Diaspora News - November 23 - November 29, 2013

8/13/2019 Diaspora News - November 23 - November 29, 2013

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APNU PROMISES THE RENEWAL OF REAL LOCAL DEMOC-RACY

A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), today Thursday 28thNovember, launches its campaign

for the local government elections with the promise to promote greater local democracy and to en-hance infrastructure development.

The choice of 28thNovember is more than symbolic. It is a reminder of the fact that over 175, 000

Guyanese the majority voted for A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change

in the general and regional elections on that day in 2011. The minority voted for the Peoples Pro-

gressive Party/Civic. It is proof that a determined people, acting together, can change the way in

which the country is governed. The people now want to change the way in which their communi-

ties are governed.

APNU and AFC have combined their efforts to change the local government system by the passageof fourLocal Government Bills Municipal and District Councils (Amendment); Local Govern-

ment Commission; Fiscal Transfers, and Local Government (Amendment) in the National As-

sembly.

Guyana now stands on the threshold of real democratic renewal at the grass-roots level. APNU

renews its commitment to continue to campaign for change in order to ensure that villagers and

townsfolk can better control their communities. APNU promises to:

protect democratic institutions. For local democracy to flourish, people must be able to

make decisions to manage their neighbourhoods and municipalities without overbearing interfer-

ence and intervention from the central government. The PPP/C administration, notoriously, dis-

mantled democratically-elected councils and replaced them with hand-picked interim manage-

ment committees. Local democracy is best nurtured by councillors who live in close proximity to

the people they serve and who enjoy their confidence;

APNU AT WORK

A WEEKLY SUMMARY OF EVENTS

KEEPING THE DIASPORA INFORMED

November 23

November 29, 2013Vol. 19


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provide increased funding. For town and neighbourhood councils to function efficiently,

increased funding must be provided. The PPP/C administration, however, has starved councils of

adequate funds and even prevented them from raising funds. This contributed to their inability to

finance projects for the improvement of their communities and for the enhancement of the quality

of life for residents; and

promote the development of public infrastructure and services.For town and neigh-bourhood councils to enhance the quality of life of their residents, they must have the ability to

build and repair structures such as community markets, drainage canals, bridges and roadways

and provide services such as the disposal of solid waste, street lighting and sporting activities and

facilities for women, children and the young. There must be programmes for capacity-building to

enable councils to respond to emergencies and to protect their residents from environmental haz-

ards.

APNUs campaign for enhanced local government is aimed at electing democratic, adequately-

funded and better-equipped councils.

APNU promises a good life for all Guyanese and will work to improve the conditions under which

villagers and townsfolk in our neighbourhoods and municipalities live and work.

APNU blames PPPC for poor preparation and slow reaction toextreme weather conditions

A Partnership for National Unity blames the Peoples Progressive Party administration for its un-satisfactory response to the flooding that afflicted several areas of the hinterland, coastland andthe city of Georgetown on Wednesday 27thNovember.

APNU points out that drainage and irrigation have always been centrally controlled and coordinat-ed from colonial times. This is more necessary in this age of climate change. The PPPC administra-tion, however, has failed to notify the public, coordinate a national response with towns, neigh-bourhoods and regions and provide relief for citizens in distress. The PPPCs main areas of failureare:

Notification of extreme weather:The Minister of Agriculture admitted that rainfall wasthe most intense over a six-hour period, from 02:00h to 08:00 h in Georgetown. Rainfallwas measured 128.9mm (5.1 inches) the highest recorded in the City since 1892. The cur-rent systems, including the Doppler Radar System, seem to serve mainly the internationalairport, notifying aircraft of existing weather, rather than to forecast weather to warn thepopulation of impending difficulties.

Collaboration with municipalities:The PPPs dismissive attitude to regions, towns and neigh-bourhoods has resulted in councils being run by appointed executive officers and clerks ratherthan elected councilors, mayors and chairmen. Local councils were incapable of responding tounanticipated flooding in Wakapoa, Charity, Supenaam and St Denys in the Pomeroon-Supenaam Region (No. 2); in Wakenaam, Harlem and the Canals Polder in the Essequibo Is-lands-West Demerara Region (No. 3) and in Georgetown, Lusignan and Buxton in the Deme-rara-Mahaica Region (No. 4). Heavy rainfall occurred also in the Mahaica-Berbice (no.5) andEast Berbice-Corentyne (No.6) Regions.


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Reaction to flooding: The comment by the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) that Wednes-days flooding did not reach alarming levels, was unbelievable. The PPPC administrationhas been slow to provide immediate relief, especially in the form of drinking water andevacuation of the aged and disabled.

A Partnership for National Unity calls on the Peoples Progressive Party Civic administration to es-tablish a ministerial task force to combine the efforts of the Ministries of Agriculture, Natural Re-

sources and the Environment, Health, Housing and Water, Human Services, Local Governmentand Public Works to better coordinate a national response and avert a humanitarian catastropheduring the impending rainy season.

The government must show leadership on solid waste manage-ment

Georgetown once called a garden city on account of its municipal gardens, grass parapets, tree-lined canals, ornate bridges and historic wooden architecture is under threat.Knolls of rubbish have disfigured the urban and rural landscape like gangrenous abscesses. Build-ers waste, carrion, damaged vehicles and discarded tyres encumber roadsides and sidewalks. Gar-

bage clogs canals flowing into the harbour, floats along the Demerara river and litters theriverbanks.

Guyana has a grotesque garbage problem. Every part of the country, not only Georgetown, is af-fected by the garbage crisis. Georgetown alone must find economically sustainable ways to disposeof approximately 250 tonnes of residential and commercial waste every day. The other five townsand 65 neighbourhoods have smaller but similar problems.

