Weekend Mirror 21-22 September 2019 by Weekend Mirror

Caretaker APNU+AFC gov't 21-22 September, 2019 / Vol. 10 No. 89 / Price: $100

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

UNCONSTITUTIONAL

WEEKEND MIRROR 21-22 SEPTEMBER, 2019

More oil offshore Guyana ‒ a total of 16 finds to date

il companies ExxonMobil and Tullow have made their 14th and 2nd oil finds respectively offshore Guyana, bringing the tally of wells that have struck oil to 16 and increasing the prospects that Guyana is sitting on more than six billion barrels of oil. ExxonMobil made an oil discovery on the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana at the Tripletail-1 well in the Turbot area. This well was being drilled by the Tom Madden drillship. This discovery adds to the previously announced estimated recoverable resource of more than six billion oil-equivalent barrels on the Stabroek Block. The Tripletail-1 well is located approximately three miles (five kilometres) northeast of the Longtail discov-

ery. The well was drilled in 6,572 feet (2,003 meters) of water and encountered approximately 108feet (33 meters) of a high-quality oil-bearing sandstone reservoir. On completion of the operations at Tripletail, the Noble Tom Madden drillship will next drill the Uaru-1 well, located approximately six miles (10 kilometres) east of the Liza field. With this new find, ExxonMobil is expected to continue to move forward exploration and development activities elsewhere on the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana. The Stena Carron drill ship is currently drilling the Ranger-2 well and upon completion will conduct a well test at Yellowtail-1. The Bible Bod Doglas drillship is

currently completing development drilling operations for the Liza Phase 1 project. ExxonMobil will add a fourth drillship, the Noble Don Taylor, in October 2019 as the company continues to optimize its drilling plans, based on well results and the ongoing study of the basin. Previously, ExxonMobil announced plans to have at least five FPSO vessels on the Stabroek Block, which will produce more than 750,000 barrels of oil per day by 2025. The Liza Phase 1 development is on track to startup by early 2020 and will produce up to 120,000 barrels of oil per day, utilizing the Liza Destiny FPSO. ExxonMobil approves funding for the Liza Phase 2 development after it received Government and regulatory approvals in May 2019. Plans are in train to startup by mid-2022, using the

Liza Unity FPSO to produce up to 220,000 barrels of oil per day. Further, pending Government approvals, a third development, the Payara start-up could be as early as 2023 and production is expected to reach an estimated 220,000 barrels of oil per day. ExxonMobil has made 13 other discoveries to date: 1. Liza 2. Liza deep 3. Payara 4. Snoek 5. Turbot 6. Ranger 7. Pacora 8. Longtail – 1 9. Hammerhead 10. Pluma-1 11. Tilapia-1 12. Haimara-1 13. Yellowtail-1 The Stabroek Block is 6.6 million acres (26,800 square kilometres). ExxonMobil affiliate, Esso Exploration and

Production Guyana Limited, is operator and holds 45 per cent interest in the Stabroek Block. Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd holds 30 per cent interest and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CNOOC Limited, holds 25 per cent interest. TULLOW FIND UK-based Tullow Oil plc’s (Tullow) Joe-1 exploration well has successfully opened a new Upper Tertiary oil play in the Guyana basin. This is second discovery of oil in two different wells operated by Tullow, in less than six weeks. The Joe-1 exploration well was drilled by the Stena Forth drillship to a total depth of 2,175 metres in water depth of 780 metres. The evaluation of logging and sampling data confirms that Joe-1 has encountered

14 metres of net oil pay in high-quality oil bearing sandstone reservoirs of Upper Tertiary age. It was announced on August 12, 2019 that Tullow discovered oil in commercial quantities at the Jethro-1 exploration well in the Orinduik Block. Meanwhile, the Repsol-operated Carapa-1 well on the Kanuku licence (Tullow 37.5 per cent) is scheduled to commence drilling in late September with the Rowan EXL II jack-up rig and will test the Cretaceous oil play with a result due in the fourth quarter of 2019. Tullow Guyana BV is the operator of the Orinduik Block, with a 60 per cent stake. Total E&P Guyana BV holds 25 per cent with the remaining 15 per cent being held by Eco (Atlantic) Guyana Inc.

Ramjattan greeted by protestors in New York A

fundraiser organised by caretaker APNU+AFC Coalition Government in New York was completely overshadowed by more than one hundred protesters picketed the meeting, demanding elections and constitutional compliance, and failed to attract major support. Held at the Richi Rich Palace on Atlantic Avenue in Richmond Hill, NY on Sunday (September 15, 2019), the fundraiser featured

Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan representing the AFC, together with Georgetown Mayor Ubraj Narine representing APNU. Protesters behind New York Police Department (NYPD) barricades at the door of the restaurant, holding placards that read ‘Ramjattan you sold AFC to the PNC’, ‘Ramjattan must go’ and ‘(Ramjattan) a disgrace to Guyanese’, among others.

Police nab several men with ‘Molotov cocktails’, more illegal items S everal persons were nabbed by the Police after ranks swooped down at the premises they had gathered in Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), and discovered multiple homemade incendiary bombs called ‘Molotov cocktails’, among other illegal items. Reports are that the Police operation commenced at 06:00h on Thursday (September 12, 2019) and it lasted some six hours.

When ranks arrived at the location where the men had gathered, the Molotov cocktails, along with small amounts of illegal narcotics were in their possession. The men were immediately arrested and taken into Police custody. Meanwhile, two of the suspects were charged with illegal possession of motorcycles. It is alleged that the suspects arrested on are a part of a gang.

WEEKEND MIRROR 21-22 SEPTEMBER, 2019

Suite of measures on GPL loses more capacity, the cards to deal with more blackouts expected power situation – Jagdeo T T he generation and capacity issues at the Guyana Power and Light Company are included in the manifesto of the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C), according to Opposition Leader and PPP General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo. He noted that the energy plan will address significant reduction in costs, as well as increasing capacity to some 400 megawatt (MW) capacity – which is more than double what is currently being generated. Rapping the current caretaker APNU+AFC Coalition government for its lack of vision and forward thinking in the energy sector, Jagdeo said, “If you talk to them, they’re clueless… The ability to conceptualise or implement things is missing from this government….they killed Amaila and they said they’re going to do solar, wind… [But] so far, they’ve done very little in bringing in new capacity.” A new PPP/C government, according to him, will not only resuscitate the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project, but address generation and capacity issues in a comprehensive manner. He said, “Our plan is resuming

discussions on Amaila. Immediately, starting to move forward on that project but recognising that that project will take some time into the future because it will take about four to five years to be completed. You can wait on that to bring in power now – base load.” Jagdeo added too that a new PPP/C administration will move on to a gas power plant, which it believes could be done easily. However, while will be bring another 20 megawatt into the system, he stressed that it will not come into fruition until maybe 2021. As such, they will have to rely on fossil fuel initially to stabilise power supply in the country and bring an end to the constant blackouts. “Immediately, we move to fossil fuel and then the medium term – well by 2021 – to get to the gas fire power plant and then the hydro in about four years. That should put over 400 megawatts of new power [into the grid]. Right now, we generating under 200 megawatts, so that [400 megawatts] will allow us to do street lights, it will allow us to reduce the cost of electricity significantly and it will allow us to do a number of other things both

for household and [commercial purposes],” he stated. Parallel to this, he added, the PPP plans to improve transmission as well as the isolated grids, which will have either wind power or solar. Another project he said his party will resume is the residential solar panel project for hinterland communities. He noted that the current project that Government is rolling out giving hinterland communities internet is being funded with US$17 million that the PPP has left in place for ICT development in the Hinterland. That money was also from the Norwegian Fund. He reminded that under the previous PPP/C administration, 100 of the 215 hinterland communities had already been identified and major areas were wired for the establishment of commercial solar panels. In fact, he noted that they had even started the procurement of the solar panels when government changed in 2015. “We have a combination, a suite of measures that will deal with the power situation. Everything is planned already,” Jagdeo declared.

Tensions increasing within Coalition…

AFC backing down from positions in negotiations on Cummingsburg Accord H

aving indicated that the Alliance For Change (AFC) wants to increase its take in the revision of the Cummingsburg Accord – the agreement that seals the partnership between A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and AFC – Party Leader, Khemraj Ramjattan, is now backing down. However, Ramjattan, on Sunday (September 15, 2019) said, “There must be certain arrangement that will be very close or exact to what we signed on to in 2015 because I rather suspect that that 2015 was what caused us to win the elections and the 2015 arrangement should stay again “..I believe that the two

sides understand the necessity for having an agreement. The minute we crack up and do not have an agreement that will be huge political development that will be disastrous for our government and the President has made it quite clear that coalition politics is here to stay.” Meanwhile, in mid-August, an AFC statement noted that a four-week timeframe was set for teams from APNU and AFC to negotiate changes to the Cummingsburg Accord. However, that deadline has passed with no reported progress being made. What has been reported is that the AFC will have to take a reduction in its min-

isterial and parliamentary seats, if it wants to retain the prime ministerial candidate spot. The AFC currently controls Natural Resources, Public Infrastructure, Agriculture, Public Security, Public Telecommunication and has the prime ministerial post. The AFC has repeatedly said it will not give up the prime ministerial candidate. However, whether the AFC will buckle under pressure from the PNC-led APNU is left to be seen. In the negotiations, the AFC team is led by the General Secretary David Patterson while the APNU team is led by their General Secretary Joseph Harmon.

wo weeks after the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) company admitted that it was challenged to meet the peak demand and was experiencing a deficit of approximately 23 MW in generation capacity, the power company has added that it now short of a further 18 MW. As such, customers in will experience increased periods of blackouts – the latest in a wave of power outages over the last few months. The Chairman of the GPL’s Board of Directors, Rawle Lucas, said, “The need to perform continued scheduled maintenance on our generating systems will result in the continued unavailability of at least another 18 megawatts for a further period of time. I wish to acknowledge that GPL’s management is not proud of the situation in which its customers find themselves and is committed to rectifying and improving the situation very quickly.” Also, in response to recent enquiries from the Board, GPL management has reported that there were 772 outages of varying duration from June 1 to August 31, 2019. Over a 92-day period that amounts to an outage occurring eight times per day. WARNING For months, the Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, has warned the David Granger-led caretaker government about the “lag effect” of its failures to invest strategically in the energy sector. “If you are not putting in generating capacity and you have older units and you are at peak with no reserves you will have what we are having. Your install capacity and peak demand can’t be the same… it is just that these guys did not have enough investments in the right areas and they are struggling with the system,” he said. Jagdeo had stressed that the Coalition’s inaction is worsening the current state of affairs. He also noted that the current installed capacity to

generate power is close to what is the peak demand, and, with no new capacity being added to the power grid, the unreliable power supply situation will worsen. “Right now there is no plan to fix it…there is no new capacity being added…no plan for new power generation…. this can only get worse,” the Opposition Leader said. According to him, in the 21st century, Guyana should have already reached the stage there the capacity to supply power, surpassed the peak demand for power. Jagdeo said, “This Government has failed on every plan it touted….we heard about solar…we heard about wind…nothing so far…they went to tender for a massive dual system, fuel and hydro, and nothing….the situation does great harm to business.” Jagdeo underscored the fact that the decision to scrap the Amaila Fall Hydropower Project was ill-conceived. The recent decision of the APNU+AFC Coalition Government to pursue a wind power project was also similarly described. He said, “How many times are we going to say this? Buying wind power even if it is feasible and it is not corrupt, even if it was a clean contract, wind power is not buying capacity, it is buying energy. What about the periods when the wind stops blowing and there are several periods during the course of the day and in the night? You still need the fossil fuel to step up at that time, because when the wind stops blowing, it goes down to zero, you go down to zero and so you have to then match that with the comparable capacity to pick up that, you cannot build future or satisfy future demand on buying just energy, you have to also install capacity.” Notably, none of the renewable energy projects that are being undertaken by the Coalition Government will contribute to the national grid. The Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Project was initially

expected to deliver a steady source of clean, affordable, reliable renewable energy to meet approximately 90 per cent of Guyana’s domestic energy needs and remove the country’s dependency on fossil fuels. Additionally, the independent, facts-based assessment of the Amaila Falls Hydropower project in Guyana, which was done by an independent Norway-based engineering and design consultancy firm, Norconsult AS, found that the project is the only realistic path for Guyana to achieve greater levels of renewable energy. “The fastest way forward is to maintain AFHP as the first major step for substituting its current oil fired generation. AFHP was prioritized as the first hydropower plant because it was the only project with a full feasibility study completed, it has a higher plant load factor than the alternatives, a smaller reservoir and a levelised unit cost in the same range as the most attractive alternatives,” the summary of the 49-page report said. The report also highlighted that Hydro power is the only way in which we can achieve the 2025 renewable energy target; that the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project is the fastest way to get to renewable energy by 2025; that the BOOT model is the most appropriate way of structuring the project and should be maintained; and that the project should be re-tendered since the last tender was in 2008. As at 2014, approximately US$70M of this had been deposited by Norway in the Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund (GRIF) which is channeling investment into seven LCDS projects. The Norwegian Government had announced that it plans to transfer US$80M to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), to be used as Guyana's equity contribution to the Amaila Falls Hydro Project. With the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project scrapped by the APNU+AFC Coalition Government, the financing was also lost.

