (USA) State Department – underscores a major failure of the APNU+AFC Coalition government. Page 11 of the 207 report states that: “The standard of living in indigenous communities was lower than that of most citizens, and they had limited access to education and health care.”

In contrast, the 2015 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Guyana, on page 14, said: “All indigenous communities had primary schools, and as of 2012, there were 13 secondary schools in remote regions. All indigenous communities had school dormitories that housed students at government’s expense. Government programmes trained health workers, who staffed health facilities in most communities.”

16. FICTION: Free transportation for school children FACT: A total of $1.7B was taken away from public schools when the $10,000 cash grant was scrapped. The APNU+AFC Coalition Government says it has provided buses, but these do not serve all public school children. The cash grant was given to every public school child.

17. FICTION: Provision of medical equipment FACT: Shortages continue to be reported. And with the dust barely settled over the $632M drugs and medical supplies procurement scandal, sole-sourcing of $366.9M of drugs and medical supplies in 2017 has once again brought into question decisions by the Ministry of Public Health – and the likely of increasing corruption at that Ministry. As was the case with the spending of $605M, the Ministry – headed by Volda Lawrence – claims that the spending of the $366.9M was to cover emergency expenditures. Documents revealed that a company, HDM Labs Inc. – owned by a supporter of the APNU+AFC Coalition Government – was handpicked over three others that went through tendering process.

18. FICTION: De-politicized the National Toshaos Council FACT: The NTC is not a political body. It is the elected body that represents Amerindians in Guyana. As such, claims of de-politicizing the NTC have been viewed as APNU+AFC rhetoric.

19. FICTION: Extended the Amerindian Land Titling (ALT) programme FACT: Not a single Amerindian village has received a land title under the APNU+AFC Coalition Government. Minister of Indigenous Peoples Affairs, Sydney Allicock, admitted that he failed to do any work with the ALT programme, which gave the indigenous people legal rights to their communities. “I have not been able to title any village,” Allicock had said in May 2018.

Notably, after taking office, the Coalition Government, sent home the entire unit dealing with the Amerindian Land Titling programme. The Project Management Unit was ben established in June 2014 to support the implementation of the project.

A total of US$10.7M was earned by the former People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) government and left for the purpose of completing the ALT programme.

20. FICTION: Piracy smashed FACT: Less than two months ago, a piracy attack led to several deaths of local fishermen.

The bodies of some of the fishermen have still not been found.

21. FICTION: Major criminal gangs smashed, members prosecuted FACT: There has been no such report. Also, no cases in Guyana’s court have substantiated this claim.

22. FICTION: Crime rate down FACT: As of June 2018, a whopping 304 cases of robbery under arms, where firearms were used, were recorded at the end of June 2018, marking an increase compared to last year. Another 116 cases of robbery under arms, where other instruments were used, were also recorded for that month. There were also 28 other cases of robberies, as well as 73 cases of robbery with violence. Robbery with aggravation cases numbered 30. Larceny from persons numbered 62, while burglary cases totaled 112 and break an entry with larceny totaled 498. In total these cases numbered 1,223. There were 44 murders. The APNU+AFC Coalition Government continues to come in for criticisms over its inaction to address the current crime rate.

23. FICTION: Establishment of the Department of Environment FACT: There is no Department of Environment as of July 2018.

24. FICTION: Freedom of the Press restored FACT: The Guyana Press Association has blasted Coalition gov’t over ‘unmistakable’ signals of Executive control since it took office.

The Association cited other acts that include: The continued role of the Director of Public Information as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited, publishers of the Guyana Chronicle; Direction from a senior government Minister on coverage of his office to the Editor- in-Chief; Direction being given to the Chronicle for stories sent for his approval once it has to do with his office or the PNC, the main party in the governing Coalition; and weekly meetings of the Prime Minister with senior executives of the state media.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 6-7 OCTOBER, 2018

APNU+AFC gov’t forcing fictions on the Guyanese people 25. FICTION: Constitutional Reform process initiated

27. FICTION: Code of conduct for public official completed

FACT: There has been no progress on the issue of Constitutional Reform.

FACT: There is no Code of Conduct in place.