The landmark World Bank study What a Waste: A Global Review of Solid Waste Management(2012)suggested that global, urban solid waste among developing countries, in particular, thatlack financial and capacity resources and are unable to keep up with the quantity and cost of in-

creased garbage disposal, is likely to increase by 70 per cent by 2025. This is a challenge to theGuyana Government which cannot be shunted to regional and municipal local government coun-cils.

Solid waste management is the single, most important service that town and neighbourhood coun-cils from Corriverton to Charity are required to provide to their residents. The collection, pro-cessing and disposal of rubbish, also, is often the largest budgetary item of expenditure and one ofthe largest employers of labour for municipalities.

Waste disposal in Guyana, up to a few decades ago, seemed to be manageable. Household wastethen was made up mostly natural and degradable materials which could be disposed of burying,

burning or thrown as scraps to feed domestic animals. Lifestyles have changed over the years.Many townsfolk and villagers have entered the modern economy and adopted new consumptionhabits for reasons of convenience, cost or choice.

Younger populations, changing tastes and the attraction of fast, fashionable foreign foods and ap-parel have changed the composition of domestic rubbish by both volume and variety over the pasttwo decades. Households now routinely throw rubbish onto parapets or into the canals or rivers.


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The use of throw-away materials such as disposable babies napkins, plastic bottles and party fur-niture, styrofoam food boxes and novelties has soared. Traditional hand-made nibbi shoppingbaskets have yielded to lightweight plastic bags. Electronic equipment and battery-operated toysand gadgets are frequently easier to replace than to repair. These changes have resulted in a sharpincrease in solid, material waste and a correspondingly steep decrease in organic waste.

Industrial and commercial corporations generate much of todays garbage. The massive importa-tion of used tyres, second-hand equipment, re-conditioned vehicles and non-bio-degradable prod-ucts has contributed to both the volume of rubbish and the problem of disposal. Gold-mining andlogging camps in the hinterland are sustained largely by manufactured imports and waste is invari-ably abandoned on mined-out sites.

The central government may not be responsible for the wasteful ways of its citizens but, unless itdemonstrates leadership in the war on waste, it will be difficult to change public attitudes and be-haviour. A start can be made by designing a comprehensive, national Solid Waste ManagementPlan with clear targets, techniques and timelines for waste reduction. Such a Plan, as suggested bythe World Bank study, must aim to reduce, reuse, recycle, or recover as much waste as possiblebefore burning it (and recovering the energy) or otherwise disposing of it. Measuring the extent ofthe problem is a critical first step to resolving it."

Not much of Guyanas residential wasteis currently sorted except by the motley crew of pickerswho comb rubbish heaps and landfills. Few incentives are offered for recycled materials even byindustrial and commercial corporations which generate nearly most of the countrys rubbish.

Municipal markets, farms, restaurants, schools and the hospitality industry in towns and neigh-bourhoods generate millions of dollars waste including a large quantity of vegetable waste eve-ry day. The use of simple devices such as bio-digesters can convert useless agricultural and mu-nicipal waste into useful organic fertilizers for farming. Methane gas generated by garbage land-fills can be saved to be used as fuel. Recycling plants for plastics and cardboard can also create em-ployment.

The Solid Waste Management Plan must set specific targets to reduce the level of waste; to recyclesolid waste; to mandate the selective sorting of waste and to restrict the use of biodegradable wastefor landfills. Much of this can be achieved by a determined government by 2020.

Effective solid waste management is possible and practical. It requires collaboration among thecentral government, municipal authorities, corporations and citizens to promulgate the plan, toimplement and enforce the policies, to manage imports, production and sales and, most difficultly,to alter tastes and reduce household waste.

The government must show leadership, produce sensible plans and build partnerships to manage

solid waste if the giant monster of garbage is to be tamed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/nyregion/on-recycling-nyc-goes-from-leader-to-laggard.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/nyregion/on-recycling-nyc-goes-from-leader-to-laggard.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/nyregion/on-recycling-nyc-goes-from-leader-to-laggard.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/nyregion/on-recycling-nyc-goes-from-leader-to-laggard.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/nyregion/on-recycling-nyc-goes-from-leader-to-laggard.html


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GPHCs nurses begin protesting 5% pay increase Uncle Ra-motar, try living on US$200 for a month- nurses

Kaieteur News, November 23, 2013

Nurses at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) were yesterday forced into a pro-test mode in the wake of the recent five percent increase of their salary for this year.

Cabinet Secretary Dr. Roger Luncheon, on Wednesday, announced that public servants will get afive percent pay-hike for this year but workers across the country are not pleased with the increase.Yesterday, a few nurses stood in front of the GPHC Accident and Emergency Unit carrying plac-ards in their hands, promising to continue with their protest until the government decides to meetwith their union, the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU).

Nurses representative on the GPSU, Kempton Alexander, told Kaieteur News that the nurses willbe using their lunch break to protest their disapproval of Governments decision to give publicservants an increase of only five percent. We are feeling the squeeze. The cost of living is very highin this country and we cannot afford to live on what we are earning, Alexander stressed.

Some of the placards read, Increase our allowance or no work, Time to respect nurses, Fivepercent cant work, How long must we suffer for an increase, Public servants deserve betterpay. According to Alexander, it is illegal for the government to impose a five percent increase onpublic servants. We are calling for the government to meet with our union. We will continue thisprotest until we get satisfaction, the nurses posited. Chief Executive Officer of the GPHC, MichaelKhan refused to comment on the issue.

Granger skewers 5% public service hike

Stabroek News, November 22, 2013

APNU leader David Granger yesterday denounced the governments arbitrarily imposed 5% wagehike announced for public service workers, while Georgetown Public Hospital nurses and GuyanaGeology and Mines Commission (GGMC) workers both staged protests over the increase.

Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon on Wednesday announced that public service employeeswill be receiving a 5% increase retroactive to January 2013. The increase fell short of what the Guy-ana Public Service Union (GPSU) had earlier proposed a 25% increase for public servants forthis year and was the latest award made over the years without the unions input. In addition tothe 25% increase, the GPSU had also been lobbying for a reduction of the income tax rate from30% to 20%; an increase of the income tax threshold from $50,000 to $100,000; a non-taxable

allowance of $40,000 per month for dependents; and a non-taxable allowance of $75,000 for stu-dents who are dependents and are pursuing tertiary level education.

Granger yesterday said that while the coalition would not be negotiating with the union and thegovernment, it is in support of the GPSU. . We are not in the business of inserting ourselves inthe negotiation process. We respect the right of the public service and the government to negotiate,but we feel that the sum of 5% is out of order and it is not going to bring about an improvement inthe quality of life of our public servants, he said during a press conference at the coalitions headoffice in Hadfield Street.


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Granger said that factors such as the rate of inflation, high rate of income tax, high rate of VAT at16% and National Insurance Scheme (NIS) deductions all contribute to making the 5% increasethat has been foisted on public servants for well over the past decade next to meaningless. He add-ed that the act is a flagrant breach of the collective bargaining agreement that the government en-tered into with the GPSU and as a result he called on the administration to abide by its own agree-ment and sit down with the union and to desist from the arbitrary impositions.

Granger said APNU also wanted Minister of Labour Dr Nanda Gopaul to invoke a compulsory ar-bitration process between the parties so as to arrive at a proper living wage for public servants.

Meanwhile, two groups yesterday staged protested in support to express their disappointment atthe increase. Several nurses from the Georgetown Public Hospital came out in protest outside ofthe hospitals New Market Street entrance, where they called on the government to reconsider the5% increase as they argued that many of them cannot survive on US$200 a month. The nurses alsocalled on Granger and President Donald Ramotar to look into several of their concerns, includingtheir allowances, which they said have not been adjusted in over a decade.

GGMC workers also staged a protest outside of the agencys office on Brickdam, where they carriedplacards that read, Public Sector workers demand 25%, and 5% cant work. This eye pass must

stop.

$3B missing from public servants salary increase? House votes $4.4B

but only $1.5B being paid


A five percent increase for public servants by Government has sparked anger by the Guyana PublicService Union. It also has an Opposition party now wondering whether $3B budgeted for workersmay be missing.

Last week, Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon, said that a five percent in-crease for public servants and public sector workers was most likely in keeping with tradition. Hesaid that the funds were budgeted for. That matter is hallowed. It is not likely to exceed theplanned five percent that is in the budget, Dr Luncheon stated. This increase, he said in his weeklypress conference last Wednesday, is retroactive to January 2013. An announcement of the formalapproval is expected to be made shortly, a Government statement confirmed of his press confer-ence.

It is his statement that has the main bargaining body, the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU),and now the Alliance For Change (AFC) hopping mad. Earlier, this year the National Assembly vot-

ed $29.129B in wages for public servants. It also voted $4.4B to cater for salary increases. Govern-ments announcement of the five percent will cost around $1.5B. So where is the rest of almost$3B? When we voted for over $4.4B it worked out about a 15 percent increase.

This is nonsense, says AFCs leader, Khemraj Ramjattan. His party controls seven of the 33 seatsin the Opposition-controlled National Assembly. The party is now planning to raise the issue there.It was the same complaint raised by GPSU.


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The announcement has been meeting with growing unhappiness with protests already comingfrom the workers of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, Linden Hospital, the West Dem-erara Hospital, the Guyana Post Office Corporation and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commis-sion.

Over the weekend, GPSU blasted Government saying that the announced increase is insensitive,disrespectful and ruthless. The union said that it will be the big salaried Fat Cats, whoare paid

significantly more, who would benefit while the rest of the labour force, whose percent realizes thebare minimum, finds this payout a meager aid.

GPSU has been complaining that it has been bypassed for several years with Government not ne-gotiating with them for increased benefits, as is stipulated by regulations. Rather, for the last fewyears, Government has been announcing an average a five percent increase in December.

To make matters worse, in January, the union said that it met with President Donald Ramotarwhere it was agreed that a multi-year proposal for wages and salaries will have to be submitted.GPSU said that it complied but nothing has since been done by Government. Is this an acceptableattitude for a self -proclaimed working class Government? Is this the desired attitude that we as anation would like to inculcate in future leaders? Is this representative of our nations professional-ism?

Yesterday, members of the Government said that the government has no monies to pay more asthe Opposition had made cuts to the national budget. Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, blamed the$32B budget cut and economy downturn for the five percent.

APNU warns govt over peril of renewed economic blockade byCaracas

Stabroek News, November 22, 2013

A Partnership for National Unity today warned the government of the prospect of a renewed eco-nomic blockade by Venezuela against Guyana. In a statement today, APNU pointed to the October10, 2013 seizing of an oil survey vessel in Guyanas waters by the Venezuelan Navy and said it wasredolent of previous bouts of Venezuelan confrontation.

APNU recited the periods of Venezuelan aggression since the 1960s and called on Caracas to obeyArticle 33 of the Charter of the United Nationsfor the Pacific Settlement of Disputes and todesist from deploying armed force in its relations with Guyana.

APNU also called on the PPP/C administration to adopt, immediately, a bi-partisan approach to all

border and territorial matters. The APNU press release follows:A Partnership for National Unity warns the Peoples Progressive Party/Civic administration of theperil of a renewed Venezuelan economic blockade of the development of the Essequibo.