WEEKEND MIRROR 21-22 SEPTEMBER, 2019

EDITORIAL

Anti-democratic elements cannot be allowed any chance of success T

he Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is state of perpetual readiness for General and Regional Elections in accordance with the requirements of the Constitution. This state of readiness was evidenced when former President Donald Ramotar dissolved Parliament on February 28, 2015 and General and Regional Elections were held 71 days later – on May 11, 2015. However, a tainted GECOM Secretariat (different from the full Commission which is comprised of the GECOM Chairperson and the six GECOM Commissioners), headed by Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, was a willing partner in the efforts by the caretaker president, David Granger, to elevate GECOM above the Constitution of Guyana. Granger’s unilaterally appointed GECOM Chairman, James Patterson, played a role for which history will hold him accountable. At a time when all Guyanese are clear that GECOM is subservient to the Constitution, the government-aligned elements at GECOM were successful in ensuring that the opposite became the order of the day. In so doing, Granger used GECOM as an excuse to continue delaying constitutionally mandated General and Regional Elections, which ought to have been held since March 21, 2019. The excuses touted by Granger have no credibility, since his minions at the GECOM have been actively working to advance positions that will delay elections further, in defiance of the Constitution of Guyana – actions that may very well cause Guyana to find itself removed from the democratic fold of nations. Now, September 18, 2019 has come and gone. Guyana crossed a red line landing our nation in a constitutional crisis. However, the caretaker president seems set on the path of ensuring that the no-confidence motion, successfully passed on December 21, 2018, remains unsuccessful. The decision of the new GECOM Chairperson, retired Justice Claudette Singh, on Thursday (September 19, 2019) to inform Granger about GECOM being ready for Elections until February 2020 is unhelpful. Granger has talked about seeking an extension of the life of his administration by returning to the National Assembly and a meeting with Opposition Leader and People’s Progressive Party’s General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo. The PPP’s position has been repeated ad nauseam – there will be no agreement for an extension of the life of this current corrupt, incompetent and uncaring administration. As such, there is nothing to be gained by a meeting, when so many previous engagements have been marred by acts of bad faith. Also, the caretaker president’s comments about being compliant with the ruling and orders of the Caribbean Court of Justice, handed down three months ago, are absurd. Granger’s insistence that “Cabinet has not been removed” demonstrates his obvious willingness to distort the provisions of the Constitution of Guyana. Article 106(6) of the Constitution states clearly that: “The Cabinet including the President shall resign if the Government is defeated by the vote of a majority of all the elected members of the National Assembly on a vote of confidence.” In its orders on July 12, 2019, the CCJ said clearly that: “These particular provisions require no gloss on the part of the Court in order to render them intelligible and workable. Their meaning is clear and it is the responsibility of constitutional actors in Guyana to honour them.” The Caribbean Court of Justice was clear in its consequential orders that the “the clear provisions of Article 106 immediately became engaged” on the passage of the no-confidence motion on December 21, 2018. The caretaker president and his ministers should now face the wrath of the Guyanese people, by enduring their peaceful protests across the country. These protests will serve to make clear their rejection of a cabal that has usurped the Constitution, acted in defiance of the rulings of Guyana’s final court, engaged in unprecedented levels of corruption and has cemented itself as anti-democratic. Moving forward, Guyanese cannot allow anti-democratic elements to succeed. The order of the day can only be constitutional compliance.

Political situation is causing unease in our society Dear Editor,

he Muslim Youth Organization in the context of the no-confidence motion and subsequent decision of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) calls on the Government to adhere to the constitution of our country and proceed to National and Regional elections.

The current political situation is causing unease in our society. Our country needs to settle and the only way this can occur is if the current political situation is brought to an end with the holding of elections. We also urge GECOM to move towards the preparation for these elections that are constitutionally due. All efforts must be in the prepa-

ration for free and fair elections in the shortest possible time. We also urge all Guyanese to conduct themselves responsibly during the election period and to accept the results of a free and fair election. Yours Sincerely Imran Ally, President (ag)

There is no space for of dereliction of duty Dear Editor,

ow, that we are cognizant of the intentions of The PNC Led Coalition, that is, to delay elections for as long as possible and to hold on to power as long as they possibly can, what should the election body do in such circumstances? This is the question that should be on every member of GECOM’s mind. This is the burning issue, but for some clandestine reason this chairperson seems not to understand? We, the People have already made our decision, twice to be exact, we’ve made that decision at the LGE Level and are eagerly awaiting our turn at the national level. We want an end to all of these meetings, interviews and what have you, of this illegal government with a final view to general elections soonest. We, The People, want elections because that is the end result of a successful passage of a no-confidence motion. Having said that, what should be the role of the newly installed Chairperson? I say her role should be one of expediting the dictates of the law as it relates to preparedness in time for elections within the legally stipulated time-frame. There should be no delay in such matters because the affairs of an entire nation are at stake. However, this aspect of the nation’s business has been stymied by the many twists and turns in this ongoing saga of general election and a government’s fear of facing the electorate. Incidentally, GECOM who is supposed to be an autonomous and bipartisan body seems to be caught up in this mess also. I do hope that this electoral body get its act together and in the final analysis get into election mode. So, let us get a few pertinent facts cleared up, before we discuss this election business in a detailed manner. For starters Madam Justice Chairperson took an entire month to as it

were “settle in” that is making cordial remarks and talking to members of the secretariat, smiling and handshakes. We are talking about an entire month to make such salutations, when the urgent business of getting ready for Election 2019 was on the cards. It shows what mettle she is made of and to whose side she is leaning. This is certainly not a good sign at all and does not augur well for the independence of the chairman or the GECOM. These occurrences all show some form of collusion with the illegal powers that be and that the chairwoman is acting under instructions from other outside sources. Another case in point is in the stopping of the house to house registration, then soon after backpedaling in the statement that there would be a merger of the names from that very same process, she put a stop to. How can she in all fairness add registrants from an incomplete list to the National Register, this is an illegal act? This is preposterous and coming from a Chairwoman/ former judge? Outrageous! You cannot merge an illegal document (the printed house to house registration forms was never sanctioned by parliament) on to the national register; this constitutes an illegal act. Further to it as a judge, Singh should know that you cannot use an unverified – and in the majority of cases duplicated list – on to the national register, this openly constitutes a fraud. As a former judge Madam Justice Claudette Singh ought to know that you cannot, I repeat, you cannot legitimize a fraud, this is outrageous behaviour! You just have to go straight into the Claims and Objections Phase which means that those persons who would have attained the age of 18 years and are eligible to vote would have been automatically updated into the National List of Electors. Conversely, those who have died would be taken off the list by the clean

and verified list that can only come from the GRO; It is as simple as that! Are we to believe then that 370,000 persons reached the age to vote in the last five months? That is the rank foolishness this government is telling us? They are telling us in no uncertain language, that Guyana saw a rise in 370,000 “new” names in 5 months and as such this must be “merged” or in other words “added” to the NRR, this is the Anansi Story this government is giving us? Outrageous! The truth of the matter is, that figure of 370,000 represents a duplication of registrants and as such should be left alone and the real update should be sought from the established list that they allowed to expire in April of this year. Finally, what we see transpiring before our eyes is a chairperson who at best is a jellyfish actor, one who says one thing but undercover, does another. Is she afraid of doing the right thing? As someone rightly said, “this judge/ chairwoman is under pressure, that is the reason for her behaving in this manner”. Well, I vehemently reject that assumption, I submit that she is not under any pressure other than that which she has created for herself. If she sticks to the letter of the law, as she asserted, then she has nothing to fear, however, a deviation from the laws that govern our country means that she is bound to get into these shameful alleyways and poorly crafted apologies would be the order of the day. If anyone that is under pressure then it is The Chief Justice and she has carried out her duties with high regards and legal precision. Claudette Singh on the other hand wants to “please” and for that reason she will go down in history as a weak, vacillating Judge/chairperson who was grossly guilty of dereliction of duty. Respectfully, Neil Adams

WEEKEND MIRROR 21-22 SEPTEMBER, 2019

Ali has well-articulated vision for the future Are we moving to a full-fledged Dear Editor, PPP presidential candidate Mr. Irfaan Ali dictatorship where the Police Theis known of his astute insights and analysis on the Economy and other matters of national Force is being used to subdue concern. I must commend him for the well thought out vision for Guyana. and stifle democracy? Guyana is soon to become an oil producing Dear Editor,

he Guyana Police Force is mandated to protect and serve the people, unfortunately, the priority of the Police Force is to serve and protect the APNU/AFC coalition Government Ministers, Government officials, while the ordinary Guyanese is being sacrificed to the mercy of bandits and criminals, thanks to the incompetence of Khemraj Ramjattan and the APNU/AFC coalition Government. The security situation in Guyana remains a serious concern for every single Guyanese. The APNU/AFC coalition Government promised the Guyanese people in 2015 that high emphasis would be placed on the security of Guyanese but the only thing that changed was the name of the Ministry that is responsible for security, increased police security for Ministers, leaving Guyana with an uncontrolled level of crimes in the entire country. The Minister who is directly responsible for public security, Khemraj Ramjattan, and the Guyana Police Force boastfully, in reports, stats and the media, highlighted that the crime situation is under control but the reality is quite opposite. The facts are that Guyanese have definitely lost confidence in the Guyana Police Force, whereby people are even refusing to report incidents that they have encountered, and even if these matters are reported, the Police Force is of no help. I am confident that the response that would be given by Khemraj Ramjattan and other Government officials is that crime is under control. A 170-year Indian culture in Guyana where music is being played for weddings is being stopped by Ramjattan and the GPF. This Indian tradition is being strangled by this APNU/AFC Government and confined to Berbice alone. The Guyana Police Force is being used as a political football. Recently at a picketing exercise at New Amsterdam Multilateral

School, protesters were being forced by the police to move about 500 feet from the entrance of the school while thugs of the APNU/AFC were allowed to remain at the entrance of the school. APNU/AFC thugs were allowed by the police to behave abusively towards protesters while the police refused to remove them from in front of the school entrance. The police even tolerated the loud abusive and taunts. The protesters who were exercising their constitutional rights were not given that privilege, senior police officers ensured that four policemen were placed to keep protesters 500 feet away from the entrance of the school. During the PPP/C Government in office, during the 2015 campaign, protesters were allowed at the location of a meeting in Lusignan, East Coast Demerara. I’m still contemplating if we had a change in rules now. The big question is, are we moving to a full-fledged dictatorship where the Police Force is being used to subdue and stifle democracy? David Granger’s visits to New Amsterdam Multilateral School is an insult to the lives of many of those students whose parents were dismissed from the sugar estates by this Granger Administration, and can barely afford to be in school, the students’ cash grant was taken away by Granger’s APNU/ AFC Government and with the same breath, Granger is preaching that his Government wants every child to be in school, that is “high class hypocrisy”. Granger’s rhetoric about regional involvement is just to mislead the populace. The 1 million dollar cash grant by Granger is a pittance, compared to approximately 100 million dollars that is being spent at Bermine Ground for the Republic Celebration in 2020. So you the people can actually determine what is the priority of this illegal APNU/AFC coalition Government. Regards, Zamal Hussain

country, and so, any economic planning henceforth has to take into consideration of this fact. Our economic affairs will no longer revolve solely around our traditional and mining sector, but largely around oil. In fact, we would become an oil dependent country (future oil rent could supersede 3% of our GDP). And this right here is a call for concern. Our economy would become exposed to the exogenesis and volatilities oil prices. And for us to make sure ever Guyanese benefit from the oil wealth, we need to get our acts together. History has showed us that oil wealth could be detrimental to our welfare if we fail to implement pragmatic countercyclical macroeconomic policies. The first step is to think of our oil wealth as a “stimulus to the economy” and not the backbone. We have to use the additional resource to ensure that a steady source of revenue is guarantee notwithstanding oil prices. To do this, we first have to set up our Sovereign Wealth Fund; one that is completely divorced from the control of our politicians. Second, we need an investment strategy and model. A strategy in a sense that we need to decide what assists would constitute our investment portfolio and where would we invest. Also, how would we treat the proceeds of our investment? A quick guide on how our investment model should be structured is the Hartwick rule of investment (invest in assists that would ensure intergenerational continuity of our resource). Our activism, as an investor, in corporate governance should also be taken into consideration. If we have the correct model, we could then rest assure that, with or without oil, we will continue to grow and flourish. And not only with this generation benefit, but also the future.