A draft was proposed and was met with widespread criticisms. Even the Transparency Institute Guyana Inc. said government’s proposed code of conduct is still deficient in many respects. The body expressed the view that the “lack of specificity appears as low commitment to integrity in public office” and it can ultimately impede the effectiveness of the Code and erode public confidence.

26. FICTION: Improved transparency FACT: The APNU+AFC Coalition Government has been criticised as failing to honour of the promise of transparency. Among the untruths told by the government to the Guyanese people is the fact that Guyana did not receive the US$18M signing bonus from ExxonMobil. This lie was told for over a year to the Guyanese people, despite the fact that questions about the signing bonus were asked. Finally, documents leaked to the media, exposed the Government lie

28. FICTION: Family Court opened FACT: The Family Division of the High Court began hearing cases since May 6, 2016. The Family Court was a PPP/C initiative. Before the APNU+AFC Coalition Government took office, the Family Court building was completed and handed over to Government.

29. FICTION: Successful gun amnesty programme FACT: During the amnesty for unlicensed firearms in 2015, scores of Amerindians handed in weapons used to protect their cattle and crops and support their livelihoods, with the promise of receiving licences. The APNU+AFC Coalition Government delayed the return to April 2018 and has now delayed it again, until the end of July 2018.

This failure to deliver in a timely manner on a promise made has prevented the amnesty programme from being deemed a success.

30. FICTION: A new drugs procurement system introduced FACT: Health Minister, Volda, Lawrence had stated revised drug procurement system which will bring resolution to the ongoing drug shortage throughout the country is expected to be implemented by the month of June 2016. It is now July 2018.

After taking office, the APNU+AFC Coalition Government scrapped the old method used to procure and deliver drugs and medical supplies across Guyana, despite the fact that it worked.

PPP/C MP questions move to spend more on controversial D’Urban Park

G

overnment has recently announced plans to develop the controversial D’Urban Park into a user-friendly facility that could be the venue for various types of sporting activities. However, Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) Juan Edghill has warned that the idea being proposed by Director of Sport, Christopher Jones, is aimed at trying to bring some semblance of justification to the existence of the D’Urban Park as a facility that could become viable.

It was reported by the Department of Public Information (DPI) in early September that the D’Urban Park was due to undergo a massive upgrade in 2019 as a proposal made by the National Sports Commission (NSC), to be included in the National Budget for 2019. Jones’s proposal involves enhancing the D’Urban Park with fencing, and paving a significant portion of its inner space to make it more user-friendly.

Edghill, however, contends that

no amount of spending at D’Urban Park can justify the fact that it has been a corrupt transaction from its inception. “No amount of spending money — fence it, hard court, etc — could make it one free of corruption. Where are the bills? Where is the evidence of who donated in cash and kind? Why are the documents not with the Auditor General?” he questioned.

He added, “…even if you try to put a clean sheet on this bed, it doesn’t make anybody believe that the bed is clean. The sheet might be clean with the novel ideas that Jones is coming up with, but the D’Urban Park project is a corrupt transaction; it is calling for investigation.”

Edghill has written the Public Procurement Commission (PPC), calling for an investigation into D’Urban Park.

Apart from receiving a letter of acknowledgment, the Parliamentary Opposition is yet to hear from the Commission.

The increasingly controversial matter of financing and management of the D’urban Park project started when works commenced in September 2015.

From September 2015 to date, there are three periods that are distinct when one looks closer at the project: 1. From September 2015 to January 22, 2016; 2. From January 22, 2016 to April 21, 2016; and 3. From April 21, 2016 to date.

From September 2015 to January 22, 2016, an estimated millions of dollars in donations, as well as contributions of equipment and labour, were collected. Government has released some names of donors.

From January 22, 2016, Homestretch Development Incorporated took reins of the financing and management of the D’urban Park project. The name of the company was made by public by Minister David Patterson in the National

Assembly on November 21, 2016.

Once a company takes on status of incorporated, it must be registered before it begins official operation – making involvement of Homestretch Development Incorporated on the project legal from January 22, 2016.

The company was registered on January 22, 2016 and its number is 8247. The registered address is Lot 18 Lamaha Street.