APNU considers the 10th October maritime aggression as consistent with past Venezuelan con-frontational conduct. The frigate of the Bolivarian Navy of VenezuelaPC 23 Yekuana enteredGuyanas exclusive economic zone on Thursday 10th October and, under the threat of force, pre-vented the unarmed vessel Teknik Perdana from conducting seismic surveys.


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The Yekuana incident was an unlawful and unwarranted use of armed force in violation of theCharter of the United Nations. Its objective was to impede Essequibos economic development.There is abundant evidence to this effect:

* The Essequibo annexation: The Venezuelan government, under President Ral Leoni Otero(1964-69), placed an advertisement in the Times newspaper of London on 15th June 1968 to theeffect that the Essequibo belonged to Venezuela and that it would not recognize economic conces-

sions granted there by the Guyana Government. President Leoni then issued Decreto No. 1.152 of9th July 1968 purporting to annex a nine-mile wide belt of seaspace along Guyanas entire Esse-quibo coast and requiring various agencies including the Defence Ministry to impose Venezuelansovereignty over it. President Rafael Antonio Caldera Rodriguez (1969-74) blocked Guyanas at-tempt to permit petroleum exploration rights in the Essequibo by DEMITEX, a German company.

* The Mazaruni obstruction: President Luis Herrera Campins (1979-83) obstructed the devel-opment of the Upper Mazaruni Hydro-power Project. He issued a communiqu in April 1981 stat-ing that, because of Venezuelas claim on the Essequibo territory, it asserted the rejection ofVenezuela to the hydro-electric project of the upper Mazaruni. Venezuelas Foreign Minister, JosAlberto Zambrano Velasco, wrote a letter giving the President of the World Bank an ultimatum torefrain from financing the Upper Mazaruni Hydro-Electric Project.

* The Atlantic access: President Carlos Andrs Prez Rodriguez (1974-79 and 1989-93) paid avisit to Guyana in 1978 during which he indicated Venezuelas willingness to help finance the hy-dro-electric power project in the Cuyuni-Mazaruni Region. Perez, however, expressed Venezuelasgeopolitical interest in gaining a Salida al Atlantico access to the Atlantic from the Orinoco del-ta by offering to reduce the territorial claim to about 31,000 km2 in return for the Essequibo coast.President Prez then signed the Treaty between the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the Re-public of Venezuela on the Delimitation of Marine and Sub-Marine Areas on 18th April 1990 withPrime Minister Arthur Robinson. Both states sought to project their own economic interests with-out resorting to a more appropriate multilateral mechanism by consulting Barbados, Grenada andGuyana which the determination of maritime boundaries warranted. Venezuela sought a strategic

Salida al Atlntico and Trinidad and Tobago sought access to new areas of potential hydrocarbonresources.

* The Barima-Waini intimidation: Venezuelas President Hugo Rafael Chvez Frias (1998-2013) issued a July 2000 declaration intimidating foreign companies from investing in Essequi-bos development. He prevented the Beal Aerospace Corporation from establishing a satellite sta-tion in the Barima-Waini Region. He also opposed the issuance of petroleum exploration licencesto US companies off the Essequibo coast.

Minister of External Affairs Jos Vicente Rangel declared that Venezuela would grant oil conces-sions in the Essequibo.

Venezuela, despite its apparent economic generosity, has never altered its maritime strategy or itspolicy towards Guyanas Essequibo. Its quest for access to the Atlantic Ocean is critical to under-standing last Octobers Yekuana incident.

APNU calls on the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to obey Article 33 of theCharter of the United Nations for the Pacific Settlement of Disputes and to desist from re-sorting to armed force in its relations with the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.


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APNU calls on the PPP/C administration to adopt, immediately, a bi-partisan approach to all bor-der and territorial issues; to establish a permanent Border and National Security Commission.APNU further calls on Guyanas diplomats to remain awake and alert so as not to sleepwalk intoanother economic blockade. Guyanese must not be mesmerized by the mirage of Venezuelan mag-nanimity.

House approves motion for Veterans Commission

Demerara Waves, November 22, 2013

Despite governments rejection, Guyanas combined opposition on Thursday approved a motioncalling on the National Assembly to establish a Veterans Commission to look after the welfare of ex-members of the Disciplined ServicesHouse Speaker Raphael Trotman said he and Clerk of the National Assembly Sherlock Isaacs haveto meet to decide how to give effect to the Motion which was sponsored by Opposition Leader, Re-tired Brigadier David Granger.

Granger expressed disappointment at governments refusal to support the Motion that envisages

the passage of a Veterans Act and the crafting of a policy to address health, housing and other ben-efits for former members of the Guyana Police Force, Guyana Defence Force, Guyana Prison Ser-vice, Guyana Peoples Militia and the now defunct Guyana National Service.

It is with deep regret that I saw him turn his back on the thousands and thousands of veteranswho can only depend on this House to improve the conditions They cannot go to the law, theycannot go to the NIS (National Insurance Scheme). They have to look to a caring government, acaring administration, said Granger in wrapping up the debate.

The Opposition Leader had been optimistic of governments support given the tone of discussionwith then Prime Minister Janet Jagan, then President Bharrat Jagdeo, then Minister of CultureYouth and Sport Gail Teixeira and Head of the Presidential Secretariat dating back to 13 years.

He was reacting to Prime Minister Samuel Hinds who said government had already taken steps toimprove the salaries and benefits of members of the Disciplined Forces so that they would be re-flected in their superannuation benefits. He said government over the years has also taken steps toimprove health care for all and provide remedial education up to the level of the Caribbean Sec-ondary Education Certificate (CSEC) to prepare personnel for life after military and paramilitaryservices. Other education opportunities, he said, were available through the Government TechnicalInstitute, Guyana School of Agriculture and the Cyril Potter College of Education among others.