Another area that needs to be carefully monitored is the size of our public sector. Too large would lead to a relative appreciation of value with respect to the private sector. This in its entirety would spell disaster for private firms, especially manufacturing. Increased investment in the public sector would attract workers from the private sector, forcing the public sector to increase wage; imminently driving up production cost. An effective way to counter this to build up our human capital so as to increase productivity. Higher productivity means lower production cost; lower prices; increased competitiveness and to a larger extent, increased comparative advantage. And this is where the vision of Irfaan comes in. For example to provide over 20,000 scholarships, write off student loan, and remove all 200 plus tax measure. Empirical evidence have shown us that oil dependent countries that are diversified and have high human capital index (contributions of the preceding measures) are more than likely to convert their resource windfall into a blessing. In simpler terms, what Irfaan’s is aiming for, I would assume, is to make the private sector the engine of economic growth. But let’s face it, he will have a lot of cleaning up to do. The APNU government is already spending like there is no tomorrow. Out national debt is rapidly on the increase. Savings at the Bank of Guyana is essentially tanked. In fact, they (APNU) there is an overdraft in excess of $60B. Since taking up office in 2015, not a single USD has been added to our international reserve. Instead, in excess of US$250M has been expended. Also, manufacturing value added has seen a decline by more than US$60M between 2015 and 2017 (data is published by the UN). Not to mention the growth in size of public sector employment; by over $22B. And there is ton more to mention. But in the interest of space I would end here. I’m confident that under the stewardship of Irfaan Ali, our country will transform. Sincerely, Roger Samuels

A full investigation into the ‘Verwey’ pronouncement is needed Dear Editor,

uyana’s oil discoveries have set insider trading alarm bells ringing at all the major stock exchanges in the past week. On September 8, a report by online magazine Petroleum Economist attributed new discoveries to Government of Guyana official, Owen Verwey. “There have been some big discoveries and by next Friday, we will be announcing another one… We are one of the hottest destinations for the oil and gas industry right now and that is set to continue,” this statement was made during an address at the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Offshore Europe Conference and Exhibition in Aberdeen, Scotland. The price of Tullow Oil and ExxonMobil stock rose significantly after the statement. On September 14, Verwey hosted a press conference where he tried to distance himself from his words by saying, “when comments

are made, only the Department of Energy information is relevant when it comes to the oil and gas industry”. Thirty-six hours later ExxonMobil and Tullow announced major new discoveries. It is clear Mr Verwey had inside information, not in itself illegal; however, Verwey is not an ‘insider’— who is defined as someone with either access to valuable non-public information about a corporation or ownership of stock equalling more than 10% of a firm’s equity. The questions that will be asked by the Securities and Exchange Commission are: Who told Verwey? When was he told? Why was he informed? Who else is in this information loop? Which Government officials hold stock in the oil companies? When did they buy? The information of new oil discoveries must come from the oil companies, in this case, ExxonMobil and/or Tullow; the big question is the amount of lead time between

informing Government of Guyana officials and making of public announcements. A week is an eternity on a stock market, where fortunes are made and lost in hours. Insider information can be used to enrich a person via insider trading very easily; in fact, it can easily be a way to ensure the pliancy of officials instead of actual bribes. Have we unearthed a new type of kickback scheme? Earlier this year I posited that “Dr Jan Mangal ascribes knowledge of oil reserves to former President Donald Ramotar and Minister of Natural Resources at a time (April 2015) that would land ExxonMobil in hot water with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for failure to report an event that would have major impact on the price of the company’s publicly traded stock (XOM) on the New York Stock Exchange”. The same applies in this instance, and we do have Mr Verwey’s statement at an oil conference as evidence of pre-announcement

knowledge. Editor, Officials of the Government of Guyana continue to act as if they are running a ‘cake shop’ and Guyanese are suffering from gross incompetence or deliberate mismanagement. The Local Content Policy deficiencies are costing Guyanese the opportunity to compete on a levelled playing field in their own country. Mr Carl Greenidge recently suggested that our country should make sovereign wealth investments in ExxonMobil stock; it would be a travesty if officials of the Granger administration, their friends and/or family were already so invested and are now working inimical to Guyana’s interest in favour of their own. Nothing less than a full investigation into the ‘Verwey’ pronouncement is acceptable. Respectfully, Robin Singh

WEEKEND MIRROR 21-22 SEPTEMBER, 2019 strategy, a letter was sent to sections of the local private sector and outlines a plan for engagement that is akin to a political party’s manifesto.

APNU/AFC Government is promoting neo-colonialism in our country Dear Editor,

re-independence there was a case to be made for Guyana being called ‘Booker’s Guiana’. Now, decades later, what is visible are the makings of the case for Guyana to be called ‘ExxonMobil’s Guyana’. Editor, I want to refer to ExxonMobil engagement with the caretaker APNU/AFC Government to propose a plan on how oil monies can be used to develop various sectors and selected industries via the development of a national competitiveness strategy. Guyana has a National Competitiveness Strategy. It is a 125-page document titled ‘Enhancing National Competiveness – A National Competitiveness Strategy for Guyana’. The document’s completion was the result of in-house work, through a partnership between the former PPPC government and the local private sector. [Link to document: https://finance.gov. gy/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/ncs.pdf]

The strategy already in existence is a comprehensive one. It deals with: The Rationale for Competitiveness Strategy; Key Elements of Competitiveness Strategy; Core Competitiveness Policies; Sector Strategies; Policies Targeting Strategic Sub-sectors; Overarching Enablers; amd the Partnership Approach. Importantly, the interests of local companies – while not ignoring foreign investments – were addressed in a comprehensive way, from the promotion of local trade to addressing legislation that takes note of Guyana’s specific local circumstance, as well as includes recommendations that build on local experience. Why do we need to re-create the wheel on this issue? Why is what we have not being built on? Why is the work being done by a foreign company? Why is the successful model of government/local private sector partnership being ignored? Also, Editor, following the engagement with the caretaker APNU/AFC Government on a new national competitiveness

Guyanese must stand up to this illegal government Dear Editor,

e have mourned enough for Guyana in recent months, we have shed enough tears for a country we love and a system of democracy that we have grown so accustomed to since October 5, 1992. We have enjoyed the good life in the hollow of this democracy for so many years. But in spite of all of this, we must never allow this now illegitimate government and a full-blown dictatorship after September 18, 2019, to daunt our spirits. We cannot surrender because of this. Reading the letters in the Guyanese newspapers and statements from many organizations, it is clear that as a society we are leaping into grief as if it is a form of recreation. But we are not anti-democratic people who surrender to a dictator. We fought back before and we must fight back again against the dictatorship. We must be prepared to struggle for what we believe in; freedom. Our people do cherish these principles of democratic rule, and thus we combat the idea of Guyana becoming a state of “nothingness”

where our people become tributaries to an elite political cabal of no less than two dozen men who have no national plan for the future. But in spite of all this dreadful reality, there is light at the end of the tunnel once we stay together as one people. The more we stay together on the issues, the more we will demonstrate to the illegitimate imposters that we as a people are not broken. More than ever before in 2019, we are each, as a whole as we will ever be, in our history. And in the end, when we depart this world, the memories of our action shall serve to remind generations to come that we, the Guyanese people, stood up to the dictatorship, not once but twice and won in the end. So stand up my people; stand up for your rights, stand up against the oppressors, stand up and demand that GECOM does its work. God bless the Guyanese people and may we recommit to the struggle to dislodge wrongdoing, incompetence, and corruption from our society. Yours faithfully, Sasenarine Singh

The letter that I have seen proposes an invitation only workshop on Wednesday, September 18th, 2019 to discuss: • Performance of key economic areas in Guyana, with a view of making sure all players are working from the same foundation as it relates to economic data (statistics from Guyana and other countries that will be provided by ExxonMobil) • Methodology and tools where ExxonMobil will provide our local private sector with tools, such as drivers of competitiveness, to deal with cluster mapping and cluster development, which is to say that ExxonMobil will tell Guyanese where certain industries are concentrated and how they could be developed. • National Value Proposition where ExxonMobil will identify where the opportunities for economic advantages are. • Identification of ‘quick wins’, which is the identification of economic areas where benefits can be realised immediately. All of this comes under what ExxonMobil is calling the ‘Shared Prosperity Initiative’ to be led by one, Dr. Michael Porter, and a Dr. Jorge Ramirez. Aside from the lopsided deal signed with ExxonMobil in 2016, why is the caretaker APNU/AFC Government allowing or facilitating ExxonMobil’s influence to shadow what should be critical national issues? A few questions must be answered:

1. What was the rationale for allowing ExxonMobil to produce a national plan for how our take of revenues from the oil and gas sector should be spent? 2. Why is the caretaker APNU/AFC Government not limiting ExxonMobil’s influence on what should be a locally determined national policy trajectory? 3. Who is making the decisions on the engagements between Guyana and ExxonMobil? Engagements with foreign companies are not unwelcomed, but this must take place in a framework that does not negatively impact national interests. Guyanese are already enlightened on the disaster that is our Local Content Policy through the zealous Kaieteur News reports on this issue. One of the interesting pieces from Kaieteur News pointed out how a foreign consultant undermined our Local Content Policy to favour foreign interests. Will the caretaker APNU/AFC Government allow the same thing to happen by allowing or facilitating ExxonMobil’s influence on nationally determined policy directions? Will they not learn? The only thing that appears to be clear is that the caretaker APNU/AFC Government is promoting neo-colonialism in our country. In so doing, they have allowed a small group free reign to move around duping our people. Limits must be set. A national government has the responsibility to act in the interest of the Guyanese people, first and foremost – not place interest of foreign companies as the priority. Regards, Erin Northe

Elections to provide new governance mandate quintessential Dear Editor,

xxonMobil has discovered yet another oil field in the Stabroek block. This discovery comes on the heels of a second discovery by Tullow Oil, a British-based oil company. The sum total of these discoveries is nothing short of phenomenal. It is almost a case of being too good to be true. What is even more heartening is the premium quality of our oil, which means that we could potentially earn above the average price per barrel on the world market. One major difficulty is the current unstable political environment which could put us at a disadvantage from the standpoint of negotiating from a position of strength. Already there are concerns that we are not getting the best deal, which could possibly result in the loss of billions in terms of revenues.

The Department of Energy, in my view, does not have the technical or institutional capacity to manage the sector and make decisions that are in the best national interests. One consequence of this deficiency is the risk of sub-optimal benefits that can otherwise be accrued to us as a country. The problem is further compounded by the lack of Parliamentary Oversight of this emerging sector, given the current political dispensation. This is why it is so necessary for elections to be held within the shortest time in order to provide for a new governance mandate. This will greatly enhance confidence in the economy which is so vital for sustained growth and development. Regards, Hydar Ally

WEEKEND MIRROR 21-22 SEPTEMBER, 2019

Chair says GECOM will be ready for Elections at end of February 2020 T

he Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), retired Justice Claudette Singh, on Thursday (September 19, 2019) informed the caretaker president, David Granger, that GECOM would be ready to hold General and Regional Elections by the end of February 2020 – almost a full 12 months after elections were constitutionally due. Elections were due since March 21, 2019 following the passage of the no-confidence motion on December 21, 2018. The February 2020 date would mean that despite the no-confidence motion being successful, the constitutional provisions that mandate elections within three months were ignored. The February 2020 date is close to what the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR)-led Coalition government has been pushing for – an election date in March 2020. Two weeks ago, a timeline of election preparation activities was presented by the Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, who heads the Secretariat of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), and it projects

March 23, 2020 as the Election date. This timeline was rejected by the Opposition-nominated GECOM Commissioners – Bibi Shadick, Robeson Benn and Sase Gunraj – who contend that the constitutionally mandated General and Regional Elections, which ought to have been held since March 21, 2019, can be held in November 2019. On the other hand the government-nominated GECOM Commissioners have welcomed the March 2020 Election Date. The Opposition-nominated GECOM Commissioners insisted that an Election date in November is possible. WEDNESDAY MEETING After the Wednesday (September 18, 2019) meeting it was agreed that the GECOM Chairperson will communicate this decision to the caretaker president in accordance with the mandate of the Commission on Thursday (September 19, 2019). Additionally, a press statement issued by the GECOM Secretariat drew a stinging response from the Opposition-nominated GECOM Commissioners. In a joint statement the