The directors of Homestretch Development Incorporated are Education Minister, Rupert Roopnaraine, Larry London, Bobita Ram, Gentian Miller and Victor Wilson.

From January 22, 2016 to April 21, 2016, there is again no account given to the Guyanese people. It is also unclear how Homestretch Development Incorporated became involved in the project, since the company could not have started work of that magnitude on State property without a Cabinet decision and a Memorandum of Understanding, a contract or agreement.

From April 22, 2016, the Min-

istry of Public Infrastructure took over the project. What is known for certain is that works on the D’urban Park project, in April 2016, were tendered out using the selective tendering system, according to Public Infrastructure Minister Patterson. His response came to questions on the $407.6M spent for the completion of the D’urban Park project for 50th independence anniversary. The money already was been spent and the A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Government came afterwards for parliamentary approval for the monies. Prior to that, the National Assembly by government majority approved another $150M for the same project. In Budget 2017, another $500M is allocated to the Ministry to be given to Homestretch Development Inc. to pay off the debts it racked up.

An audit subsequently found that the D’Urban Park had cost some $1.37B.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 6-7 OCTOBER, 2018

2018 Local Government Elections Happenings

PPP court challenge on ‘gerrymandering’ of boundaries to come up for next hearing next Wednesday A s the High Court proceedings over the Communities Minister’s changes to several Local Authority Areas (LAAs) continue, the Attorney General’s jurisdiction challenge to the People’s Progressive Party (PPP)-filed case was heard

by Justice Gino Persaud when the case came up for hearing last week.

During proceedings, Anil Nandlall, who is the lawyer representing the applicant, Bibi Shaddick, argued that the learned Judge has no jurisdiction to hear the AG’s jurisdiction application.

Attorney General Basil Williams in his application to strike out the action filed by Bibi Shaddick had observed that it was made on the grounds that the applicant’s contentions amounted to allegations of irregularities and illegalities challenging the validity of the Local Government Elections, which have been gazetted to be held on November 12. Williams further contended that the court has no jurisdiction to entertain the application by Shaddick, on the premise that once allegations of irregularities and illegalities are raised after the election process has begun (Order made on July 18, 2018), the law requires that any such challenge must come after the elections are held and by way of an elections petition.

Nandlall, however, charged that Williams’s application has no merit for the case to move forward on his position that the AG’s representative, Solicitor General Kym Kyte-Thomas has submitted to jurisdiction of

the court by way of being part of the substantive case, whereby a timeline was set.

The main case was scheduled to continue October 8, 2018 before Justice Persaud.

Nandlall attempted to make oral arguments ahead of the AG’s application being heard, which prompted Williams to say that what his predecessor was doing was tantalum to an “ambush”. In response, Nandlall stressed that “time is a valuable resource in this process”.

Justice Persaud set out timelines for both sides to lay over their arguments on the challenge ahead of the main case. The AG was given until October 5, 2018 to file submissions while Nandlall’s response will be based on arguments of legal submissions.

The attorney opted against filing an affidavit in answer on the said grounds of the case lacking merit.

Both parties will return to court on October 10, 2018 where the case will be amplified, according to Justice Persaud.

In the writ, the Applicant 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 con-

stituency 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 com-

plying 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.

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.

Law allows for ‘Backers’ Lists’ to be made public – Gunraj

W

hile the Alliance For Change (AFC) is pushing for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to keep the Nominators Lists (Backer Lists) a ‘secret document’, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP)-nominated GECOM Commissioners have made it clear that the law allows for the lists to be made public.

The AFC has been implicated in the fraudulent inclusion of persons’ names on their Backers Lists, which

were submitted to GECOM, ahead of the November 12, 2018 Local Government Elections. AFC Executive Member, David Patterson had charged that making the lists public was ‘opening a can of worms’.

PPP-nominated Commissioner, Sase Gunraj, in response said, “The can of worms they were trying to keep concealed is perhaps all the skullduggery that happened in relation to people who claimed that they

did not sign a list and their names appeared on it…the names of people who are dead appeared on the list of nominators, on those very list of nominators, including Mr Patterson’s party. “…there are people who claimed they were duped into signing the lists as backers for various reasons, including that they were signing up for better facilities in their village or they were signing up for jobs… it makes you wonder why

they want this to be hidden, notwithstanding that section of the law.”