We in the government see little to be gained and we see a certain level of danger that the inevita-ble focus of attention, time and resources to this commission would detract from necessary focus

on growing our economy, growing profits and money lawfully, said Hinds.

Other steps, he said, included the construction of Veterans Care Home in the Joint ServicesScheme in 2011. The Prime Minister recommended that the several veterans organisations such asthe Guyana Veterans Foundation, Ex-GDF Association and the Guyana Legion come together toprovide for the welfare of ex-members of the Disciplined Services.


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The Opposition Leader, recommended Hinds, should take up existing formal and informal oppor-tunities to address his concerns.

Granger wants the Veterans Commission to look into the welfare of ex members of the disciplinedservices and institutionalize a system for their long-term benefit. He explained that the VeteransAct would outline the benefits that they would be entitled to.

Shadow Home Affairs Minister Winston Felix added that the job experience acquired in the policeand the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) are irrelevant to the job market, forcing ex-service personnelto accept a small pension as well as menial jobs with poor pay.

Felix, a former Police Commissioner, noted that personnel injured in the line of duty might be ableto withdraw from the services on medical grounds if the medical board grants approval. Personnelmight be entitled to pensions and gratuities if they are employed for 10 years or more or just a pen-sion if they are on the job for two or more years but not more than one decade. Veterans are not tobe discarded, he said.

Youths top list of serious offenders, crime chief says


Police say the majority of serious crimes are being committed by people between the ages of 14 and35 years old, a situation which Opposition Leader David Granger believes could be corrected with arevamped education system and the creation of jobs for young people.

Crime Chief Seelall Persaud recently shared startling statistics with members of the media, reveal-ing that between January and October this year, 165 persons between the ages of 15 and 24 yearsold were charged with committing street crimes and of this number over 50 were repeat offend-ers. Eighty-three persons aged 25 to 34 years old had also been charged with street crimes overthe same period as well as 39 people aged 34 to 44 years old and five persons aged 45 to 54.

Using a PowerPoint presentation which included pie charts and tables, Persaud revealed thatyouths are disproportionally represented as the largest group involved in crimes; as victims andas perpetrators. He said the large majority are below 35 years, adding that the large majority ofrepeat offenders are also within this age range. Serious crimes include murders, armed robbery,rape and break and enter. He stated that the large majority of persons charged with robbery-related murders are below 35 years old and the largest category of murders police investigators arefaced with are disorderly murders. When it comes to break-ins, he said that once again the largestnumber of persons charged was below 35 years of age, significantly they are between 15 and 34,he said.

Based on the chart, there were 14 persons between the ages of 10 and 14 who were charged; 150persons aged 15 to 24 years old; 80 persons aged 25 to 34; 63 aged 35 to 44; and 19 from the 45 to56 years category. He said that in this category of crime, the highest number of repeat offenderswas between ages 15 and 24. Of the persons charged with rape the large majority were below age24. According to Persaud, 42 persons between the ages of 15 and 24 were charged with rape; 17,aged 25 to 34; 11 aged 35 to 44 and 15 aged 45 to 54.


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Persaud said that 78% of the persons charged with serious crimes were below 35 years old and 52%of the repeat offenders were also below 35. Based on the pie charts produced, 377 were from the 15-24 years category; 202 from 25-34 years; 120 from 35 to 44 and 42 from 45 to 54.

Persaud said too that 26% of the persons charged with murder were previously charged with a seri-ous offence, while 80% of persons charged with robbery-related murders were below 35 years old.As regards street crimes, 93.6% of repeat offenders were below 35 years; 74.4% of persons charged

with break-in offences were below 35 years and 16.5% were repeat offenders. Persaud said 66.3%of persons charged with rape are below 35 years.

Persaud also shared photographs of a number of persons who fell within the 15 and 35 years cate-gory and had been charged with serious crimes. Among them were members of the Albouystownbased Hot Skull Group, the Meten-Meer-Zorg group and the trio killed in Prashad Nagar in Feb-ruary.

Theoretical perspective

Noting that a lot of the perpetrators are in their teens and early twenties, Persaud said researchhad revealed that biological and socio-economic factors were often responsible.He said a pathologist had come up with the biological factors, while with socio-economic factorsthere are theories that being born into depressed families and having little education can push onein the direction of crime.

According to Persaud, the force has embarked on a number of programmes to help deal with thecrime situation affecting the vulnerable grouping. He said that just recently the Safe Neighbour-hood Programme was introduced by the Ministry of Home Affairs. He explained that with thisprogramme depressed communities in Region Four and Six were identified and a number of pilotprojects were introduced. We work with youths, give them vocational training, he said, addingthat this has allowed the force to work with the wider community to look at things such as cleaningup the community, violence in all its forms and drug use.

Persaud added that throughout the country, the force has a number of youth clubs and scoutgroups. He said that the 15-34 age group is targeted and the youth are taught inter-personal skillsamong other things. He said too that first offenders for minor offences, instead of throwing thembefore the justice system, we allow the faith-based officers in communities to work with them andgive them a second chance to see if they can address behaviour, faults and so Additionally, hesaid, the force is working with religious organisations and he singled out the Central Islamic Or-ganisation of Guyana (CIOG).

He said the force believes such organisations have the expertise to help deal with tackling thecrime situation, in addition to which, these groups have the same interest in the community as the

police; that is for people to live normal lives. They have expertise in dealing with people. So to thatwe add some of our own expertise and some muscle to get rid of criminal elements in communi-ties, he stressed.