Commissioners said, “The Public Relations Officer of GECOM, consistent with previous efforts to mislead the public, does the same regarding the outcome of the continued Statutory Meeting of 18 September, 2019. “The release seeks to blame Commissioner Sase Gunraj for not presenting a timeline for consideration at the said meeting. “On the contrary, it was communicated to that meeting that we considered the timelines for the holding of elections and deliberately did not present a proposal, particularly on the date earmarked for making a decision, because we did not want to get involved in a protracted debate that would have further delayed the decision-making process of the Commission. “In that regard, after considering timelines and determining that it was eminently possible to hold elections before the end of the year, we chose instead to reiterate that position to the Chairman and Commission, instead of making a formal proposal. “We note too that the Chairman had committed to both of the major political stakeholders that GECOM

was working to achieve elections before the end of the year. “We have provided several timelines over the last nine months, which have only been debated without yielding any meaningful outcome. “All of these timelines, adjusted for time elapsed, clearly point to GECOM’s ability to hold credible elections long before the end of 2019.” TUESDAY MEETING After the meeting on Tuesday (September 17. 2019), it was revealed that little progress in narrowing down a timeframe to hold national elections. Opposition-nominated GECOM Commissioner Gunraj said, “As we are speaking today, we have not come to any realistic timeline for the holding of elections… the discussion on [merging the data] is what is taking this time. We could have gone to Claims and Objections starting [today], because we have asked members of the Secretariat to get information on that.” “If we made a decision today, we could go to Claims and Objections and start moving this process forward. Unfortunately, all of this discus-

sion and delay is because of discussions about merging… I have undertaken to present a timeframe of my own. So I’m optimistic that that will be adopted.” Gunraj also expressed a lack of confidence in the timelines that are being prepared and presented by the GECOM Secretariat to the Commission. He said that less than half of the registrants’ data have been encoded, despite the exercise starting last month. The Commissioner also noted that these delays contradict GECOM’s earlier deadline for completing the encoding of data, which he said was supposed to be since September 15. Gunraj made it clear that he is dissatisfied with the pace in which GECOM is working. He said, “As we speak today, I believe that only [approximately] 200,000 records were encoded. The timeline presented to us by the commission was September 15 for conclusion. As you know, we are at September 17. And the Secretariat is saying we will require three weeks. “…you will recall me saying weeks ago that I did not trust that timeline. My under-

standing of it will not take the time they are saying. That has led me to the conclusion that all of the timelines prepared and presented by the Secretariat are not to be trusted.” Gunraj noted that the Secretariat’s timelines are meant to tie the Commission into a definite decision. CONSTITUTIONAL COMPLIANCE The delay in a decision from GECOM saw Guyana passing the September 18, 2019 deadline for General and Regional Elections – three months since the June 18, 2019 ruling from the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) that the no-confidence motion was validly passed. In the ruling on the no-confidence motion’s validity, the CCJ had said that the consequences triggered by the passage of the no-confidence motion were on pause while the cases were being litigated. However, that pause, according to CCJ President Adrian Saunders, ended on June 18, 2019 – that is to say that having missed the March 21, 2019 election deadline, elections should have been held on September 18, 2019. However, that too was missed.

Gov’t meeting with GECOM a ‘ploy to delay elections’ – Opposition-nominated Commissioners

delegation from the current caretaker APNU+AFC Coalition government met with the Guyana Elections Commission on Friday (September 13, 2019). The delegation included People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Chair and Minister of Health, Volda Lawrence,Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams and Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally. AFC members, Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson and Minister of Public Telecommunications, Cathy Hughes as well as Guyana Action Party (GAP) representative, Minister of Indigenous Peoples Affairs, Sydney Allicock; National Front Alliance (NFA)member , Junior Minister of Social

Protection, Keith Scott; representative of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), Minister of Public Service, Tabitha Saraboo-Halley and representative of the Justice For All (JFA), Junior Minister of Public Infrastructure, Jaipaul Sharma also attended the meeting. At the end of the meeting, Opposition-nominated GECOM Commissioners, issued the following statement: On the September 13, 2019, a delegation from the Government met with the Guyana Elections Commission. It was very clear, from the outset that the purpose of the meeting was to intimidate the Commission into participating in its ploy to delay elections. It is noteworthy, that there was no prior request

for a meeting and a request only surfaced after the meeting with the Leader of the Opposition, at which the Chairman, Justice Claudette Singh, S.C. C.C.H., expressed a desire to “conduct elections before the end of the year”. As was expected, the contributions of the members of the delegation, if implemented, could only lead to further delay.

At the meeting, Attorney General Basil Williams cited the pending appeal against the decision of the Chief Justice in Christopher Ram v. Guyana Elections Commission, Attorney General et al, including the filing of an application for a stay of execution. It seems as though he wants to delay the holding of elections until the hearing of this matter, possibly by the

Caribbean Court of Justice. A question was posed by the delegation to the Chairman about the statement attributed to her regarding the holding of elections before the end of the year and same was confirmed by her. We maintain that, in keeping with the constitutional prescriptions in Article 106(6), and the admonitions of the Caribbean Court of Justice and the

Chief Justice in the various cases resulting from the successful passage of the No Confidence Motion, General and Regional Elections should be held in the shortest possible time. We reiterate that this is eminently possible. Commissioners, Guyana Elections Commission Bibi Shadick, Robeson Benn, Sase Gunraj

WEEKEND MIRROR 21-22 SEPTEMBER, 2019

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 Friday (September 19, 2019), ranging from the advice from the GECOM Chairperson about election readiness at the end of February 2020 to the planned protest actions of the Parliamentary Opposition.

February 2020 election readiness date disappointing ‒ but all is not lost

lection readiness, according to the Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), retired Justice, Claudette Singh, can be assured by the end of February 2020, according to her letter to caretaker president, David Granger. And Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, has indicated that while the timing is disappointing – given her assurance of elections before the end of 2019 – all is not lost. During his Thursday (September 19, 2019) news conference, he said, “Today is an important day for Guyana and if you were to assess the day from the point of view of a democracy, constitutional rule we would see that we’ve had some progress and some setbacks. It is a day of mixed events – some progressive and some that have set our country back. “…we are extremely disappointed with the date, but we are happy that Granger no longer has an excuse to delay

the holding of elections…we were surprised by the Chairperson – having told both sides that we are working on elections by the end of the year – then to spring this surprise on us about February 2020…however, all is not lost.” According to him, the extended time will allow for greater mobilization of international and local observers to ensure that the elections are free and fair. “While we are disappointed with the date, we will work in the two months to educate every Guyanese about the transgressions of this corrupt and incompetent cabal. We will use those two months well,” Jagdeo added. The Parliamentary Opposition had insisted that General and Regional Elections – constitutionally due since March 21, 2019 after the passage of the no-confidence motion – were possible before the end of the year. During his news conference, Jagdeo explained that the latest timeline drafted by

the Opposition-nominated GECOM Commissioners saw Election Day being December 16, 2019. Notably, the government-nominated GECOM Commissioners were pushing for a March 2020 election date, which was rejected by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C). Jagdeo said, “They government has succeeded to sabotage every effort to prepare for elections. The three commissioners from the government receive their instructions from Congress Place (the PNCR Headquarters) and people in the secretariat are working with them….I sympathize with the Chair of GECOM, who has to deal with three commissioners, who at every meeting raise extraneous issues – all in an effort to delay preparations for elections.” The Opposition Leader stressed that the PPP/C will be moving forward with its preparations for elections and from a position of heightened vigilance.

The letter from the GECOM Chairperson informing caretaker president, David Granger, about election readiness by the end of February 2020

GECOM Secretariat staffed by some persons not trusted by PPP/C

here are several individuals within the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Secretariat (which is different from the Commission itself) who do not have the confidence of the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C), according to Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo. During his weekly news conference on Thursday (September 19, 2019), he said, “There are individuals in that Secretariat there that we do not trust. We don’t think they will support the Chairperson (retired Jus-

tice, Claudette Singh) or give her proper advice…we will be addressing this issue, they cannot think they will poke us in the eyes.” He explained that this matter has been raised with the international community and will be pursued. “We already spoke to international community on this matter,” the Opposition Leader said. Jagdeo was no holds barred in pointing to the Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, as one of the persons who is untrustworthy. “We are

aware that Lowenfield got over 200 acres of land,” he said. Earlier this year, it was exposed that Lowenfield received: 216 acres at Millie’s Hideout, Region 10 – June 2019; and 2 acres at Mocha, Region 4. In a press statement on June 29, 2019, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) said, “Could Mr. Trevor Benn (head of the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission) say why persons in Region 10, particularly Lindeners, who applied for lands to be used for housing and other economic activi-

ties, in the same area, did not have their applications approved?” No direct response was forthcoming. Additionally, Jagdeo named another Secretariat official, Melanie Marshall, who was the Returning Officer for Region 4 during the May 2015 General and Regional Elections. She is now the Acting Voter Registration Manager, charged with all matters dealing with voter registration, including responsibility for scanning and encoding data garnered from the scrapped house-to-house

registration. The Opposition Leader pointed out that already the Secretariat has missed timelines set by Marshall and there is no guarantee that there will not be additional delays. As of Tuesday (September 17, 2019) only 129,000 of the 370,000 persons GECOM claimed to have registered during house-to-house registration were scanned. He said, “Ms. Melanie Marshal is Acting Voter Registration Manager….I won’t be surprised if we get more delay…she was the Returning Officer in Region

4….the same Returning Officer who locked up her office and disappeared when we tried to put in our request for a recount of over 20 ballot boxes in Region 4…we couldn’t even get a request in. I wouldn’t put anything past her.” The Opposition Leader charged that there are “several things that cause us to worry” moving forward. However, he stressed that there will be greater vigilance, in anticipation of attempts to by elements in the GECOM Secretariat to create confusion.

WEEKEND MIRROR 21-22 SEPTEMBER, 2019

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

Opposition welcomes Granger remains in denial, position taken by insists that he is not in Diplomatic Corps T

he declaration, via a joint statement, by key local representatives of the international community that the David Granger-led caretaker government is in breach of the Constitution of Guyana was welcomed by Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo. Reps from the United States of America, Britain and the European Union declared that the caretaker APNU+AFC Coalition government is in breach of the

country’s constitution and called on Granger to “set an elections date immediately” or possibly face a cutoff of development funding. “The situation comes at great cost to the people of Guyana. The prevailing political uncertainty undermines Guyanese institutions, compromises economic opportunities and delays development…it also hinders our ability to support Guyana’s development needs,” the diplomats said.

In response Jagdeo said, “The international community has definitively weighed in on the matter.” Meanwhile, in response to the local diplomatic corps, Granger said the international community should allow the Guyana government “to resolve the issues”. According to the Opposition Leader, Granger’s “ridiculous” comments inspires no confidence in him as a leader.

Continued meetings of Cabinet illegal

ven with the passage of the September 18, 2019 election deadline date, condemnation from civil society and the international community, the caretaker president, David Granger, persists with his ‘business as usual’ disposition. On Thursday (September 19, 2019), he said, “I’m going to meet my Cabinet and I will not discuss the contents of the communication until I have received the advice of my Cabinet.” The communication he referred to was the letter from the GECOM Chairperson, retired Justice Claudette Singh, informing him about an election readiness timeline. Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, rapped Granger for his continued defiance of the Constitution and the ruling of Guyana’s apex court – the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). He made clear that the meeting Granger’s Cabinet is an il-

legal one. The orders of the CCJ, handed down on July 12, 2019, said: “Due observance of constitutional democracy and the rule of law in Guyana rests, in large measure, with the conduct of the various branches of government, that is, the President and the Cabinet, the Parliament and the Judiciary. All must be faithful to the spirit and letter of the Constitution and operate within the parameters given to each by the Constitution.” It added that Article 106 (6) and (7) “require no gloss” on the part of the Court in order to render them intelligible and workable. The Court said, “Their meaning is clear and it is the responsibility of constitutional actors in Guyana to honour them. Upon the passage of a vote of no confidence, the Article requires the resignation of the Cabinet including the President. The Article goes on to state,

among other things, that notwithstanding such resignation, the Government shall remain in office and that an election shall be held within three months, or such longer period as the National Assembly shall by resolution supported by not less than two-thirds of the votes of all the elected members of the National Assembly determine …” The CCJ also stressed that given the passage of the no confidence motion on 21 December 2018, a general election should have been held in Guyana by 21 March 2019, It added, “The Court must assume that these bodies and personages will exercise their responsibilities with integrity and in keeping with the unambiguous provisions of the Constitution bearing in mind that the no confidence motion was validly passed as long ago as 21 December 2018.”