A MATTER OF LAW Gunraj added, “The Local Government Elections Act Chapter 28:03 caters specifically for that to happen. It was not based on an insistence by any PPP-nominated commissioner or any other commissioner. It occurred as a matter of law….it has occurred in the 2016 Local Government Elections,

pursuant to the law. This is a public process.”

According to Section 44 (1) of the Local Authorities (Elections) Act, a list of candidates and a copy shall be handed over to the RO by the representative or deputy representative of the list and the RO shall forthwith cause a copy of the list to be posted in a conspicuous place outside of his office.

Section 44(2) adds, “A list of candidates shall be in the prescribed form; and

the submission shall bear the signature of each person submitting the same together with his name and the serial number of his identification card….”

Gunraj said, “If you are placing candidates who are putting themselves on a list for election, the public has a right to know who those persons are. By that same token, if that candidates’ list is backed by a series of nominators, those nominators have to be made public.”

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WEEKEND MIRROR 6-7 OCTOBER, 2018

2018 Local Government Elections Happenings

PPP/C 2018 LGE campa A public meeting, last Saturday (September 29, 2018), held by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) in Bartica, kicked off the Party’s 2018 Local Government elections campaign in the area. Additionally, Opposition Leader and PPP General Secretary, as well as several other Party leaders, were part of a walk about and engaged dozens of Barticians on issues affecting them.

WEEKEND MIRROR 6-7 OCTOBER, 2018

25

2018 Local Government Elections Happenings

aign kicks off in Bartica

26

WEEKEND MIRROR 6-7 OCTOBER, 2018

2018 Local Government Elections Happenings

PPP files legal action against GECOM – court action names over 40 persons over fake LGE list fraudulently included on AFC lists

T

he People’s Progressive Party (PPP), through one of its constituency candidates in Berbice, has filed legal proceedings against the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and another individual to have the names fraudulently affixed to the backer’s lists for Local Government Elections (LGE) in the Ancient County removed.

The court document names Shafraz Beekham as the applicant, along with the Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield and Orlando Christopher Persaud as the respondents.

The challenge is seeking to have the names of 49 other electors appearing on list of backers in support of the Alliance For Change (AFC) constituency candidates removed.

It noted that the submission was made to Persaud on September 21, 2018, in Whim Bloomfield, Berbice Local Authority Area (LAA), for the LGE 2018. The PPP is challenging on the grounds that the decision to include the names on the AFC list is unlawful, illegal, and unreasonable and is in violation of the Local Authorities (Elec-

tions) Act. The document also cites Persaud’s alleged refusal to withdraw the applicant’s name and the names of 49 other electors. It said unless the names are withdrawn, the election in the LAA would be tainted with “illegality and fraud.” It also noted that Persaud’s refusal happened before the expired deadline on September 26, 2018.

In a sworn affidavit, Beekham, who is a registered elector on the Official List of Electors for Constituency Number 3 in the Whim/ Bloomfield Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) said he and others were “deliberately deceived into signing a document by an Alliance For Change representative who he claimed fraudulently represented that she was employed by GECOM and that he needed to sign a document to confirm that his name was on the voter’s list.

“I am informed and do verily believe by the other electors in the community that they were told that they would benefit from better roads, jobs, better pension and rehabilitated playgrounds and were also deceived into

signing,” he stated in court documents.

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). Persaud said 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.

He recalled that he and the other electors had affidavits to withdraw their names and support for the AFC candidate on the lists submitted.

On Tuesday, September 25, 2018, Beekham and other electors visited Persaud’s office in Whim to submit the affidavits to have their names withdrawn.

According to his court document, “The first named respondent was not in office

and there was no other representative present who would accept our withdrawals. I returned to the first named respondent’s office at 2:00pm (14:00h) on September 26, 2018, with the other electors to submit our withdrawals.

It was made clear to Persaud that we did not knowingly or intentionally submit or affix our signatures to any lists in support of AFC candidates.