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Time bomb

Meanwhile, Granger said that he had previous spoken about the seriousness of so many youngpeople being involved in criminal activity and had actually used the words that we are sitting on atime bomb. He said youth unemployment cannot continue. He noted that on a yearly basis thou-sands are dropping out of school. Many of them are not fully literate or numerate and [this] hasan effect on their ability to get jobs and there is a large number of unemployed people. Im not say-

ing that every unemployed person is a criminal. What I am saying is that there is a possibility thatthese unemployed young people could be seduced into criminal activities in the hope of gettingmoney, he said.

Granger stressed that the problem affecting young people is a very serious one but we have to goback and rectify the problems in the education system. He expressed the view that a person whogets a chance to complete secondary school and go to university is not gonna get caught up in thattype of gang. So I think what we have been seeing has been a fall out of a faulty education systemand the failure of this administration to create jobs for young people.

APNU -Lands in Region Six earmarked for project


By Kiana Wilburg

A Partnership for National Unitys (APNU) Shadow Minister of Agriculture and Environment, Dr.Rupert Roopnarine, believes that all plans to move ahead with the recently signed MemorandumOf Understanding (MOU) between Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago should be halted because it isshrouded in too much secrecy.

The MOU, which is a Jagdeo based initiative is geared towards making some of Guyanas landsavailable to the Twin Island to invest in Agriculture. The Ministry of Agriculture recently informedthat the exact amount of land which will be granted to the Caricom member state has not beenagreed upon though it has been reported that some 10,000 acres of land was already earmarkedfor the project.

At a press briefing on Thursday last, Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy as well as theFood Production Minister of the neighbouring island, Devant Maharaj, said that based on the find-ings of the technical team, they will be moving forward with the project. However, the detailedfindings of the technical team were not disclosed by either Minister. Meanwhile, lands in RegionSix, in particular, the Canjie Basin and the intermediate savannahs, were earmarked for the possi-

ble Trinidadian investors to use for agricultural purposes.

However, Dr. Ramsammy revealed to this publication that while these potential areas have beenidentified, the amount of land that will be used is still undetermined until specific investment pro-posals are made. Be that as it may, Dr. Roopnarine has asserted that while he is not informedabout the details of the MOU, he insists that all plans to move forward with this aspect of the pro-ject should be brought to a standstill immediately. Although reports have been made that Guyanastands to gain substantial benefits from this project, the APNU politician stressed that the detailsof these so-called benefits have not been made public.


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GuySuCo has been unable to meet its targeted production over the past few years and aftera review of the corporations five-year Strategic Plan (2013-17), Vieira has concluded that GuySuCois operating at a loss of $16,705 per tonne of sugar produced. He compared GuySuCos wages toother industries such asbauxite and gold mining and concluded that the sugar industrys currentwage bill is $19 billion for its 16,000 workers; the current price for sugar is 17.77 US cents a poundor G$35.54 i.e. G$71,080 per tonne. The labour cost to produce 218,000 tons [2012] productionwas 19 billion, i.e. 87,155 per tonne in labour costs alone, we are losing G$16,705 on every tonne

we produce.

We have to sit down and discuss if these figures make sense and whether the sugar industry canexist without remaining a national liability, that diversification is necessary, and a phasing out ofthis expensive labour intensive industry for one which is less labour intensive and with better re-turns must be a better option, especially since we are dealing with workers who demand more andmore, without having regard to the consequences that comes with this massive wage bill, Vieirasaid.

$19 billion divided by the 16,000 employees is 1,187,500 average earnings per GuySuCo employ-ee. We are asking taxpayers who are earning between $200,000 to $400,000/month to subsidisethis! Its unfair and should be examined more closely by the opposition, Vieira stated. He notedthat sugar was valued at over US$132 million and was responsible for 9.5 percent of Guyanas totalexports valued at $1.40 billion, with a $19 billion wage bill per year while bauxite pays a fraction ofthat cost in wages and is valued at US$150 million and contributes 10.8% of exports.

When broken down further, average wages for GuySuCo employees sit at $98 000 monthly whichis well above the minimum wage. With the cost of sugar not likely to surpass 20 US cents by 2020,GuySuCo needs to address value for money and cutting costs while increasing production. Further,according to Vieira, mechanisation is not properly understood in Guyana and as a result, effortshave been poor and are only degrading the fields and the industry further.

Converting the lands for mechanical harvesting is very poor, since in the process, they have ex-

posed the acid and toxic sub-soils and leaving a soft area where the old drains used to be in whichthe harvesters keep sinking and have to be pulled out. Having already converted most of the Eng-lish beds, this new plan seeks to rush into more conversions without the money or the equipmentto either convert from the cambered bed layout to the layout necessary for mechanical harvestingand they dont have the money to buy the mechanical harvesters either. So they are destroying theindustry without fully understanding what they are doing, begging the question what is the point ofconverting and destroying thousands of acres which you cant find the money to harvest mechani-cally, Vieira said.

Vieira proposed that the industry needed to call back manual labour because Guyanas soils haveproven not capable for mechanisation. The current $19 billion that goes to wages will need to be

even higher but while wages will increase, GuySuCo will not be spending billions to mechanisewhen that has proven not fruitful, he said. Vieira stated in relation to mechanisation that if we areto pursue this disastrous road to bankruptcy, lets at least state clearly that we do not have themanagerial skills which can carry out an operation such as this, and what we intend to do to rectifythat situation.