breach of Constitution

ith Guyana having crossed a red line – that is the deadline date (September 18, 2019) inferred by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) for constitutionally mandated General and Regional Elections to be held – caretaker president, David Granger, continues to insist that he is not in breach of the Constitution of Guyana. On Thursday (September 19, 2019), Granger said, “I am not in breach of the Constitution…. My government is abiding by the Constitution.” Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, during his Thursday (September 19, 2019) news conference, said, “You cannot trust a president who does not comply with Constitution…he is saying forget the Constitution, saying somehow that we can have elections whenever and forget the constitution… people have to understand the mindset of granger and his government. They are in a siege mentality. “…It bothers me a lot and it should be very worrying for all the country. A president who lives in that world…he may think he is doing the right thing, while every other sane person knows otherwise….this is a pattern, where he say I am in full compliance with Constitution when everyone knows he is in breach of the constitution and ruling of the CCJ.” Jagdeo also referred to

other comments Granger made, relative to the letter from the GECOM Chairperson advising him on election readiness. The Opposition Leader said, “The media asked him about elections and he said things that must be very worrisome to all of Guyana from the perspective

of our future…I am worried that the President has somehow lost it all…that he has tripped out totally and does not remember what he said only five seconds earlier. “…he said I have received a letter from the Chairperson of GECOM saying that she will be ready for elections and my cabinet will meet shortly – the illegal cabinet….then immediately thereafter, he said I cannot set a date because I have to await GECOM telling me when they will be ready….this is what we are dealing with.” Notably, the passage of the no-confidence motion on December 21, 2018 triggered General and Regional Elections, in accordance with

the Constitution – meaning Elections by March 21, 2019. This did not happen. After months of legal challenges, on June 18, 2018, the CCJ ruled that the no-confidence motion was, in fact, validly passed – setting in motion a second three-month deadline, meaning elections by September 18, 2019. Article 106(6) and (7) of the Constitution states as follows: “(6) The Cabinet including the President shall resign if the Government is defeated by the vote of a majority of all the elected members of the National Assembly on a vote of confidence. (7) Notwithstanding its defeat, the Government shall remain in office and shall hold an election within three months, or such longer period as the National Assembly shall by resolution supported by not less than two-thirds of the votes of all the elected members of the National Assembly determine, and shall resign after the President takes the oath of office following the election.” There has been no extension of the life of the Government, as provided for in Article 106 (7) of the Constitution. Additionally, the caretaker APNU+AFC Coalition Cabinet, including the President, has not resigned. As such, the Granger-led caretaker government is not only in breach of the Constitution, but also in breach of the CCJ ruling.

WEEKEND MIRROR 21-22 SEPTEMBER, 2019

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

Protests will continue until Election date is named M

ass peaceful protest actions will continue until caretaker president, David Granger, names a date for General and Regional Elections, declared Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo. “We will target the illegal, caretaker president, Granger, wherever he shows up, wherever he goes, he will be met by protests and disruptions that says we will not tolerate a dictatorship in this country. He has to com-

ply with the constitution,” he said, during his Thursday (September 19, 2019) news conference. Jagdeo also quipped, “Granger will get all the love from the PPP side.” In response to the first protest action since the September 18, 2019 deadline for elections was passed, Granger said, “I hope the intellectual authors behind the demonstrations can stop what they've started.”

Scenes from Thursday’s protest action

Jagdeo wasted no time in calling out Granger, who is also the leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), for what he said was a threat. He said, “Granger’s comment seemed to be meant as a threat. We are not worried about the threat of an illegal, caretaker president.” The Opposition Leader added that Granger does not have to look far for the “intellectual authors” of the

protest, since it was clear that it was a protest organised by the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C). “Granger doesn’t have to look far for the intellectual author…it is a PPP protest….Granger seems to be confusing what happens with the PNC…he thinks we have a hidden agenda. We don’t. We have an open agenda. We will protest until he names a date for Elections.” Jagdeo added, “Granger

knows that we are not going to go down the street and allow ordinary citizens to be disrupted with violence and burning buildings…we want to be respectful of the rights of the people of Guyana because they are not disrespecting the constitution, granger is. According to him, Granger will have to keep “going through back doors and kitchens” to avoid protestors. “This is not about

PPP and PNCR. This is about Constitution…had he been complaint with Constitution, he would have been accorded respect due to his office,” Jagdeo said. He made clear that a date for Election must be set with haste. “We will watch happening at GECOM with eagle’s s eyes…we will ensure that they don’t do anything that will affect the preparations for elections,” Jagdeo declared.

WEEKEND MIRROR 21-22 SEPTEMBER, 2019

Communities continue to battle hardships as delay in elections is prolonged G

uyanese across the country have been battling increased cost of living, loss of jobs and loss of welfare for the past several years. And with the increased uncertainty surrounding the delay with constitutionally mandated General and Regional Elections – elections that ought to have been held since March 21, 2019 – the state of affairs is worsening, more so for communities in rural areas. This week, the Mirror Newspaper spoke to several residents of Mahaica. The common sentiment expressed was the need for elections to be held as a means of ending the uncertainty and as a means of affording Guyanese a say at the polls so that there could be a change in government.

VIDWANTIE (UNEMPLOYED): “The government need to do the elections and done.”

JAGNARINE (PENSIONER): “Well we want lil changing you know because things not functioning properly right now. All round things hard, the bills and everything. The money not circulating. The lil money you get finish on the bills and it just going more high right now.”

JULIET PERSAUD (SELF-EMPLOYED): “I don’t know what really going on in the country right now. Every time I look at the news it’s that they don’t have a date as yet. We need the election to happen. My husband died a lil over a year now and I sew lil clothes and I do a small business to help. That is all I doing for a living, but things very hard right now. Now the crisis getting harder. I don’t know what going on.”

CONSTANTINE LEELAND (PENSIONER): “I can’t really know what to say right now. Right now I have some medical problem. And my wife also have some problems. The older people need to get some help, but you not seeing that right now.”

SHEILA RAMKARRAN (PENSIONER): “I don’t know what to say now. Things right now not too nice. Everyone trying. What else can we do?”

CHANDRA (HOUSEWIFE): “We should get the election already because it is done a long waiting already and people punishing a lot. Things going bad. Only the other day my brother telling me we got the election so that he can get back a work because since they (sugar) estate close things just getting harder and harder for some people. If you look around things not working good with people. The market bad and thing. If we get the election we hoping for something better.”

WEEKEND MIRROR 21-22 SEPTEMBER, 2019

MAHENDRA PERSAUD (DRIVER): “I think we have to get a change fast. Any election they have can’t be till December, not at the Christmas time. Business is slow. I work hire with my canter and you can’t even do that properly now. The hire work cut like 50 per cent. I sell bora stick and vine taking over the bora sticks because people can’t even afford to plant lil bora, and the bora stick is only $8 and $10. I used to do a rice business and everything fall because the state of the country and it can’t pay because you have expenses to look after.”

BASMATTIE SINGH (SELF-EMPLOYED): “The way things are going everything in the county is affected a lot. Nothing ain’t doing. When it comes to business things are very slow, slow, slow. Right now people hoping that the election could happen so things can get going again with a new government.”

RAMPATTIE PERSAUD (HOUSEWIFE): “The election was supposed to happen since long now and we not hearing anything. My husband passed away and my son helps out and things hard for him because many a day he go out and come back and say he didn’t get nothing, no work. It is rough when you have bills to pay.”

INDIRA GUYADEEN (SINGLE MOTHER): “Everyone is hoping for the best right now. The way things are is rough. There are barely any jobs. Right now I am jobless and I am a single parent. It is tough. I have support from my family. But we need a change of government because a lot of people are finding it rough.”

DANESHWAR HEMNAUTH (PART-TIME EMPLOYEE): “We need to have the elections soon. The cost of living increased. People don’t know where the economy going. I work but it’s only part time. Young people need jobs and there isn’t a lot of opportunities right now.”

AMRITA SINGH (HOUSEWIFE): “Right now things are so hard for a lot of people. I used to work but I don’t anymore. We need an election so we can get a change. No jobs right now, high cost of living and all rough life is harder, not better, for a lot of people. Children used to get the grant and now they don’t. People don’t know where they heading for right now.”

WEEKEND MIRROR 21-22 SEPTEMBER, 2019

Granger greeted by hundreds of protestors at GMSA event T

he caretaker president, David Granger, attended an event hosted by the Guyana Manufacturing and Services

Association (GMSA) on Thursday (September 19, 2019) at the Pegasus Hotel. And hundreds of protestors braving the rains were

there to greet him. Holding placards that read ‘GMSA hosting illegal president’, ‘APNU+AFC gov’t expired’,

‘Granger manufacturing lies’ and other slogans, the protestors made clear their rejection of Granger and his refusal to comply

with the Constitution of Guyana. Additionally, during the GMSA event, several persons who were in atten-

dance also stood up with placards to register their rejection of Granger as he started to address the event that was poorly attended.

WEEKEND MIRROR 21-22 SEPTEMBER, 2019

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

Granger continues to parrot excuses, has done nothing to comply with Constitution

he People’s Progressive Party (PPP) notes the continued parroting of excuses voiced by the caretaker president, David Granger, during an address to the nation on Monday (September 16, 2019), which was astoundingly riddled with distortions. While all Guyanese are clear that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is an independent commission, it must be reiterated that GECOM is also subservient to the very Constitution that guarantees its independence. However, as has been evidenced before, the caretaker president conveniently ignores this fact and attempts to convey the impression that GECOM, being an independent body, can afford to ignore its obligation to comply with the Constitution of Guyana. In its order after ruling that the no-confidence motion was validly passed on December 21, 2018, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), on July 12, 2019, was clear that: “The Guyana Elections Commission (“GECOM”) has the responsibility to conduct that election and GECOM too must abide by the provisions of the Constitution.” While the caretaker president also repeats his line about “credible elections within the shortest possible time” he has done nothing to comply with the constitutional provisions that became activated with the passage of the no-confidence motion. The Caribbean Court of Justice had ordered that: the provisions of Article 106(6) and (7) of the Constitution apply to a No Confidence motion; and that upon the

passage of this motion of no confidence in the Government, the clear provisions of Article 106 immediately became engaged. The caretaker president remains deliberately oblivious to this order. As per Article 106 of the Constitution, the Cabinet has not resigned. Also, the Granger-led government has not been acting in a caretaker capacity – rather it has been deliberately delaying the elections while engaging in a heist of taxpayers’ monies and public resources in the most corrupt acts our people have seen in Guyanese history. The caretaker president claims that he acted “expeditiously” to ensure that credible and regional elections are held and to substantiate this, he referred to the meetings that led to the appointment of a new GECOM Chairperson. The caretaker president seems to have selective amnesia, forgetting that it was his illegal action – the unilateral appointment of a GECOM Chairman – that led to the need for a new appointment in the first place. The caretaker president talks up his assurance in the actions of his Commission to ready itself for constitutionally mandated General and Regional Elections – which ought to have been held since March 21, 2019 – even as his minions at the Elections Commission advance actions that will delay Elections. How then can the Commission act expeditiously to advise on its readiness for Elections? The caretaker president must do the decent thing and be faithful to the spirit and letter of the Constitution. (September 16, 2019)

WEEKEND MIRROR 21-22 SEPTEMBER, 2019

Real Time Economic Insights (An analysis of Guyana’s economic performance)

Tax burden on Guyanese has increased since 2015 T

he total revenue collection by the Guy ana Revenue Authority has been constantly rising since the APNU/AFC government took office in 2015. The 2019 Budget of $223.58B represents an increase of $80.69B from the revenue collection of $142.9B in 2015, equivalent to 56 per cent over this year’s budget. The Ministry of Finance, in the Mid-Year Report 2019, revealed that at the end of six-month period the revenue collection stands at $108.96B. The 2019 Budget rep-

resents an increase of $42.21B or 23 per cent above the Budget for 2018 and $25.07B or 13 per cent over the 2018 collection of

The revenue collected in 2018 represents 28.8 percent of the Gross Domestic Product. The increasing tax collection is indicative of an increasing tax burden on the citizen of Guyana. The most im-

portant objective of taxation is to raise required revenues to meet expenditures, however, increasing revenue collection creates a burden on the people, if there is no increase in the tax base.

Year

$198.51B. Over the years (2015 to 2018), revenue collection has experienced an average growth rate of 10 per cent.

Total Taxes ($ Millions)

Growth Rate

2015

142,896

5.2

2016

151,746

6.2

2017

171,150

12.8

2018

198,512

16.0

2019

223,583

12.6

In 2015, Guyana’s tax burden was 24.8 per cent, with it decreasing in 23.9 per cent in 2016. The year of 2017 saw an increased tax burden of 27 percent. The tax burden is expected to increase further in 2019.