The first named respondent initially refused to accept our withdrawals erroneously, stating that the time has expired for us to do so.”

The PPP candidate said he did not leave and persisted to demand that his name be removed from the list. He recalled making contact with PPP GECOM Commissioner and Attorney Bibi Shadick and sought her intervention and advice.

He was informed that at a meeting between GECOM Commissioners on September 25, 2018, it was confirmed that the deadline for the submission of the statutory affidavits was on 23:55h on September 26, 2018.

“The statutory affidavits to withdraw the names of electors from the lists could

be submitted by the representative (head of the list) or deputy representative or in person by the elector.

If the elector appeared in person, a letter addressed to the first named respondent would have sufficed to effect a withdrawal. The statutory affidavits were legal documents which the first named respondent would be duty bound to accept,” he added.

However, after 14:30h on September 26, the CEO was out of touch and was not in his office and could not be reached personally or by telephone to give any directions to Persaud. In the absence of the CEO, the Deputy CEO, Roxanne Myers, was contacted in her office and indicated that she could not give any instructions to Persaud without first conferring with the CEO of GECOM who she was also unable to contact.

Subsequently, Persaud informed Beekham that he will accept the statutory affidavits from him and the other electors only if the electors desirous of withdrawing (including himself) were present in person. Beekham and 49 other electors presented themselves to Persaud the

same day.

But he later advised that “a confrontation had to be done between us and the AFC candidates” and further that the AFC candidates would be given time to rebut the allegations being made and fixed 10:00pm (22:00h) as the deadline after which a decision would be made.

When the time had reached, Beekham said that he and the 49 other electors were all present. The AFC candidates were not present.

Persaud then proceeded to accept all of the affidavits and in his presence signed and issued an acknowledgement of receipt to the representative of the PPP Himatee Latchman.

Beekham learnt on Friday, September 28, that Persaud had refused to withdraw his name and that of the 49 other electors from the lists submitted by the AFC. The proceedings were served on Wednesday. The matter is fixed for hearing before Justice Navindra Singh on October 11.

The attorneys representing Beekham are Adrian Anamayah, Ian Anamayah and Anil Nandlall.

PPP-nominated GECOM Commissioners decry lack of transparency at Commission

T

he People’s Progressive Party (PPP) nominated commissioners at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) are unhappy with the lack of accountability at that entity - especially since there are just over 36 days to go before Local Government Elections are held on November 12, 2018.

Those commissioners, in a recent interview with this publication, made it clear that there are times when requests for information get them nowhere.

One problem identified

by Commissioner Sase Gun-

“From the first day, the Chairman announces that he’s not going beyond certain hours. First it was five o’clock.

Then it came up to four o’clock. Then, if something is being discussed and the Chairman doesn’t (want to stay), he gets up. This has happened on more than one occasion….at least before we didn’t have a chairman that used to get up and walk out. This now is happening.” –PPP-nominated Commissioner, Bibi Shadick raj is the manner in which meetings are held.

He said, “You’ve heard in the media us complaining and saying things recently

about the quality of the meetings, the discussions, the timing of the meetings; and those statements are not very complimentary of GECOM.

Because the meetings are truncated in terms of time, the discussions, sometimes even though they may be long-winded, do not end in

implementable decisions.

Generally, at the commission level, it’s as though you have to squeeze blood out of stone to get what is happening.”

Elaborating on the way meetings are held, PPP Commissioner, Bibi Shadick, compared what obtains now to the days of former Chairman Steve Surujbally, who demitted office in 2017.

She said, “Statutory meetings are held on Tuesdays and are supposed to start at one o’clock. From the first day, the Chairman announces that he’s not going beyond certain hours.

First it was five o’clock.

Then it came up to four o’clock. Then, if something is being discussed and the Chairman doesn’t (want to stay), he gets up. This has happened on more than one occasion. The thing about it is the commission under Surujbally was long hours, but at least we didn’t have a chairman that used to get up and walk out. This now is happening.”

According to Commissioners, the operations at the commission level are running on a need-to-know basis.