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Vieira had noted that the 2013-2017 Strategic Plan was devoid of any actual analysis on howGuySuCo will spend the $19 billion budgeted to revive the industry over five years by improvingrehabilitation of factories and agriculture operations. We would like to see a complete analysis ofthis $19 billion capital expenditure by subhead, since GuySuCo has not been very reliable in re-turning value for money in the past, therefore spending this very large amount to achieve thepromised goals does not necessarily mean improved performance, so now they will have to tell usexactly how, and in what departments they will spend this money and to what end, he said.

Vieira was extremely critical of GuySuCos proposed capital expenditure. He stated that to go from203,000 tonnes of sugar to 350,000 tonnes by 2017 was impossible. He cited the fact thatGuySuCo was projecting a 72 percent increase in performance in five years with little explanationof how this would happen.

Mechanisation

On converting to mechanisation, Vieira said that the plan relies heavily on mechanisation of thefields but the average cost of a mechanical harvester is US$375,000. He stated that 24-hour har-vesting would require 9 800 tonnes of cane per day at Skeldon and if the factory was operating atmaximum capacity, which GuySuCos strategic plan is banking on, that would mean 49 harvesterswould be needed. Guyana currently has 10 mechanical harvesters for all eight estates which har-vest from 150-200 tonnes per hour.

If the harvester only reaps 200 tonnes a day, and I am using the maximum amount I have beengiven, they would require 49 Cameco/John Deere 3520 harvesters at Skeldon at US$375,000 eachthat would be $3.6 billion but the harvesters do not load the canes, they cut and loaders load thecanes so each harvester has to be accompanied by two loaders and two trailers this may effectivelydouble the price to $7.2 billion to harvest the cane for Skeldon alone, Vieira said.

Guyana needs action plan to counter violence against women

APNUKaieteur News, November 27, 2013

A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) is demanding that Government disseminate a seriousaction plan to counter the increasing frequency of violence against women. The coalition in a pressstatement yesterday said, Crimes such as Trafficking In Persons, murders, rapes and domestic vi-olence are still rampant. It is evident that current enforcement measures are not adequate to pro-tect women.

For years, Guyana has been battling with the plague of violence against women, but to no

avail.Then Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Priya Manickchand, in June 2008,launched the National Domestic Violence Policy (DVP) under the theme Break the cycle takecontrol. The launch was the realization of a document that was in formulation for just about a yearprior, and the National Domestic Violence Oversight Committee was tasked with its implementa-tion.


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According to Manickchand, the National Policy should be seen as a milestone in the long battle,and a significant achievement, given that in the past there has only been a lot of talk, despite thefact that Guyana passed the Domestic Violence Bill 1996, which has since been assented to by Pres-ident Bharrat Jagdeo.

However, in May 2009 Manickchand found herself praising an initiative by a male group, Men ofPurpose (MOP) for publicly condemning domestic violence. The group along with the Youth Advo-cacy Movement had joined hands in their effort to highlight the message denouncing domestic vio-lence which was rampant at that juncture. The Ministry was working to get more civil society onboard its Stamp it Out bandwagon, particularly more men. Manickchand had said that in orderto end the scourge, all of civil society, private sector, religious bodies and NGOs must adopt a pro-active approach.Unfortunately, violence against women is still a prevalent issue in society, and this is widely re-ported in the media.

Thankfully, organizations such as the Guyana Women Miners Organization have been proactive intheir agenda to eliminate discrimination against women in the mining sector. The body, whichstarted operation in 2012, has rescued several women and teenage girls from sexual enslavementin Guyanas hinterland. In addition, almost daily instances of domestic violence, sometimes fatal,

are reported in the press.

Last Saturday, a Garnett Street businessman killed his wife and committed suicide purportedlyending a turbulent relationship. There was a similar incident on November 11 when 21-year-oldKenroy Crandon slit his lover Bibi Sharrizas throat, before taking his own life. Another horrifyingincident occurred in August where a man killed his two children and disfigured his wife. Onemonth after the man was found hanging.

According to APNU, violence against women is a human rights violation. It was noted that despitethe passage of legislation such as the Domestic Violence Act and the Sexual Offences Act, violenceagainst women continues to be a national epidemic. This is so largely because of weak enforce-

ment and the absence of a coherent national plan, APNU said.

APNU called for an end to all types of inter-personal violence as the nation observes InternationalDay for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The coalition believes that violence againstwomen and girls can be prevented and eliminated. APNU wants a national action plan on violenceand the introduction of educational and enforcement initiatives to eliminate this scourge.

APNU takes note of alleged theft at NCNGuyana Times, November 27, 2013

The A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) said it has taken note of the reported theft of cashand gold from Raymond Azeez, an employee of the National Communications Network (NCN).

APNU is of the view that if the property involved in the theft belonged to the state NCN, thenRaymond Azeez should not have had it in his drawer, the coalition said in a statement. It addedthat if the stolen items were his personal property, then Azeez should have had it at his home, orsomewhere other than his place of employment.APNU feels strongly that the perpetrator of thiscrime (if found) should be duly charged and prosecuted according to the law.
http://www.guyanatimesgy.com/?p=40521http://www.guyanatimesgy.com/?p=40521


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However, APNU charged that the attitude of the Peoples Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) govern-ment to due regulatory and accounting procedures has created a condition where personnel atNCN feel empowered to break the law and not be penalised.The Permessar Report into investiga-tions of irregularities at NCN recommended an audit of the entire system of accounting of assets ofthat government agency, to date, no action has been taken on this.The coalition said though theNational Assembly voted down a subvention of $81 million for NCN, the government went aheadand spent the money.It is APNUs firm belief, that in this type of environment where employees

see high ranking governmentofficials behaving in such a manner, with no respect for the law, theyfeel justified in acting in a similar manner.