Guyanese urged to use social media platform to make anonymous submissions about corruption

ith the four-year mark of the APNU+AFC Coalition Government being in office having passed and with more and more Guyanese forwarding information about increasing levels of corruption in office, a platform has been created to allow for easier communication of such information. Opposition Leader, Bharat Jagdeo, has urged Guyanese to make use of the social media platforms and participate in the effort to continue to expose the misdeeds of the APNU+AFC Coalition. He assured that the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) will continue its investigations in the push for greater accountability and transparency. Guyanese can make submissions of information anonymously via Facebook on ‘Corruption Watch 592’ and via WhatsApp on telephone number (592)-653-6637.

Tax burden is an indicator at the macro level of the total amount of taxes in a country. It shows the proportion of GDP that the public sector has at its disposal. The most common way to depict this is to measure the total taxes and duties as a percentage of the gross domestic product (GDP) at market price, a method adopted by OECD. What is causing this increase in Revenue Collection. The Minister of Finance continues to say that the increase in the revenue collection is not as a result of increase in taxes or the introduction of new taxes, but is as a result of reforms in the administration of taxes. However, over the past 4 years, several new taxes and increases in taxes have been noticed. Below are some of the tax measures implemented by the government in the last four years: 1. 14% VAT on water con-

sumption 2. 14% VAT on electricity consumption 3. VAT On Health Services 4. VAT On Internet Services, etc. 5. Environmental tax of $10 per unit on the importers and local manufacturers of products using non-returnable metal, plastic or glass container of any alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage. 6. Increase in the Tributors Tax from 10% to 20% 7. The imposition of a 2% withholding tax on the gross payments made to all contractors 8. Restriction of Mortgage Interest Relief to loans up to $15 million 9. Increase fees for TIN certificates 10. An increase the travel tax from $2,500 to $3,500 11. A Premium Tax on Re-Insurance Premiums for Local Aircraft Operators

12. An increase in the fees for transfer of motor vehicle registration for motor cycle and other vehicles, ranging from $5,000 for motor cycles to $25,000 or 2% of sale price, whichever is higher. 13. Licences Fees for all motor vehicles increased. 14. Ban on the importation of used tyres for motor cars, vans, pickups, SUV’s, and mini-buses older than eight-years-old from entering Guyana, with effect from April 1, 2017 15. Imposition of a fee of $2,000 for a Driving Permit issued to drivers residing abroad but visiting the country temporarily, and $2,000 for persons requiring a Letter of Authenticity for verification of drivers’ licences. 16. Restriction of the importation of used and/or re-conditioned vehicles to under 8 years old from the date of manufacture to the date of importation.

Guyanese interested in volunteering asked to contact Party

he People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) is now available on WhatsApp number 592-611-PPPC (7772) and it encouraging Guyanese, who are interested in political activism and volunteering, to contact the Party. WhatsApp allows persons to message from Guyana other countries at no cost. Operators are manning the line on a 24-hour basis and interested Guyanese are asked to communicate this to the Party.

WEEKEND MIRROR 21-22 SEPTEMBER, 2019

Timeline of what happened since December 21, 2018 21st December 2018: • Motion was successfully carried by the National Assembly by a vote of 33 (Parliamentary Opposition) to 32 (Government). • The Prime Minister accepts the Government had fallen 22nd December 2018: • President Granger via the Ministry of the Presidency accepts that the Government has fallen and vows to follow the Constitution. • GECOM Secretariat holds meeting to address preparations for Elections. 23rd December 2018: • Nigel Hughes publicly argues new calculation on the majority of the National Assembly [65/2=32.5, roundup to 1 = 33, add one =34]

27th December 2018: • GECOM secretariat announces, via Public Relations Office, Yolanda Warde, they can hold election in the mandated timeframe. (Article published by Guyana Chronicle - http:// guyanachronicle.com/2018/12/27/gecomready-for-elections) 2nd January 2019: • AG Basil Williams writes to the Speaker to reverse his decision.

3rd January 2019: • Parliament meets to deal with the consequences of the passage of the no-confidence motion • The Speaker refuses to reverse his decision and further instructed that the motion stands 5th – 7th January 2019: AT GUYANA’S HIGH COURT • Compton Reid, private citizen, files a challenge to the passage of the motion using dual citizenship argument • Basil Williams files to challenge the majority of the National Assembly • Chris Ram files that the government should uphold the motion and call elections

9th January 2019: • 18 days after the passage of the motion President Granger meets with the Leader of the Opposition. • A joint communication came out of this meeting: ■ It was agreed that the two Chief Whips will meet with GECOM. ■ Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield refuses to meet, preferring the Chairman to meet the two Chief Whips.

31st January 2019: • (GUYANA’S HIGH COURT) The Chief Justice makes her ruling on all the matters before her: ■ 33 is the majority; ■ The government stood resigned in keeping with the article 106 (6) and (7); ■ Dual citizens are not eligible to be candidates and Members of Parliament, however, Charandass Persaud’s vote is valid in accordance with electoral laws and art 165; ■ A challenge to the eligibility of an elected Member to Parliament, including dual citizens, must be challenged by an election petition in the High Court within 28 days after elections.

5th February, 2019: AT GUYANA’S APPEAL COURT • The Government files its appeals to reverse the Chief Justice rulings in the Court of Appeal. The President makes clear that if the Appeal Court does not rule in the Government’s favour it will take the matters to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).

5th February, 2019: • GECOM’s Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, declares that a short period of Claims and Objections can refresh the validity of the Voters’ List. “We can move toward the conduct, as I said yesterday, of a claims and objections exercise of a duration to be specified by the Commission so that we can arrive at a list,” Lowenfield had said. • GECOM’s Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, declares that the last Valid List of Electors was “clean” – a sentiment echoed by all the political parties who contested the November 12, 2018 Local Government Elections.

8th February, 2019: • The Chairman of GECOM during a press conference where the Commission stated that it needed 148 days to prepare for elections. 25th February, 2019: • GECOM asked by the Government to provide a work plan, 66 days after the passage of the no-confidence motion. 6th March, 2019: • Leader of the Opposition once again meets with the President and proposes a face- saving device to the President in the interest of averting a constitutional crisis. The Parliamentary Opposition proposes that it would give its support for a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly in accordance with article 106(7) to extend the time for elections to be held on or before April 30, 2019, when the voters’ list expires. This was conditional

that no new contracts/agreements are signed by the government in the interim and it is “not business as usual.” This proposal was ignored and rebuffed. President Granger stated that he was not prepared to call elections until: (a) the Voters’ List is ‘sanitized’; and (b) the legal processes are concluded. The Government continued in its current ‘business as usual’ mode. 8th March, 2019: • President meets with GECOM commissioners • Opposition-nominated GECOM commissioners present a work plan which was rejected. However, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, informally, accepts copy of the work plan that caters for Elections within 50 days. 19th March, 2019: • The Chairman of GECOM writes to the President requesting more funds for elections and advising elections could not be held sooner than the end of November 2019 after House to House Registration. 22nd March, 2019: • The Government held office illegally for 16 hours • (GUYANA’S APPEAL COURT) The Court of Appeal in a three judge court made a ruling: ■ 2/3 Judges stated that 34 is the majority, making an absurd argument of absolute and simple majority. ■ 3/3 Judges agreed that dual citizens should not sit in parliament ■ 3/3 Judges stated that Charandass’ vote was valid

26th March, 2019: • The Parliamentary Opposition moved to appeal the Court of Appeal rulings in the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). 27th March, 2019: AT THE CARIBBEAN COURT OF JUSTICE • The Leader of the Parliamentary Opposition and others move to the Caribbean Court of Justice to challenge the Appeal Court ruling on the no-confidence motion case • Zulfikar Mustapha moves to the Caribbean Court of Justice to challenge the Appeal Court ruling on the unilateral appointment of a GECOM Chairman. 29th March, 2019: AT THE CARIBBEAN COURT OF JUSTICE Case management conference held. Decisions are as follows: • Challenges related to the validity of the no-confidence motion are to be consolidated. • Challenge to unilaterally appointed GECOM Chairman is set for hearing. (Continued on page 18)

WEEKEND MIRROR 21-22 SEPTEMBER, 2019

8th May, 2019: AT THE CARIBBEAN COURT OF JUSTICE • Hearing of the unilateral appointment’s case

Brigadier David Granger, President of Guyana was flawed and in breach of Guyana’s Constitution.”

Ram. Representing Ram is former Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, and former Speaker of the National Assembly, Ralph Ramkarran.

9th and 10th May, 2019: AT THE CARIBBEAN COURT OF JUSTICE • Hearing of the consolidated cases related to the challenge of the validity to the no-confidence motion.

12th July, 2019: • (CARIBBEAN COURT OF JUSTICE - ORDER) In the matter of the unilateral appointment of the GECOM Chairman, the Court said, (Paragraph 3) It is now a matter of the greatest public importance that the President and the Leader of the Opposition should, as soon as possible, embark upon and conclude the process of appointing a new GECOM Chairman. This imperative is now of the utmost urgency in light of our decision in the no confidence motion cases that the motion was validly passed thereby triggering the need for fresh general elections.

23rd July, 2019: • While the Granger-led APNU+AFC Coalition has been insisting that there can be no move to General and Regional Elections without a new national house-to-house registration process to create a new Voters List, Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, under pressure, has admitted that this is not so. When pressed by the media on Tuesday (July 23, 2019), he admitted that the last valid List of Electors, as of April 30, 2019, can be refreshed via a Claims and Objections period and used for new General and Regional Elections. He said, “If a claims and objections exercise is to be used, then that will form the basis of a preliminary list.” Asked specifically if the last Valid List can be used to conduct a free and fair Elections, Lowenfield said, “That is correct.” • Further, when asked to comment on President Granger’s assertion that the voters’ list is bloated by about 200,000 names, Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield said, “You are saying my List is bloated….bloat is not a word it would affix to it (the List).” The Chief Elections Officer also stated that Granger’s claims is based on speculation. Lowenfield said, “It’s speculative. I will want to do an exercise to determine that amount and that exercise can be done,” he said.

April - May, 2019: • GECOM continues to train staff and procure goods for a national House to House despite the matter being before the CCJ. 13th May, 2019: • GECOM’s in-house Legal Counsel advises against House to House registration. A legal opinion, prepared for the Commission a month before, said: “The use of the word ‘revise’ [in the Election Laws (Amendment) Act 15 of 2000] suggest that the process is not one where a ‘new’ List is generated, but one where the most recent list is updated or amended….I therefore advise that procedures be put in place to ensure the revision of the list, otherwise the Commission would be acting in defiance of the law and may prejudice a by-election that may become necessary.”

23rd May, 2019: • The National Assembly approves the Supplementary Financial Paper allocating an additional $3.4B (equivalent to US$16.5M) to GECOM’s 2019 appropriations of $5.3 B. 18th June, 2019: • (CARIBBEAN COURT OF JUSTICE - RULING) The CCJ rules on the consolidated cases related to the no-confidence motion: 1. The no-confidence motion was validly passed; Article 106 (7) was triggered when the no-confidence motion was validly passed. 2. The majority needed for the passage of the vote on the no-confidence motion was 33 votes of “all 65 elected Members of the National Assembly whether present and voting” and not 34, claimed by the Coalition Government. 3. The vote of former Parliamentarian, Charandass Persaud, was valid and Mr. Persaud was not “required to vote against the motion of no confidence along with other members of the APNU+AFC Coalition Government. 4. There was nothing to prevent the tabling of a no-confidence motion by any member of the National Assembly, including the Opposition Leader. 5. Despite the Speaker of the Assembly declaring that the motion had been validly passed, the Government neither resigned nor announced impending elections. • (CARIBBEAN COURT OF JUSTICE - RULING) The CCJ rules on the case related to the unilateral appointment of the GECOM Chairman. In their press release, the CCJ said: “The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) today ruled that the process through which Reverend Justice (Retired) James Patterson was appointed Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) by His Excellency,

12th July, 2019: • (CARIBBEAN COURT OF JUSTICE - ORDER) The Court makes the following declarations and orders in the consolidated no-confidence motion matter: a) The provisions of Article 106(6) and (7) of the Constitution apply to a No Confidence motion; b) Thirty-three votes constitute a majority of the 65 member National Assembly; c) Mr Charrandas Persaud was ineligible to be elected to the Assembly by virtue of his citizenship of Canada but his vote on the motion of no confidence was valid; d) Nothing in the anti-defection regime established at Article 156(3) of the Constitution rendered Mr Persaud incapable of casting his vote on that motion in the manner in which he did; e) The National Assembly properly passed a motion of no confidence in the Government on 21 December 2018; f) Upon the passage of this motion of no confidence in the Government, the clear provisions of Article 106 immediately became engaged. 16th July, 2019: • Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, through his attorney, Anil Nandlall, wrote to Chief Elections Officer (CEO) of GECOM, Keith Lowenfield, to “request that he immediately commence preparations for the holding of General and Regional Elections on a date no later than September 18, 2019.” 17th July, 2019: • Order 25 of 2019, issued by GECOM mandating that new national house-to-house registration commence on July 20, 2019 was made public. The Order is dated June 11, 2019. 18th July, 2019: • The People’s Progressive Party releases press statement that said: “Our Party has not received any official communication from GECOM. Our numerous calls to the Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Keith Lowenfield have gone unanswered. This activity is a clear violation of the orders of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), issued on July 12, 2019. We call on all Guyanese to protest the CEO‘s unlawful act.” • Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, makes clear that the house-to-house registration is being done illegally. 22nd July, 2019: • A court challenge has been mounted against the House-to-House Registration being carried out by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), by Attorney-at-Law, Christopher