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WEEKEND MIRROR 6-7 OCTOBER, 2018

29 arrested after police Armed bandits target raid Agricola, North Road minibus driver, conductor T T wenty-nine persons inclusive of a female were Sunday (September 30, 2018) morning arrested following a police operation in Agricola, Greater Georgetown and North Road Bourda, Georgetown.

Those who were arrested are being questioned for various offences, including

possession of a firearm and its components, cocaine and marijuana. In addition, some are being questioned in relation to several armed robberies.

The Guyana Police Force in a release to the media stated that the operation was headed by a senior superintendent of police,

with the backings of 220 ranks. The operation was titled ‘Operation Restore Order’.

The Police also confirmed that two motorcycles, a number of mobile phones, and other items suspected to have been stolen or unlawfully attained were discovered and confiscated.

Search at New Amsterdam prison turns up more contraband

A

joint search that lasted for almost four hours in a section of the New Amsterdam Prison on Saturday (September 29, 2018) turned up several contraband items.

Among the items found were: 220 grams

wo armed bandits on Saturday (September 29, 2018) evening attacked and robbed a minibus driver and his conductor, while they were reportedly making a purchase at a shop at the Grove Squatting Area, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

The victims are Wazeem Hussain, 40, of Section C

Block Y, Golden Grove, EBD and Mark Richman, 35, also of Golden Grove.

The duo, along with others, were in the business place about 21:00 hours, when the two armed men entered and instructed everyone to lie on the ground.

The perpetrators then relieved the two victims of their cash, documents

and cellphones. During the ordeal, one of the bandits discharged a round into the concrete floor, but no one was injured.

The men then quickly fled the scene on a blue Honda CG motorcycle. The Police were immediately summoned.

Investigations are ongoing.

of cannabis; nine cellular phones; a number of phone chargers; SIM cards; and a quantity of wire, razor blades and lighters.

This is the latest discovery of contraband items in the prison system.

28 ranks dismissed from Prison Service in 2018 – Samuels A whopping 28 ranks from the Guyana Prison Service were dismissed.

Among them are: 12 who are currently interdicted from duty; and 11 who were dismissed for facilitating smuggling of contraband into the prison

system.

Contraband smuggling has long been a perennial problem within the prison system, and compounded by facilitation from both prison and Police officers, the illegal trade is said to be ‘big business’.

Illegal contract controversy continues…

Was Harmon untruthful with the Guyanese people? Or is Patterson lying?

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ays after Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, publicly said that Public Infrastructure Minister, David Patterson, had not briefed Cabinet on the controversial award of the contract to Dutch firm LievenseCSO for a feasibility study for a

new Demerara River bridge, Patterson has now said something else.

According to Patterson, Cabinet was briefed “long ago” on the matter. “I don’t know if they [Cabinet members] have any other questions. I am doubtful that they

have any other questions because from the very first day those allegations were made we give a detailed thing [statement], which we also gave SOCU,” he said.

As such, it is unclear who is being untruthful with the Guyanese people.

EXCUSES In mid-August 2018, Patterson has attempted to publicly defend his actions by saying he was facing time constraints. However, this excuse was rubbished by Opposition Leader, Bharrat

Jagdeo.

In a statement, Patterson said, “MPI reiterates that lengthy procurement procedures were faithfully followed which did not yield suitable results.”

Jagdeo questioned what “lengthy procurement procedures” Patterson was referring to, since the laws of Guyana are clear on what procedures needs to be followed in the expenditure of taxpayers’ monies.

Patterson also said, “Having thereafter received a proposal which satisfied the government’s requirements for this project of national importance and given the relevant time constraints, it was felt that it was in Guyana’s interest to take advantage of the proposal. It is for this and other stated reasons that Cabinet’s approval was sought.”

In response, Jagdeo said, “Who put a time constraint on them…this is an excuse to bypass our laws?”

The Opposition Leader noted that in addition to Patterson’s breaching of Guyana’s financial laws, the Cabinet also became involved in approving a contract – which there is a law against. “Cabinet cannot approve contracts now, it can only offer a no-objection.” He added, “In all of this, and still they are trying to say that this was not a corrupt act.”

PPC REPORT The Public Procurement Commission, after a complaint letter penned by Opposition Chief whip, Gail Teixeira, 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.

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.

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