Granger dismissal from budget cut caseOpposition Leader was denied

fair hearing, right to waiver immunityAttorney


Lawyers for Opposition Leader David Granger have reiterated that Granger was not given a fairhearing, while his right to waive his parliamentary immunity was overlooked when Chief JusticeIan Chang decided to dismiss the Leader from the 2012 budget cuts case.

Attorney-at-Law Basil Williams made the case via submissions last week, at the commencement ofarguments to determine whether the ruling by the Chief Justice was legitimate. The matter is be-fore the Full Court. The Attorney General is responding to why the Opposition Leader is no longerrelevant to the budget cuts case.

While the Opposition Leader and Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh were parties in the legal matterthey were ruled out of the budget case given that the two are protected by parliamentary immunity.Although Speaker of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman is also protected by parliamentaryimmunity, it was related that the Speaker would have been the facilitator of the combined Opposi-tions unanimous 2012 budget cuts vote.

Williams, to the learned judges, stated that the Opposition Leader was not given a fair hearing asto why he should remain in the budget cut case. Williams charged that the CJs ruling was contraryto Article 144(8) of the Constitution and the rules of natural justice; which states that any Court orother tribunal provided by law in determining the existence/extent of any civil right or obligationshall be established by law and shall be independent and impartial; and where proceedings forsuch a determination are instituted by any persons before such court or other tribunal, the caseshall be given a fair hearing within a reasonable time.

Amidst the numerous authorities laid in support of this argument, Williams added that his clientsright to a fair hearing, is also a right to make a representation.

Williams added that under Article 172(2) of the Constitution; his client wished to waive his parlia-mentary immunity which protects him from prosecution during his participation in the NationalAssembly. The Constitution reads that, no civil or criminal proceedings may be instituted againstany member of the Assembly for words spoken before or written in a report to the Assembly or to acommitteeWilliams argued, however, that the discretion of a Member of Parliament to waive their parliamen-tary immunity prevails in many parts of the Commonwealth and highlighted with different author-ities, scenarios where parliamentarians waived their immunity for a particular reason, especially incases where the said parliamentarian wished to partake in legal proceedings.


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Shadick did not comment on this issue.The same, however, did not seem to apply to Telcor and Cultural Broadcasting Inc which is owned100 per cent by an American citizen.According to Harmon, it is precisely incidents such as these that have prompted APNU to move toamend the Broadcast Act.

Shadick, however, yesterday claimed that there has since been a change in the number of directors

of the company; that there are now five directors on the company, four of whom are resident Guya-nese.

This, she said, means that 80 per cent of the directors who would have voting rights for the compa-ny would be resident Guyanese.She also said that regardless of the fact that Ms Baljit might have been an American citizen, shewas a Guyanese and never stopped being one.

The change in the number of directors that Shadick spoke of was not evident when Kaieteur Newsexamined the information in the file for Telcor and Cultural Broadcasting Inc. Ms Shadick had saidthat she had called on all the companies to put themselves in order. That call prompted Telcor toincorporate five directors, one of whom is Randy Depoo, who eventually uplifted the licence.Harmon said that the administration has been operating in an arbitrary manner and this has tochange. He said that APNU will be looking to change the manner with which licences are handedout, as well as how the board is constituted.

No one should get preferential treatment, according to Harmon, as he stressed that the law mustbe applied equally to all.

Telcor and Cultural Broadcasting Inc was incorporated by Attorney-at-Law, Jaya Manickchand, in2009.The company was incorporated with 500,000 shares and each annual return filed lists Baljit,a US citizen, as the sole shareholder.This means that the company Telcor and Cultural Broadcast-ing Inc. is on paper, owned exclusively by a US Citizen.Kaieteur News understands, too, that the

company was struck off the Registrars Companies List for failing to file annual returns. It was re-stored to the Companies List in October, days before Jagdeo would have approved it for five radiofrequencies.

Dharamchand Depoo, the Company Secretary uplifted the licence for Baljit who lives in the UnitedStates.

Several independent media entities including Kaieteur News, Stabroek News, CNS 6, WRHM 7,RBS 13, Capitol News, HBTV 9 and GWTV 2 were all bypassed for frequencies despite their appli-cations being made as long as a decade before Jagdeo said that he liberalized radio.Dr. RanjisinghiBobby Ramroop, his close friend and his partys newspaper, the Mirror, were each awarded five

frequencies.Jagdeo approved frequencies to a number of others, but only allowed them one fre-quency each, limiting them in their coverage.

On October 1, last, Shadick announced the award of licences to six entities. She said that STVS,the4 Learning Channel. MTV (Ch 69) RBS 13, NCN and TTV Bartica refused to be regularized andremained illegal. They had until October 31 to be regularized. There was no application from Sta-broek News, Capitol News, and Mark Benschop.


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She also said that there are 29 applications for radio, television and cable. These will be consideredby year end.

Leader of the Opposition greets eminent Islamic scholarLeader of the Opposition Brigadier DavidGranger today met World renowned Islamicscholar, His Eminence Maulana Shaykh Dr.

Hisham Kabbani, at the Office of the Leaderof the Opposition, Werk en Rust.Maulana Kabbani, who is here to conduct a

series of lectures and to observe the start of

the Islamic New Year 1435 AH led a

large delegation of clerics, scholars and rep-

resentatives of Islamic communities in Cana-

da, Guyana, Holland, Trinidad and Tobago,

Mali and the United States of America.

Brigadier Granger welcomed the delegationand, on behalf of A Partnership for NationalUnitys (APNU), expressed support and appreciation for the work of the Islamic community inGuyana, especially in the areas of education and social services.

Brigadier Granger was accompanied by the APNU Shadow Minister of Education and Opposition

Chief Whip Ms. Amna Ally and Communications Director Mark Archer.

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Diaspora News - November 23 - November 29, 2013

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