26th July, 2019: • A meeting between Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, and President Granger saw a resolution on the issue of the appointment of a new Chairperson for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). Justice Claudette Singh, SC, CCH, was selected as the new GECOM Chairperson. 26th July, 2019: The Caribbean Court of Justice Orders said: ► The Cabinet and President must resign; ► The David Granger-led APNU+AFC Coalition will continue as a caretaker government; ► The APNU+AFC Coalition must restrain the exercise of its legal authority; and ► That three-month Election clock started on June 18, 2019. A letter from Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, on July 20, 2019 to President Granger called for compliance in all these regards. Granger responded to say that these “requests” are being examined by Attorney General Basil Williams. August 5, 2019 • President David Granger responds to the Opposition Leader’s calls for compliance with the Constitution and the CCJ ruling by saying he will not “accede” to the calls. In a letter, Granger said, “It is my considered opinion that the Caribbean Court of Justice did not issue orders that I should dissolve the National Assembly, fix a date for General and Regional Elections and that I should resign from the Office of President.” Notably, the request was for the Cabinet to resign including the President (meaning that the entire Cabinet inclusive of its Chairman, the President must resign); for the President issue a Proclamation dissolving Parliament and fixing a date for elections in accordance with the CCJ Consequential Orders and Articles 106(6) & (7) of the Constitution. The CCJ ruled that Articles 106(6) & (7) were immediately triggered when the No-Confidence Motion was passed on 21st December, 2018 and must be obeyed. (Continued on page 19)

WEEKEND MIRROR 21-22 SEPTEMBER, 2019

Granger has overthrown Constitution, moved Guyana into dictatorship - Teixeira T

he Constitution of Guyana has been thrown out by the caretaker president, declared People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Executive, Gail Teixeira. Her comments came during an appearance on a panel discussion with others, including People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Parliamentarian, Joseph Hamilton, themed ‘Crossing the Red Line From caretaker to Illegal president’, on Wednesday night (September 18, 2019). She said, “The Constitution of Guyana, this the document that makes us who we are, guides how our nation is run, our governance structure and our human rights etc...we were here on March 21st , on the night of March 21st, we had a long call in program because the government was illegal as of March 21st and for 16 hours it was illegal – after which the Court of Appeal ruled that the no-confidence motion was not valid – a ruling overturned by the CCJ, which is Guyana’s final court. “…we are now going into a situation where there is no Court of Appeal, no Caribbean Court of Justice, this was all ruled already. “I think the public is very aware of how we got through this in the last nine months and it is unbelievable that this government and in particularly, Mr. Granger, would put this country into a constitutional crisis. “He is doing this knowingly and willfully and deliberately to remain in office, despite what the Constitution says…despite the Caribbean Court of Justice… he is remaining in office past

September 18 2019.” Teixeira reminded that General and Regional Elections ought to have been held since March 21, 2019 – following the December 21, 2018 passage of the no-confidence motion. She said, “Article 106 (6), 107 makes it clear, within three months of the no-confidence motion being passed you must have Elec-

It’s over. If there was to be an extension and if the president was operating in a legal constitutional manner, they would have had to go to Parliament before March 21 to extend date, not after and certainly not now when they are illegal by the ruling of the CCJ.” That said, the PPP Executive charged that Guyana is now in the full throes of

“The Constitution has been overthrown by Granger, he is the one responsible. We are in a dictatorship. He can talk all he wants about abiding by the Constitution, he has done everything to undermine the Constitution.” – PPP Executive, Gail Teixeira abiding by the Constitution, he has done everything to undermine the Constitution. “…the people right to

“Right now there is no recourse to Parliament as some people are saying, you can’t go back to Parliament. The time is finished. It’s over. If there was to be an extension and if the president was operating in a legal constitutional manner, they would have had to go to Parliament before March 21 to extend date, not after and certainly not now when they are illegal by the ruling of the CCJ.” – PPP Executive, Gail Teixeira tions, if there is no extension of Parliament.” NO RECOURSE TO PARLIAMENT According to her, at this stage, there is no recourse to Parliament for any extension of the life of the Government; rather a date must be named for the Elections. Teixeira said, “We have had two extensions like this in the past, in 1990 when elections was due, before the time when election was due, the parliament was in support of the PPP to extend the Parliament and again it was done in 1991. Again when the year came up for the extension that was not prior to the date when it expired. In this case there is no recourse to parliament. “…right now there is no recourse to Parliament as some people are saying, you can’t go back to Parliament. The time is finished.

a constitutional crisis. “We are in a constitutional crisis and this is the first time that you have a government, in Guyana, in our history, since independence that is illegal,” she said. DIFFERENT POLITICAL PARTIES Dealing with the situation at hand, Teixeira noted that the PPP/C has acted responsibly and will continue to do so – making clear that the PPP/C is vastly different from the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), which is the majority partner in the illegal APNU+AFC coalition government. She said, “The difference is that we have been acting highly responsible…. Guyana is now in a dictatorship….The Constitution has been overthrown by Granger, he is the one responsible. We are in a dictatorship. He can talk all he wants about

“We are in a constitutional crisis and this is the first time that you have a government, in Guyana, in our history, since independence that is illegal.” – PPP Executive, Gail Teixeira

vote and express their views are being denied. When Burnham was around, Burnham rigged the elections. He gives you election. At least he called elections and he rigged them. When Burnham wanted to get his way he changed the Constitution. He threw the whole Constitution out and bring in a new one. “…I am really not interested in what Mr. Granger thinks or feels personally, because what I think has happened to this country is

an absolute travesty…the Constitution talks about the sovereignty as a people and what is our sovereignty as a people? A right to elect a representative at periodic events to govern us. Mr. Granger has denied us the Guyanese people the right to exercise our sovereignty.” The PPP Executive made clear that Granger has been exposed for all of Guyana and the world to see – even as Guyana loses standing among the democratic fold of nations.

Timeline of what happened since December 21, 2018 August 14, 2019 • Chief Justice, Roxanne George-Wiltshire, handed down her ruling in the challenge to the house-to-house registration. She stated that persons previously registered cannot be de-registered – this means there is no necessity for Guyanese who are already registered and in possession of an ID card to re-register. She stated that person cannot be de-registered if they are not found at home when the officials from the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) visit your residence. This applies to students studying abroad, persons on vacation and persons working abroad, etc. The rationale behind this, according to the Chief Justice (ag) is that there is no residency requirement for persons to be registered and vote in Guyana, except for those who are Commonwealth citizens living in Guyana for more than one (1) year. Further, she explained that GECOM has to consider other method of updating the list, in light of the fact that the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) ruled that the No-Confidence Motion was validly passed and that an election should have been held since the 21st March 2019. September 19, 2019 • Election readiness, according to the Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), retired Justice, Claudette Singh, can be assured by the end of February 2020, according to her letter to caretaker president, David Granger. September 19, 2019 • With Guyana having crossed a red line – that is the deadline date (September 18, 2019) inferred by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) for constitutionally mandated General and Regional Elections to be held – caretaker president, David Granger, continues to insist that he is not in breach of the Constitution of Guyana. Granger said, “I am not in breach of the Constitution…. My government is abiding by the Constitution.”

WEEKEND MIRROR 21-22 SEPTEMBER, 2019

PPP/C details priorities to be included in Manifesto ahead of General and Regional Elections The People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) in consultation with a wide range of stakeholders is working on a detailed Manifesto, which will elaborate on the Party’s policies for improving the lives of all Guyanese.

Some of the priority actions of the next PPP/C Government will be to: 1. Restore– the $10,000 cash grant to school children. The APNU+AFC took away $1.67B per year, a total of $8.35B from Guyanese children. 2. Reinstate the water subsidies to pensioners. The APNU+AFC removed $500M in subsidies per year amounting to a $2.5B burden that had to be paid by our elderly. 3. Reverse VAT on essential services including water, electricity, and health care. The APNU+AFC imposed this on Citizens which led to billions in tax collection from Guyanese people and escalated the cost of living. 4. Reopen the closed sugar estates. Over 7,000 persons lost their jobs directly and another 4,000 lost their livelihoods indirectly. 5. Restore zero-rated VAT for machinery and equipment for agricultural, mining and forestry industries. For example, a tractor or excavator now attracts in excess of $5M in additional taxes. 6. Reverse cost of license and permits for doing business and accessing Government services. The APNU + AFC increased over 200 fees, e.g. vending licenses increased from $12,500 to a burdensome $65,000. This, added to the cost of living, hampered small business development. 7. Reverse land rents and drainage and irrigation charges. These have moved up in varying degrees, from $2,500 to $293,000 per acre, a policy that is suffocating many sectors including agriculture and tourism. 8. Remove age limits on vehicles. The APNU+AFC added at least $1M to the cost per vehicle, an unnecessary hardship for those aspiring to own a vehicle, especially young people. 9. Remove the restriction on used tyres. The imposition of this restriction increased the cost of tyres by 300%. 10. Reverse VAT on exports. 11. Reverse VAT on building materials. 12. Reinstate the joint services bonus. The APNU+AFC in a Grinch-like move took away the Christmas bonus from the joint services. 13. Remove VAT on data. The APNU+AFC has taxed the internet and your cell phone data. 14. Reverse the 2 A.M curfew. The arrogant implementation of this measure has not helped to address the noise nuisance issue and has affected quality of life and hurt job creation and businesses.

In addition to correcting these draconian impositions, the next PPP/C Government pledges to: 1. Create 50,000 jobs in the first five years. 2. Assist small businesses through the implementation of programmes to help small businesses grow by providing technical advice, small grants, loans, and training for workers. Women entrepreneurship will receive special attention. 3. Deliver 8,000 to 10,000 new house lots per year. 4. Implement a programme for affordable financing for home ownership. 5. Deliver quality health care and end drug shortages. 6. Improve the quality of and access to education at every level including offering 20,000 persons online University education. 7. Implement measures to expand the capability and increase the effectiveness of the security forces so that people can once again feel protected in their homes, on the streets and in workplaces. 8. Create conditions for our young people to prosper, realise their dreams and to involve them in all levels of Government. 9. Ensure better working conditions and remuneration for teachers, healthcare workers and other public servants. 10. Improve infrastructure (roads, wharves, bridges, airstrips, drainage etc) in Georgetown, other Towns and Villages across Guyana. 11. Extend and improve Government services and ICT on the Coast and in the Hinterland. 12. Ensure that revenue from Oil and Gas is not squandered and stolen and leads to the improvement of the lives of ALL GUYANESE. 13. Create the conditions and strengthen the institutions to expand and protect the civil, cultural and human rights of all Guyanese. 14. Improve governance, including expanding and strengthening measures aimed at fighting corruption. 15. Protect our national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The PPP/C has said that it is time to restore Guyana to the path of progress and prosperity. Since taking office, the APNU+AFC cabal has put forward five budgets, spent $1.3 trillion, borrowed US $ 900M and increased taxes by approximately $88B per annum. They are spending every year $1.6 B more for food allowances, $1.1B more for rentals, $1.2B more for local travel among other things, as part of their extravagant lifestyle. Meanwhile over 30,000 Guyanese have lost their jobs. The cost of living has skyrocketed and health care, education and quality of life have deteriorated rapidly.

WEEKEND MIRROR 21-22 SEPTEMBER, 2019

Perspectives from the PPP/C Presidential Candidate

Ali assures…

All outstanding student loans written will be written off, greater support to education providers ‒ says fundamentals of ensuring better access to education part of PPP/C manifesto plans

he objective of the policies in the education sector would be geared towards key fundamentals, according to the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) presidential candidate, Irfaan Ali. He contends that these fundamental are: Improved access; Quality; Affordability; and Preparing students at TVET and Tertiary levels for better paying jobs in line

with the requirement of the economy Ali said, “Consistent with these stated objectives we would pursue several initiatives. Prominent among these would be the delivery of free education at the University of Guyana and enhanced access through the use of ICT.” As such, he charged that the new PPP/C government will also peruse plans to

have all outstanding loans written off and our Manifesto will detail policies to support these initiatives. He said, “In addition, we recognize the role of the Private Sector in Education, as such we will be announcing measures that will see generous tax concessions given to private providers from Nursery to Tertiary levels including TEC/VOC.”

To further address issues of affordability, quality and access, he explained that the PPP/C Manifesto will detail a number of measures including: ● The restoration of the “Because we care grant” ● Attention to nutrition through various initiatives e.g. hot meal program ● Providing required text books to school children ● Ensuring all school chil-

dren have access to school uniforms ● Improving education facilities ● Special incentives to teachers and enhanced training and skill development opportunities ● Expanding use of ICT in education and ensuring all our children and teachers have access to the infrastructure that will enable the use of ICT

● Enhanced focus on technical education ● Establishment of online University ● Reforming and strengthening of the monitoring systems for school management at public and private levels “These among other measures would ensure the delivery of quality education to our nation,” Ali declared.

WEEKEND MIRROR 21-22 SEPTEMBER, 2019

OBSERVER

On the true nature of the PNCR

leopard cannot change its spots – this expression is quite apt when it comes to characterizing the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR). The PNCR is trying to come across as a grouping respectful of Guyana’s laws and all the democratic norms that characterizes democratic countries, in an effort to mask a marred past history – one where the PNCR is known for dictatorship and running the country’s economy into the ground. They have tried to shelter under the combination of several parties that formed the APNU, then collated with the AFC to form the government in 2015. By doing all this it is easy for one to forget that the PNC party is the major figure in all this. The PNCR has shown since assuming power in 2015 that the philosophy of the party remains unchanged from what it was in the 70s and the 80s. To its credit it has been able to make the other parties that made up the APNU and also the AFC party to adopt their culture. What is the culture? It is a culture that seeks to rule by fear and bullyism. It is a culture that does not respect the rule of law. It is a culture that doles out favors to friends of the party whilst at the same time marginalizing its perceived enemies. One of the major characteristics of any PNCR government is their disrespect for the judiciary and by extension the laws of Guyana. We have witnessed countless occasions where the government has acted in defiance of the courts. We have had instances of the President and the Prime Minister ridiculing officers of the court, thereby

sending a clear message that decisions against the government’s interests will not be tolerated. A major characteristic of a dictatorship is them attempting to make the judiciary an arm of the government. This is what this PNCR government has been attempting to do. Since the passing of the No Confidence Motion and the subsequent CCJ ruling the government has done everything possible to defy the instructions of the courts. The PNCR governments of the 70s and the 80s were riddled with corruption. This has now become synonymous with this current government. Ministers of the government and other government officials have suddenly been beneficiaries of unexplained wealth. These persons are getting extremely wealthy whilst the ordinary citizens suffer under the yoke of unemployment and excessive taxes. We have seen the wanton giving away of the country’s assets to government officials, their families and friends. These giveaways are being orchestrated through NICIL and Lands and Surveys. Practically all the Government Ministers have been involved in some scandal or the other, with no proper defense coming forth. Minister David Patterson has been involved in several examples of corruption, the most egregious involving the proposed Demerara River Bridge. It was revealed that Minster Valarie Patterson’s Ministry was granting lucrative contracts to her husband. Minister Norton was involved in the drug bond scandal. Volda Lawrence in the procurement of drugs. Minister Cathy Hughes using her Ministry to direct jobs

to her company. These are just a few, this article is too small to list all the corrupt acts performed by members of this government. We may need the entire newspaper to list all, and that might still not be enough. PNCR governments are synonymous with destroying the country’s economy. This current government has continued this depressing trend. An examination of the Bank of Guyana half year report paints a depressing and telling picture. All our sectors are in decline and our assets and reserves are being depleted at an alarming rate. Unemployment is at an unprecedented high. The country’s economy has literally grounded to a halt and the government seems devoid of any ideas on how to arrest this decline. Like previous PNCR government instead of trying to find a solution the try to cast the blame for their incompetence elsewhere. By

doing so they only serve to divide the country further. High levels of crime are also a feature of PNCR governments. During the 70s and the 80s, “kick down the door bandits” were the daily fear persons lived with. Now that the PNCR is back in power persons are no longer safe in their homes. We live in constant fear and we are in danger in our homes and on the streets. Children are not immune from these banditry as we have seen that they too are victims. One of the strategies of past PNCR government was the intimidation of their political opponents. They even went as far as assassinating one of their main rivals, Walter Rodney. This was revealed in the Commission of Inquiry, which has been ignored by this government. We have seen this current PNC attempting to use the police force, SOCU, SARA and the GRA to go after their

opponents. Since assuming office in 2015 they conducted a series of Audits and Inquiries in the attempt to find illegalities by former PPP government officials. To date this has been a colossal waste of time and money, as no one has been successfully prosecuted of any wrongdoings. Should the next PPP government do the same against this current cabal we ca rest assured that persons will be successfully prosecuted. The most egregious characteristic of the previous PNCR governments is the rigging of elections. Free and fair elections is one of the most fundamental principles of a democracy. This is a principle that does not apply to the PNCR. Since the No Confidence Motion, we have seen desperate attempts by them to negatively affect our elections. Firstly, they are trying everything possible to delay the elections. They

also attempted to use the House to House registration to disenfranchise a large number of voters. Luckily this was scrapped by the new GECOM Chairperson. We have also seen attempts to have unqualified persons become a part of the electorate. It would appear that the current PNCR has dusted off their old play book on election rigging and attempting to use it to rig the upcoming election. It is important that we do not forget the true nature of the PNCR, and remember that they are the main player in the current government. It is important that we work to ensure that they are removed from office as quickly as possible and they not be allowed to return us to the dark days of the 70s and the 80s. We can already see that we are heading down that road and it is incumbent upon all of us to put a stop to that. Our future depends on that.

WEEKEND MIRROR 21-22 SEPTEMBER, 2019

Every Guyanese has a role to play in this period – Ali G

uyana has entered a full blow dictatorship, according to the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) presidential candidate, Irfaan Ali. “This is a very sad day for our country. We are no longer in a situation where there is a growing dictatorship. Our country has entered into full blown dictatorship,” he said, in comments to the Mirror Newspaper. He added, “We don’t have a president. We don’t have a president occupying the seat of the president. We have a dictator occupying the seat of the presidency. We don’t have a cabinet. We don’t have ministers. We have a group of people

who are dictators occupying the scape of Government. So we have a dictatorship as government and we have a dictator occupying the space of president. “We have a situation here where rule of law was thrown out the window, democracy was kicked to the curb and the constitution was just blatantly disregarded and thrown away.” Speaking about planned moved by the PPP/C to increase protest actions, Ali said, “We have to stand up and we have to struggle… all Guyanese, we have an ethical and moral responsibility to stand up against this dictatorship.” Ali warned that Guyana found itself under a dicta-

Conditions at Aishalton Secondary’s dorm in question The state of the dormitory for hinterland students at the Aishalton Secondary School has come into question after photographs of the sleeping quarters for the students were circulated on social media platforms. The photograph shows mattresses thrown on the floor and students sleeping on the ground. To date there has been no statement on the issue by responsible authorities. In the meantime, parents remain concerned.

torial rule of the People’s National Congress (PNC) for 28 years and the country can ill-afford such a return to such a state. “It happened once before in our history and history has a way of repeating itself and here again we have entered into a phase of dictatorship and we have an illegitimate group occupying the scape of government,” he said. Ali charged that there is a role of every Guyanese moving forward in the struggle for democracy, free and fair elections and for the Constitution of Guyana to be upheld. “We would like all Guyanese to reject this dictatorship and to play a role in removing them,” he declared.

Dealings, contracts engaged in by caretaker gov’t... (From back page) ago as 21 December 2018.” In a statement following the CCJ’s orders, Granger had said, “We obviously have to keep government running.” He assured that his government would limit its expenditure and not “embark on any controversial projects.” However, this has not

been the case. On September 6, 2019, Director General, Joseph Harmon – refusing to acknowledge that Cabinet stands resigned with the passage of the no-confidence motion – admitted the some $3,880,980,000 was approved for spending. The multi-billion spending in one

week alone, follows the approval of the illegal Cabinet for billions more to be spent in the previous weeks. Referring to the billons being spent, Jagdeo said, “Let me just say… that none of those contracts are valid… we will treat them as contracts that have been illegally granted.”

Granger-gov’t in breach of Constitution, development ERC urges constitutional adherence funding could be cut off – Diplomatic Corps S

he United States of America Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch; United Kingdom High Commissioner to Guyana, Greg Quinn; and the European Union Ambassador to Guyana, Femando Ponz Canto; issued a joint statement on the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) proposed elections time frame. And on Thursday (September 19, 2019), the diplomatic corps reps warned that

funding initiatives sponsored by their countries will be hindered given that the current caretaker APNU+AFC Coalition government in in breach of the Constitution. The statement said, “The United States, United Kingdom and the European Union thank the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) for devising a proposed elections timeframe for conducting General and Regional Elections.

“However, we deeply regret that, by surpassing September 18, the Government is currently in beach of the Constitution following its failure to adhere to the decisions of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) on 18 June and its subsequent orders. “This situation comes at great cost to the people of Guyana. The prevailing political uncertainty undermines Guyanese institutions,

compromises economic opportunities and delays development across all areas including infrastructure, education, health, and social services. It also hinders our ability to support Guyana's development needs.” The members of the diplomatic corps called on the caretaker president, David Granger, to set an elections date immediately in full compliance with Guyana's constitution."

ince the passage of the No-Confidence Motion on December 21, 2018, the Commission is not unaware of the ensuing political impasse and how Guyanese have seemingly become more divided along political lines, according to the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC). In a statement, the ERC said, “Despite rulings at various levels of our judicial system, the impasse seems no closer to being resolved and…the Commission remains encouraged by the response and the peaceful conduct of recently held elections and wishes to once again commend all involved. However, it would be remiss if the Commission did not state how concerned it is over the ongoing political impasse….the Commission respects the independence of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) as safeguarded in the constitution.” According to the ERC, in the interim the social fabric of the society will undoubtedly be severely tested more so, along political lines. It said, “The ERC, not unaware of this challenge, urges the relevant authorities to work assiduously to have elections within the shortest possible time in keeping with the Constitution and the rule of law.” The Commission added, “Guided by the history of

the political climate that engulfs our electoral process and period, the Commission reiterates the need for a collective effort of all to place Guyana first and to ensure that hate speech, racial and other forms of incitement have no place in our public discourse. Despite our right to disagree, disagreement is not a reason for hostility and division. “The ERC, therefore appeals to our people to remain calm and resolute and calls on our fellow Guyanese to embrace peaceful, harmonious and good relations in this testing period.” The Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC), has its genesis in the Herdmanston Accord which was signed on January 17, 1998 by the then President Mrs. Janet Jagan of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic and Mr. Hugh Desmond Hoyte, then Leader of the Opposition and the People’s National Congress. It has a constitutional and national responsibility to promote cooperation, arbitration, conciliation, mediation and like forms of dispute resolution between all bodies concerned in order to secure ethnic harmony and peace. The ERC’s integral role encompasses intervention to mitigate social tension derived from political impasse, which if unresolved, will impact negatively on ethnic harmony and peace.

Dealings, contracts engaged in by caretaker gov’t will be deemed invalid – Jagdeo

Triskits Crackers & Cookies are now available PRE-PACKED for your convenience.

(Each packet contains three individually wrapped packs.)

Committed to Excellence

ince the July 12, 2019 orders of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) – after its ruling that the December 21, 2018 no-confidence motion was validly passed – the current caretaker APNU+AFC Coalition government has been acting in defiance. And Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, has made clear that the dealings and contracts engaged in by the caretaker government will be deemed invalid by the new People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) government after it wins the General and Regional Elections, which ought to have been held since March 21, 2019. The CCJ had said: “The provisions of Article 106(6) and (7) of the Constitution apply to a No Confidence motion…upon the passage of this motion of no confidence in the Government, the clear provisions of Article 106 immediately became en-

gaged…the Article requires the resignation of the Cabinet including the President. “…these particular provisions require no gloss on the part of the Court in order to render them intelligible and workable. Their meaning is clear and it is the responsibility of constitutional actors in Guyana to honour them. “…by convention, the government is expected to behave during this interim period as a caretaker and so restrain the exercise of its legal authority…all must be faithful to the spirit and letter of the Constitution and operate within the parameters given to each by the Constitution…the Court must assume that these bodies and personages will exercise their responsibilities with integrity and in keeping with the unambiguous provisions of the Constitution bearing in mind that the no confidence motion was validly passed as long (Turn to page 23)

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